South African Class 34-600
Encyclopedia
Between December 1974 and July 1976 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-600 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.
(GMSA) in Port Elizabeth. One hundred locomotives were delivered between December 1974 and July 1976, numbered 34-601 to 34-700.
, 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.
On the EMD Class 34 series locomotives, the Class 34-200 and Class 34-600 locomotives are visually indistinguishable from one another, but they can be distinguished from the Class 34-800 by the thicker fishbelly shaped sills on their left sides, compared to the straight sill on the left side of the Class 34-800.
type EMD
GT26CU-3 diesel-electric locomotives were to be rebuilt from Class 34-600, 34-800
and 37-000
locomotives. The project commenced in 2005, using suitable frames from wrecked locomotives. Rebuilding was done at the Transwerk shops in Bloemfontein between 2006 and 2008.
It was intended to produce one hundred Class 39-000 locomotives, but in spite of the technical success of the project, rebuilding was halted after completing the first five locomotives due to higher than anticipated cost. Three of these were rebuilt from Class 34-600. It was decided, instead of rebuilding old locomotives, to rather continue the program by building fifty new Class 39-200
locomotives from imported and locally produced components.
(abbreviated from New Limpopo Projects Investments), a Mauritius registered company, specialises in private sector investments using the build-operate-transfer (BOT) concept. It has three connected railway operations in Zimbabwe
and Zambia
that form a rail link between South Africa and the Congo.
In Zambia the RSZ locomotive fleet includes former ZR locomotives, but the rest of the locomotive fleet of all three operations consist of EMD 34-200
, 34-600 and 34-800
and GE Class 35-000
and 35-400
locomotives from TFR. These locomotives are sometimes marked or branded as either BBR or LOG or both, but their status, whether leased or loaned, is unclear since they are still on the TFR roster and still often work in South Africa as well.
, a locomotive hire and repair company that undertakes complete operating contracts and maintenance contracts, based at the Douglas Colliery near Witbank in Mpumalanga. By the turn of the millennium Sheltam locomotives were operating at Randfontein Estates Gold Mine in Gauteng, and in Mpumalanga at Douglas and Vandyksdrift Collieries and at SAPPI, Ngodwana. They also operated on Spoornet’s Newcastle-Utrecht branch in KwaZulu-Natal
and on Kei Rail
in the Eastern Cape. Outside South Africa they operate on the BBR, NLL and RSZ lines through Zimbabwe and Zambia and in the Congo
.
, where they run on Metre gauge. While they were initially part of Spoornet Traction’s leasing scheme, they were later renumbered onto the FCA roster as 8226 to 8230.
, where they also run on Metre gauge. While they were also initially part of Spoornet Traction’s leasing scheme, they were later renumbered onto the FSA roster as 8231 to 8240.
Two known Class 34-600 locomotives, 34-651 and 34-652, were painted in Spoornet’s orange era Blue Train livery. The main picture shows 34-652 in Spoornet’s Blue Train
livery, here incorrectly numbered as a Class 84-000 on the cab side.
Manufacturer
The Class 34-600 type GT26MC diesel-electric locomotive was designed by Electro-Motive Diesel and built for the South African Railways (SAR) by General Motors South AfricaGeneral 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) in Port Elizabeth. One hundred locomotives were delivered between December 1974 and July 1976, numbered 34-601 to 34-700.
Class 34 series
The Class 34 locomotive group consists of seven series, the GE Class 34-000South African Class 34-000
Between July 1971 and March 1973 the South African Railways placed one hundred and twenty-five Class 34-000 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
, 34-400
South African Class 34-400
Between April 1973 and November 1974 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-400 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
, 34-500
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...
(also known as "34-400 ex Iscor") and 34-900
South African Class 34-900
Between October 1979 and February 1981 the South African Railways placed thirty Class 34-900 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.-Manufacturer:...
, and the EMD Class 34-200
South African Class 34-200
Between October 1971 and March 1972 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-200 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
, 34-600 and 34-800
South African Class 34-800
Between August 1978 and December 1979 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-800 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service. In 1979 one more of the same type was placed in service by Iscor in Newcastle, and between April and July 1980 a further eight of these locomotives were...
. Both these manufacturers also produced locomotives for the South African Classes 33, 35 and 36.
On the EMD Class 34 series locomotives, the Class 34-200 and Class 34-600 locomotives are visually indistinguishable from one another, but they can be distinguished from the Class 34-800 by the thicker fishbelly shaped sills on their left sides, compared to the straight sill on the left side of the Class 34-800.
