GE U9B / U12B / U13B

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GE U9B
GE U9B of the RFFSA
GE U9B of the RFFSA
Number: 13
Manufacturer: General Electric
Year of construction (s): 1957-1959
Type : Bo'Bo '
Gauge : 1,000 mm, 1,600 mm
Installed capacity: 738 kW
Driving wheel diameter: 914 mm
Motor type: FWB-6L
Motor type: 6-cylinder in-line engine
Power transmission: electric
Number of traction motors: 4th
GE U12B / U13B
SAR class 31
(different data)
Number: 97 U12B, 64 U13B
Year of construction (s): 1957-1963
Gauge : 1,000 mm, 1,067 mm, 1,435 mm
Length over coupling: 15,150 mm (SAR version)
Service mass: 74 t (SAR version)
Friction mass: 74 t (SAR version)
Wheel set mass : 18.5 t (SAR version)
Installed capacity: 984 or 1059 kW
Motor type: FVBL-8T
Motor type: 8-cylinder V-engine

The vehicles of the types U9B , U12B and U13B from the manufacturer GE Transportation Systems are diesel-electric locomotives with the wheel arrangement Bo'Bo ', which were developed for the export market (i.e. for non-North American railways). They were built from 1957 to 1963 and used in Brazil, South Africa and Cuba on four different gauges.

13 U9Bs were built for Brazil, ten for 1,600 mm wide gauge and three for meter gauge . The 97 U12B were or will be used in Brazil on meter gauge and in South Africa on Cape gauge , the 64 U13B also in Brazil and on standard gauge in Cuba.

General

The locomotives are built in the so-called road switcher design: the diesel engine, cooler, generator and auxiliary units are easily accessible under a long hood, which is just as high but narrower than the driver's cab, which is arranged off-center, and therefore the driver can see into both Directions made possible. The locomotives are therefore suitable for shunting and mainline services. In contrast to later versions of this design, the short stem of types U9B, U12B and U13B is just as high as the long stem, so that the driver's view is restricted in both directions.

The number following the U stands for the power of the electric traction motors in hp . Accordingly, the output of the U9B is 900 hp (671 kW) and that of the U12B is 1,200 hp (895 kW). The performance of the diesel engines is around 10% higher; the six-cylinder engine of the U9B develops 738 kW, the eight-cylinder engine of the U12B 984 kW.

After a purely arithmetical increase in the engine power according to UIC conditions to 1059 kW, the U12B was designated as the U13B from 1960 - probably for marketing reasons. This was possible because the UIC nouns for the determination of the performance provided for more favorable conditions (temperature, air pressure) than the values ​​given by GE up to then.

Finally, the B stands for the wheel arrangement of a bogie ; so on the U9B, U12B and U13B all axles are driven. Accordingly, the otherwise largely identical types U9C, U12C and U13C have bogies with three axles.

The U13B were the last four-axis machines in this performance class built by GE for export. The types U15B and U17B were offered, but not built. Six-axle locomotives such as the U12C and U15C were better suited for the networks of potential customer railways because of the lower axle loads.

Countries of operation

South Africa

The South African Railways were the largest customer of this type. 45 class 31 examples were purchased in 1958, the first successful diesel locomotives for the railroad.

Originally, they were designated as class 1DE, analogous to the electric locomotives (1E, 2E, etc.), but then it was decided to continue the class designations of steam locomotives with the diesel locomotives - with a gap between classes 25 and 31, which started with the class in 1981 26 was still reduced in size.

The locomotives were given the company numbers D700 – D744, which were later changed to 31-001 to 31-045 when the numbering was changed to a class-based system. The specimens still preserved today carry z. Some of the original numbers again.

The axle load of the machines is an average of 18.5 t - up to 18.9 t with a full tank - significantly higher than that of the later diesel locomotives of the railway, which limits their use on main routes.

Brazil

The types U9B, U12B and U13B were procured by five railways in Brazil:

Some of these locomotives later made their way to Novoeste and Ferrovia Paulista (FEPASA) by merging railways or changing ownership .

Cuba

At the end of 1959 ten U13Bs were delivered for Occidentales Railways . They received the track numbers 13201-13210. They were the first examples designated as U13B and the only locomotives of this type for standard gauge.

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