South African Class 34-000

South African Class 34-000

No. 34-044 at Saldanha, Western Cape, 26 July 2009

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Designer General Electric Builder General Electric SA GE-DL Locomotive Group Serial number 37810-37934 Model GE U26C Build date 1971-1973 Total produced 125

Specifications AAR wheel arr. C-C UIC class Co'Co' Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Wheel diameter 915 mm (36.0 in) Wheelbase 13,004 mm (42 ft 8.0 in)  • Bogie 3,188 mm (10 ft 5.5 in) Pivot centres 10,058 mm (33 ft 0 in) Length: ​  • Over couplers 17,982 mm (59 ft 0 in) Width 2,756 mm (9 ft 0.5 in) Height 3,962 mm (13 ft 0 in) Axle load 18,850 kg (41,560 lb) Adhesive weight 113,100 kg (249,300 lb) Loco weight 113,100 kg (249,300 lb) max Fuel type Diesel Fuel capacity 5,400 litres (1,200 imp gal) as built 7,000 litres (1,500 imp gal) mod. Prime mover GE 7FDL-12 RPM range 450-1,050  • RPM low idle 450  • RPM idle 535  • Maximum RPM 1,050 Engine type 4 stroke diesel Aspiration Elliott H-581 turbocharger Alternator 10 pole 3 phase GE 5GT-A11C1 Traction motors Six GE 5GE-761A13 DC 4 pole  • Rating 1 hour 665A  • Continuous 655A @ 24 km/h (15 mph) Cylinders V12 Gear ratio 92:19 MU working 6 maximum Loco brake 28-LAV-1 with vigilance control Train brakes Westinghouse 6CDX4UC compressor/exhauster Air reservoir cap 825 litres (181 imp gal) Compressor cap 0.039 m3/s (1.4 cu ft/s) Exhauster cap 0.155 m3/s (5.5 cu ft/s) Couplers AAR knuckle type E

Performance figures Maximum speed 100 km/h (62 mph) Power output: ​  • Starting 2,050 kW (2,750 hp)  • Continuous 1,940 kW (2,600 hp) Tractive effort: ​  • Starting 272 kN (61,000 lbf) @ 25% adh.  • Continuous 218 kN (49,000 lbf) @ 26 km/h (16 mph) Factor of adh.:  • Starting 25%  • Continuous 20% Loco brakeforce 60% ratio @ 345 kPa (50.0 psi) Dynamic brake peak effort 180 kN (40,000 lbf) @ 29 km/h (18 mph)

Career Operators South African Railways Spoornet Transnet Freight Rail PRASA Class Class 34-000 Number in class 125 Numbers 34-001 to 34-125 Delivered 1971-1973 First run 1971

External video

34-072 and 34-036, 14 October 2009 A pair of Class 34-000 locomotives leave the Bloemfontein yard with a mixed goods train, heading south. (3 minutes)

The South African Railways Class 34-000 of 1971 is a diesel-electric locomotive.

Between July 1971 and March 1973, the South African Railways placed 125 Class 34-000 General Electric type U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.

The Class 34-000 type GE U26C diesel-electric locomotive of the South African Railways (SAR) was designed by General Electric (GE). The first three locomotives were built by GE and imported, numbered in the range from 34-001 to 34-003, while the remainder were built by the South African General Electric-Dorman Long Locomotive Group (SA GE-DL, later Dorbyl) and numbered in the range from 34-004 to 34-125. The 125 locomotives entered service between July 1971 and March 1973.

The same U26C locomotive type is also in use on other railways around the world. One of them is the New Zealand Railways, where it is known as their DX class. Other users are Kenya Railways who, for some years, also leased South African Class 34 U26C locomotives, and América Latina Logística (ALL) in Brazil.

The Class 34 consists of seven series, the GE Classes 34-000, 34-400, 34-500 (also known as "34-400 ex Iscor") and 34-900, and the General Motors Electro-Motive Division (GM-EMD) Classes 34-200, 34-600 and 34-800. Both these manufacturers also produced locomotives for the South African Classes 33, 35 and 36.

As built, the GE Classes 34-000, 34-400 and 34-900 locomotives were visually indistinguishable from each other. The Class 34-500 locomotives could be visually distinguished from the other series by the air conditioning units mounted on their cab roofs and initially, when it was still a feature unique to them, by their running board mounted handrails. At some stage during the mid-1980s, all Class 34-000, 34-400 and 34-500 locomotives had saddle filters installed across the long hood, mounted just to the rear of the screens behind the cab on the sides. Since then, Class 34-900 locomotives could be distinguished from the older models by the absence of the saddle filter.