South African Class 19E

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South African Class 19E

Class 19E.jpg

No. 19-009, 19-054 and 19-067 at the Richards Bay Locomotive Depot, 8 December 2013
Type and origin
Power type Electric
Designer Mitsui
Builder Union Carriage & Wagon
Model Mitsui 19E
Build date 2007-2011
Total produced 110
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 •  AAR B-B
 •  UIC Bo'Bo'
 • Commonwealth Bo-Bo
Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Wheel diameter 1,250 mm (49.2 in)
Length:
​
 • Over couplers 18,300 mm (60 ft 0.5 in)
Axle load 26,000 kg (57,000 lb)
Adhesive weight 104,000 kg (229,000 lb)
Loco weight 104,000 kg (229,000 lb) max
Electric system/s Dual 3 kV DC & 25 kV AC 50 Hz
Current pickup(s) Pantographs from catenary
Loco brake Air, Regenerative & Rheostatic
Train brakes Air
Couplers AAR knuckle Type F
Performance figures
Maximum speed 120 km/h (75 mph) operating
132 km/h (82 mph) by design
Power output:
​
 • Continuous 3,000 kW (4,000 hp)
Tractive effort:
​
 • Starting 392 kN (88,000 lbf)
 • Continuous 300 kN (67,000 lbf)
Career
Operators Transnet Freight Rail
Class 19E
Number in class 110
Numbers 19-001 to 19-110
Delivered 2009
First run 2009

The Transnet Freight Rail Class 19E of 2009 is a South African electric locomotive.

Electric locomotive locomotive powered by electricity

An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor.

Contents

In 2009, Transnet Freight Rail placed the first of 110 Class 19E single-cab dual-voltage 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC electric locomotives with a Bo-Bo wheel arrangement in service on the Coalink line from Ermelo to Richards Bay. [1] [2]

Transnet Freight Rail railway operator in South Africa

Transnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration, a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people for decades from the first half of the 20th century and was widely referred to by the initials SAR&H. Customer complaints about serious problems with Transnet Freight Rail's service were reported in 2010. Its head office is in Inyanda House in Parktown, Johannesburg.

25 kV alternating current electrification is commonly used in railway electrification systems worldwide, especially for high-speed rail.

B-B and Bo-Bo are the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and British classifications of wheel arrangement for railway locomotives with four axles in two individual bogies. They are equivalent to the B′B′ and Bo′Bo′ classifications in the UIC system. The arrangement of two, two-axled, bogies is a common wheel arrangement for modern electric and diesel locomotives.

Manufacturer

The dual-voltage 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC Class 19E is the product of a joint venture by Mitsui for the design, Toshiba for the electrical equipment, Union Carriage and Wagon (UCW) for the bodies and the RSD division of DCD-Dorbyl for the bogies. It was locally manufactured by UCW in Nigel, Gauteng. Road testing on the Class 19E started in August 2008. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Mitsui company

Mitsui Group is one of the largest keiretsu in Japan and one of the largest corporate groups in the world.

Toshiba Japanese multinational electronics, electrical equipment and information technology corporation

Toshiba Corporation is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include information technology and communications equipment and systems, electronic components and materials, power systems, industrial and social infrastructure systems, consumer electronics, household appliances, medical equipment, office equipment, as well as lighting and logistics.

Gauteng Province of South Africa

Gauteng, which means "place of gold", is one of the nine provinces of South Africa.

Characteristics

The Class 19E was the first South African AC locomotive to incorporate regenerative as well as rheostatic electric braking. While regenerative braking was used on all South African 3 kV DC mainline locomotives dating back all the way to the introduction of the Class 1E in 1925, the notable exception being the Class 18E, all earlier 25 kV and 50 kV AC South African locomotives made use of rheostatic braking only. [6]

Regenerative brake energy recovery mechanism

Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism which slows a vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form which can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism the electric motor uses the vehicle's momentum to recover energy that would be otherwise lost to the brake discs as heat. This contrasts with conventional braking systems, where the excess kinetic energy is converted to unwanted and wasted heat by friction in the brakes, or with dynamic brakes, where energy is recovered by using electric motors as generators but is immediately dissipated as heat in resistors. In addition to improving the overall efficiency of the vehicle, regeneration can greatly extend the life of the braking system as its parts do not wear as quickly.

