On RyPN this morning, they found a scrap auction for 38 steam locomotives already in progress:
http://international.go-dove.com/en/eve ... e-118/lots
It's sad to me that it's come to this, but many of these engines have been neglected, vandalized, and been pillaged for metals for years. This is really just an acknowledgement.
At least there is some hope that the Red Devil engine will be restored to service, albeit without most of the special Wardale improvements...
Sadly there's a catch: It's all in South Africa.
S. Connor Sadly there's a catch: It's all in South Africa.
Which means they're all in the 3' 6" "Cape Gauge," so there's not too many places you could run them here anyway.
And I'm sure the auction house doesn't do deliverys.
Looked at the prices, seems like an awful lot of money for scrap metal.
The engines look as if they have been picked over by scrappers - of any parts that could be carried away. Which is a shame as I think it won't really help the sale for anything but scrap. It's a shame because the quality invested in the building of the the boilers, frames, drivers and other heavy construction could never be duplicated. It's nice to see an entire steam railroad of equipment in one location though. Some of those "Northern" 4-8-4 locmotives look pretty aggressive!
Doc
Dr DThe engines look as if they have been picked over by scrappers - of any parts that could be carried away.
It's worse than that. They were picked over by poor people, and in a number of cases by gangs that were not above using explosives to get easily at the bronze in the axlebox bearings. There's a reason why the locomotive descriptions describe them in terms of weight... many of them ARE attractively sculpted scrap to anyone but an extremely-well-heeled steam fanatic.
And yes, I think it is a horror that these locomotives, of so many in the world, were allowed to get into this condition. But when you look at what the nation, and the railway company itself, have been through ... were going through even when Mr. Wardale was working with them, and their shopcraft and working knowledge of steam were really second to none in the world at that time ... you will have a better understanding, and perhaps more sympathy, for what is happening now.
It is too bad they are Cape Gauge. It would have been interesting to see one or two of the lighter ones, like one of the Class 24 2-8-4s built for branch line service in 1949 and 1950, running on one of the Colorado narrow gauge lines.
As far as I know the only railroad built to the Cape Gauge here in North America was the Newfoundland Railway, and that was abandoned and torn up in 1989.
And some believe it may have been a mistake not to build that one in Standard Gauge to begin with, but it's too late now at any rate.
Those old South African steamers are orphans in more ways than one.
From what I have been able to find, these Class 24s actually have a lighter axle loading than the K-28s, K-36s and K-37s because they were designed to run on 45 lb rail, but their 51 inch drivers would make a longer wheelbase than the 44 inch drivers on the D&S and C&TS Mikados. Again, a moot point because of gauge difference, but they were a fine-looking locomotive class...
With a qualifed shop and personnel, a change from 3'6" to 3" is not that far out of the question...however, it would take some work. As for all being in the same location, that's not true if you read the descriptions they're located in several areas, besides, there's enough of the preserved South African steam around down there ASFAIK.
Certainly true there's preserved steam in South Africa, there's preserved steam in just about every country steam ever operated, people love them too much to let them all die.
Last I heard there's even an old French Mikado undergoing restoration in Viet Nam!
Wizlish -
I'TS WORSE THAN THAT!
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"It's worse than that. They were picked over by poor people, and in a number of cases by gangs that were not above using explosivess to get easily at the bronze in the axlebox bearings. There's a reason the locomotives descriptions describe them in terms of weight... many of them ARE attractively scuptured scrap to anyone but an extremely-well-healed steam fanatic."
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And it's not just the Cape Town steam roster!
It's why ancient Rome is in ruins? and why the Egyptian pyramids are missing their limestone casing? and why the Greek Parthenon was destroyed by an explosion! and why the ancient historic treasures of Iraq were looted and stolen in the Iraq War? and why the ancient capital of Persepolus in Iran was destroyed by Islamic militants?
And is the reason why the British Museum in London keeps its historic treasures taken from the nations around the world - and refuses to return them!
