South African Class 6E1, Series 3

Last updated

South African Class 6E1, Series 3

SAR Class 6E1 Series 3 E1306.JPG

E1306 at Beaconsfield depot in August 2007
Type and origin
Power type Electric
Designer Union Carriage & Wagon
Builder Union Carriage & Wagon
Model UCW 6E1
Build date 1971-1973
Total produced 150
Rebuilder Transnet Rail Engineering
Rebuild date 2010-2015
Number rebuilt 66 to Class 18E, Series 2
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 •  AAR B-B
 •  UIC Bo'Bo'
 • Commonwealth Bo-Bo
Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Wheel diameter 1,220 mm (48.0 in)
Wheelbase 11,279 mm (37 ft 0.1 in)
 •  Bogie 3,430 mm (11 ft 3.0 in)
Pivot centres 7,849 mm (25 ft 9.0 in)
Panto shoes 6,972 mm (22 ft 10.5 in)
Length:
​
 • Over couplers 15,494 mm (50 ft 10.0 in)
 • Body 14,631 mm (48 ft 0 in)
Width 2,896 mm (9 ft 6.0 in)
Height:
​
 • Pantograph 4,089 mm (13 ft 5.0 in)
 • Body height 3,937 mm (12 ft 11.0 in)
Axle load 22,226 kg (49,000 lb)
Adhesive weight 88,904 kg (196,000 lb)
Loco weight 88,904 kg (196,000 lb)
Electric system/s 3 kV DC
Current pickup(s) Pantographs from catenary
Traction motors Four AEI-283AZ
 • Rating 1 hour 623 kW (835 hp)
 • Continuous 563 kW (755 hp)
Gear ratio 18:67
Loco brake Air & Regenerative
Train brakes Air & Vacuum
Couplers AAR knuckle
Performance figures
Maximum speed 113 km/h (70 mph)
Power output:
​
 • 1 hour 2,492 kW (3,342 hp)
 • Continuous 2,252 kW (3,020 hp)
Tractive effort:
​
 • Starting 311 kN (70,000 lbf)
 • 1 hour 221 kN (50,000 lbf)
 • Continuous 193 kN (43,000 lbf) @ 40 km/h (25 mph)
Career
Operators South African Railways
Spoornet
Transnet Freight Rail
Class Class 6E1
Number in class 150
Numbers E1296-E1445
Delivered 1971-1973
First run 1971

The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 3 of 1971 was an electric locomotive.

Contents

Between 1971 and 1973, the South African Railways placed 150 Class 6E1, Series 3 electric locomotives with a Bo-Bo wheel arrangement in mainline service. [1]

Manufacturer

Class 6E1 E1328 BPB.JPG

The 3 kV DC Class 6E1, Series 3 electric locomotive was designed and built for the South African Railways (SAR) by Union Carriage & Wagon (UCW) in Nigel, Transvaal, with the electrical equipment being supplied by the General Electric Company (GEC). [2]

Union Carriage & Wagon South African rolling stock manufacturer

Union Carriage & Wagon (UCW) is a rolling stock manufacturer in South Africa.

The General Electric Company, or GEC, was a major UK-based industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering. The company was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

One hundred and fifty units were delivered between 1971 and 1973, numbered in the range from E1296 to E1445. Like Series 1 and 2, Series 3 units were equipped with four AEI-283AZ axle-hung traction motors. UCW did not allocate builder’s numbers to the locomotives it built for the SAR and used the SAR unit numbers for their record keeping. [1]

Characteristics

Orientation

These dual cab locomotives had a roof access ladder on one side only, just to the right of the cab access door. The roof access ladder end was marked as the no. 2 end. A corridor along the centre of the unit connected the cabs which were identical apart from the fact that the handbrake was located in cab 2. A pantograph hook stick was stowed in a tube mounted below the bottom edge of the locomotive body on the roof access ladder side. The units had one square and two rectangular access panels along the lower half of the body on the roof access ladder side, and only one square access panel on the opposite side. [1]

Series identifying features

Narrow stirrup on E1345 Class 6E1 E1345 stirrup.jpg
Narrow stirrup on E1345
Wide stirrup on E1346 Class 6E1 E1346 stirrup.jpg
Wide stirrup on E1346

The Class 6E1 was produced in eleven series over a period of nearly sixteen years, with altogether 960 units placed in service, all built by UCW. While some Class 6E1 series were visually indistinguishable from their predecessors or successors, some externally visible changes did occur over the years. [1] [3]

The fifty Series 2 and the first fifty Series 3 units are visually indis­ting­uish­able from each other. On the Series 3 units in the number range from E1346 to E1445, an externally visible difference is a wider stirrup below their side doors. [1] [4] [5]

This appears to indicate that Series 2 should actually have consisted of one hundred units and not fifty, firstly since unit numbers E1246 to E1345 are identical in exterior appearance and secondly since Series 4, 5 and 6 were all delivered in batches of one hundred. In addition, Series 2 and 3 used the same AEI-283AZ traction motors. [1] [4] [5]

Service

The Class 6E1 family saw service all over both 3 kV DC mainline and branch line networks, the smaller Cape Western mainline between Cape Town and Beaufort West and the larger network which covers portions of the Northern Cape, the Free State, Natal, Gauteng, North West and Mpumalanga. [6]