Class 39-000
South African Class 39-000South African Class 39-000
In 2005 Transwerk commenced a project of rebuilding one hundred existing locomotives to new Class 39-000 EMD GT26CU-3 locomotives for Spoornet. Only five were eventually rebuilt and placed in service between April 2006 and 2009.-Manufacturer:...
type EMD
EMD
- Music :* E.M.D., a Swedish band* The Explorations in Music and Dance / EMD Network, represents diverse higher education institutions of dance and music in Greenland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with additional institutional partners in the European...
GT26CU-3 diesel-electric locomotives were to be rebuilt from Class 34-600, 34-800
South African Class 34-800
Between August 1978 and December 1979 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-800 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service. In 1979 one more of the same type was placed in service by Iscor in Newcastle, and between April and July 1980 a further eight of these locomotives were...
and 37-000
South African Class 37-000
Between May 1981 and 1982 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 37-000 EMD GT26M2C diesel-electric locomotives in service. After these locomotives were commissioned, the national carrier was not to invest in new diesel-electric locomotives before 2009, nearly three decades later.-...
locomotives. The project commenced in 2005, using suitable frames from wrecked locomotives. Rebuilding was done at the Transwerk shops in Bloemfontein between 2006 and 2008.
It was intended to produce one hundred Class 39-000 locomotives, but in spite of the technical success of the project, rebuilding was halted after completing the first five locomotives due to higher than anticipated cost. Three of these were rebuilt from Class 34-600. It was decided, instead of rebuilding old locomotives, to rather continue the program by building fifty new Class 39-200
South African Class 39-200
Early in 2010 fifty Class 39-200 type EMD GT26CU-3 diesel-electric locomotives were placed in service by Transnet Freight Rail.-The Rebuilt Class 39-000:...
locomotives from imported and locally produced components.
Traction motor upgrade
In 2010 an upgrading project commenced at the Koedoespoort Transnet Rail Engineering shops to upgrade Class 34-600 locomotives by, amongst other modifications, replacing the EMD D29B with EMD D31 traction motors, thereby improving their performance to the standard of the Class 37-000.South African Railways
In SAR, Spoornet and Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) service the Class 34-600s worked on most main lines and some unelectrified branch lines in the central, eastern, northern and northeastern parts of South Africa.NLPI
NLPI LimitedNLPI
NLPI Limited is an investment-holding company, registered in Mauritius, whose main investment focus is infrastructure-related projects on the continent of Africa...
(abbreviated from New Limpopo Projects Investments), a Mauritius registered company, specialises in private sector investments using the build-operate-transfer (BOT) concept. It has three connected railway operations in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
that form a rail link between South Africa and the Congo.
- The Beitbridge Bulawayo RailwayBeitbridge Bulawayo RailwayThe Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway is a privately owned railway company that provides a rail link in Zimbabwe between Beitbridge at the border to South Africa and Zimbabwe's second city Bulawayo....
(BBR), commissioned on 1 September 1999, operates the Beit Bridge to BulawayoBulawayoBulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
line in Zimbabwe. - Since February 2004 NLPI Logistics (NLL or LOG) operates between Bulawayo and Victoria FallsVictoria FallsThe Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.-Introduction:...
on the Zimbabwe-Zambia border. - Since February 2003 the Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) operates on the former Zambian Railways (ZR) from Victoria Falls to SakaniaSakaniaSakania is a town in Haut-Katanga District, in the far south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, near the border with Zambia.It is located at an elevation of 1278m asl ,therefore it has a cool climate....
in the Congo.
In Zambia the RSZ locomotive fleet includes former ZR locomotives, but the rest of the locomotive fleet of all three operations consist of EMD 34-200
South African Class 34-200
Between October 1971 and March 1972 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-200 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
, 34-600 and 34-800
South African Class 34-800
Between August 1978 and December 1979 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-800 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service. In 1979 one more of the same type was placed in service by Iscor in Newcastle, and between April and July 1980 a further eight of these locomotives were...
and GE Class 35-000
South African Class 35-000
Between March 1972 and May 1973 the South African Railways placed seventy Class 35-000 GE U15C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
and 35-400
South African Class 35-400
Between March 1976 and May 1980 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 35-400 GE U15C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
locomotives from TFR. These locomotives are sometimes marked or branded as either BBR or LOG or both, but their status, whether leased or loaned, is unclear since they are still on the TFR roster and still often work in South Africa as well.
Sheltam
One of the Class 34-600 locomotives, no. 34-640, was sold to SheltamSheltam
Sheltam is a locomotive hire and repair company that undertakes complete operating contracts and maintenance contracts, based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. By the year 2000, Sheltam locomotives were operating at Randfontein Estates Gold Mine in Gauteng, and in Mpumalanga at Douglas and...
