Between 1985 and 1987 the South African Railways placed forty-five Class 11E electric locomotives with a Co-Co wheel arrangement in main line service on the Coalink line.

Manufacturers

The Class 11E 25 kV AC electric locomotive was designed for the South African Railways (SAR) by General Motors

General Motors

General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

 (GM), while the thyristor traction technology was provided by Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) of Sweden. It was built in South Africa by General Motors South Africa

General Motors South Africa

General Motors South Africa, or GMSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of American automobile manufacturer General Motors. It manufacturers and distributes automobiles under the Chevrolet, Opel and Isuzu brands...

 (GMSA), whose corporate name was changed to Delta Motor Corporation two thirds through the locomotive building process. Altogether forty-five locomotives were delivered between 1985 and 1987 and numbered 11-001 to 11-045.

Characteristics

Following the Class 9E in 1978 and the Class 7E1 in 1980, the Class 11E was the third single cab main line electric locomotive to be acquired by the SAR. Until the Class 9E was introduced, all South African main line electric locomotives were dual cab units, but since the Class 11E locomotives were designed to be used in multiple only, a second cab was deemed unnecessary.

At the time they were the most powerful locomotives in service with a continuous power output of 3900 kW, compared to the 3840 kW of the Class 9E

South African Class 9E, Series 1

In 1978 and 1979 the South African Railways placed twenty-five Class 9E, Series 1 electric locomotives with a Co-Co wheel arrangement in service on the Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line.-Manufacturer:...

. Four units can haul two hundred loaded coal wagons in a train weighing more than 21000 tonnes (20,668.3 LT). Since they are used on a route where loaded trains face steeper descending than ascending grades, the locomotive was designed to produce 4500 kW of rheostatic braking power.

Works numbers and delivery dates

The table displays the Class 11E works numbers and the date on which each locomotive was delivered to the SAR.

Class 11E, Series 1, Type GM GM5FC

Loco no.	Builder	Works no.	Delivery date
11-001	GMSA	119.01
11-002	GMSA	119.02
11-003	GMSA	119.03
11-004	GMSA	119.04
11-005	GMSA	119.05
11-006	GMSA	119.06
11-007	GMSA	119.07
11-008	GMSA	119.08
11-009	GMSA	119.09
11-010	GMSA	119.10
11-011	GMSA	119.11
11-012	GMSA	119.12
11-013	GMSA	119.13
11-014	GMSA	119.14
11-015	GMSA	119.15
11-016	GMSA	119.16
11-017	GMSA	119.17
11-018	GMSA	119.18
11-019	GMSA	119.19
11-020	GMSA	119.20
11-021	GMSA	119.21
11-022	GMSA	119.22
11-023	GMSA	119.23
11-024	GMSA	119.24
11-025	GMSA	119.25
11-026	GMSA	119.26
11-027	GMSA	119.27
11-028	GMSA	119.28
11-029	GMSA	119.29
11-030	GMSA	119.30
11-031	Delta	119.31
11-032	Delta	119.32
11-033	Delta	119.33
11-034	Delta	119.34
11-035	Delta	119.35
11-036	Delta	119.36
11-037	Delta	119.37
11-038	Delta	119.38
11-039	Delta	119.39
11-040	Delta	119.40
11-041	Delta	119.41
11-042	Delta	119.42
11-043	Delta	119.43
11-044	Delta	119.44
11-045	Delta	119.45

Service

Until 1978 all electrified routes in South Africa used 3 kV DC. Beginning in 1978, was introduced on all new main line electrification projects bar one, the one exception being the Orex iron ore line from Sishen to Saldanha, where 50 kV AC was used. There are four isolated 25 kV AC routes.

• From Pyramid South to Pietersburg and via Rustenburg to Thabazimbi.
• From Ermelo to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal
  Richards Bay Coal Terminal
  The Richards Bay Coal Terminal , located in the Richards Bay harbour, is the largest coal export facility in Africa. The Chinese port of Qinhuangdao maintains the largest coal exporting terminal in the world, at 209 Million tons compared to Richards Bay with 91 Million tons.Potential throughput is...
  
   at Richards Bay.
• From Port Elizabeth to De Aar and from there north to Kimberley
  Kimberley, Northern Cape
  Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
  
   and south to Beaufort West
  Beaufort West
  Beaufort West is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and forms part of the Beaufort West Local Municipality, with 37 000 inhabitants in 2001....
  
  .
• From East London to Springfontein on the Free State.

The Class 11E was designed primarily for export coal hauling on the 25 kV AC Coalink line between the Mpumalanga coal fields around Ermelo and the Richards Bay Coal Terminal

Richards Bay Coal Terminal

The Richards Bay Coal Terminal , located in the Richards Bay harbour, is the largest coal export facility in Africa. The Chinese port of Qinhuangdao maintains the largest coal exporting terminal in the world, at 209 Million tons compared to Richards Bay with 91 Million tons.Potential throughput is...

, via Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....

.

Gallery

The main picture shows 11-009 at Vryheid on 15 August 2007, in Spoornet blue livery with outline numbers.

See also

• Electric locomotive numbering and classification
• List of South African locomotive classes