the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. In the Western Cape, Class 19Cs were the mainstay of the service for more than forty years. The Calvinia and Sakrivier branches in the Northern Cape were worked by Class 19C locomotives at least from 1950, probably earlier. In later years, around 1970, a few were stationed at Bloemfontein from where they worked the line to Aliwal North. The Poppet valves made the Class 19C a very free-running locomotive, although it required special maintenance techniques. As a result, the whole class was allocated to the Western Cape during the Second World War and based at the Paardeneiland shed in Cape Town. From here, they worked on branch lines such as those from Cape Town to Saldanha, along the long branch line via Klawer to Bitterfontein, and across Sir Lowry's Pass to Caledon, Bredasdorp and Protem in the Overberg. Locomotives working between Malmesbury and Bitterfontein were usually equipped with Type MX torpedo tenders. Bitterfontein in the thirstland was a rare terminus in that it had no locomotive water at all. Engines had to work out from the last water stop at Lutzville and back, a round trip of which including climbing from almost sea level to an elevation of more than at Bitterfontein while performing shunting along the way. When a Class 19C with its standard Type MP1 tender was used, it had to take along a Type X-17 or Type X-20 water tender. They were withdrawn from service in 1978. One, no. 2439, was preserved, but none of them were sold into industry, firstly because of the special maintenance required for the poppet valves and secondly because Cape Town was a long distance away from any potential industrial operators, which would increase the cost of relocation after purchase. Preservation Illustration References 2010 2010 2010 4-8-2 locomotives 2D1 locomotives NBL locomotives Cape gauge railway locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1935 1935 in South Africa