South African Class 14E, Series 2
Encyclopedia
In December 1994 Spoornet took delivery of the last of ten locally manufactured Class 14E1 dual voltage electric main line locomotives with a Bo-Bo wheel arrangement. They were preceded in 1990 by three prototype Class 14E locomotives.
, ABB, AEG-Westinghouse
, GEC and Alsthom-Atlantique. They were built for Spoornet by Union Carriage and Wagon (UCW) in Nigel, Transvaal, under licence to Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
(SLM) in Winterthur
. Ten locomotives were delivered and placed in service by December 1994, numbered 14-101 to 14-110.
The original order was placed for fifty locomotives. The first locomotives to be delivered were subjected to intensive trial runs on speed-freight trains in KwaZulu-Natal
and the Free State
, during which it was found not to be a suitable locomotive for the infrastructure on lines rated at 20 ton per axle. It caused some damage to points when travelling at 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) in the Free State. When the first one to be delivered developed a vibration in the gear box, the order for fifty locomotives was summarily reduced to ten only, given the unsatisfactory trial results to date.
based. In freight service they were employed on the route between Cape Town
and Beaufort West
in the Western Cape
. Since they are dual voltage 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC locomotives, they can work on any electrified line country-wide with the exception of the 50 kV AC Sishen Saldanha iron ore line.
Beginning circa 2005, selected Class 14E1 locomotives have been employed to haul the Blue Train
all the way along the Cape Town
-Pretoria
route across the 25 kV AC stretch between Beaufort West
and Kimberley
. They now often run country-wide when hauling the Blue Train. Being fast and giving a comfortable ride in an air conditioned cab, the Class 14E1 became popular with drivers.
In 1998 a number of Spoornet’s electric locomotives and most of their Class 38-000
electro-diesel locomotives were sold to Maquarie-GETX (General Electric Financing) and leased back to Spoornet for a ten year period that was to expire in 2008. Of the Class 14E1, numbers 14-101 to 14-106 were subsequently also included in this leasing deal.
Manufacturer
The Class 14E1 dual voltage 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC electric locomotive was designed by Consortium, consisting of SiemensSiemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
, ABB, AEG-Westinghouse
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau....
, GEC and Alsthom-Atlantique. They were built for Spoornet by Union Carriage and Wagon (UCW) in Nigel, Transvaal, under licence to Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works were a railway equipment manufacturer based in Winterthur in Switzerland...
(SLM) in Winterthur
Winterthur
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
. Ten locomotives were delivered and placed in service by December 1994, numbered 14-101 to 14-110.
The original order was placed for fifty locomotives. The first locomotives to be delivered were subjected to intensive trial runs on speed-freight trains in KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
and the Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
, during which it was found not to be a suitable locomotive for the infrastructure on lines rated at 20 ton per axle. It caused some damage to points when travelling at 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) in the Free State. When the first one to be delivered developed a vibration in the gear box, the order for fifty locomotives was summarily reduced to ten only, given the unsatisfactory trial results to date.
Orientation
These dual cab locomotives have a roof access ladder on one side only, just to the right of the cab access door. The roof access ladder end is marked as the number 1 end. A passage along the centre of the locomotive connects the cabs.Works numbers
On the Class 14E1 the Consortium group’s works numbers are engraved in the top right corner of a large plate depicting the circuit diagram of the locomotive, mounted below the sill and halfway between the bogies on the roof access ladder side of the locomotive. The works numbers do not follow the locomotive running number sequence.| Loco No. |
Works No. |
|---|---|
| 14-101 | 16876-1- 9/1994 |
| 14-102 | 16876-1- 4/1994 |
| 14-103 | 16876-1- 7/1994 |
| 14-104 | 16876-1-10/1994 |
| 14-105 | 16876-1- 2/1993 |
| 14-106 | 16876-1- 6/1994 |
| 14-107 | 16876-1-11/1994 |
| 14-108 | 16876-1- 3/1994 |
| 14-109 | 16876-1- 8/1994 |
| 14-110 | 16876-1- 5/1994 |
Service
By 2006 Class 14E1 locomotives were BellvilleBellville railway station
Bellville railway station is a railway station in the town of Bellville, Western Cape, South Africa. It is the second-biggest station in the Cape Town Metrorail railway network, after the Cape Town terminus. All trains on Metrorail's Northern Line pass through Bellville, and one branch of the...
based. In freight service they were employed on the route between Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
and Beaufort West
Beaufort West
Beaufort West is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and forms part of the Beaufort West Local Municipality, with 37 000 inhabitants in 2001....
in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
. Since they are dual voltage 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC locomotives, they can work on any electrified line country-wide with the exception of the 50 kV AC Sishen Saldanha iron ore line.
Beginning circa 2005, selected Class 14E1 locomotives have been employed to haul the Blue Train
Blue Train (South Africa)
The Blue Train travels an approximately journey in South Africa between Pretoria and Cape Town. It is one of the most luxurious train journeys in the world...
all the way along the Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
-Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
route across the 25 kV AC stretch between Beaufort West
Beaufort West
Beaufort West is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and forms part of the Beaufort West Local Municipality, with 37 000 inhabitants in 2001....
and Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
. They now often run country-wide when hauling the Blue Train. Being fast and giving a comfortable ride in an air conditioned cab, the Class 14E1 became popular with drivers.
In 1998 a number of Spoornet’s electric locomotives and most of their Class 38-000
South African Class 38-000
Between 1992 and 1994 Spoornet placed fifty Class 38-000 locomotives in service. They are still the only dual powered electro-diesel locomotives in use by Transnet Freight Rail, capable of running either on 3 kV electricity off the catenary or on diesel alone....
electro-diesel locomotives were sold to Maquarie-GETX (General Electric Financing) and leased back to Spoornet for a ten year period that was to expire in 2008. Of the Class 14E1, numbers 14-101 to 14-106 were subsequently also included in this leasing deal.
Gallery
See also
- South African Class 14E
- Electric locomotive numbering and classification
- List of South African locomotive classes