South African Class 35-000

South African Class 35-000

No. 35-020 in Transnet Freight Rail livery, Saldanha, Western Cape, 10 February 2013

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Designer General Electric Builder General Electric Serial number 38161-38210, 38724-38743 Model GE U15C Build date 1972-1973 Total produced 70

Specifications AAR wheel arr. C+C UIC class Co'Co' Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Wheel diameter 915 mm (36.0 in) Wheelbase 10,782 mm (35 ft 4.5 in)  • Bogie 3,188 mm (10 ft 5.5 in) Pivot centres 7,860 mm (25 ft 9.4 in) Length: ​  • Over couplers 15,152 mm (49 ft 8.5 in) Width 2,753 mm (9 ft 0.4 in) Height 3,874 mm (12 ft 8.5 in) Axle load 13,720 kg (30,250 lb) Adhesive weight 82,320 kg (181,480 lb) Loco weight 82,320 kg (181,480 lb) Fuel type Diesel Fuel capacity 2,700 litres (590 imp gal) Prime mover GE 7FDL-8 RPM range 385-1,050  • RPM low idle 385  • RPM idle 450  • Maximum RPM 1,050 Engine type 4-stroke diesel Aspiration Elliott H-584 turbocharger Generator 10 pole GE 5GT-581C15 Traction motors Six GE 5GE-764-C1 DC 4 pole  • Rating 1 hour 655A  • Continuous 645A @ 17 km/h (11 mph) Cylinders V8 Gear ratio 90:17 MU working 4 maximum Loco brake 28-LAV-1 with vigilance control Train brakes Westinghouse 6CDX4UC compressor/exhauster Air reservoir cap 740 litres (160 imp gal) Compressor cap 0.033 m3/s (1.2 cu ft/s) Exhauster cap 0.130 m3/s (4.6 cu ft/s) Couplers AAR knuckle SASKOP DS

Performance figures Maximum speed 100 km/h (62 mph) Power output: ​  • Starting 1,230 kW (1,650 hp)  • Continuous 1,160 kW (1,560 hp) Tractive effort: ​  • Starting 201 kN (45,000 lbf) @ 25% adh.  • Continuous 161 kN (36,000 lbf) @ 21 km/h (13 mph) Factor of adh.:  • Starting 25%  • Continuous 20% Loco brakeforce 60% ratio @ 345 kPa (50.0 psi) Dynamic brake peak effort 138 kN (31,000 lbf) @ 28 km/h (17 mph)

Career Operators South African Railways Spoornet Transnet Freight Rail Zambia Railways NLPI Class Class 35-000 Number in class 70 Numbers 35-001 to 35-070 Delivered 1972-1973 First run 1972

The South African Railways Class 35-000 of 1972 is a diesel-electric locomotive.

Between March 1972 and May 1973, the South African Railways placed seventy Class 35-000 General Electric type U15C diesel-electric locomotives in branchline service.

The South African Class 35-000 type GE U15C diesel-electric locomotive was designed and built for the South African Railways (SAR) by General Electric (GE) and imported. The first batch of fifty locomotives was delivered in 1972, numbered in the range from 35-001 to 35-050, with the first locomotives arriving in March. These were followed by a second batch of twenty in 1973, numbered in the range from 35-051 to 35-070. The last locomotives arrived in May 1973.

The Class 35 locomotive series consists of five sub-classes, the GE Classes 35-000 and 35-400 and the General Motors Electro-Motive Division (GM-EMD) Classes 35-200, 35-600 and 35-800. Both these manufacturers also produced locomotives for the South African Classes 33, 34 and 36.

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 GE U15C Class 35 locomotives, the Class 35-000 and 35-400 are visually indistinguishable from each other. An externally visible modification, which was done during major overhauls, is the addition of a saddle hood astride the hump on the long hood behind the cab. By 2013 this modification had been done on a large number of Class 35-000s, but not on any Class 35-400s.

The Class 35 is South Africa’s standard branchline diesel-electric locomotive. GE Class 35-000s were designed for light rail conditions and they work on most branchlines in the central, western, southern and southeastern parts of the country.