South African Class 34-200
Encyclopedia
Between October 1971 and March 1972 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-200 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.
(GE) Class 34-000
, 34-400
, 34-500
(also known as "34-400 ex Iscor") and 34-900
, and the EMD Class 34-200, 34-600
and 34-800
. Both these manufacturers also produced locomotives for the South African Classes 33, 35 and 36.
(abbreviated from New Limpopo Projects Investments), a Mauritius registered company, specialises in private sector investments using the build-operate-transfer (BOT) concept. It has three connected railway operations in Zimbabwe
and Zambia
that form a rail link between South Africa and the Congo.
In Zambia the RSZ locomotive fleet includes former ZR locomotives, but the rest of the locomotive fleet of all three operations consist of TFR EMD Class 34-200, 34-600
and 34-800
and GE Class 35-000
and 35-400
locomotives. These locomotives are sometimes marked or branded as either BBR or LOG or both, but their status, whether leased or loaned, is unclear since they are still on the TFR roster and still often work in South Africa as well.
where it became their number 4, since renumbered to 2601. Sheltam is a locomotive hire and repair company that undertakes complete operating contracts and maintenance contracts, based at the Douglas Colliery near Witbank in Mpumalanga. By the turn of the millennium Sheltam locomotives were operating at Randfontein Estates Gold Mine in Gauteng, and in Mpumalanga at Douglas and Vandyksdrift Collieries and at SAPPI, Ngodwana. They also operated on Spoornet’s Newcastle-Utrecht branch in KwaZulu-Natal
and on Kei Rail
in the Eastern Cape. Outside South Africa they operate on the BBR, NLL and RSZ lines through Zimbabwe and Zambia and in the Congo
.
Manufacturer
The Class 34-200 type GT26MC diesel-electric locomotive was designed and built for the South African Railways (SAR) by Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) and imported. Fifty locomotives were delivered between October 1971 and March 1972, numbered 34-201 to 34-250.GE and EMD designs
South Africa’s Class 34 locomotive group consists of seven series, the General ElectricGeneral Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
(GE) Class 34-000
South African Class 34-000
Between July 1971 and March 1973 the South African Railways placed one hundred and twenty-five Class 34-000 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
, 34-400
South African Class 34-400
Between April 1973 and November 1974 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-400 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
, 34-500
South African Class 34-500
Between 1974 and 1977 the state owned South African Iron and Steel Corporation, now Kumba Iron Ore, placed forty-four GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service on its 1974 built Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line and as heavy shunters at the Sishen mine. In 1977 another two locomotives were built...
(also known as "34-400 ex Iscor") and 34-900
South African Class 34-000
Between July 1971 and March 1973 the South African Railways placed one hundred and twenty-five Class 34-000 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
, and the EMD Class 34-200, 34-600
South African Class 34-600
Between December 1974 and July 1976 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-600 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.-Manufacturer:...
and 34-800
South African Class 34-800
Between August 1978 and December 1979 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-800 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service. In 1979 one more of the same type was placed in service by Iscor in Newcastle, and between April and July 1980 a further eight of these locomotives were...
. Both these manufacturers also produced locomotives for the South African Classes 33, 35 and 36.
Distinguishing Features
On the EMD Class 34 series locomotives, Class 34-200 and 34-600 locomotives are visually indistinguishable from one another, but they can be distinguished from the Class 34-800 by the thicker fishbelly shaped sills on their left sides, compared to the straight sill on the left side of the Class 34-800.Transnet Freight Rail
In Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) service the Class 34-200s work on most mainlines and some unelectrified branchlines in the central, eastern, northern and northeastern parts of South Africa.NLPI Ltd
NLPI LimitedNLPI
NLPI Limited is an investment-holding company, registered in Mauritius, whose main investment focus is infrastructure-related projects on the continent of Africa...
(abbreviated from New Limpopo Projects Investments), a Mauritius registered company, specialises in private sector investments using the build-operate-transfer (BOT) concept. It has three connected railway operations in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
that form a rail link between South Africa and the Congo.
- The Beitbridge Bulawayo RailwayBeitbridge Bulawayo RailwayThe Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway is a privately owned railway company that provides a rail link in Zimbabwe between Beitbridge at the border to South Africa and Zimbabwe's second city Bulawayo....
(BBR), commissioned on 1 September 1999, operates the Beit Bridge to BulawayoBulawayoBulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
line in Zimbabwe. - Since February 2004 NLPI Logistics (NLL or LOG) operates between Bulawayo and Victoria FallsVictoria FallsThe Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.-Introduction:...
on the Zimbabwe-Zambia border. - Since February 2003 the Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) operates on the former Zambian Railways (ZR) from Victoria Falls to SakaniaSakaniaSakania is a town in Haut-Katanga District, in the far south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, near the border with Zambia.It is located at an elevation of 1278m asl ,therefore it has a cool climate....
in the Congo.
