South African Class Experimental AC

The South African Railways Class Experimental AC of 1978 is an electric locomotive.

South African Class Experimental AC
E1600 at Pyramid South, Pretoria in May 2013
Type and origin Power type Electric Designer Union Carriage & Wagon Builder Union Carriage & Wagon Transwerk Model UCW 6E1 Build date 1978 Total produced 1
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Commonwealth Bo-Bo Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Wheel diameter 1.22 m (48 in) Wheelbase 11.28 m (37 ft 0 in)  • Bogie 3.43 m (11 ft 3 in) Pivot centres 7.85 m (25 ft 9 in) Length: ​  • Over couplers 15.49 m (50 ft 10 in)  • Body 14.63 m (48 ft 0 in) Width 2.90 m (9 ft 6 in) Height: ​  • Pantograph 4.29 m (14 ft 1 in)  • Body height 3.94 m (12 ft 11 in) Axle load 21.38 t (47,100 lb) Adhesive weight 85.50 t (188,500 lb) Loco weight 85.50 t (188,500 lb) Electric system/s 25 kV 50 Hz AC catenary Current pickup(s) Pantograph Traction motors 4 AEI 283AZ  • Rating 1 hour 623 kW (835 hp)  • Continuous 563 kW (755 hp) Gear ratio 18:67 Loco brake Air Train brakes Air & Vacuum Couplers AAR knuckle
Performance figures Maximum speed 113 km/h (70 mph) Power output: ​  • 1 hour 2,492 kW (3,342 hp)  • Continuous 2,252 kW (3,020 hp) Tractive effort: ​  • Starting 330 kN (74,000 lbf)  • 1 hour 218 kN (49,000 lbf)  • Continuous 190 kN (43,000 lbf)
Career Operators South African Railways Spoornet Transnet Freight Rail Class Class Experimental AC Number in class 1 Numbers E1600 First run 1978

In 1974 and 1975 the South African Railways placed 100 Class 6E1, Series 5 locomotives with a Bo-Bo wheel arrangement in mainline service. In 1978 one was withdrawn from revenue service for use as an experimental 25 kV AC locomotive. It was rebuilt and reclassified to Class Experimental AC.[1]

Manufacturer

The 3 kV DC Class 6E1, Series 5 electric locomotive was designed and built for the South African Railways by Union Carriage & Wagon (UCW) in Nigel, Transvaal. The electrical equipment was supplied by General Electric Company (GEC). One hundred were delivered by UCW in 1974 and 1975, numbered E1546 to E1645.[2]

Orientation

These dual cab locomotives have a roof access ladder on one side only, just to the right of the cab access door. The roof access ladder end is marked as the no. 2 end. A corridor along the centre of the locomotive connects the cabs.[1]

Test bed for 25 kV AC research

In 1978, E1600 was withdrawn from service and rebuilt as a test-bed for use during 25 kV AC electrification and reclassified to the sole Class Experimental AC. It was used for testing to detect and eliminate potential problems during the electrification of the four isolated 25 kV networks. These networks are:[1][3][4]

• Pyramid South to Pietersburg and via Rustenburg to Thabazimbi
• Ermelo to Richards Bay
• Port Elizabeth via Noupoort to De Aar and from there northward to Kimberley and southward to Beaufort West
• East London to Springfontein

The unit’s single pantograph and its electronic and electric equipment were manufactured by the 50 ^c/s Group, a consortium consisting of ACEC of Belgium, AEG-Telefunken and Siemens of Germany, Alsthom-Atlantique and Société MTE of France, and Brown Boveri of Switzerland. The same consortium also designed the 25 kV AC Class 7E locomotives which were placed in service on the four 25 kV networks.[3]

The vacuum circuit breaker was supplied by GEC. The original Class 6E1 AEI-283AZ traction motors, manufactured by Associated Electrical Industries, were retained and the locomotive used a thyristor-diode rectifier set for the traction motor DC power supply. Mechanical components were supplied by UCW.[1][3]

Apart from the inscriptions painted on the locomotive sides, the Class Experimental AC locomotive can be visually distinguished from regular Class 6E1 locomotives by the single pantograph on its no. 2 end instead of the usual two pantographs, one on each end, as well as by the large grilles on the sides. The Class 6E1 has two large grilles to the right of centre on each side while no. E1600 has only one such grille on the roof access ladder side and three on the opposite side.[3]

References

1. South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610mm and 1065mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20, 28 January 1975
2. "UCW - Electric locomotives" (PDF). The UCW Partnership. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
3. Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 128–129, 136. ISBN 0869772112.
4. Middleton, John N. (2002). Railways of Southern Africa Locomotive Guide - 2002 (as amended by Combined Amendment List 4, January 2009) (2nd, Dec 2002 ed.). Herts, England: Beyer-Garratt Publications. pp. 50–51, 60.

External links

Media related to South African Class Experimental AC at Wikimedia Commons