List of South African locomotive classes explained

This list shows past and current rail transport locomotive classes used in South Africa. It includes locomotives from all original operators:

• Cape Government Railways (CGR)
• Cape Town Railway and Dock (CTR&D)
• Central South African Railways (CSAR)
• Deutsch-Südwest-Afrika (DSWA)
• Imperial Military Railways (IMR)
• Kowie Railway
• Metropolitan & Suburban Railway (M&S)
• Namaqualand Railway (CCC & NCC)
• Natal Government Railways (NGR)
• Natal Railway Company (NRC)
• Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NZASM)
• New Cape Central Railway (NCCR)
• Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen (OVGS)
• Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA)
• Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway (PPR)
• South African Railways (SAR)
• Spoornet
• Transnet Freight Rail (TFR)
• Zululand Railway Company

Steam locomotives

Class or Configuration	Whyte notation	Gauge	First Run
		Standard	1859
		Standard	1860
		Standard	1864
		Cape	1873
		Cape	1874
		Standard	1878
		Cape	1881
		Cape	1881
		Cape	1902
		Cape	1876
		Cape	1900
		Cape	1902
		Cape	1875
		Cape	1876
		Cape	1876
		Cape	1876
		Cape	1879
		Cape	1891
		Cape	1876
		Cape	1879
		Cape	1875
		Cape	1881
		Cape	1875
		Cape	1882
		Cape	1900
		Cape	1883
		Cape	1884
		Cape	1889
		Cape	1898
		Cape	1901
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1897
		Cape	1880
		Cape	1882
		Cape	1882
		Cape	1884
		Cape	1890
		Cape	1891
		Cape	1876
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1906
		Narrow	1903
		Narrow	1903
		Narrow	1908
		Narrow	1902
		Narrow	1902
		Cape	1900
		Cape	1901
		Cape	1905
		Cape	1907
		Cape	1902
		Cape	1901
		Cape	1879
		Cape	1904
		Brunel	1873
		Cape	1882
		Cape	1882
		Cape	1896
		Namaqualand	1886
		Namaqualand	1904
		Namaqualand	1901
		Namaqualand	1905
		Namaqualand	1871
		Namaqualand	1890
		Namaqualand	1900
		Standard	1865
		Standard	1860
		Standard	1876
		Cape	1877
		Cape	1888
		Cape	1902
		Cape	1901
		Cape	1891
		Cape	1880
		Cape	1877
		Narrow	1906
		Cape	1889
		Cape	1889
		Cape	1889
		Cape	1890
		Cape	1891
		Cape	1894
		Cape	1892
		Cape	1894
		Cape	1896
		Cape	1887
		Cape	1911
		Cape	1911
		Cape	1911
			Cape	1907
		Otavi	1904
		Otavi	1905
		Otavi	1907
		Otavi	1912
		Otavi	1904
		Otavi	1898
		Brunel	1881
		Brunel	1874
		Brunel	1879
		Namaqualand	1899
		Cape	1929
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1909
		Cape	1888
		Cape	1893
		Cape	1879
		Cape	1901
		Cape	1896
		Cape	1898
		Cape	1902
		Cape	1904
		Cape	1904
		Cape	1899
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1909
		Cape	1915
		Cape	1917
		Cape	1904
		Cape	1910
	ex 4-8-0	Cape	1906
		Cape	1905
		Cape	1910
		Cape	1909
		Cape	1910
		Cape	1912
		Cape	1911
		Cape	1913
		Cape	1912
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1904
		Cape	1893
		Cape	1896
		Cape	1897
		Cape	1896
		Cape	1898
		Cape	1898
		Cape	1900
		Cape	1901
		Cape	1901
		Cape	1902
		Cape	1901
		Cape	1904
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1901
		Cape	1892
		Cape	1896
		Cape	1900
		Cape	1902
		Cape	1899
		Cape	1899
		Cape	1913
		Cape	1902
		Cape	1902
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1904
		Cape	1930
		Cape	1901
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1904
		Cape	1904
		Cape	1904
		Cape	1910
		Cape	1910
		Cape	1910
		Cape	1910
		Cape	1904
		Cape	1912
		Cape	1919
		Cape	1920
		Cape	1904
		Cape	1913
		Cape	1914
		Cape	1915
		Cape	1918
		Cape	1919
		Cape	1919
		Cape	1922
		Cape	1914
		Cape	1914
		Cape	1918
		Cape	1925
		Cape	1926
		Cape	1935
		Cape	1938
		Cape	1914
		Cape	1915
		Cape	1917
		Cape	1919
		Cape	1925
		Cape	1928
		Cape	1930
		Cape	1935
		Cape	1926
		Cape	1927
		Cape	1928
		Cape	1929
		Cape	1930
		Cape	1935
		Cape	1937
		Cape	1935
		Cape	1937
		Cape	1938
		Cape	1949
		Cape	1953
		Cape	1953
		Cape	1981
		Cape	1907
		Cape	1902
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1903
		Cape	1906
		Cape	1906
		Cape	1917
		Cape	1929
		Cape	1947
		Cape	1952
		Cape	1909
		Cape	1910
		Cape	1912
		Cape	1914
		Cape	1910
		Cape	1912
		Cape	1911
		Cape	1911
		Cape	1915
		Cape	1914
		Cape	1918
		Cape	1925
		Cape	1926
		Cape	1927
		Cape	1904
		Cape	1921
		Cape	1921
		Cape	1924
		Cape	1927
		Cape	1925
		Cape	1929
		Cape	1925
		Cape	1946
		Cape	1927
		Cape	1925
		Cape	1928
		Cape	1923
		Cape	1929
		Cape	1938
		Cape	1954
		Cape	1954
		Cape	1927
		Narrow	1899
		Narrow	1923
		Otavi	1900
		Otavi	1897
		Narrow	1907
		Narrow	1911
		Otavi	1922
		Narrow	1895
		Narrow	1902
		Narrow	1904
		Narrow	1915
		Narrow	1916
		Narrow	1919
		Narrow	1927
		Narrow	1927
		Narrow	1931
		Narrow	1931
		Narrow	1937
		Narrow	1989

