South African Class 37-000

South African Class 37-000

No. 37-014 at Capital Park, Pretoria, 16 May 2013

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Designer General Motors Electro-Motive Division Builder General Motors South Africa Serial number 116-1 to 116-100 Model GM-EMD GT26M2C Build date 1981-1982 Total produced 100 Rebuilder Electro-Motive Sibanye Rebuild date 2008 Number rebuilt 1 to Sibanye no. STS 001

Specifications AAR wheel arr. C-C UIC class Co'Co' Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Wheel diameter 1,016 mm (40.0 in) Wheelbase 14,732 mm (48 ft 4.0 in)  • Bogie 3,632 mm (11 ft 11.0 in) Pivot centres 11,278 mm (37 ft 0 in) Length: ​  • Over couplers 19,202 mm (63 ft 0 in) Width 2,819 mm (9 ft 3.0 in) Height 3,924 mm (12 ft 10.5 in) Axle load 21,000 kg (46,000 lb) Adhesive weight 126,000 kg (278,000 lb) Loco weight 126,000 kg (278,000 lb) max Fuel type Diesel Fuel capacity 6,230 litres (1,370 imp gal) Prime mover GM-EMD 16-645E3B RPM range 250-900  • RPM low idle 250  • RPM idle 315  • Maximum RPM 900 Engine type 2-stroke diesel Aspiration GM-EMD E16 turbocharger Displacement 10.57 litres (645 cu in) Alternator 10 pole 3 phase GM-EMD AR10-D14 Traction motors Six GM-EMD D31 DC 4 pole  • Rating 1 hour 545A  • Continuous 520A @ 21 km/h (13 mph) Cylinders V16 Gear ratio 63:14 MU working 6 maximum Loco brake 28-LAV-1 with vigilance control Train brakes Gardner-Denver ADJV-8401 compressor/exhauster Air reservoir cap 850 litres (190 imp gal) Compressor cap 0.021 m3/s (0.74 cu ft/s) Exhauster cap 0.096 m3/s (3.4 cu ft/s) Couplers AAR knuckle type E

Performance figures Maximum speed 100 km/h (62 mph) Power output: ​  • Starting 2,342 kW (3,141 hp)  • Continuous 2,171 kW (2,911 hp) Tractive effort: ​  • Starting 306 kN (69,000 lbf) @ 25% adh.  • Continuous 245 kN (55,000 lbf) @ 26 km/h (16 mph) Factor of adh.:  • Starting 25%  • Continuous 20% Loco brakeforce 61% ratio @ 350 kPa (51 psi) Dynamic brake peak effort 216 kN (49,000 lbf) @ 28 km/h (17 mph)

Career Operators South African Railways Spoornet Transnet Freight Rail Class Class 37-000 Number in class 100 Numbers 37-001 to 37-100 Delivered 1981-1982 First run 1981

The South African Railways Class 37-000 of 1981 is a mainline diesel-electric locomotive.

Between May 1981 and 1982, the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 37-000 General Motors Electro-Motive Division type GT26M2C diesel-electric locomotives in service. After these locomotives were commissioned, the national carrier was not to invest in new diesel-electric locomotives until 2009, nearly three decades later.

The Class 37-000 type GT26M2C diesel-electric locomotive was designed for the South African Railways (SAR) by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (GM-EMD) and built by General Motors South Africa (GMSA) in Port Elizabeth. Equipped with later model GM-EMD D31 traction motors instead of the earlier GM-EMD D29B, it is a more powerful version of the GM-EMD type GT26MC Classes 34-200, 34-600 and 34-800.

The Class 37-000 locomotives work on mainlines in the northern and northeastern parts of the country. Most of them are shedded at Ermelo and Lydenburg in Mpumalanga and at Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal. They work on the Belfast-Steelpoort line and on the manganese route between the Mpumalanga Lowveld and KwaZulu-Natal, from Komatipoort through Swaziland to Empangeni and Richards Bay.

In 2005, a project commenced to rebuild new Class 39-000 type GM-EMD GT26CU-3 diesel-electric locomotives for Spoornet from Classes 34-600, 34-800 and 37-000 locomotives, using suitable frames from wrecked locomotives. Two companies were invited to produce prototypes for the project.