South African Class 34-400


The South African Railways Class 34-400 of 1973 is a diesel-electric locomotive.
Between April 1973 and November 1974, the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-400 General Electric type U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.

Manufacturer

The Class 34-400 type GE U26C diesel-electric locomotive was designed by General Electric and built for the South African Railways by the South African General Electric-Dorman Long Locomotive Group. One hundred locomotives were delivered between April 1973 and November 1974, numbered in the range from to.

Distinguishing features

As built, the GE Classes , and [South African Class 34-900|] locomotives were visually indistinguishable from each other. The Class locomotives could be 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, and 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 locomotives could be distinguished from the older models by the absence of the saddle filter.

Modifications

Fuel capacity

As built, the Class had a fuel tank and interlinked bogies, while the Class was delivered new to Iscor with a fuel tank to cope with the lack of en route refuelling points on the Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line. To facilitate the larger fuel tank, the inter-bogie linkage found on all other models had to be omitted on the Class 34-500.
To be usable on the iron ore line, Class units which ended up working there were modified to a similar fuel capacity. The inter-bogie linkage was removed and the fuel tank was enlarged by changing it from saddle-shaped to rectangular box-shaped. To maintain its lateral balance, a slab of metal was attached to each bogie in place of the removed linkage. In the second picture, the weld lines on the end of the enlarged fuel tank as well as the metal slab at the end of the bogie are visible.

Electronic control system

Beginning in 2010, some units were equipped with electronic fuel injection and GE "Brite Star" control systems. On some of the first locomotives to be so modified, externally visible evidence of the modification is a raised middle portion of the long hood.

Service

South African Railways

GE Class work on most mainlines and some branch lines in the central, western, southern and southeastern parts of the country. On the busy line from Krugersdorp via Zeerust to Mafeking, the Class 34-400 became the standard motive power.
Some eventually joined the Class on the Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line, to haul export ore from the open cast iron mines at Sishen near Kathu in the Northern Cape to the harbour at Saldanha in the Western Cape. Here they ran consisted to electric locomotives to haul the 342 wagon iron ore trains. Each wagon has a 100-ton capacity and the trains are at least in length. In South Africa, mixed electric and diesel-electric consists are unique to the iron ore line.

Leased and sold

Eleven Class were leased to the Kenya Railways for some years, regauged to and renumbered in the range from 9501 to 9511. They were returned to Spoornet in April 2002.
Several Class were sold into industry. No. went to the Douglas Colliery near Witbank as no. D10. Five went to Sasol at Trichardt near Secunda and two to Blue Circle Cement at Lichtenburg.
No., with the bodywork removed, is used for apprentice training at the Germiston diesel depot.

Works numbers

The Class 34-400 builder's works numbers and known deployment are listed in the table.

SAR No.		GE-DL works
no.		DisposalPost-SAR
no.
34-40138623
34-40238624
34-40338625
34-40438626
34-40538627
34-40638628
34-40738629
34-40838630
34-40938631
34-41038632
34-41138633
34-41238634
34-41338635
34-41438636
34-41538637
34-41638638
34-41738639
34-41838640
34-41938641
34-42038642
34-42138643
34-42238644
34-42338645
34-42438646
34-42538647
34-42638648Training aid34-426
34-42738649
34-42838650
34-42938651DouglasD10
34-43038652
34-43138653
34-43238654
34-43338655
34-43438656
34-43538657
34-43638658
34-43738659
34-43838660
34-43938661
34-44038662
34-44138663
34-44238664
34-44338665
34-44438666
34-44538667
34-44638668
34-44738669
34-44838670
34-44938671
34-45038672
34-45138673
34-45238674
34-45338675
34-45438676
34-45538677
34-45638678
34-45738679
34-45838680
34-45938681
34-46038682
34-46138683
34-46238684
34-46338685
34-46438686
34-46538687
34-46638688
34-46738689
34-46838690
34-46938691KR Lease9511
34-47038692KR Lease9501
34-47138693KR Lease9502
34-47238694KR Lease9503
34-47338695KR Lease9504
34-47438696KR Lease9505
34-47538697KR Lease9506
34-47638698KR Lease9507
34-47738699Sasol8
34-47838700KR Lease9508
34-47938701KR Lease9509
34-48038702KR Lease9510
34-48138703
34-48238704
34-48338705Sasol3
34-48438706
34-48538707Sasol7
34-48638708Sasol4
34-48738709
34-48838710
34-48938711Sasol9
34-49038712Blue Circle9
34-49138713Blue Circle8
34-49238714
34-49338715
34-49438716
34-49538717
34-49638718
34-49738719
34-49838720
34-49938721
34-50038722

Liveries

The Class 34-400 were all delivered in the SAR Gulf Red livery with signal red buffer beams, yellow side stripes on the long hood sides and a yellow V on each end. In the 1990s many of the Class 34-400 units began to be repainted in the Spoornet orange livery with a yellow and blue chevron pattern on the buffer beams. At least one later received the Spoornet maroon livery. In the late 1990s many were repainted in the Spoornet blue livery with outline numbers on the long hood sides. After 2008 in the Transnet Freight Rail era, many were repainted in the TFR red, green and yellow livery.