SAR class 4E
| SAR class 4E | |
|---|---|
 Locomotive 4E E258 in May 1993
|
|
| Numbering: | E219-E258 |
| Number: | 40 |
| Manufacturer: | NBL , GEC |
| Year of construction (s): | 1952-1953 |
| Retirement: | towards the end of the 1980s |
| Axis formula : | 1'Co – Co1 ' |
| Gauge : | 1067 mm ( cape track ) |
| Length over coupling: | 21,844 mm |
| Height: | 3,924 mm |
| Trunnion Distance: | 10,795 mm |
| Bogie axle base: | 6,833 mm |
| Total wheelbase: | 18,390 mm |
| Service mass: | 157 t |
| Friction mass: | 131 t |
| Wheel set mass : | 21.8 t |
| Top speed: | 97 km / h (60 mph) |
| Hourly output : | 2,262 kW |
| Continuous output : | 1,878 kW |
| Starting tractive effort: | 322 kN |
| Hourly traction: | 185 kN |
| Continuous tensile force: | 141 kN |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1,295 mm |
| Impeller diameter outside: | 762 mm |
| Motor type: | GEC WT580 |
| Power system : | 3 kV direct current |
| Number of traction motors: | 6th |
| Drive: | Paw camp |
The SAR class 4E was a series of 40 electric locomotives for operation with 3 kV direct current overhead contact line voltage , which had been put into service by the South African Railways (SAR) between 1952 and 1954. The locomotives with the wheel arrangement 1'Co-Co1 'were intended for use on the railway line from Cape Town over the Hex River Pass to Touws River in the Karoo and were initially nicknamed Green Mamba " Green Mamba ".
Manufacturer
.JPG)
The 4E series locomotives were designed by the General Electric Company (GEC) in Manchester and built by the North British Locomotive Company (NBL) in Glasgow between 1952 and 1953 . They were numbered E219 to E258. The class 4E was one of the most powerful electric locomotives in the world in its time.
technology
The locomotives with two driver's cabs have two large ventilation openings on the left side of the engine room, and the side passage along the right wall leads through the engine room, which connects the two driver's cabs. As with the locomotives of the 1E , 2E and 3E series , the central buffer couplings of the 4E are also mounted on the bogies so that no tensile or compressive forces are transmitted via the car body.
The 4E series has two drive frames , each with three drive axles and a Bissel frame at the outer ends. The same axle arrangement was used on the class 32 diesel locomotives, but the 4E locomotives were the only electric locomotives with this wheel arrangement in South Africa.
commitment
The 4E series was specially designed for use on the Hex River Pass. The trains running from Cape Town in the direction of Johannesburg were taken over by steam locomotives of the 23 , 25 and 25NC series after 238 km on the east side of the pass in Touws River and brought over the non-electrified route to De Aar , from where they either via Kimberley or Bloemfontein reached their destination.
The first delivered locomotives were used on the Natal Main Line until the electrification of the Worchester – Touws River line was completed. However, they had to be withdrawn from this mission prematurely because the narrow curves of the route caused frame breaks.
The first 4E locomotive that was relocated to Cape Town was the E219. In its new area of operation, it initially ran on the lines of the 1500 V direct current S-Bahn network before it was converted to 3000 V in November 1954. The low voltage of the contact line severely restricted the performance and permissive use of the locomotive.
The E247 was in service in the western Transvaal district for a short time when it was transferred from Natal to Cape Town in 1957 . The district had permission to use the locomotive for four to six weeks before it was handed over to Cape Town.
Hex River Tunnel Project
The class 4E locomotives were procured as part of the Hex River Tunnel project , which aimed to replace the route over the Hex River Pass with slopes of up to 25 ‰ and narrow bends with a route with a slope of 15 ‰ . The new line could have been driven by a 4E locomotive in a single traction with a 1000 t train, which it could have started up on the incline and accelerated to 40 km / h.
The construction of the new line started in 1945, but had to be postponed indefinitely due to financial difficulties, which is why the 4E locomotives had to be used in double traction on the old line over the mountain.
