South African Class 31-000

South African Classes 1-DE & 31-000
No. 31-028 (D727) at Bellville Depot, 31 October 2010
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Designer General Electric Builder General Electric Serial number 33507-33551 Model GE U12B Build date 1958 Total produced 45
Specifications Configuration: ​  •  AAR B-B  •  UIC Bo'Bo'  • Commonwealth Bo-Bo Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Wheel diameter 915 mm (36.0 in) Wheelbase 10,118 mm (33 ft 2.3 in) ​  •  Bogie 2,438 mm (8 ft 0 in) Pivot centres 7,680 mm (25 ft 2.4 in) Length: ​  • Over couplers 15,150 mm (49 ft 8.5 in) Width 2,780 mm (9 ft 1.4 in) Height 3,916 mm (12 ft 10.2 in) Axle load 18,900 kg (41,700 lb) Adhesive weight 75,600 kg (166,700 lb) Loco weight 75,600 kg (166,700 lb) max Fuel type Diesel Fuel capacity 3,000 litres (660 imp gal) Prime mover Cooper-Bessemer FVBL-8 RPM range 400-1,000 ​  • RPM low idle 400  • RPM idle 535  • Maximum RPM 1,000 Engine type 4 stroke V8 diesel Aspiration C-B ET13 turbocharger Generator DC 10 pole GE 5GT-581C3 Traction motors Four GE 5GE-761A4 DC 4 pole ​  • Rating 1 hour 600A  • Continuous 590A @ 16 km/h (9.9 mph) Cylinders V8 Gear ratio 94:17 MU working 3 maximum Loco brake 6-SLAV-1 with vigilance control Train brakes Westinghouse 6CDX4UC compressor/exhauster Air tank cap. 700 litres (150 imp gal) Compressor 0.039 m3/s (1.4 cu ft/s) Exhauster 0.155 m3/s (5.5 cu ft/s) Couplers AAR knuckle (SASKOP SS)
Performance figures Maximum speed 90 km/h (56 mph) Power output: ​  • Starting 985 kW (1,321 hp)  • Continuous 895 kW (1,200 hp) Tractive effort: ​  • Starting 181 kN (41,000 lbf) @ 25% adhesion  • Continuous 145 kN (33,000 lbf) @ 18 km/h (11 mph) Factor of adh.: ​  • Starting 25%  • Continuous 20% @ 18 km/h (11 mph) Brakeforce 65% ratio @ 345 kPa (50.0 psi)
Career Operators South African Railways Spoornet Sheltam Class Class 31-000 Number in class 45 Numbers 31-001 to 31-045 (D700-D744) Delivered June to July 1958 First run 1958

The South African Railways Class 31-000 of 1958 was a diesel-electric locomotive.

In June and July 1958, the South African Railways placed forty-five Class 1-DE General Electric type U12B diesel-electric locomotives in service. They were later reclassified to Class 31-000 and renumbered. ^[1]

Manufacturer

The South African Class 31-000 type GE U12B diesel-electric locomotive was designed for the South African Railways (SAR) and built by General Electric in 1958. They were the first diesel-electric road locomotives to enter SAR service in quantity. ^{[1] [2]}

Reclassification and renumbering

Upon delivery, they were designated Class 1-DE and numbered in the range from D700 to D744 in the non-steam locomotive number range which had hitherto been used almost exclusively for electric locomotives, the exceptions being the pre-war experimental Class DS and Class DS1 diesel-electric locomotives. After the SAR adopted a new classification and numbering system for diesel-powered locomotives upon the arrival of the Class 32-000 in 1959, they were reclassified to Class 31-000 and renumbered in the range from 31-001 to 31-045. ^{[1] [2]}

Orientation

The Class 31-000 was a high short hood locomotive. While the short hood end was usually considered as the front end, the cab was equipped with dual station controls to make it fully bidirectional. ^[1]

Service

They were placed in service at Germiston. One of their first duties was to take over the shunt duties at Milner Park from where complaints had been received from the tennis players at the club about the cinders being deposited on the all-weather courts. When originally ordered, it had been the intention to use them on shunting and block-load transfers on the Reef and as part of the program to eliminate steam traction from the new Johannesburg station, but their success in this service prompted a change in utilisation policy. In 1959 they were placed in mainline service working out of Johannesburg to Kroonstad and Bloemfontein in the Free State and to Volksrust on the mainline to Natal. They were very successful on mainline work and showed their ability to handle anything from goods workings to fast passenger trains like the Trans-Natal. They usually worked in pairs and longer lash-ups of up to four units were rarely seen. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

The Class 31-000 had a huge impact on SAR motive power. In terms of speed and acceleration, they were superb and it didn't take long for the diesels to become a common sight on mainline working. Their unqualified success played a large part in the eventual demise of SAR steam traction. ^{[8] [9]}

By 1969 they were also used in goods working on the line from Krugersdorp via Magaliesburg and Swartruggens to Zeerust. By the 1980s they were finally relegated to the shunting and pickup service that they were originally intended for when new, working on the Reef and at some other major centres. ^{[2] [10] [11]}

