South African Class 34-500

Between 1974 and 1977 the state owned South African Iron and Steel Corporation, now Kumba Iron Ore, placed forty-four GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service on its 1974 built Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line and as heavy shunters at the Sishen mine. In 1977 another two locomotives were built for the Douglas Colliery near Witbank. Also in 1977, thirty-nine of the Iscor locomotives were transferred to the South African Railways, where they were initially reclassified to Class 34-400 ex Iscor and later became commonly known as Class 34-500.^[1][2][3]

Manufacturer

The South African Class 34-500 type GE U26C diesel-electric locomotive, also known as Class 34-400 ex Iscor, was designed by General Electric and built in South Africa for the South African Iron and Steel Corporation (Iscor) by the South African General Electric-Dorman Long Locomotive Group (SA GE-DL, later Dorbyl). Altogether forty-four locomotives were delivered to Iscor in three orders:^[1][3][4]

• Twenty-two between 1974 and 1975, numbers 1D to 20D geared for main line service and numbers G01 and G02 geared for shunting.
• Twenty more between 1976 and 1977, numbered 21D to 40D and geared for main line service.
• Another two shunters in 1977, numbered G03 and G04.

Also in 1977, two were built for the Douglas Colliery near Witbank in Transvaal, numbered D5 and D6.^[1]

Changes in ownership

In 1977 all rail operations on the Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line was taken over from Iscor by the South African Railways (SAR). Between November 1977 and June 1978 thirty-nine of the Iscor locomotives were transferred to the SAR. They were initially classified by the SAR as Class 34-400 ex Iscor and renumbered 34-501 to 34-539, but these locomotives were also commonly referred to as Class 34-500. This eventually became its accepted official classification.^[3][5]

While it is believed that they were renumbered from Iscor numbers to SAR numbers in sequence, at least one locomotive was observed as being out of sequence. Number 34-523 carried works plate GE 35265, identifying it as ex Iscor number 5D. It can be presumed that number 34-505 carried works plate GE 40402, which would make it ex Iscor number 23D.^[1]

Five locomotives were retained by Iscor to work at the Sishen mine, numbers G01 to G04 and 40D. These are now Kumba’s locomotives 01 to 05, with 40D having become Kumba 05.^[1]

The Douglas Colliery locomotives are now in Sheltam livery, initially as numbers 5 and 6 and later renumbered to 2602 and 2603 respectively.^[1]

Their works numbers, ownership changes and renumberings are set out in the table.

Class 34 series

GE and EMD designs

South Africa’s Class 34 locomotive group consists of seven series, the GE Class 34-000, 34-400, 34-500 (also known as "34-400 ex Iscor") and 34-900, and the EMD Class 34-200, 34-600 and 34-800. Both these manufacturers also produced locomotives for the South African Classes 33, 35 and 36.^[3]

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.^[6]

South African Railways service

The GE Class 34-500s still work exclusively 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.^[4]

Running board mounted handrails

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 boards, they are easily removed.^[3]

Since circa 2009 other mainline diesel-electric locomotive types also emerged from the Koedoespoort Transwerk shops with running board mounted handrails after major overhauls.^[7]

Fuel capacity

The Class 34-500 was delivered new to Iscor with a 7,000 litres (1,800 US gallons) fuel tank in order to cope with the longer distance between refuelling points on the Sishen-Saldanha Orex line. To facilitate the larger fuel tank, the inter-bogie linkage found on all other South African U26C models was omitted on the Class 34-500.^[1]

Mixed Power

On the Sishen–Saldanha Orex line GE Class 34 series diesel-electric locomotives run consisted to Class 9E and 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 and 34-900 diesel-electric locomotives. In South Africa mixed electric and diesel-electric consists are unique to the iron ore line.^[3][8][9]

A Class 9E or Class 15E electric locomotive serves as the master of each mixed electric and diesel-electric consist, with a total of between nine and twelve locomotives per train, twelve being the maximum number allowed. Before the Class 15E was placed in service in 2010, motive power usually consisted of three sets of locomotives, each set made up of one or two Class 9E electrics and one or two Class 34 diesel-electrics, with each set’s leading electric locomotive controlling its respective set of diesel-electrics by means of a slimkabel (smart cable). In effect each ore train was made up of three separate 114 wagon trains consisted together, with the locomotives of all three trains controlled by means of a Locotrol radio distributed power control system by one crew in the leading electric locomotive. A typical train would therefore be made up of locomotive set A, 114 wagons, locomotive set B, 114 wagons, locomotive set C, and 114 wagons.^{[3][8][9][10]}

Some problems were experienced using this configuration, and after a couple of major derailments the locomotive configuration was changed to four sets, with locomotive set D initially made up of two Class 34 diesel-electric locomotives at the rear end of the train, pushing at between 40% and 50% of tractive power at all times, depending on the grades being traversed. The total maximum number allowed was still between nine and twelve locomotives per train.^[3][9]

As more Class 15Es were delivered and placed in service, Class 9E or Class 15E electrics replaced the pair of Class 34 diesel-electrics in set D. At the same time the more powerful Class 15E also made it possible to use as few as seven locomotives per train, with locomotive sets A, B and C each made up of one Class 15E and one Class 34, and set D of a single Class 15E.^[3][9]

Liveries

The main picture shows 34-530 in Spoornet blue livery with outline numbers and running board mounted handrails.

See also

• South African Class 34-000 (GE)
• South African Class 34-200 (EMD)
• South African Class 34-400 (GE)
• South African Class 34-600 (EMD)
• South African Class 34-800 (EMD)
• South African Class 34-900 (GE)
• New Zealand Railways DX class
• Diesel-electric locomotive numbering and classification
• South African Class 9E, Series 1
• South African Class 9E, Series 2
• South African Class 15E
• List of South African locomotive classes

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} 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. 38, 40-41, 45-46. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} GE Export List
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610mm and 1065mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20, 28 January 1975, as amended
4. ^ ^{a b} Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 140-141. ISBN 0869772112. 
5. ^ 32 New Locomotives for the Iron Ore Line
6. ^ 34-435 without saddle filter, March 1982
7. ^ Shosholoza Meyl’s 34-102 with running board handrails
8. ^ ^{a b} Actom Divisions News, 22 July 2010
9. ^ ^{a b c d} Information supplied by Orex train crew members
10. ^ Locotrol Distributed Power