In 1904 the Natal Government Railways placed fifty Hendrie B Class locomotives with a 4-8-0 Mastodon wheel arrangement in service. Of these, six were modified in 1906 to Altered Hendrie B Class locomotives, the first in the world with a 4-8-2 Mountain wheel arrangement. In 1912, when those six were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered in the number range from 1440 to 1445 and classified as Class 1B. Between 1926 and 1928 their trailing trucks were removed and they were all reclassified to Class 1.
See also the Wikipedia article on the South African Class 1B 4-8-2. |