South African Class 34-900 Explained

South African Class 34-900
Powertype:Diesel-electric
Designer:General Electric
Builder:SA GE-DL Locomotive Group
Serialnumber:41350-41379
Buildmodel:GE U26C
Builddate:1980
Totalproduction:30
Aarwheels:C-C
Uicclass:Co'Co'
Britishclass:Co+Co
Wheeldiameter:9150NaN0
Wheelbase:130040NaN0
Bogie:31880NaN0
Over Couplers:179820NaN0
Pivotcentres:100580NaN0
Width:27560NaN0
Height:39620NaN0
Axleload:18850kg (41,560lb)
Weightondrivers:113100kg (249,300lb)
Locoweight:113100kg (249,300lb) max
Fueltype:Diesel
Fuelcap:5400L as built
7000L modified
Primemover:GE 7FDL-12
Rpmrange:450-1,050
Rpmrange Low:450
Rpmrange Idle:535
Rpmrange Max:1,050
Enginetype:4-stroke diesel
Aspiration:GE 7S14O8A1 turbocharger
Alternator:10 pole 3 phase GE 5GT-A11C1
Tractionmotors:Six GE 5GE-761A13 DC 4 pole
T/M Amps 1 Hr:665A
T/M Amps Cont:655A @ 24km/h
Cylindercount:V12
Gear Ratio:92:19
Multipleworking:6 maximum
Locobrakes:28-LAV-1 with vigilance control
Dynamicpeakeffort:180kN @ 29km/h
Trainbrakes:Westinghouse 6CDX4UC compressor/exhauster
Reservoircap:825L
Compressorcap:0.039m3/s
Exhaustercap:0.155m3/s
Coupling:AAR knuckle type E
Maxspeed:100km/h
Poweroutput Start:2050kW
Poweroutput Cont:1940kW
T/E Starting:272kN @ 25% adh.
T/E Continuous:218kN @ 26km/h
F/Adh Starting:25%
F/Adh Continuous:20%
Locobrakeforce:60% ratio @ 345kPa
Operator:South African Railways
Spoornet
Transnet Freight Rail
Operatorclass:Class 34-900
Numinclass:30
Fleetnumbers:34-901 to 34-930
Deliverydate:1980-1981
Firstrundate:1980

The South African Railways Class of 1980 is a diesel-electric locomotive.

In 1980 and 1981, the South African Railways placed thirty General Electric type U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.[1]

Manufacturer

The Class type GE U26C diesel-electric locomotive was designed by General Electric and built for the South African Railways (SAR) by the South African General Electric-Dorman Long Locomotive Group (SA GE-DL, later Dorbyl). Thirty locomotives were delivered in 1980 and 1981, numbered in the range from to .[1] [2]

Distinguishing features

As built, the GE Classes, and were visually indistinguishable from each other. The ex Iscor Class loco­motives could be visually dis­ting­uished from the other series by the air conditioning units mounted on the cab roofs of most of them and initially, when it was still a feature unique to them, by their running board-mounted handrails.

At some stage during the mid-1980s, all Class, and locomotives had saddle filters installed across the long hood, mounted just to the rear of the screens on the sides behind the cab. Since then, Class locomotives could be distinguished from the older models by the absence of the saddle filter.[3]

Modifications

Fuel capacity

As built, the Class had a 5400L fuel tank and interlinked bogies, while the Class was delivered new to Iscor with a 7000L fuel tank to cope with the lack of en route refueling points on the Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line. To accommodate the larger fuel tank, the inter-bogie linkage found on all other models was omitted on the Class .[4]

To be usable on the iron ore line, Class locomotives which ended up working there were modified to a similar fuel capacity. The inter-bogie linkage was removed and the fuel tank was enlarged by changing it from saddle-shaped to rectangular box-shaped. To maintain its lateral balance, a slab of metal was attached to each bogie in place of the removed linkage. In the second picture, the weld lines on the end of the enlarged fuel tank as well as the metal slab at the end of the bogie are visible.[5]

Running board-mounted handrails

Class locomotives which are allocated to the Sishen-Saldanha Orex line are usually further modified by having removable running board-mounted handrails installed. All South African diesel-electric locomotives have their side handrails mounted along the upper edges of their long hoods. The ex Iscor Class, however, came equipped with additional removable running board-mounted handrails. Since these handrails are slide-fit into brackets welded onto the running board, they are easily removed.[1] [3]

Electronic control system

Beginning in 2010, some locomotives were equipped with electronic fuel injection and GE Bright Star control systems. On some of the first locomotives which were so modified, externally visible evidence of the modification is a raised middle portion of the long hood. All Bright Star-equipped locomotives emerged from this modification repainted in the Transnet Freight Rail livery.

Service

Class locomotives work on most mainlines and some branchlines in the central, western, southern and southeastern parts of the country. Some eventually joined the Class on the 861km (535miles) Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line to haul export ore from the open cast iron mines at Sishen in the Northern Cape to the harbour at Saldanha in the Western Cape.

On the Sishen–Saldanha Orex line, GE Class 34 series diesel-electric locomotives run consisted to Class 9E and Class 15E electric locomotives to haul the 342-truck iron ore trains. Each truck has a 100-ton capacity and the trains are at least 3.72km (02.31miles) in length, powered by mixed consists of Class 9E and Class 15E electric and type GE U26C Class , , , and, from 2012, type GE C30ACi Class diesel-electric locomotives. In South Africa, mixed electric and diesel-electric consists are unique to the iron ore line.[1] [6] [7]

Works numbers

The Class builder's works numbers are listed in the table.

Liveries

All but seven Class 34-900 locomotives were delivered in the SAR Gulf Red livery with signal red buffer beams, yellow side stripes on the long hood sides and a yellow V on each end. In the 1990s many of the Class 34-900 units began to be repainted in the Spoornet orange livery with a yellow and blue chevron pattern on the buffer beams. In the late 1990s many were repainted in the Spoornet blue livery with outline numbers on the long hood sides. After 2008 in the Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) era, many were repainted in the TFR red, green and yellow livery.[8]

The seven exceptions, numbers to, were painted in the SAR Blue Train livery and took the place of the five SAR Blue Train liveried Class locomotives, numbers to which were then all eventually repainted in Spoornet's orange livery. Some of the Class locomotives, numbers to, and, were later repainted in Spoornet's orange era Blue Train livery, while the other two, numbers and, received the Spoornet blue with outline numbers livery.

Notes and References

  1. South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610mm and 1065mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20, 28 January 1975, as amended
  2. http://www.locopage.net/ge-expt-lst.doc GE Export List
  3. http://grela.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=937656 34-907 sans saddle filter with running board handrails
  4. Information received from John Nicholas Middleton
  5. [:File:SAR Class 34-000 34-080 FTR.JPG|Bogie interlinking removed]
  6. http://www.actom.co.za/pages/Actom-Divisions/news.asp?ID=5&DivisionID=4&BusinessUnitID=20&NewsID=45 Actom Divisions News, 22 July 2010
  7. Information supplied by Orex train crew members
  8. https://sites.google.com/site/soulorailway/home/system-7-1/south-eastwards-as-far-as-volksrust-2nd-section-wattles-to-union-junction-by-les-pivnic Soul of A Railway, System 7, Western Transvaal, based in Johannesburg, Part 9. South-Eastwards as far as Volksrust (2nd part) by Les Pivnic. Caption 4.