#1173

South African Class 8E 4-8-0

🇿🇦 South Africa ·built by Neilson and Company· from 1903· class of 4 South African 4-8-0 locomotives

1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. SAR Class 8E 1231 (4-8-0) CGR 814: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain

what is it?

The South African Railways Class 8E 4-8-0 of 1903 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope. In 1903, at the same time that the Cape Government Railways ordered its second batch of 38 8th Class 4-8-0 Mastodon type steam locomotives, four additional experimental locomotives of the same class were ordered, built to modified specifications to accommodate a larger firegrate area.

who runs it

Transnet Freight Rail Cape Government Railways South African Railways and Harbours Administration

base stats

built 4made 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 123 years ago, in 1903.
Served for 67 years (1903–1970).

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

spec sheet

built: 1903
in service from: 1903
retired: 1970
status: retired
number built: 4
kind: Steam
traction: steam
origin: 🇿🇦 South Africa
builders: Neilson and Company
designer: Cape Government Railways, (H.M. Beatty)
operators: Transnet Freight Rail, Cape Government Railways, South African Railways and Harbours Administration
top speed: —
power: —
gauge: 1,067 mm Cape gauge
wheel arrangement: 4-8-0 (Mastodon)

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

Sources: Wikidata Q7565594, Wikipedia: South African Class 8E 4-8-0 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.