SAR in their Durban shops. These two locomotives were numbered 332 and 333. Service In the NGR era, the Class D fleet remained in service on the Natal mainline until they were eventually displaced by more modern locomotives. They continued to serve well into the SAR era on the Dundee-Hlobane branchline, the Harrismith-Ladysmith section and on the north coast line to Empangeni. In 1915, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, the German South West Africa colony was occupied by the Union Defence Forces. Since a large part of the territory's railway infrastructure and rolling stock was destroyed or damaged by retreating German forces, an urgent need arose for locomotives for use on the Cape gauge lines in that territory. In 1917, numbers 98 and 183 were transferred to the Defence Department for service in South West Africa. Both locomotives are believed to have returned to South Africa after the war. The last of the was withdrawn from service in 1962. Several locomotives continued to serve in industrial use for many years. Preservation A few survive in preservation. Ex NGR no. 84, SAR no. 130 named Patrys, is plinthed at the Reefsteamers Depot in Germiston. Ex NGR no. 90, SAR no. 136 named Umbilo, is in the care of the Umgeni Steam Railway. Ex NGR no. 55, SAR no. 103, was moved from Witbank to the Outeniqua Transport Museum in George in August 2014. Ex NGR no 133, SAR Class A Belpaire no. 196, was plinthed at Masons Mill in Pietermaritzburg until it was repatriated to the United Kingdom in 2011. It is now displayed at the entrance to the Mizens Railway near Woking. Ex NGR no. ?, SAR no. 176, on display at Brikor Limited, Olifantsfontein. Rebuilding to Class 17 4-8-0TT When a shortage of suitable shunting locomotives developed in 1926, the SAR modified 21 Class A and Class A Belpaire locomotives by removing the trailing bissel bogie and coal bunker, shortening the main frame and adding a tender to increase their coal and water capacity. Tenders from various scrapped locomotive types were used. These 21 rebuilt locomotives became the SAR Class 17 tank-and-tender locomotives, numbered in the range from 1415 to 1435. They were used as shunting locomotives around Durban and Port Elizabeth, until they were withdrawn from service by 1961. Works numbers The builder's works numbers, years built, NGR and SAR numbers, firebox type and