NGG16 No.129

Puffing Billy Railway

NGG16 No.129 steaming into Gembrook Station, Puffing Billy Railway on a rainy summer day, 7 January 2024.

This pleasing view was kindly contributed by Thomas Mullens.

Builder

Beyer-Peacock & Co,

Manchester UK

Builder’s Number & Year

7430 of 1951

Wheel Arrangement

2-6-2 + 2-6-2

No. in class

34

South African Railways narrow gauge & the NGG16 class:

The South African Railways operated a number of 2’ gauge railways that were somewhat analogous to the Victorian Railway’s narrow-gauge (2’ 6”) routes as they were built as developmental lines, often in difficult country, as a way of opening up areas while avoiding the higher construction costs of the ‘Cape Gauge’ (3’ 6”). Some of the South African narrow-gauge lines were later converted to Cape Gauge, while others eventually closed due to falling traffic and road competition. Notable among the 2’ gauge lines was the Alfred County Railway, a private operation which took control of the Port Shepstone to Harding narrow-gauge branch line from the South African Railways and remained in operation for freight until 2001 and passenger operation until 2005. The Alfred County Railway ran a fleet NGG16 Beyer-Garratts and even rebuilt two examples (No.141 & No.155) with various ‘gas producer’ boiler, firebox and exhaust modifications to improve efficiency.

An interesting selection of tender and tank locomotives from various international builders were used on the South African Railways 2’ gauge lines. Beyer-Garratt articulated locomotives proved very successful with the South African Railways and accordingly the type was also applied to their narrow-gauge routes, starting with the NGG11-class of 2-6-0 + 0-6-2 ordered in 1914 (but delivered in 1919 as a result of World War 1 delays). The final development was the NGG16 type, 34 examples of which were constructed by various builders. Incredibly, the last batch NGG16 locomotives were constructed as late as 1968.

A treasured book in the webmaster’s library is ‘Railways of Southern Africa 150 Years’ by Jean A. Dulez; this weighty tome is a fabulous reference of information and photographs covering the many public and private railways and locomotives that operated in Southern Africa. The following summary of Beyer-Garratts used on the South African Railways narrow-gauge lines is distilled from J.A Dulez’s book:

Class	Wheel Arrg’t	Builder	Introduced	No. in Class	Road No’s
NGG11	2-6-0 + 0-6-2	Beyer-Peacock & Co, Manchester UK	1920 (Ordered in 1914)	6	51-55
NGG12	2-6-2 + 2-6-2	Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (Subcontract from Beyer Peacock & Co.)	1927	2	56, 57
NGG13	2-6-2 + 2-6-2	Hanomag, Germany	1929	12	49, 50, 58-60, 77-83
NGG14	2-6-2 + 2-6-2	Hanomag, Germany	1931	1	84
NGG16	2-6-2 + 2-6-2	Various (refer below)	1937	34	85-88, 109-116, 125-131, 137-143, 149-156

The NGG16 class were developed from the earlier NGG13 design with improvements including the addition of roller bearings on the axle-boxes. They were constructed in 4 batches over a period of more than 30 years, with some differences between the various batches and manufacturers. Also referenced from J.A. Dulez is this summary of the NGG16 locomotive batches:

Road No’s	No. in batch	Builder	Year	Comments
85-88	4	Société Anonyme John Cockerill, Belgium	1937
109-116	8	Beyer-Peacock & Co, Manchester UK	1939
125-131	7	Beyer-Peacock & Co, Manchester UK	1951	Puffing Billy Railway’s No.127 & 129 included in this batch.
137-143	7	Beyer-Peacock & Co, Manchester UK	1957	Ordered by the Tsumeb Copper Corporation, South-West Africa. Ownership later transferred to the South African Railways.
149-156	8	Hunslet-Taylor, Germiston, South Africa.	1968	The last steam locomotives ordered by South African Railways.

All 34 members of the NGG16 class still existed as late as 2011, including examples shipped to the UK and restored to operation for the Welsh Highland Railway. Alas some derelict class members in South Africa have recently been scrapped by Transnet, the successor to the South African Railways. (The sea air in the seaside town of Port Shepstone contributed to the rapid decay of the NGG16 locomotives that remained stored there, following closure of the Alfred County Railway.)

NGG16 No.129:

No.129 is one of the 1951-built batch of NGG16 locomotives supplied by Beyer Peacock & Co. This locomotive was acquired by the Puffing Billy Railway from the Alfred County Railway and imported to Australia in 1996. Upon arrival it was dismantled to facilitate assessment, design and planning for regauging and rebuilding to 2' 6", with the major components stored at various Puffing Billy Railway sites for a decade.

Rebuilding and restoration of NGG16 No.129 began in earnest around 2006, in response to the demand for a powerful steam locomotive to augment G42 on the heaviest passenger trains on the Puffing Billy Railway. Restoration accelerated in 2011 following the formation of a dedicated team of volunteers and workshop staff, culminating in NGG16 No.129’s first fire being lit on 26 September 2019, followed by its first movement under its own power on 6 November 2019. A double-headed run with G42 to Menzies Creek followed on 6 December 2019, and I understand the locomotive is now available for general traffic.

As I write this (April 2020) I am housebound due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements, and hoping that the future will permit a visit to Melbourne and the Dandenong Ranges to see this fine locomotive in operation.

Four views of NGG16 No.129 at Belgrave depot, ready for traffic on 19 January 2024. Credit: Thomas Mullens.

A closer view of NGG16 No.129 showing details such as the Beyer Peacock & Co builder’s plate under the air pump.

Photo dated 9 January 2024, courtesy of Thomas Mullens.

Cabside view including the prominent South African Railways number plate.

Photo dated 9 January 2024, courtesy of Thomas Mullens.

Detail view into the cab of the boiler backhead controls.

Photo dated 9 January 2024, courtesy of Thomas Mullens.

Sister NGG16 locomotive No.143 at Plas-y-nant on the Welsh Highland Railway on 12 September 2004.

This image is copyright Barrie Hughes and was taken on a Concord 3340z (3.1 Mega pixel) digital camera.

Image post processed using iPhoto Plus4 image correction technology and displayed at 96dpi

Another view of sister NGG16 locomotive No.143 at work on the Welsh Highland Railway; this view is dated 21 March 2004.

This image is copyright Barrie Hughes and was taken on a Samsung Digimax 200 camera.

Image post processed using iPhoto Plus4 image correction technology and displayed at 96dpi.

No.129 was dismantled for assessment upon arrival at the Puffing Billy Railway back in 1996.

The 2-6-2 engine units are seen here stored on NQR flat wagons near Emerald station.

The arrangement of the driving wheels inside the frames is apparent, while the counterweights are external to the frames.

This photo was kindly contributed by Stefan Rebgetz and dates from approximately 1998.

References

a	Dulez, J.A., ‘Railways of Southern Africa 150 years’, Published by VIDRAIL Productions, 2012
b	'Light Railways - Australia's Magazine of Industrial & Narrow Gauge Railways', Number 224, April 2012. Published by Light Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. News item on page 35.
c	'Light Railways - Australia's Magazine of Industrial & Narrow Gauge Railways', Number 271, February 2020. Published by Light Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. (Letters item & photograph on page 36)

Page updated: 15 February 2024

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