Uploaded August 2016 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On Saturday, 27 August 2016, the recently formed Ceres Rail Company, had a steam train run between Ceres to Cape Town and back. The train was hauled by newly refurbished Jessica, a Class 19D locomotive, number 3321. No.3321 was the 1st of the final batch of 50 locos built by NBR in Glasgow, Scotland. These were delivered in 1949.
The static footage was taken north of Wellington on her return journey in the afternoon using four video cameras set up from different angles. The mobile footage was taken with a Mobius action cam fitted to the car's window.
More background on 19Ds, copied from a comment by Darren Laws:
The Class 19D locomotive was South African designed by a man named W.A.J. Day (couldn't find out his real name, just initials). Between 1937 and 1955, 268 Class 19D locomotives were built in seven batches by six locomotive manufacturers in Czechoslovakia, Germany and the United Kingdom and delivered to the SAR and several other operators in Southern Africa. The first forty were built in Germany in 1937, twenty with domeless boilers by Friedrich Krupp AG in Essen, numbered in the range from 2506 to 2525, and twenty by the Borsig Lokomotiv Werke in Hennigsdorf, Berlin, numbered in the range from 2526 to 2545. In 1938, a further 95 locomotives were ordered, built by three manufacturers. Škoda Works in Czechoslovakia built fifteen, numbered in the range from 2626 to 2640, Krupp built forty, this time with domed boilers and numbered in the range from 2641 to 2680, and Borsig built forty, numbered in the range from 2681 to 2720.
Locomotive building was interrupted by the Second World War and post-war locomotive procurement saw European suppliers being replaced by British ones. In 1947, the first fifty post-war Class 19D locomotives were delivered by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns (RSH) of Darlington, England, numbered in the range from 2721 to 2770. Of this order, engine no. 2734, RSH works no. 7247, was lost at sea off the east coast of England. Its replacement, with RSH works number 7360, was paid for by insurance and it was given the number 2734 of the lost locomotive.
The final batch of fifty Class 19D locomotives for the SAR were delivered in 1949 by the North British Locomotive Company (NBL) of Glasgow, Scotland, numbered in the range from 3321 to 3370. These engines were delivered with Type MX Torpedo tenders. In 1951, six were built by NBL for the Caminho de Ferro de Benguela (CFB) in Angola. Between 1951 and 1953, Henschel and Son built 21 more for the Rhodesia Railways (RR) and the Nkana copper mine in Northern Rhodesia. In 1955, four more were built by NBL for the Wankie coal mine in Southern Rhodesia.
So overall, it is not just a Scottish Locomotive, but more of an international effort with the main design being by a South African. Overall 60 out of 268 of these loco's were built in Scotland by NBL Company. They can thus be seen as built in Britain as they were mostly just assembled in Scotland with component parts mainly coming from all over the UK, Germany and South Africa.
On Saturday, 27 August 2016, the recently formed Ceres Rail Company, had a steam train run between Ceres to Cape Town and back. The train was hauled by newly refurbished Jessica, a Class 19D locomotive, number 3321. No.3321 was the 1st of the final batch of 50 locos built by NBR in Glasgow, Scotland. These were delivered in 1949.
The static footage was taken north of Wellington on her return journey in the afternoon using four video cameras set up from different angles. The mobile footage was taken with a Mobius action cam fitted to the car's window.
More background on 19Ds, copied from a comment by Darren Laws:
The Class 19D locomotive was South African designed by a man named W.A.J. Day (couldn't find out his real name, just initials). Between 1937 and 1955, 268 Class 19D locomotives were built in seven batches by six locomotive manufacturers in Czechoslovakia, Germany and the United Kingdom and delivered to the SAR and several other operators in Southern Africa. The first forty were built in Germany in 1937, twenty with domeless boilers by Friedrich Krupp AG in Essen, numbered in the range from 2506 to 2525, and twenty by the Borsig Lokomotiv Werke in Hennigsdorf, Berlin, numbered in the range from 2526 to 2545. In 1938, a further 95 locomotives were ordered, built by three manufacturers. Škoda Works in Czechoslovakia built fifteen, numbered in the range from 2626 to 2640, Krupp built forty, this time with domed boilers and numbered in the range from 2641 to 2680, and Borsig built forty, numbered in the range from 2681 to 2720.
Locomotive building was interrupted by the Second World War and post-war locomotive procurement saw European suppliers being replaced by British ones. In 1947, the first fifty post-war Class 19D locomotives were delivered by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns (RSH) of Darlington, England, numbered in the range from 2721 to 2770. Of this order, engine no. 2734, RSH works no. 7247, was lost at sea off the east coast of England. Its replacement, with RSH works number 7360, was paid for by insurance and it was given the number 2734 of the lost locomotive.
The final batch of fifty Class 19D locomotives for the SAR were delivered in 1949 by the North British Locomotive Company (NBL) of Glasgow, Scotland, numbered in the range from 3321 to 3370. These engines were delivered with Type MX Torpedo tenders. In 1951, six were built by NBL for the Caminho de Ferro de Benguela (CFB) in Angola. Between 1951 and 1953, Henschel and Son built 21 more for the Rhodesia Railways (RR) and the Nkana copper mine in Northern Rhodesia. In 1955, four more were built by NBL for the Wankie coal mine in Southern Rhodesia.
So overall, it is not just a Scottish Locomotive, but more of an international effort with the main design being by a South African. Overall 60 out of 268 of these loco's were built in Scotland by NBL Company. They can thus be seen as built in Britain as they were mostly just assembled in Scotland with component parts mainly coming from all over the UK, Germany and South Africa.