, a locomotive hire and repair company that undertakes complete operating contracts and maintenance contracts, based at the Douglas Colliery near Witbank in Mpumalanga. By the turn of the millennium Sheltam locomotives were operating at Randfontein Estates Gold Mine in Gauteng, and in Mpumalanga at Douglas and Vandyksdrift Collieries and at SAPPI, Ngodwana. They also operated on Spoornet’s Newcastle-Utrecht branch 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....
and on Kei Rail
Kei Rail
Kei Rail is a railway project in South Africa.The Eastern Cape government restored rail services between AmaBhele and Mthatha, on an abandoned branch from the East London-Springfontein main line. Infrastructure was rebuilt, and passenger services restarted in March 2008...
in the Eastern Cape. Outside South Africa they operate on the BBR, NLL and RSZ lines through Zimbabwe and Zambia and in the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
.
Caminho de Ferro de Congo-Ocean
Twelve Class 34-600 locomotives were leased to the Congolese railway, the Caminho de Ferro de Congo-Ocean (CFCO), where they were renumbered CC801 to CC812.Ferrovia Centro Atlântico
Five Class 34-600 locomotives went to Ferrovia Centro Atlântico (FCA) at Divinipolis in BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where they run on Metre gauge. While they were initially part of Spoornet Traction’s leasing scheme, they were later renumbered onto the FCA roster as 8226 to 8230.
Ferrovia Sul Atlântico
Ten Class 34-600 locomotives went to Ferrovia Sul Atlântico (FSA) at Curitiba in BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where they also run on Metre gauge. While they were also initially part of Spoornet Traction’s leasing scheme, they were later renumbered onto the FSA roster as 8231 to 8240.
Works numbers and deployment
The works numbers of the Class 34-600 as well as their known disposal and deployment are displayed in the table.| Loco no. |
GMSA works no. |
Rebuilt or Sold |
New no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34-601 | 101-001 | ||
| 34-602 | 101-002 | ||
| 34-603 | 101-003 | ||
| 34-604 | 101-004 | FCA | 8226 |
| 34-605 | 101-005 | ||
| 34-606 | 101-006 | ||
| 34-607 | 101-007 | ||
| 34-608 | 101-008 | ||
| 34-609 | 101-009 | ||
| 34-610 | 101-010 | ||
| 34-611 | 101-011 | ||
| 34-612 | 101-012 | ||
| 34-613 | 101-013 | ||
| 34-614 | 101-014 | ||
| 34-615 | 101-015 | ||
| 34-616 | 101-016 | ||
| 34-617 | 101-017 | ||
| 34-618 | 101-018 | FSA | 8231 |
| 34-619 | 101-019 | CFCO | CC807 |
| 34-620 | 101-020 | Class 39-000 South African Class 39-000 In 2005 Transwerk commenced a project of rebuilding one hundred existing locomotives to new Class 39-000 EMD GT26CU-3 locomotives for Spoornet. Only five were eventually rebuilt and placed in service between April 2006 and 2009.-Manufacturer:... |
39-004 |
| 34-621 | 101-021 | ||
| 34-622 | 101-022 | ||
| 34-623 | 101-023 | ||
| 34-624 | 101-024 | ||
| 34-625 | 101-025 | ||
| 34-626 | 101-026 | ||
| 34-627 | 101-027 | ||
| 34-628 | 101-028 | FSA | 8232 |
| 34-629 | 101-029 | ||
| 34-630 | 101-030 | FSA | 8233 |
| 34-631 | 101-031 | ||
| 34-632 | 101-032 | FCA | 8228 |
| 34-633 | 101-033 | ||
| 34-634 | 101-034 | ||
| 34-635 | 101-035 | Class 39-000 South African Class 39-000 In 2005 Transwerk commenced a project of rebuilding one hundred existing locomotives to new Class 39-000 EMD GT26CU-3 locomotives for Spoornet. Only five were eventually rebuilt and placed in service between April 2006 and 2009.-Manufacturer:... |
39-001 |
| 34-636 | 101-036 | ||
| 34-637 | 101-037 | ||
| 34-638 | 101-038 | ||
| 34-639 | 101-039 | ||
| 34-640 | 101-040 | Sheltam | 18/2604 |
| 34-641 | 101-041 | ||
| 34-642 | 101-042 | ||
| 34-643 | 101-043 | ||
| 34-644 | 101-044 | CFCO | CC808 |
| 34-645 | 101-045 | ||
| 34-646 | 101-046 | FSA | 8234 |
| 34-647 | 101-047 | D31 T/M | |
| 34-648 | 101-048 | ||
| 34-649 | 101-049 | ||
| 34-650 | 101-050 | ||
| 34-651 | 101-051 | ||
| 34-652 | 101-052 | ||
| 34-653 | 101-053 | ||
| 34-654 | 101-054 | ||
| 34-655 | 101-055 | CFCO | CC809 |
| 34-656 | 101-056 | FSA | 8235 |
| 34-657 | 101-057 | FSA | 8236 |
| 34-658 | 101-058 | ||
| 34-659 | 101-059 | FCA | 8229 |
| 34-660 | 101-060 | CFCO | CC810 |
| 34-661 | 101-061 | CFCO | CC811 |