Reclassification and rebuilding

Reclassification to Class 16E

During 1990 and 1991, Spoornet semi-permanently coupled several pairs of otherwise largely unmodified Class 6E1 units, reclassified them to Class 16E and allocated a single locomotive number to each pair, with the individual units in the pairs inscribed "A" or "B". The aim was to accomplish savings on cab maintenance by coupling the units at their no. 1 ends, abandoning the no. 1 end cabs in terms of maintenance and using only the no. 2 end cabs. [6]

One such pair was made up of two Series 3 units, numbers E1418 and E1419, which became Class 16E no. 16-227A and B respectively. [6]

Rebuilding to Class 18E

Cab 1 of Class 18E no. 18-689, ex Class 6E1 no. E1390, Bellville Depot, 31 January 2013 Class 18E 18-689.JPG
Cab 1 of Class 18E no. 18-689, ex Class 6E1 no. E1390, Bellville Depot, 31 January 2013

Beginning in 2000, Spoornet began a project to rebuild Series 2 to 11 Class 6E1 units to Class 18E, Series 1 and Series 2 at the Transnet Rail Engineering workshops at Koedoespoort. In the process the cab at the no. 1 end was stripped of all controls and the driver's front and side windows were blanked off to have a toilet installed, thereby forfeiting the loco's bi-directional ability. [6] [7]

Since the driving cab's noise level had to be below 85 decibels, cab 2 was selected as the Class 18E driving cab primarily based on its lower noise level compared to cab 1, which is closer and more exposed to the compressor's noise and vibration. Another factor was the closer proximity of cab 2 to the low voltage switch panel. The fact that the handbrake was located in cab 2 was not a deciding factor, but was considered an additional benefit. [7]

The known Class 6E1, Series 3 units which were used in this project, were all rebuilt to Class 18E, Series 2 locomotives. Their numbers and renumbering details are listed in the table. [7]

Liveries

With five exceptions, the whole series was delivered in the SAR Gulf Red livery with signal red cowcatchers, yellow whiskers and with the number plates on the sides mounted on three-stripe yellow wings. In the 1990s many of the Series 3 units began to be repainted in the Spoornet orange livery with a yellow and blue chevron pattern on the cowcatchers. Several later received the Spoornet maroon livery. In the late 1990s at least two were repainted in the Spoornet blue livery with solid numbers and at least one in the Spoornet blue livery with outline numbers. [8]

The five exceptions, numbers E1341 to E1345, were delivered in blue with yellow whiskers for use on the Blue Train between the Rand and Kimberley. In about 1985, these five were replaced by the five ex MetroBlitz Class 12E locomotives which were then all repainted in blue and whiskers. The five blue Series 3 locomotives were all eventually repainted in Spoornet’s orange livery. [6]

In 2009 no. E1328 was withdrawn from road service and repainted in a white and dull green livery for use as apprentice trade test locomotive at Sentrarand.

Illustration

Related Research Articles

South African Class 6E class of 80+2 South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 6E of 1970 was an electric locomotive.

South African Class 6E1, Series 2 class of 50 South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 2 of 1971 was an electric locomotive.

South African Class 6E1, Series 4 class of 100 South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 4 of 1973 was an electric locomotive.

South African Class 6E1, Series 5 class of 100 South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 5 of 1974 was an electric locomotive.

South African Class 6E1, Series 6 class of 100 South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 6 of 1976 was an electric locomotive.

South African Class 6E1, Series 7

The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 7 of 1977 was an electric locomotive.

South African Class 6E1, Series 8 class of 105 South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 8 of 1979 was an electric locomotive.

South African Class 7E

The South African Railways Class 7E of 1978 is an electric locomotive.

South African Class 7E2, Series 1 class of 25 South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 7E2, Series 1 of 1982 is an electric locomotive.

South African Class 7E2, Series 2 class of 40 South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 7E2, Series 2 of 1983 is an electric locomotive.

South African Class 8E class of 107 South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 8E of 1983 is an electric locomotive.

South African Class 10E1, Series 1 class of 50 South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 10E1, Series 1 of 1987 is an electric locomotive.

South African Class 10E1, Series 2 class of 50 South African electric locomotives

The Spoornet Class 10E1, Series 2 of 1990 is a South African electric locomotive.

South African Class 16E class of South African double electric locomotives

The Spoornet Class 16E of 1990 was a South African electric locomotive.

South African Class 17E class of South African electric locomotives rebuilt from class 6E1, series 7,8, and 9

The Spoornet Class 17E of 1993 was a South African electric locomotive.

South African Class 18E, Series 2 class of 279 South African electric locomotives

The Transnet Freight Rail Class 18E, Series 2 of 2009 is a South African electric locomotive.

South African Class 6E1, Series 9 class of 85 South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 9 of 1981 was an electric locomotive.

South African Class 6E1, Series 10 class of South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 10 of 1982 was an electric locomotive.

South African Class 6E1, Series 11

The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 11 of 1984 was an electric locomotive.

South African Class 38-000 class of 50 South African electro-diesel locomotives

The Spoornet Class 38-000 of 1992 is a South African electro-diesel locomotive.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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. ↑ "UCW - Electric locomotives" (PDF). The UCW Partnership. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  3. ↑ Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 128–129. ISBN   0869772112.
  4. 1 2 No. E1345 with narrow stirrup
  5. 1 2 No. E1346 with wide stirrup
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 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. p. 57.
  7. 1 2 3 Information gathered from the rebuild files of individual locomotives at Transnet Rail Engineering’s Koedoespoort shops, or obtained from John Middleton as well as several Transnet employees
  8. ↑ 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. (Accessed on 11 April 2017)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.