South African Class 1E class of 172 South African Bo′Bo′ electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 1E of 1925 was an electric locomotive.

South African Class 18E, Series 1 class of 446 South African electric locomotives

The Spoornet Class 18E, Series 1 of 2000 is a South African electric locomotive.

The locomotive uses Toshiba-made 3-phase AC motors, powered through Insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) control. It is a dual-voltage locomotive, designed to operate on either 3 kV DC or 25 kV AC. Like the earlier Classes 7E1, 7E4, 9E, 11E, 15E and 18E electric locomotives, these engines have driving cabs at one end only since they would only be utilised in multi-unit consists. [7]

Insulated-gate bipolar transistor three-terminal power semiconductor device

An insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is a three-terminal power semiconductor device primarily used as an electronic switch which, as it was developed, came to combine high efficiency and fast switching. It consists of four alternating layers (P-N-P-N) that are controlled by a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) gate structure without regenerative action. Although the structure of the IGBT is topologically the same as a thyristor with a 'MOS' gate, the thyristor action is completely suppressed and only the transistor action is permitted in the entire device operation range. It switches electric power in many applications: variable-frequency drives (VFDs), electric cars, trains, variable speed refrigerators, lamp ballasts, air-conditioners and even stereo systems with switching amplifiers.

As on the dual-voltage Classes 20E and 21E, the main electric circuit is automatically selected in either AC or DC mode based on the voltage of the overhead contact wire feeding the locomotive. To facilitate automatic trouble-free transition on the run, the locomotive is equipped with onboard voltage detectors, while the overhead wire is equipped with two wooden isolators and a 3 metres (10 feet) length of neutral wire to separate the AC and DC feeds. The neutral section is connected to the rails, which serve as the return conductor on electrified lines. [8]

South African Class 20E class of 95 South African electric locomotives

The Transnet Freight Rail Class 20E of 2013 is a South African electric locomotive.

South African Class 21E

The Transnet Freight Rail Class 21E of 2014 is a South African electric locomotive.

The transition process requires that the locomotive should be switched off automatically before it reaches the isolators and the unpowered overhead wire section, and automatically restarted after exiting from under the unpowered wire. This is done by a pair of track magnets, one on either side of the neutral overhead wire and spaced 45 metres (148 feet) apart. The two magnets are mounted with their polarities reversed in relation to each other and they activate a magnetic relay, located underneath the locomotive, to do the switching off and restarting. [8]

By July 2009, Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) had taken delivery of the first three Class 19E locomotives, and UCW intended to deliver between six and eight new units per quarter. [9]

Service

The Class 19E locomotives were placed in service on the 580 kilometres (360 miles) long Coalink line from Ermelo to Richards Bay to haul export coal from forty-four coal mines in Mpumalanga to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT), the export coal harbour in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal. In the process, it relieved some Classes 7E, 7E1 and 7E3 electric locomotives on the Coalink Line for use elsewhere.

Illustration

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References

  1. ↑ Railways Africa, 29 Aug 2008: First 19E Loco
  2. 1 2 South African Railway News, 9 Apr 2009: TFR Class 19E Test Train / Information
  3. ↑ Railways Africa, 29 Aug 2008: First 19E Loco
  4. ↑ Toshiba Review Feature article (Japanese)
  5. ↑ Railways Africa, 1 Sep 2006: 220 Bogies on Order
  6. ↑ Toshiba Review, 2008, Vol 63 No 9
  7. ↑ Railways Africa, 2 Aug 2009: Visit to UCW
  8. 1 2 Class 20E manual: Part 1: Locomotive Profile and Technical Data
  9. ↑ Railways Africa, 9 Jul 2009: Loco Delivery Delays

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