South African Class 3E

The South African Railways Class 3E of 1947 is an electric locomotive.

In 1947 and 1948, the South African Railways placed twenty-eight Class 3E electric locomotives with a Co+Co wheel arrangement in mainline service.^[1]

Manufacturer

The South African Railways (SAR) placed orders for the design and construction of the 3 kV DC Class 3E electric locomotive with Metropolitan-Vickers (Metrovick) in 1944. Although the locomotive was designed by Metrovick, who also supplied the electrical equipment, its construction was subcontracted to Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns (RSH). Twenty-eight locomotives were delivered and placed in service in 1947 and 1948, numbered in the range from E191 to E218.^[2][1]

Characteristics

These dual cab locomotives have three windows between the side doors on one side and four on the opposite side. When the locomotive is observed from the side with three windows, its no. 1 end will be to the viewer’s left.^[3]

Like the Classes 1E, 2E and 4E, the Class 3E has bogie mounted draft gear, therefore no train forces are transmitted to the locomotive body. It has a Co+Co wheel arrangement with an articulated inter-bogie linkage.^[3]

For the passenger role, provision was made for both electric and steam heating of passenger coaches, although the electric heating feature was never used on mainline passenger trains. The Class 3E had an integral steam boiler for train heating, unlike subsequent electric locomotive models like the Class 4E, Class 5E and Class 6E, which used separate steam wagons on passenger service.^[1]

Class 3E on the Pretoria-Johannesburg express commuter

Unlike Cape Town's and Durban's suburban trainsets, those working around Johannesburg had jumper connections on the roof above the end connecting doors. The Class 3Es were also equipped with these connections, immediately to the right of each headlight. During a shortage of suburban motor coaches c. 1948-1949, Class 3Es were used to haul suburban sets on the Witwatersrand and it is likely that the electric heating system was used during those winters. The picture alongside, a rare shot showing snow on the ground along the Johannesburg-Pretoria line on the Transvaal Highveld, the roof jumper connections between the suburban coaches and next to the unit's headlight are visible.

Service

The Class 3E was the first six-axle electric locomotive in SAR service and, with a maximum safe speed of 105 kilometres per hour (65 miles per hour), was designed for use where higher speeds were possible on track with less severe curvature than on the lower Natal mainline. It first entered service in Natal, but eventually served mainly on the Witwatersrand, in both freight and passenger working.^[1]

Preservation

No. E201, one of two known survivors of the Class, was staged under a shelter at the Bellville locomotive depot in Cape Town, along with a few other early SAR electric and diesel-electric locomotives which were earmarked for preservation.^[2] During 2015, most of these locomotives were relocated to Bloemfontein Loco.

Works numbers

The RSH works numbers of the Class 3E are shown in the table.^[2]

Illustration

The main picture and those following, offer views of all sides of the Class 3E locomotive.

• 
  SAR&H publicity picture of no. E192, c. 1947, showing the "left" side with three side windows, two small grilles on the lower body side and the jumper connection next to the headlight
• 
  Class 3E exiting the tunnel between New Formosa and New Beacon Hill stations on the old 1918 Mooirivier-Estcourt deviation, abandoned c. 1957
• 
  No. E201, showing the "right" side with four side windows and two larger grilles on the lower body side, Bloemfontein, 18 September 2015
• 
  No. E201, showing the "left" side with three side windows and two narrow grilles on the lower body side, Bloemfontein, 18 September 2015

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South African Class 3E.

Locomotives of South Africa
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Electric	Amcoal Class E38 SAR Class ES SAR Class ES1 SAR Class Exp-AC SAR Class 1E SAR Class 2E SAR Class 3E SAR Class 4E SAR Class 5E s1 SAR Class 5E s2 SAR Class 5E s3 SAR Class 5E1 s1 SAR Class 5E1 s2 SAR Class 5E1 s3 SAR Class 5E1 s4 SAR Class 5E1 s5 SAR Class 6E SAR Class 6E1 s1 SAR Class 6E1 s2 SAR Class 6E1 s3 SAR Class 6E1 s4 SAR Class 6E1 s5 SAR Class 6E1 s6 SAR Class 6E1 s7 SAR Class 6E1 s8 SAR Class 6E1 s9 SAR Class 6E1 s10 SAR Class 6E1 s11 SAR Class 7E SAR Class 7E1 SAR Class 7E2 s1 SAR Class 7E2 s2 SAR Class 7E3 s1 SAR Class 7E3 s2 Spoornet Class 7E4 SAR Class 8E SAR Class 9E s1 SAR Class 9E s2 SAR Class 10E SAR Class 10E1 s1 Spoornet Class 10E1 s2 SAR Class 10E2 SAR Class 11E SAR Class 12E Spoornet Class 14E Spoornet Class 14E1 TFR Class 15E Spoornet Class 16E Spoornet Class 17E Spoornet Class 18E s1 TFR Class 18E s2 TFR Class 19E TFR Class 20E TFR Class 21E TFR Class 22E
Gas-electric	SAR Gas-electric
Diesel	3' 6" gauge Diesel-electric PRASA Class Afro 4000 SAR Class DS SAR Class DS1 SAR Class 31-000 SAR Class 32-000 SAR Class 32-200 SAR Class 33-000 SAR Class 33-200 SAR Class 33-400 SAR Class 34-000 SAR Class 34-200 SAR Class 34-400 SAR Class 34-500 SAR Class 34-600 SAR Class 34-800 SAR Class 34-900 SAR Class 35-000 SAR Class 35-200 SAR Class 35-400 SAR Class 35-600 TFR Class 35-800 SAR Class 36-000 SAR Class 36-200 SAR Class 37-000 Spoornet Class 39-000 TFR Class 39-200 TFR Class 43-000 TFR Class 44-000 2' gauge Diesel-electric SAR Class 91-000 3' 6" gauge Diesel-hydraulic SAR Class 61-000 3' 6" gauge Electro-diesel Spoornet Class 38-000
List of South African locomotive classes South African locomotive numbering and classification