Photography of the southern hemisphere for the Second Cape Photographic Catalogue (CPC2) was commenced in 1962 by R H Stoy, HM Astronomer at the Cape. During the following ten years nearly 6000 plates, each having two exposures and covering 4° × 4° with fourfold corner to centre overlap were obtained. All plates have been measured on the GALAXY measuring machine at the Royal Greenwich Observatory under the general direction of W Nicholson. A preliminary catalogue giving positions and magnitudes of more than 50 000 stars in the Cape Astrographic zone (−40° to −52°) has already been published (Nicholson et al. 1984), together with details of the programme. Measurement of the plates, initial identification of star images appearing on all overlapping plates, and photographic photometry have been carried out at RGO; the subseqent astrometric data reduction is being performed at Hamburg Observatory.