In Zambia the RSZ locomotive fleet includes former ZR locomotives, but the rest of the locomotive fleet of all three operations consist of TFR EMD Class 34-200, 34-600
South African Class 34-600
Between December 1974 and July 1976 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-600 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.-Manufacturer:...
and 34-800
South African Class 34-800
Between August 1978 and December 1979 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-800 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service. In 1979 one more of the same type was placed in service by Iscor in Newcastle, and between April and July 1980 a further eight of these locomotives were...
and GE Class 35-000
South African Class 35-000
Between March 1972 and May 1973 the South African Railways placed seventy Class 35-000 GE U15C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
and 35-400
South African Class 35-400
Between March 1976 and May 1980 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 35-400 GE U15C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
locomotives. These locomotives are sometimes marked or branded as either BBR or LOG or both, but their status, whether leased or loaned, is unclear since they are still on the TFR roster and still often work in South Africa as well.
Sheltam
One of the Class 34-200 locomotives, no. 34-221, was sold to SheltamSheltam
Sheltam is a locomotive hire and repair company that undertakes complete operating contracts and maintenance contracts, based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. By the year 2000, Sheltam locomotives were operating at Randfontein Estates Gold Mine in Gauteng, and in Mpumalanga at Douglas and...
where it became their number 4, since renumbered to 2601. Sheltam is a locomotive hire and repair company that undertakes complete operating contracts and maintenance contracts, based at the Douglas Colliery near Witbank in Mpumalanga. By the turn of the millennium Sheltam locomotives were operating at Randfontein Estates Gold Mine in Gauteng, and in Mpumalanga at Douglas and Vandyksdrift Collieries and at SAPPI, Ngodwana. They also operated on Spoornet’s Newcastle-Utrecht branch 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 on Kei Rail
Kei Rail
Kei Rail is a railway project in South Africa.The Eastern Cape government restored rail services between AmaBhele and Mthatha, on an abandoned branch from the East London-Springfontein main line. Infrastructure was rebuilt, and passenger services restarted in March 2008...
in the Eastern Cape. Outside South Africa they operate on the BBR, NLL and RSZ lines through Zimbabwe and Zambia and in the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
.
| Loco no |
EMD works no |
Leased or Sold to |
|---|---|---|
| 34-201 | 37563 | |
| 34-202 | 37564 | |
| 34-203 | 37565 | |
| 34-204 | 37566 | |
| 34-205 | 37567 | |
| 34-206 | 37568 | |
| 34-207 | 37569 | |
| 34-208 | 37570 | |
| 34-209 | 37571 | NLPI |
| 34-210 | 37572 | |
| 34-211 | 37573 | |
| 34-212 | 37574 | NLPI |
| 34-213 | 37575 | |
| 34-214 | 37576 | NLPI |
| 34-215 | 37577 | |
| 34-216 | 37578 | |
| 34-217 | 37579 | |
| 34-218 | 37580 | |
| 34-219 | 37581 | |
| 34-220 | 37582 | |
| 34-221 | 37583 | Sheltam 4/2601 |
| 34-222 | 37584 | |
| 34-223 | 37585 | |
| 34-224 | 37586 | |
| 34-225 | 37587 | |
| 34-226 | 37588 | |
| 34-227 | 37589 | |
| 34-228 | 37590 | |
| 34-229 | 37591 | |
| 34-230 | 37592 | |
| 34-231 | 37593 | |
| 34-232 | 37594 | |
| 34-233 | 37595 | |
| 34-234 | 37596 | |
| 34-235 | 37597 | |
| 34-236 | 37598 | |
| 34-237 | 37599 | |
| 34-238 | 37600 | NLPI |
| 34-239 | 37601 | |
| 34-240 | 37602 | NLPI |
| 34-241 | 37603 | |
| 34-242 | 37604 | NLPI |
| 34-243 | 37605 | |
| 34-244 | 37606 | NLPI |
| 34-245 | 37607 | NLPI |
| 34-246 | 37608 | NLPI |
| 34-247 | 37609 | NLPI |
| 34-248 | 37610 | NLPI |
| 34-249 | 37611 | |
| 34-250 | 37612 | |
Liveries
The main picture shows 34-227 in Spoornet orange livery.See also
- South African Class 34-000South African Class 34-000Between July 1971 and March 1973 the South African Railways placed one hundred and twenty-five Class 34-000 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
(GE) - South African Class 34-400South African Class 34-400Between April 1973 and November 1974 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-400 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
(GE) - South African Class 34-500South African Class 34-500Between 1974 and 1977 the state owned South African Iron and Steel Corporation, now Kumba Iron Ore, placed forty-four GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service on its 1974 built Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line and as heavy shunters at the Sishen mine. In 1977 another two locomotives were built...
(GE) - South African Class 34-600South African Class 34-600Between December 1974 and July 1976 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-600 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.-Manufacturer:...
(EMD) - South African Class 34-800South African Class 34-800Between August 1978 and December 1979 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-800 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service. In 1979 one more of the same type was placed in service by Iscor in Newcastle, and between April and July 1980 a further eight of these locomotives were...
(EMD) - South African Class 34-900South African Class 34-900Between October 1979 and February 1981 the South African Railways placed thirty Class 34-900 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.-Manufacturer:...
(GE) - Diesel-electric locomotive numbering and classification
- List of South African locomotive classes