#0936

South African Class 6E 4-6-0

🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by Sharp, Stewart and Company· from 1898· class of 6 South African 4-6-0 locomotives

1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. Type XE tender of Class 6B or 6E: Leith Paxton· CC BY-SA 3.0

what is it?

The South African Railways Class 6E 4-6-0 of 1898 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Orange Free State. In 1898, the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen ordered its final six new Cape 6th Class locomotives. When British forces invaded the Orange Free State during the Second Boer War, these locomotives were taken over by the Imperial Military Railways.

who runs it

Central South African Railways Transnet Freight Rail South African Railways and Harbours Administration Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen

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 128 years ago, in 1898.

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

spec sheet

built: 1898
in service from: 1898
number built: 6
kind: Steam
traction: steam
origin: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
builders: Sharp, Stewart and Company
designer: Cape Government Railways, (H.M. Beatty)
operators: Central South African Railways, Transnet Freight Rail, South African Railways and Harbours Administration, Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen
top speed: —
power: —
gauge: 1,067 mm Cape gauge
wheel arrangement: 4-6-0 (Tenwheeler)

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

Sources: Wikidata Q7565563, Wikipedia: South African Class 6E 4-6-0 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.