South African Class 37-000

South African Class 37-000

No. 37-014 at Capital Park, Pretoria, 16 May 2013
Type and origin
Power type Diesel-electric
Designer General Motors Electro-Motive Division
Builder General Motors South Africa
Serial number 116-1 to 116-100
Model GM-EMD GT26M2C
Build date 1981-1982
Total produced 100
Rebuilder Electro-Motive Sibanye
Rebuild date 2008
Number rebuilt 1 to Sibanye no. STS 001
Specifications
AAR wheel arr. C-C
UIC class Co'Co'
Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Wheel diameter 1,016 mm (40.0 in)
Wheelbase 14,732 mm (48 ft 4.0 in)
  Bogie 3,632 mm (11 ft 11.0 in)
Pivot centres 11,278 mm (37 ft 0 in)
Length:
  Over couplers 19,202 mm (63 ft 0 in)
Width 2,819 mm (9 ft 3.0 in)
Height 3,924 mm (12 ft 10.5 in)
Axle load 21,000 kg (46,000 lb)
Adhesive weight 126,000 kg (278,000 lb)
Loco weight 126,000 kg (278,000 lb) max
Fuel type Diesel
Fuel capacity 6,230 litres (1,370 imp gal)
Prime mover GM-EMD 16-645E3B
RPM range 250-900
  RPM low idle 250
  RPM idle 315
  Maximum RPM 900
Engine type 2-stroke diesel
Aspiration GM-EMD E16 turbocharger
Displacement 10.57 litres (645 cu in)
Alternator 10 pole 3 phase GM-EMD AR10-D14
Traction motors Six GM-EMD D31 DC 4 pole
  Rating 1 hour 545A
  Continuous 520A @ 21 km/h (13 mph)
Cylinders V16
Gear ratio 63:14
MU working 6 maximum
Loco brake 28-LAV-1 with vigilance control
Train brakes Gardner-Denver ADJV-8401 compressor/exhauster
Air reservoir cap 850 litres (190 imp gal)
Compressor cap 0.021 m3/s (0.74 cu ft/s)
Exhauster cap 0.096 m3/s (3.4 cu ft/s)
Couplers AAR knuckle type E
Performance figures
Maximum speed 100 km/h (62 mph)
Power output:
  Starting 2,342 kW (3,141 hp)
  Continuous 2,171 kW (2,911 hp)
Tractive effort:
  Starting 306 kN (69,000 lbf) @ 25% adh.
  Continuous 245 kN (55,000 lbf) @ 26 km/h (16 mph)
Factor of adh.:
  Starting
25%
  Continuous 20%
Loco brakeforce 61% ratio @ 350 kPa (51 psi)
Dynamic brake peak effort 216 kN (49,000 lbf) @ 28 km/h (17 mph)
Career
Operators South African Railways
Spoornet
Transnet Freight Rail
Class Class 37-000
Number in class 100
Numbers 37-001 to 37-100
Delivered 1981-1982
First run 1981

The South African Railways Class 37-000 of 1981 is a mainline diesel-electric locomotive.

Between May 1981 and 1982, the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 37-000 General Motors Electro-Motive Division type GT26M2C diesel-electric locomotives in service. After these locomotives were commissioned, the national carrier was not to invest in new diesel-electric locomotives until 2009, nearly three decades later.[1][2]

Manufacturer

The Class 37-000 type GT26M2C diesel-electric locomotive was designed for the South African Railways (SAR) by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (GM-EMD) and built by General Motors South Africa (GMSA) in Port Elizabeth. Equipped with later model GM-EMD D31 traction motors instead of the earlier GM-EMD D29B, it is a more powerful version of the GM-EMD type GT26MC Classes 34-200, 34-600 and 34-800.[2]

Service

The Class 37-000 locomotives work on mainlines in the northern and northeastern parts of the country. Most of them are shedded at Ermelo and Lydenburg in Mpumalanga and at Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal. They work on the Belfast-Steelpoort line and on the manganese route between the Mpumalanga Lowveld and KwaZulu-Natal, from Komatipoort through Swaziland to Empangeni and Richards Bay.[1]

Rebuilding to Class 39-000

In 2005, a project commenced to rebuild new Class 39-000 type GM-EMD GT26CU-3 diesel-electric locomotives for Spoornet from Classes 34-600, 34-800 and 37-000 locomotives, using suitable frames from wrecked locomotives. Two companies were invited to produce prototypes for the project.[1][3]

Number 39-251

One of these companies was Electro-Motive Sibanye, a joint venture between the newly established Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) and Sibanye Trade and Services, a South African Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) company dealing with locomotives and spare parts. The Sibanye venture produced only one locomotive, rebuilt from Class 37-000 no. 37-010 in 2008 and numbered 39-251. However, the locomotive was tested and rejected by Transnet, reportedly due to poor quality. Furthermore, when serious tender irregularities came to light, the locomotive rebuilding deal between Transnet and Electro-Motive Sibanye was cancelled.[1][3][4][5]

Although it was initially painted in the red Transnet Freight Rail livery, no. 39-251 never worked for Transnet and was later reported as sold to RRL, a company which came about out of the abortive joint venture between EMD and Sibanye. RRL, based at a workshop in the old Pretoria Steel Works complex and with several of its locomotives active in the gold fields around Welkom in the Free State. The locomotive remained in the possession of Sibanye Trade and Services and was renumbered STS 001. It was later hired or leased to the Khumani iron ore mine in the Northern Cape and renumbered again to LC9-1.[1]

Numbers 39-001 to 39-005

The other company was Transwerk (later Transnet Rail Engineering and then Transnet Engineering), who produced five locomotives in its shops in Bloemfontein between 2006 and 2008, rebuilt from three Class 34-600s and two Class 34-800s. These were tested and approved by Transnet and placed in service as the Class 39-000, numbered in the range from 39-001 to 39-005.[1][3]

End of project

It was intended to produce one hundred Class 39-000s, but in spite of the technical success of the Transnet Rail Engineering part of the project, rebuilding was halted after completing the first five locomotives, due to higher than anticipated cost. 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. Only one Class 37-000 locomotive was therefore rebuilt.[6]

Works numbers

The Class 37-000 builder’s works numbers and the one rebuilding are listed in the table.[1]

Illustration

The main picture shows no. 37-014 in Spoornet orange livery, at Capital Park on 16 May 2013. Other liveries which were applied to Class 37-000 locomotives are illustrated below.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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, 44.
  2. 1 2 South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610mm and 1065mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20 (amended ed.). 28 January 1975.
  3. 1 2 3 Information supplied by staff at Transnet Rail Engineering, Bloemfontein and Koedoespoort
  4. "Why Transnet Discontinued That Diesel Order". Railways Africa. 2 April 2009.
  5. "Transnet Tender to High Court". Railways Africa. 12 March 2009.
  6. "The Class 39 Diesels". Railways Africa. 12 December 2008.
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