South African Class 15A 4-8-2 of these locomotives had completed three million miles of heavy-duty mainline work. The table lists the Class 15A engine numbers, builders, years built, works numbers and eventual classifications. The main picture shows reboilered 1914-built Class 15A no. 1788 at Graaff Reinet on 4 April 1978. Differences between the various locomotive models are illustrated in the pictures below. South African Class 15A 4-8-2 The South African Railways Class 15A 4-8-2 of 1914 was a steam locomotive. Between 1914 and 1925, the South African Railways placed 119 Class 15A steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain type wheel arrangement in service, delivered in
2-8-8-8-8-8-2 2-8-8-8-8-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 2-8-8-8-8-8-2 has two leading wheels, five sets of eight driving wheels, and two trailing wheels. Because of its length, such a locomotive must be an articulated locomotive. It is not longer than a normal articulated; the fourth and fifth sets of drivers are located under the tender. Other equivalent classifications are: UIC classification: 1-D-D-D-D-D-1 (also known as German classification and Italian classification) AAR classification: 1-D-D-D-D-D-1 French classification: 140+040+040+040+041 Turkish classification: 45+44+44+44+45 Swiss classification: 4/5+4/4+4/4+4/4+4/5 The equivalent UIC classification is to be refined to (1'D)DDD(D1'). The Baldwin Locomotive Works