The Class 26, popularly known as the Red Devil, is a 4-8-4 steam locomotive that was rebuilt from a Class 25NC locomotive by mechanical engineer David Wardale from England while in the employ of the South African Railways. The rebuilding took place at the Salt River Works in Cape Town and was based on the principles developed by Argentinian mechanical engineer L.D. Porta. Work on Class 25NC number 3450 started at the end of 1979. These extensive modifications justified reclassification and the locomotive became the first and only Class 26, although the locomotive’s original Class 25NC running number 3450 was retained. The Red Devil’s great power, however, also turned out to be its one weakness. The Class 25NC had already proven to be on the slippery side and the much more powerful Class 26, with essentially still the same dimensions as the Class 25NC, was even worse. It was a poor performer at starting or at low speeds on steep gradients.
See also the Wikipedia article on the South African Class 26 4-8-4. |