It's why artifacts from the RMS TITANIC on the bottom of the open ocean three miles down are not safe -
and why no steam locomotive on display in Mexico looks like a railroad locomotive - and many in the USA - like those at the B&O Railroad Museum don't look like railroad locomotives either -
Yes, even museum locomotives around the world are robbed of historic parts by those entrusted especially to care for them! - go figure!
Scrappers! and Scavengers! - Thieves! - Robbers! - the curse of the ages!
Yah I get tired too! of reading - KEEP OUT and KEEP OFF - of looking at everything through barb wire and a chain link fence!
When I was in the navy in the 70s, a guy came back to the ship which was tied up in Naples with a piece of stone that weighed about 10 pounds. I asked him what it was. He said it was a piece of the Roman colosseum and that he got it by kicking at one of the columns until it broke off. I asked him, "what would happen if everybody did that?" He said, "so what" One Nicholas Vitullo (ironic, eh?) of Providence, Rhode Island, if anyone knows the jerk.
As described in the English railway magazines that I buy frequently, metal thieves at heritage railways are a huge problem, parts get stolen all the time. It's not just overhead wire that gets taken. At scrapyards there, they will no longer pay out cash and anyone that takes metal to a scrapyard has to provide the where and when of the metal they are turning in.
Not all of the steam locomotives sold. You can still buy some of them because they didn't hit the required minimum. On the auction site you can click your choice of locomotive/s and contact info is given. My computer had all of the bids at 25 minutes to go, but it froze and I lost that info. I remember that #24, the Garratt GMAM 4-8-2+2-8-4 was 173,000 rands or $11,000 and some others were near that. Lot #14 and #15 didn' t look to be vandalized, but you never had an inside photo. If you would buy, then which is the right port for shipping and how much would that cost? The British brought some back from South Africa, and I saw some pictures of one travelling in the UK on a super long low trailer, maybe by one of the groups in the links below.
http://www.brc-stockbook.co.uk/25NC.htm
https://riversidemuseum.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/the-story-of-glasgow%E2%80%99s-biggest-and-newest-locomotive/
No surprise the Brits would manage to "bring one home." They take their rail heritage very seriously.
Britains three greatest gifts to the world, paliamentary democracy, penicillin, and the steam locomotive.
Firelock76 Britains three greatest gifts to the world, paliamentary democracy, penicillin, and the steam locomotive.
Also the flush toilet.
CSSHEGEWISCHThey also gave the world the game of football.
No, they gave us rugby, as far superior to American football as American baseball is superior to that great sport of English twits, cricket.
Slogan on the shirts of the Princeton women's rugby team: "My body is a finely honed engine of destruction".
Nothing in regular football even comes close...
And there is the saying, "Give blood. Play rugby."
I think many would question the wizlish regarding Am. football, soccer (known everywhere else as football) and rugby. Ever participated first hand?
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
schlimmI think many would question the wizlish regarding Am. football, soccer (known everywhere else as football) and rugby. Ever participated first hand?
Not much of a sense of humor, have you?
schlimm I think many would question the wizlish regarding Am. football, soccer (known everywhere else as football) and rugby. Ever participated first hand?
I enjoyed quite a few years playing rugby union and a few more years after that as a rugby referee. Since rugby players don't wear any armour, injuries are less of an issue than in American football.
Sort of back on topic. Two years ago I was in the London Transport Museum in Acton Town and in their vast collection of stuff were rugby and boxing trophies from the Metropolitan line's teams. From 1903 and thereabouts. The boxers all had handlebar moustaches, too. The annex is open only a few times a year and you must make a reservation but it is amazing! If I was younger (and bigger) I'd play rugby.
I thought the most common North American narrow gauge was 3'-6"?
Modeling the "Fargo Area Rapid Transit" in O scale 3 rail.
No, it's three feet, or, 36", but I can see where the misconception could come from.
The locomotives are rather large for cape guage anyways. Rebuilding for 3' gauge would be both expensive and rather unwise/unsafe; they'd be real top heavy.
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