South African Class 39-000

South African Class 39-000
No. 39-002 at Pyramid South Depot on 7 May 2013
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Designer General Motors Electro-Motive Division Builder Transwerk Transnet Rail Engineering Serial number See table Model EMD GT26CU-3 Build date 2006-2008 Total produced 5
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR C-C  • UIC Co'Co'  • Commonwealth 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) Fuel type Diesel Prime mover EMD 645-E3B Engine type 2-stroke diesel Displacement 10.57 litres (645.0 cu in) Traction motors Six EMD D31 DC 4 pole Cylinders V16 Loco brake Knorr-Bremse EBR Train brakes Air & Vacuum Safety systems ZTR Nexsys control system Couplers AAR knuckle
Performance figures Power output 2,460 kW (3,300 hp) Tractive effort: ​  • Starting 350 kN (79,000 lbf)  • Continuous 305 kN (69,000 lbf) Factor of adh.: ​  • Starting 25%  • Continuous 20%
Career Operators Spoornet Transnet Freight Rail Class Class 39-000 Number in class 5 Numbers 39-001 to 39-005 Delivered 2006-2008 First run 2006

The Spoornet Class 39-000 of 2006 is a South African diesel-electric locomotive from the Spoornet era.

In 2005, Transwerk commenced a project of rebuilding one hundred existing locomotives to new Class 39-000 Electro-Motive Diesel type GT26CU-3 locomotives for Spoornet. Only five were eventually rebuilt and placed in service between April 2006 and 2009.

In 2005, a project commenced to rebuild one hundred Class 39-000 Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) type GT26CU-3 diesel-electric locomotives for Spoornet from Classes 34-600 and 34-800 type GT26MC and Class 37-000 type GT26M2C locomotives. The original locomotives had all originally been designed by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (GM-EMD) and had been built by General Motors South Africa (GMSA) in Port Elizabeth between 1974 and 1981. Suitable frames from wrecked locomotives were to be used.

Two companies were invited to produce prototypes for the project. One was Electro-Motive Sibanye, a joint venture between the recently established Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) and Sibanye Trade and Services, a South African Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) company which dealt in locomotives and spare parts. The Sibanye venture produced only one locomotive, which was rebuilt from Class 37-000 no. 37-010 in 2008 and numbered 39-251. The locomotive was tested, but rejected by Transnet, reportedly due to poor quality. Furthermore, when serious tender irregularities came to light, the locomotive rebuilding deal between Transnet and Sibanye was cancelled.

Even though it was painted in the red Transnet Freight Rail livery, no. 39-251 never worked for Transnet.

The locomotive did have the distinctive cab roof profile of other locomotives in the EMD family, unlike the completely different rounded cab roof profile of its successful competitor. When the Electro-Motive Sibanye joint venture was dissolved, the locomotive remained in the possession of Sibanye Trade and Services and was renumbered STS 001. It was later hired or leased to the Khumani iron ore mine in the Northern Cape, where it was renumbered again to LC9-1.