#1229

South African Class 8F 4-8-0

🇿🇦 South Africa ·built by North British Locomotive Company· from 1904· class of 10 South African 4-8-0 locomotives

3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. SAR Class 8F 1236 (4-8-0) CGR 831: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
2. Class 8FW 1236 (4-8-0): Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
3. Class 8FW 1242 (4-8-0): Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0

what is it?

The South African Railways Class 8F 4-8-0 of 1904 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope. In 1904, the Cape Government Railways placed its final batch of ten 8th Class 4-8-0 Mastodon type steam locomotives in service.

who runs it

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

base stats

built 10made 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 122 years ago, in 1904.
Served for 68 years (1904–1972).

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

spec sheet

built: 1904
in service from: 1904
retired: 1972
status: retired
number built: 10
kind: Steam
traction: steam
origin: 🇿🇦 South Africa
builders: North British Locomotive 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 Q7565595, Wikipedia: South African Class 8F 4-8-0 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.