| Weight | 95t 18cwt |
| Driving Wheels | 5ft 0ins |
| Boiler Pressure | 180psi superheated |
| Cylinders | Outside – 18½in x 26in |
| Tractive Effort | 20,030lbf |
| Valve Gear | Stephenson |
Details above as originally supplied.
Following on the success of the first two Karoo class locomotives of the Cape Government Railways (CGR), a further four were ordered from Beyer, Peacock and Company in 1904 and delivered in that same year. In view of the experience gained with the original two Karoo class locomotives, their design was modified slightly by CGR Chief Locomotive Superintendent H M Beatty.
They were numbered in the range from 905 to 908 and, like the previous two locomotives, they were also not allocated class numbers by the CGR. Instead, they were also known as the Karoo class, from the region of the Western System where they were designed to work.
The type YE1 tender was introduced along with these locomotives. It rode on three axles and had a capacity of 6 long tons coal and 2,825 imperial gallons water.
The boilers of the first two locomotives, numbers 905 and 906, were fitted with Coale patent safety valves, while numbers 907 and 908 had Ramsbottom safety valves.
When the Union of South Africa was established on 31 May 1910, the three Colonial government railways (CGR, Natal Government Railways and Central South African Railways) were united under a single administration to control and administer the railways, ports and harbours of the Union. Although the South African Railways and Harbours came into existence in 1910, the actual classification and renumbering of all the rolling stock of the three constituent railways were only implemented with effect from 1 January 1912.
In 1912, these four locomotives were renumbered in the range from 723 to 726 and designated class 5B on the South African Railways (SAR).
In the early 1930s, A.G. Watson, CME of the SAR at the time, endeavoured to improve some of the older locomotive classes in various ways. The class 5B were fitted with superheating, piston valves and a redesigned smokebox arrangement which resulted in an exhaust which has been described as positively startling when the regulator was opened up. At the same time, their running boards were raised clear of the coupled wheels. This modification made the as-built wheel fairings on the running boards unnecessary and resulted in a locomotive with a North American rather than a British appearance.
In the 1930s, many serving locomotives were reboilered with a standard boiler type, designed by Watson as part of his standardisation policy. Such Watson Standard reboilered locomotives were reclassified by adding an R suffix to their classification.
Only one (SAR 725) of the class 5B locomotives was eventually reboilered with a Watson Standard no. 1 boiler and reclassified to class 5BR. While the original boiler was fitted with Ramsbottom safety valves, the Watson Standard boiler was fitted with Pop safety valves.
In service, the locomotives performed excellently. Beatty’s annual report for 1905 stated that they collectively ran 171,000 miles without a failure of any description, while their consumption of mixed imported and Colonial coal was 52 pounds per train-mile.
They spent a large part of their working lives in the Karoo, working between Beaufort West and De Aar, until they were displaced by larger locomotives and assigned to the Paardeneiland shed in Cape Town. Some remained in service around Cape Town for many years and became familiar sights on the Strand and Stellenbosch suburban trains, until the last locomotive of this class was withdrawn by 1969.
Preservation
Beyer, Peacock & Company Works No 4567 – CGR 905 & SAR 723
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