| 34-662 | 101-062 | CFCO | CC804 |
| 34-663 | 101-063 | CFCO | CC805 |
| 34-664 | 101-064 | ||
| 34-665 | 101-065 | ||
| 34-666 | 101-066 | ||
| 34-667 | 101-067 | ||
| 34-668 | 101-068 | D31 T/M | |
| 34-669 | 101-069 | FSA | 8237 |
| 34-670 | 101-070 | CFCO | CC806 |
| 34-671 | 101-071 | CFCO | CC803 |
| 34-672 | 101-072 | ||
| 34-673 | 101-073 | FSA | 8238 |
| 34-674 | 101-074 | Class 39-000 South African Class 39-000 In 2005 Transwerk commenced a project of rebuilding one hundred existing locomotives to new Class 39-000 EMD GT26CU-3 locomotives for Spoornet. Only five were eventually rebuilt and placed in service between April 2006 and 2009.-Manufacturer:... |
39-003 |
| 34-675 | 101-075 | ||
| 34-676 | 101-076 | ||
| 34-677 | 101-077 | FSA | 8239 |
| 34-678 | 101-078 | ||
| 34-679 | 101-079 | ||
| 34-680 | 101-080 | CFCO | CC801 |
| 34-681 | 101-081 | ||
| 34-682 | 101-082 | CFCO | CC802 |
| 34-683 | 101-083 | FCA | 8227 |
| 34-684 | 101-084 | CFCO | CC812 |
| 34-685 | 101-085 | ||
| 34-686 | 101-086 | D31 T/M | |
| 34-687 | 101-087 | ||
| 34-688 | 101-088 | FCA | 8230 |
| 34-689 | 101-089 | ||
| 34-690 | 101-090 | ||
| 34-691 | 101-091 | ||
| 34-692 | 101-092 | FSA | 8240 |
| 34-693 | 101-093 | ||
| 34-694 | 101-094 | ||
| 34-695 | 101-095 | ||
| 34-696 | 101-096 | ||
| 34-697 | 101-097 | ||
| 34-698 | 101-098 | ||
| 34-699 | 101-099 | ||
| 34-700 | 101-100 | ||
Liveries
In the SAR and Spoornet eras, when the official liveries were Gulf Red and whiskers for the SAR, and initially orange and later maroon for Spoornet, many selected electric locomotives and some diesels were painted blue for use with the Blue Train, but without altering the layout of the various paint schemes. Blue Train locomotives were therefore blue with yellow whiskers in the SAR era, blue with the Spoornet logo and "SPOORNET" in Spoornet’s orange era, and blue with the Spoornet logo but without "SPOORNET" in Spoornet’s maroon era. In Spoornet’s blue era there was no need for a separate Blue Train livery, while in the TFR era the Blue Train was relegated to the very bottom of the railway’s business priority list.Two known Class 34-600 locomotives, 34-651 and 34-652, were painted in Spoornet’s orange era Blue Train livery. The main picture shows 34-652 in Spoornet’s Blue Train
Blue Train (South Africa)
The Blue Train travels an approximately journey in South Africa between Pretoria and Cape Town. It is one of the most luxurious train journeys in the world...
livery, here incorrectly numbered as a Class 84-000 on the cab side.
See also
- South African Class 34-000South African Class 34-000Between July 1971 and March 1973 the South African Railways placed one hundred and twenty-five Class 34-000 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
(GE) - South African Class 34-200South African Class 34-200Between October 1971 and March 1972 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-200 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
(EMD) - South African Class 34-400South African Class 34-400Between April 1973 and November 1974 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-400 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
(GE) - South African Class 34-500South African Class 34-500Between 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...
(GE) - South African Class 34-800South African Class 34-800Between August 1978 and December 1979 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-800 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service. In 1979 one more of the same type was placed in service by Iscor in Newcastle, and between April and July 1980 a further eight of these locomotives were...
(EMD) - South African Class 34-900South African Class 34-900Between October 1979 and February 1981 the South African Railways placed thirty Class 34-900 GE U26C diesel-electric locomotives in service.-Manufacturer:...
(GE) - South African Class 39-000South African Class 39-000In 2005 Transwerk commenced a project of rebuilding one hundred existing locomotives to new Class 39-000 EMD GT26CU-3 locomotives for Spoornet. Only five were eventually rebuilt and placed in service between April 2006 and 2009.-Manufacturer:...
- Diesel-electric locomotive numbering and classification
- List of South African locomotive classes