#1804
South African Katanga Mikado 2-8-2
🇺🇸 United States ·built by H.K. Porter, Inc.· from 1917· steam locomotive used in South Africa
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Katanga Mikado 2-8-2 no. 201: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
what is it?
The South African Railways Katanga Mikado 2-8-2 of 1917 was a steam locomotive used in South Africa. In 1917, the South African Railways placed at least four 2-8-2 Mikado type steam locomotives in service. They had been built for the Chemins de Fer du Bas Congo à Katanga (BCK) in the Belgian Congo and were obtained on temporary lease to alleviate the critical shortage of locomotives as a result of the First World War's disruption of locomotive production in Europe and the United Kingdom.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 109 years ago, in 1917.
- Weighs about as much as 11 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Served for 53 years (1917–1970).
steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.
spec sheet
- built
- 1917
- in service from
- 1917
- retired
- 1970
- status
- retired
- number built
- 24
- kind
- Steam
- traction
- steam
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- builders
- H.K. Porter, Inc.
- designer
- H.K. Porter, Inc
- operators
- Transnet Freight Rail, South African Railways and Harbours Administration
- top speed
- —
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- wheel arrangement
- 2-8-2 (Mikado)
- weight
- 68.9 t
- nicknames
- Katanga Mikado
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q23926736, Wikipedia: South African Katanga Mikado 2-8-2 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.