South African Class 14 4-8-2

The South African Railways Class 14 4-8-2 of 1913 was a steam locomotive of the Mountain type, 45 of which were placed in service in Natal between 1913 and 1915. It was ordered from Robert Stephenson and Company in 1913 and delivered in three batches, numbered 1701 to 1745, and was a development of the Class 12 with many interchangeable components. Designed by the railways' chief mechanical engineer D. A. Hendrie, it had 48 inch coupled wheels as an intermediate size for the Natal mainline, Walschaerts valve gear, a Belpaire firebox and a superheater. From 1935 all were reboilered as Class 14R, 13 later went into industrial service, and by 1983 all had been withdrawn from service.