South African Class 34 400

Manufacturer

The Class 34-400 type GE U26C diesel-electric locomotive was designed by General Electric (GE) and built for the South African Railways (SAR) by the South African General Electric-Dorman Long Locomotive Group (SA GE-DL, later Dorbyl). One hundred locomotives were delivered between April 1973 and November 1974, numbered in the range from 34-401 to 34-500.

GE and GM-EMD designs

The Class 34 locomotive family 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.

Distinguishing features

As built, the GE Class 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.

Fuel capacity

As built, the Class 34-400 has a 5,400 litres (1,200 imperial gallons) fuel tank and interlinked bogies, while the Class 34-500 was delivered new to Iscor with a 7,000 litres (1,500 imperial gallons) fuel tank, in order 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.

In order to be usable on the iron ore line, Class 34-400 locomotives 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 below, 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.

Running board mounted handrails

Class 34-40 locomotives which are allocated to the Sishen-Saldanha Orex line, are often modified, by having removable running board mounted handrails installed. All South African diesel-electric locomotives have their side handrails mounted along the upper edges of their long hoods. The ex Iscor Class 34-500s, however, came equipped with additional removable running board mounted handrails. Since these handrails are slide-fit into brackets welded onto the running board, they are easily removed.

Since c. 2009, other mainline diesel-electric locomotive types also emerged from the Koedoespoort Transwerk shops with running board mounted handrails, after major overhauls.

Electronic control system

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

South African Railways

GE Class 34-400s work on most mainlines and some branchlines in the central, western, southern and southeastern parts of the country. Some eventually joined the Class 34-500 on the 861 kilometres (535 miles) 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.

On the Sishen–Saldanha Orex line, GE Class 34 series diesel-electric locomotives run consisted to Class 9E or Class 15E electric locomotives, to haul the 342 wagon iron ore trains. Each wagon has a 100-ton capacity and the trains are at least 3.72 kilometres (2.31 miles) in length, powered by mixed consists of Class 9E and Class 15E electric and GE U26C Class 34-000, 34-400, 34-500, 34-900 and, from 2012, GE C30ACi Class 43-000 diesel-electric locomotives. In South Africa, mixed electric and diesel-electric consists are unique to the iron ore line.

Leased and sold

Eleven Class 34-400s were leased to the Kenya Railways for some years, regauged to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) and renumbered in the range from 9501 to 9511. They were returned to Spoornet in April 2002.

Several Class 34-400s were sold into industry. No. 34-429 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. 34-426, 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.

Illustration

The main picture shows no. 34-401 in Spoornet blue livery with outline numbers. Other liveries which were applied to Class 34-400 locomotives are illustrated below.