Beyer Peacock Works No 7170 – SAR 4003

This locomotive was built by Beyer Peacock in Gorton, Manchester in 1946 for the South African Railways (SAR).

For details of class GEA locomotives go to Class GEA

After service with the SAR the locomotive was sold Dunns Locomotive Works. These works were based in the Witbank area in the industrial heartland of the East Rand and were amongst the worlds last great steam locomotive overhauling plants outside China. The majority of their locomotive output based on the refurbishment of locomotives for industrial concerns such as coal and gold mines.

Witbank is located along the railway line linking Pretoria to Maputo and for many years served as the transport gateway to the Mozambiquean port. It was coal mining area with more than 22 collieries in the municipal radius. There were a number of power stations and a steel mill nearby which require coal. It has been reported that the region had the dirtiest air in the world due to the coal mining and plant power stations.

The locomotive was hired out by Dunns and was employed at Witbank hauling coal traffic which it was still doing in 1981.

Dunns Locomotive Works closed in the mid 1990s.

The locomotive is now owned by the National Collection by the Transport Heritage Foundation (THF) and is at the Witbank Locomotive Depot.

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