#1753

South African Class J 4-6-4T

🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by Nasmyth, Wilson and Company· from 1915· class of 6 South African 4-6-4T locomotives

2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. SAR Class J 345 (4-6-4T): Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
2. Class J 4-6-4T no. 341: User:Robert Maidment-Wilson· CC BY-SA 3.0

what is it?

The South African Railways Class J 4-6-4T of 1915 was a steam locomotive. In 1915, the South African Railways placed six Class J tank steam locomotives with a 4-6-4 Baltic type wheel arrangement in service.

who runs it

South African Railways

base stats

built 6made in total

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 111 years ago, in 1915.
Served for 42 years (1915–1957).

steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.

spec sheet

built: 1915
in service from: 1915
retired: 1957
status: retired
number built: 6
kind: Steam
traction: steam
origin: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
builders: Nasmyth, Wilson and Company
designer: South African Railways, (D.A. Hendrie)
operators: South African Railways
top speed: —
power: —
gauge: 1,067 mm Cape gauge
wheel arrangement: 4-6-4T (Baltic)

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q7565645, Wikipedia: South African Class J 4-6-4T (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.