Withdrawal

Of the original forty-five locomotives, forty survived into the Spoornet era in the 1990s. Now retired from Spoornet service, some still see service in private hands. Three of them, numbers 31-001 (D700), 31-005 (D704) and 31-038 (D737), were acquired by Sheltam for use at Rand Uranium near Randfontein and at Welkom. The first two were converted to low short hood locomotives and were still in service in 2014, while the third was used for spare parts. ^{[12] [13]}

Another private rail operator, RRL Grindrod, owns no. 31-009 (D708) as its no. RB-201, which was still employed at Welkom in 2014. ^[13]

Preservation

As of 2015, no. D706 (31-007) has been staged at Bloemfontein Locomotive Depot where a Locomotive Museum is being created to restore it and some other historically significant units, while no. D727 (31-028) is preserved at Bellville Loco Depot. ^[14]

Liveries

The locomotives were delivered in a livery that displayed the colours of the South African flag, white on the upper half and blue on the lower half, separated by an orange stripe on the sides and orange whiskers on the ends. They had black running boards, red buffer beams and black cowcatchers. From 1960 this livery gradually began to be replaced by Gulf Red with yellow stripes. ^{[6] [15]}

Works numbers

The Class 31-000 builder's works numbers, renumbering and known disposition are listed in the table. ^{[12] [13]}

Class 31-000, GE type U12B

1-DE no.	GE works no.	31-000 no.	Post-SAR owner	Post-SAR no.	Sheltam new no.
D700	33507	31-001	Sheltam	22	1202
D701	33508	31-002
D702	33509	31-003
D703	33510	31-004
D704	33511	31-005	Sheltam	21	1201
D705	33512	31-006
D706	33513	31-007	Staged
D707	33514	31-008
D708	33515	31-009	RRL	RB-201
D709	33516	31-010
D710	33517	31-011
D711	33518	31-012
D712	33519	31-013
D713	33520	31-014
D714	33521	31-015
D715	33522	31-016
D716	33523	31-017
D717	33524	31-018
D718	33525	31-019
D719	33526	31-020
D720	33527	31-021
D721	33528	31-022
D722	33529	31-023
D723	33530	31-024
D724	33531	31-025
D725	33532	31-026
D726	33533	31-027
D727	33534	31-028	Staged
D728	33535	31-029
D729	33536	31-030
D730	33537	31-031
D731	33538	31-032
D732	33539	31-033
D733	33540	31-034
D734	33541	31-035
D735	33542	31-036
D736	33543	31-037
D737	33544	31-038	Sheltam	23	2103
D738	33545	31-039
D739	33546	31-040
D740	33547	31-041
D741	33548	31-042
D742	33549	31-043
D743	33550	31-044
D744	33551	31-045

Illustration

• 
  Sheltam no. 1201, ex SAR no. 31-005 (D704), 19 May 2010
• 
  No. 31-007 (D706) at Bellville Loco Depot, 10 January 2009

References

1. South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610 mm and 1065 mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20, 28 January 1975, as amended
2. Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 137–138. ISBN   0869772112.
3. "[e-mail] message #52721 – History by Locomotive 281". 20 May 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.^{[ unreliable source? ]}
4. "System 5, Part 2: O.F.S. Main Line, Makouvlei to Bosrand". Soul of A Railway. Caption 5. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
5. Pivnic, Les. "System 7, Western Transvaal, based in Johannesburg, Part 3. Johannesburg Station in Transition". Soul of A Railway. Caption 28. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
6. Pivnic, Les. "System 7, Western Transvaal, based in Johannesburg, Part 6. Germiston, the Steam and Diesel Running Sheds". Soul of A Railway. Captions 28, 31, 35. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
7. Pivnic, Les. "System 7, Western Transvaal, based in Johannesburg, Part 10. South-Eastwards as far as Volksrust (3rd part)". Soul of A Railway. Caption 17. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
8. Pivnic, Les; Micenko, Peter. "System 7, Western Transvaal, based in Johannesburg, Part 13. Eastwards from Germiston, Part 1: Germiston East to Brakpan". Soul of A Railway. Caption 22. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
9. Pivnic, Les. "System 7, Western Transvaal, based in Johannesburg, Part 18: Natalspruit to Vereeniging, Part 1". Soul of A Railway. Captions 14, 15. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
10. Pivnic, Les. "System 7, Western Transvaal, based in Johannesburg, Part 8. South eastwards as far as Volksrust". Soul of A Railway. Caption 4. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
11. Pivnic, Les. "System 7, Western Transvaal, based in Johannesburg, Part 25: Krugersdorp-Zeerust-Mafeking (Home Signal), Part 2". Soul of A Railway. Captions 13, 17. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
12. Middleton, John N. (2002). Railways of Southern Africa Locomotive Guide - 2002 (as amended by Combined Amendment List 4, January 2009) (2nd, Dec 2002 ed.). Herts, England: Beyer-Garratt Publications. pp. 38, 45.
13. "SAR-L Yahoogroup message no. 47981". 17 October 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2017.(subscription required)^{[ unreliable source? ]}
14. "Sandstone Heritage Trust – 2017016 Locomotive status – January 2017" . Retrieved 8 March 2019.(subscription required)^{[ unreliable source? ]}
15. Pivnic, Les. "System 7, Western Transvaal, based in Johannesburg, Part 17: Northwards to just short of the home signal at Pretoria". Soul of A Railway. Caption 24. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2017.

External links

Media related to South African Class 31-000 at Wikimedia Commons