Data from "Komati - circa 1926", The History of the Steam Locomotives that have Served The Electricity Supply Industry in South Africa, Eskom, pp. 41-43, archived at [], last accessed 23 July 2020. , pp. 41-43.
A powerful narrow-gauge industrial tank locomotive, Komati spent more than 40 years at the Witbank power station. While the first three axles were spaced 4-ft apart, the fourth axle was almost twice as distant (7 ft 6 in/ ) from the third. Well into her service career, Rosherville shops removed that fourth coupled axle and replaced it with a traversable truck, transforming Komati into an 0-6-2T.
After her 1969 retirement, Komati lingered on a back track until Dunn's Locomotive and Boiler Works bought her to lease to several private companies. Eskom bought her back in 1995, but a 2010 theft of the engine's axleboxes led to her scrapping in October 2010.
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | |
|---|---|
| Class | Komati |
| Locobase ID | 20763 |
| Railroad | ESCOM |
| Country | South Africa |
| Whyte | 0-8-0T |
| Number in Class | 1 |
| Road Numbers | |
| Gauge | 3'6" |
| Number Built | 1 |
| Builder | Hudswell, Clarke |
| Year | 1926 |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 15.50 / 4.72 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 15.50 / 4.72 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 1 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 15.50 / 4.72 |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | |
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 104,160 / 47,246 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 104,160 / 47,246 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 1080 / 4.09 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 1.65 / 2 |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 43 / 21.50 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 42 / 1067 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 180 / 1240 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 17" x 24" / 432x610 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 25,267 / 11460.93 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 4.12 |
| Heating Ability | |
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 209 - 1.875" / 48 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 13.31 / 4.06 |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 85.60 / 7.95 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 18.50 / 1.72 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1464 / 136.01 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1464 / 136.01 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 232.20 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 3330 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 3330 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 15,408 |
| Power L1 | 3781 |
| Power MT | 320.11 |