South African type YE tender

Type YE tenders were built by Neilson, Reid and Company in 1901 and Kitson and Company in 1903.^[1]

In 1901, the Cape Government Railways (CGR) placed four 6th Class steam locomotives with a 2-6-2 Prairie type wheel arrangement in service. The engines were soon modified to a 2-6-4 Adriatic type wheel arrangement. The locomotive and tender were designed at the Salt River works in Cape Town under the supervision of Western System Locomotive Superintendent H.M. Beatty. They would be designated Class 6Z on the South African Railways (SAR) in 1912.^[1][2][3]

The Type YE first entered service as tenders to these locomotives. More entered service in 1903, as tenders to the CGR Karoo Class of 1903 and the CGR 6th Class 2-6-2.^[1][2][3]

The tender had a coal capacity of 5 long tons 10 hundredweight (5.6 tonnes), a water capacity of 2,825 imperial gallons (12,800 litres) and a maximum axle load of 10 long tons 17 hundredweight (11,020 kilograms).^[2][3]

In the SAR years, tenders were numbered for the engines they were delivered with. In most cases, an oval number plate, bearing the engine number and often also the tender type, would be attached to the rear end of the tender. During the classification and renumbering of locomotives onto the SAR roster in 1912, no separate classification and renumbering list was published for tenders, which should have been renumbered according to the locomotive renumbering list.^[3][4]

Three locomotive classes were delivered new with Type YE tenders. Bearing in mind that tenders could and did migrate between engines, these tenders should have been numbered in the SAR number ranges as shown.^[2][3][4]

• 1901: CGR 6th Class 2-6-4, SAR Class 6Z, numbers 713 to 720.
• 1903: CGR Karoo Class of 1903, SAR Class 5A, numbers 903 and 904.
• 1903: CGR 6th Class 2-6-2, SAR Class 6Y, numbers 711 and 712.