Electric locomotives

Class	Imperial classification	Type & Voltage	First Run
	Bo+Bo	SAR 3 kV DC	1936
	Bo	EE 235 V DC	1924
	Bo-Bo	SAR 25 kV AC	1978
	Bo+Bo	MV 3 kV DC	1925
	Bo+Bo	Henschel 3 kV DC	1937
	Co+Co	MV 3 kV DC	1947
	1Co+Co1	GEC 3 kV DC	1952
	Bo-Bo	EE 3 kV DC	1955
	Bo-Bo	EE 3 kV DC	1957
	Bo-Bo	EE 3 kV DC	1958
	Bo-Bo	MV 3 kV DC	1959
	Bo-Bo	MV 3 kV DC	1963
	Bo-Bo	MV 3 kV DC	1964
	Bo-Bo	MV 3 kV DC	1965
	Bo-Bo	MV 3 kV DC	1966
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1970
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1969
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1971
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1971
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1973
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1974
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1975
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1977
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1979
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1981
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1982
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1984
	Co-Co	50 ^c/s Group 25 kV AC	1978
	Co-Co	Hitachi 25 kV AC	1980
	Co-Co	50 ^c/s Group 25 kV AC	1982
	Co-Co	50 ^c/s Group 25 kV AC	1983
	Co-Co	Hitachi 25 kV AC	1983
	Co-Co	Hitachi 25 kV AC	1984
	Co-Co	Hitachi 25 kV AC	2000
	Bo-Bo	BBC-Siemens 3 kV DC	1983
	Co-Co	GEC 50 kV AC	1978
	Co-Co	GEC 50 kV AC	1982
	Co-Co	Toshiba 3 kV DC	1985
	Co-Co	GEC 3 kV DC	1987
	Co-Co	GEC 3 kV DC	1990
	Co-Co	Toshiba 3 kV DC	1989
	Co-Co	GM GM5FC 25 kV AC	1985
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1983
	Bo-Bo	50 ^c/s Group 3 kV DC/25 kV AC	1991
	Bo-Bo	50 ^c/s Group 3 kV DC/25 kV AC	1994
	Co-Co	Mitsui-Toshiba 50 kV AC	2010
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1990
	Bo-Bo	UCW 3 kV DC	1993
	Bo-Bo	Transwerk 3 kV DC	2000
	Bo-Bo	TRE 3 kV DC	2010
	Bo-Bo	Mitsui-Toshiba 3 kV DC/25 kV AC	2009
	Bo-Bo	CSR ZELC 3 kV DC/25 kV AC	2013
	Bo-Bo	CSR ZELC 3 kV DC/25 kV AC	2014
	Co-Co	CSR ZELC 3 kV DC/25 kV AC	2015
	Co-Co	Bombardier Transportation Inc. 3 kV DC/25 kV AC	2017
	Bo-Bo	Consortium 3 kV DC	1993

Gas-electric, Diesel-electric, Diesel-hydraulic & Electro-diesel locomotives

Class	Imperial classification	Type	First Run	Total produced
	A1-1A	SAR GE1	1923	1
	Bo-Bo	AEG	1939	1
	Co	AEG	1939	2
	Bo+Bo	GE U12B	1958	48
	1Co+Co1	GE U18C1	1959	115
	1Co+Co1	GE U20C1	1966	10
	Co+Co	GE U20C	1965	65
	Co+Co	GM-EMD GL26MC	1966	20
	Co+Co	GE U20C	1968	115
	Co+Co	GE U26C	1971	125
	Co+Co	GM-EMD GT26MC	1971	50
	Co+Co	GE U26C	1973	100
	Co-Co	GE U26C	1974	46
	Co+Co	GM-EMD GT26MC	1974	100
	Co+Co	GM-EMD GT26MC	1978	59
	Co+Co	GE U26C	1979	30
	Co+Co	GE U15C	1972	70
	Co+Co	GM-EMD GT18MC	1974	151
	Co+Co	GE U15C	1976	100
	Co+Co	GM-EMD GT18MC	1976	101
	Co-Co	GM-EMD GL26C-2	1982	14
	Bo+Bo	GE SG10B	1975	124
	Bo+Bo	GM-EMD SW1002	1980	107
	Co+Co	GM-EMD GT26M2C	1981	100
	Bo-Bo	Consortium 3 kV DC	1992	50
	Co+Co	EMD GT26CU-3	2006	5
	Co+Co	EMD GT26CU-3	2010	50
	Co+Co	GE C30Aci	2011	203
	Co-Co	GE ES40ACi	2015	233
	Co-Co	China CNR	2015	359
	B-B	Henschel DH-1420	1958	7
	Bo-Bo	GE UM6B	1973	20
	Co-Co	Vossloh España Afro4000	2014	20

See also

Rail transport and locomotives in South Africa

• South African locomotive history
• Rail transport in South Africa
• South African locomotive numbering and classification

Preservation

• Outeniqua Transport Museum
• Sandstone Estates
• Umgeni Steam Railway
• Rovos Rail

Locomotives and rolling stock

• List of locomotive builders
• List of railway vehicles