Construction work on the tunnels was resumed several times, but had to be stopped again and again due to financial difficulties, so that the new route with the 13.5 km long tunnel could only be opened on November 27, 1989. At that time, most of the 4E locomotives had already been decommissioned, so that the series could never be used for its original purpose.
Coloring
The 4E series was delivered in a bottle green paint with red lane clearers. The color and the great length of the locomotive of almost 22 m quickly earned the locomotive the nickname Afrikaans Groen Mamba " Green Mamba ", which became Afrikaans Groot Mamba "Big Mamba" when the much shorter locomotives of the 5E series were delivered in 1955 , which got the nickname Afrikaans Klein Mamba "Little Mamba".
Soon after operations began, farmers in the Hex River Valley complained that the green-painted locomotives were difficult to see as they approached a level crossing as they drove through the vineyards. In order to improve visibility, yellow lines running around the locomotive were introduced and different variants were tried out. Finally, on the side wall decided to use a yellow belt, which runs together V-shape on the end side and thereby to whiskers ( English "Whiskers" ) recalls. Several yellow ribbons were also arranged on the side wall around the license plate. This whiskers livery was later adopted for all SAR electric locomotives.
From the 1960s, a whiskers livery in golf red and yellow gradually replaced the green and yellow paint.
Factory numbers
The NBL serial numbers of the class 4E locomotives are listed in the table.
| Locomotive number | Serial number |
|---|---|
| E219 | 26859 |
| E220 | 26860 |
| E221 | 26861 |
| E222 | 26862 |
| E223 | 26863 |
| E224 | 26864 |
| E225 | 26865 |
| E226 | 26866 |
| E227 | 26867 |
| E228 | 26868 |
| E229 | 26869 |
| E230 | 26870 |
| E231 | 26871 |
| E232 | 26872 |
| E233 | 26873 |
| E234 | 26874 |
| E235 | 26875 |
| E236 | 26876 |
| E237 | 26877 |
| E238 | 26878 |
| E239 | 26879 |
| E240 | 26880 |
| E241 | 26881 |
| E242 | 26882 |
| E243 | 26883 |
| E244 | 26884 |
| E245 | 26885 |
| E246 | 26886 |
| E247 | 26887 |
| E248 | 26888 |
| E249 | 26889 |
| E250 | 26890 |
| E251 | 26891 |
| E252 | 26892 |
| E253 | 26893 |
| E254 | 26894 |
| E255 | 26895 |
| E256 | 26896 |
| E257 | 26897 |
| E258 | 26898 |
photos
The main picture shows the locomotive with the number E258 in an early paint scheme in green and yellow on May 24, 1993. The pictures show some of the other paint schemes that the locomotives have worn during their service life.
Locomotive E238 in bottle green and yellow Whiskers Livery at the Salt River Depot in Cape Town on January 7, 1966
E258 shows up on May 24, 1993 in full length, which earned her the nickname Green Mamba .
Right side of the E258 in Bloemfontein on September 18, 2015
E219 in the golden red Whiskers Livery at Millsite Depot on December 14, 2010
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Leith Paxton, David E. Bourne: Locomotives of the South African Railways: A Concise Guide . C. Struik, 1985, ISBN 0-86977-211-2 ( Google Book [accessed March 27, 2016]).
- ↑ a b South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610 mm and 1065 mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20. January 28, 1975, and additions
- ^ Bernhard Schmeiser: Work list of the North British Locomotive Company .
- ↑ a b Les Pivnic: South African Railways and Harbors Photo Journal . tape 6 , p. 15 .
- ↑ Les Pivnic: South African Railways and Harbors Photo Journal . tape 19 , p. 9 .
- ↑ Manfred Kopka: Postage stamps with Class 4E (SAR). In: www.uqp.de. Retrieved March 28, 2016 .
- ^ South African Construction World . June 1990, p. 60-61 .
- ^ A b Railways of Southern Africa: Locomotive Guide 2002 . Beyer-Garratt Publications, 1994 ( Google Book [accessed March 28, 2016] 4E photo added with the list of additions collected January 4, 2009).
- ↑ Les Pivnic: South African Railways and Harbors Photo Journal . tape 7 , p. 16-17 .