The South African Railways Class 35-400 of 1976 is a diesel-electric locomotive.
Between March 1976 and May 1980, the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 35-400 General Electric type U15C diesel-electric locomotives in branch line service.[1][2]
Manufacturer
The Class 35-400 type GE U15C diesel-electric locomotive was designed by General Electric (GE) and built for the South African Railways (SAR) by the South African General Electric-Dorman Long Locomotive Group (SA GE-DL, later Dorbyl). The first batch of fifty locomotives was delivered between March and December 1976, numbered in the range from 35–401 to 35-450. These were followed by a second batch of fifty between October 1978 and May 1980, numbered in the range from 35-451 to 35-500.[1][2][3]
Distinguishing features
Inter-bogie linkage
The locomotive has interlinked bogies, hence the "Co+Co" wheel arrangement classification. The linkage is usually hidden from view by the saddle-shaped fuel tank.
With the two GE U15C Class 35 models, the Class 35-000 can be distinguished from the Class 35-400 by the length of the humps on their long hoods, the Class 35-000 having a hump that is more than twice as long as that of the Class 35-400. An externally visible modification which was done during major overhauls is the addition of a saddle hood astride the long hump of the Class 35-000. By 2013 this modification had been done on a large number of long-humped Class 35-000 units, but no similar modification was done on any short-humped Class 35-400.[4][5]
Service
South African Railways
The Class 35 family is South Africa's standard branch line diesel-electric locomotive. The GE Class 35-400 was designed to operate on light rail and they work on most branch lines in the central, western, southern and southeastern parts of the country.[3]
In the Western Cape, they work out of Bellville Depot in Cape Town on the branch lines to Bitterfontein, Saldanha and Caledon, and out of Worcester to George. Since the Ceres branch was reopened during 2012 in terms of an agreement between the Ceres Rail Company and Transnet, they also work fruit container trains in that line during the fruit season.[6]
NLPI Ltd.
NLPI Limited, abbreviated from New Limpopo Projects Investments, is a Mauritius-registered company which specialises in private sector investments, using the build-operate-transfer (BOT) concept. It had three connected railway operations in Zimbabwe and Zambia that formed a rail link between South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo.[1]
Since February 2004 NLPI Logistics (NLL or LOG) has been operating between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe-Zambia border.
Since February 2003, the Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) operated on the former Zambia Railways (ZR) line from Victoria Falls to Sakania in the Congo.
In Zambia, the RSZ locomotive fleet included former Zambia Railways locomotives, but the rest of the locomotive fleet of all three operations consisted of South African GM-EMD Classes 34-200, 34-600 and 34-800 and GE Classes 35-000 and 35-400 locomotives, supplied by Transnet Freight Rail (TFR). These locomotives were sometimes marked as either BBR or LOG or both, but their status, whether leased or loaned, was unclear since they were still on the TFR roster and still often worked in South Africa as well. The locomotives did not appear to be restricted to work in any one of the three operations sections and have been observed being transferred between Zimbabwe and Zambia across the bridge at Victoria Falls as required. Class 35-400 locomotives which serve with NLPI include the locomotives annotated "NLPI" in the "leased or loaned" column in the table.[1][7]
Zambia Railways, the state-owned holding company, resumed control of the Zambian national rail network on 11 September 2012. This followed the Zambian government's decision to revoke the operating concession which had been awarded to RSZ after Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda claimed that RSZ had "blatantly disregarded the provisions of the agreement" and had been "acting in a manner prejudicial to the interests of Zambians”.[8]
Tanzania Railways
Ten Class 35-400 locomotives were leased to Tanzania Railways, where they were regauged to Metre gauge. Locomotives which served there include the ones annotated "Tanzania" in the "leased or loaned" column in the table.[1]
Zaire
Class 35-400 locomotives were also leased to Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Zaïrois (SNCZ) in Zaire and were occasionally used by Zambia Railways on their journey north through Zambia. This was done with the agreement of SNCZ, who stipulated that they could only haul transit traffic for Zaire. Class 35-400 locomotives which were noted in such service through Zambia were, amongst others, two unidentified locomotives at Kabwe in August 1981, no. 35–464 at Choma in May 1985, no. 35–451 at Lusaka in February 1986, and another unidentified locomotive at Lusaka in May 1990, all under power on northbound goods.[9]
Works numbers
The Class 35-400 builder's works numbers and known international deployment are listed in the table.[1]
Class 35-400, GE type U15C
Loco no.
