South African Class 10E1, Series 1

South African Class 10E1, Series 1
10-075 at Sentrarand, Gauteng, 8 October 2009
Type and origin Power type Electric Designer GEC Builder Union Carriage & Wagon Serial number 5659 to 5708 Model GEC 10E1 Build date 1987-1989 Total produced 50
Specifications Configuration: ​  • UIC Co-Co Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Bogies 4.060 m (13 ft 3.8 in) wheelbase Wheel diameter 1,220 mm (4 ft 0 in) Wheelbase 13.460 m (44 ft 1.9 in) Length 18.520 m (60 ft 9.1 in) Height 4.120 m (13 ft 6.2 in) pantographs lowered Axle load 21,210 kg (20.88 long tons) Loco weight 126,000 kg (124 long tons) Current pickup(s) pantograph Traction motors Six GEC G425AZ Transmission 17/87 Gear ratio Train brakes Air & Vacuum
Performance figures Power output Per motor: * 540 kW (720 hp) 1 hour * 515 kW (691 hp) continuous Total: * 3,240 kW (4,340 hp) 1 hour * 3,090 kW (4,140 hp) cont. Tractive effort 450 kN (100,000 lbf) starting 335 kN (75,000 lbf) 1 hour 310 kN (70,000 lbf) continuous at 35 km/h (22 mph)
Career Power class 3kV DC Number in class 50 Official name Class 10E1 Delivered 1987-1989 First run 1987

Between 1987 and 1989 the South African Railways (SAR), later renamed Spoornet and then Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), placed 50 Class 10E1, Series 1 locomotives in service.

Manufacturer

The South African Class 10E1 Series 1 3kV DC electric locomotive was designed by GEC and built by Union Carriage and Wagon (UCW) in Nigel, Transvaal.

In a break with prior practice, builder’s numbers were allocated to Class 10E1 locomotives. With the exception of the Class 9E, also a GEC locomotive, UCW did not allocate builder’s numbers to previous locomotives it built for the South African Railways. While the practice by most other locomotive builders was to allocate builder’s numbers or works numbers to record the locomotives built by them, UCW simply used the SAR road numbers for their record keeping.

Numbering system

In the steam era South African steam locomotives bore unlettered numbers, while electric locomotives bore numbers with an “E” prefix and diesel-electric locomotives numbers with a “D” prefix.

Narrow gauge locomotives and most narrow gauge rolling stock bore the letters “NG”, for example “Class NG15” for tender locomotives or “Class NG G13” for Garratts, to distinguish them from 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge locomotives that may have shared the same locomotive number.

Circa 1960 the SAR adopted a new classification and numbering system for electric and diesel powered locomotives. In terms of the new system, electric locomotives are classed from Class 1 upwards, diesel-electric locomotives from Class 31 upwards, diesel-hydraulic locomotives from Class 61 upwards, and narrow gauge diesel-electric locomotives from Class 91 upwards.

For differentiation between diesel-electric locomotive series within each class and simultaneously indicating the number range of the series, three digits were added, for example Class 35-000 and Class 35-200.

With electric locomotives this latter practice only came into use gradually. All electric locomotives from Class 1E to Class 6E1 Series 11 were numbered consecutively, from Class 1E no E1 to Class 6E1 no E2185. The practice to incorporate the locomotive class in the number range began with the Class 7E locomotive, numbered E7001 to E7100, but later models within the Class 7E group (7E1, 7E2 series 1 and 2, 7E3 series 1 and 2) were still numbered consecutively from E7101 onwards.

The same was done with the Class 9E (series 1 and 2) and Class 10E (10E, 10E1 series 1 and 2, 10E2). Differentiation between series within each class by means of the number range was eventually implemented with the Class 14E.

Orientation

On these dual cab locomotives the roof access ladder end is marked as the number 2 end.

Crew Access

The older Class 5E, 5E1, 6E and 6E1 locomotives are notoriously difficult to enter since their lever-style door handles are at waist level when standing inside the locomotive, making it impossible to open the door from outside without first climbing up high enough to reach the handle while hanging on to the side handrails with one hand only. Crews therefore often chose to leave the doors ajar when parking and exiting the locomotives.

The side doors with two interconnected latch handles on the outside that were introduced on the Class 7E1, one handle mounted near floor level and the other at mid door level, was continued on the Class 10E Series 1. Locomotives have been observed, though, with the bottom handle absent, either omitted or removed.

Liveries

Main picture: Spoornet blue livery with outline numbers.

See also

• South African Class 10E1, Series 2
• Electric locomotive
• List of South African locomotive classes