Works no.
Leased or Loaned
35-401
40520
NLPI
35-402
40521
NLPI
35-403
40522
35-404
40523
35-405
40524
NLPI
35-406
40525
NLPI
35-407
40526
NLPI
35-408
40527
35-409
40528
35-410
40529
35-411
40530
35-412
40531
35-413
40532
35-414
40533
35-415
40534
35-416
40535
35-417
40536
35-418
40537
35-419
40538
35-420
40539
35-421
40540
35-422
40541
35-423
40542
35-424
40543
35-425
40544
35-426
40545
35-427
40546
35-428
40547
35-429
40548
NLPI
35-430
40549
35-431
40550
NLPI
35-432
40551
NLPI
35-433
40552
35-434
40553
NLPI
35-435
40554
35-436
40555
NLPI
35-437
40556
35-438
40557
35-439
40558
35-440
40559
35-441
40560
35-442
40561
35-443
40562
35-444
40563
35-445
40564
35-446
40565
35-447
40566
35-448
40567
35-449
40568
35-450
40569
35-451
41300
SNCZ
35-452
41301
35-453
41302
35-454
41303
Tanzania
35-455
41304
Tanzania
35-456
41305
Tanzania
35-457
41306
Tanzania
35-458
41307
35-459
41308
35-460
41309
35-461
41310
NLPI
35-462
41311
35-463
41312
NLPI
35-464
41313
SNCZ
35-465
41314
35-466
41315
35-467
41316
35-468
41317
35-469
41318
35-470
41319
35-471
41320
35-472
41321
35-473
41322
35-474
41323
35-475
41324
35-476
41325
35-477
41326
Tanzania
35-478
41327
35-479
41328
35-480
41329
35-481
41330
Tanzania
35-482
41331
35-483
41332
Tanzania
35-484
41333
35-485
41334
Tanzania
35-486
41335
Tanzania
35-487
41336
35-488
41337
Tanzania
35-489
41338
35-490
41339
35-491
41340
35-492
41341
35-493
41342
35-494
41343
35-495
41344
35-496
41345
35-497
41346
35-498
41347
35-499
41348
35-500
41349
Liveries
The Class 35-000 were all delivered in the SAR Gulf Red livery with signal red buffer beams, yellow side stripes on the long hood sides and a yellow V on each end. In the 1990s many of the Class 35-400 units began to be repainted in the Spoornet orange livery with a yellow and blue chevron pattern on the buffer beams. In the late 1990s many were repainted once again, this time in the Spoornet blue livery with outline numbers on the long hood sides. After 2008 in the Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) era many were repainted in the TFR red, green and yellow livery.[1][10]
Illustration
The last picture below shows the roof of a Class 35-400 U15C locomotive. It was involved in a major derailment near Moorreesburg on 7 June 2007 after the track roadbed was washed away during heavy rain and flooding.[11]
No. 35–467 in SAR Gulf Red and yellow whiskers livery, Bellville loco depot, Cape Town, 24 May 2009
No. 35–403 in an early version of Spoornet's orange with a wide gray top edge, Stikland, 19 October 2006
No. 35–401 in Spoornet blue livery with outline numbers, Stikland, Cape Town, 16 August 2006
No. 35–483 in Transnet Freight Rail livery, Worcester Depot, Western Cape, 26 March 2013
No. 35–403 in Spoornet orange livery at Biesiesfontein Farm outside Moorreesburg, 9 June 2007
References
^ abcdefgMiddleton, 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, 42.
^ abSouth African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610mm and 1065mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20, 28 January 1975, as amended
^ abPaxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 141–142. ISBN0869772112.