South African Class 35-000
Encyclopedia
Between March 1972 and May 1973 the South African Railways placed seventy Class 35-000 GE U15C diesel-electric locomotives in service.
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 were delivered in 1972 with the first locomotives arriving in March, numbered 35-001 to 35-050, followed by a second batch of twenty in 1973, numbered 35-051 to 35-070. The last locomotives arrived in May 1973.
and the Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) Class 35-200
and 35-600
. Both these manufacturers also produced locomotives for the South African Classes 33, 34 and 36.
), a Mauritius registered company, specialises in private sector investments using the build-operate-transfer (BOT) concept. It has three connected railway operations in Zimbabwe
and Zambia
that form a rail link between South Africa and the Congo.
In Zambia the RSZ locomotive fleet includes former ZR locomotives, but the rest of the locomotive fleet of all three operations consist of EMD Class 34-200
, 34-600
and 34-800
and GE Class 35-000 and Class 35-400 locomotives from Transnet Freight Rail (TFR). These locomotives are sometimes marked or branded as either BBR or LOG or both, but their status, whether leased or loaned, is unclear since they are still on the TFR roster and still often work in South Africa as well. The locomotives do not appear to be restricted to working 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.
Manufacturer
The South African Class 35-000 type GE U15CGE Universal Series locomotives
The GE Universal Series locomotives were diesel locomotives launched by GE in early 1956.Initially, there were nine U-series models: U4B, U6B, U9B, U9C, U12B, U12C, U18B, U18C and UD18B. They were designed to be readily adaptable to different track gauges for export markets. The U5B and U8B...
diesel-electric locomotive was designed and built for the South African Railways (SAR) by General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
(GE) and imported. The first batch of fifty locomotives were delivered in 1972 with the first locomotives arriving in March, numbered 35-001 to 35-050, followed by a second batch of twenty in 1973, numbered 35-051 to 35-070. The last locomotives arrived in May 1973.
GE and EMD designs
South Africa’s Class 35 locomotive series consists of four sub-classes, the GE Class 35-000 and 35-400South African Class 35-400
Between March 1976 and May 1980 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 35-400 GE U15C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
and the Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) Class 35-200
South African Class 35-200
Between November 1974 and August 1976 the South African Railways placed one hundred and fifty Class 35-200 EMD GT18MC diesel-electric locomotives in service...
and 35-600
South African Class 35-600
Between September 1976 and June 1978 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 35-600 EMD GT18MC diesel-electric locomotives in service...
. Both these manufacturers also produced locomotives for the South African Classes 33, 34 and 36.
Distinguishing Features
With the GE Class 35 locomotives, the Class 35-000 and 35-400 are visually indistinguishable from each other. An externally visible modification that is done during major overhauls is the addition of a saddle hood straddling the hump on the long hood behind the cab. By 2011 this modification had been done on a large number of Class 35-000s, but not yet on any Class 35-400s.South African Railways
The Class 35 is South Africa’s standard branch line diesel-electric locomotive. GE Class 35-000s were designed for light rail conditions across difficult terrain and they work on most branch lines in the central, western, southern and southeastern parts of the country.NLPI
New Limpopo Projects Investments Limited (NLPINLPI
NLPI Limited is an investment-holding company, registered in Mauritius, whose main investment focus is infrastructure-related projects on the continent of Africa...
), a Mauritius registered company, specialises in private sector investments using the build-operate-transfer (BOT) concept. It has three connected railway operations in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
that form a rail link between South Africa and the Congo.
- The Beitbridge Bulawayo RailwayBeitbridge Bulawayo RailwayThe Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway is a privately owned railway company that provides a rail link in Zimbabwe between Beitbridge at the border to South Africa and Zimbabwe's second city Bulawayo....
(BBR), commissioned on 1 September 1999, operates the Beit Bridge to BulawayoBulawayoBulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
line in Zimbabwe. - Since February 2004 NLPI Logistics (NLL or LOG) operates between Bulawayo and Victoria FallsVictoria FallsThe Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.-Introduction:...
on the Zimbabwe-Zambia border. - Since February 2003 the Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) operates on the former Zambian Railways (ZR) from Victoria Falls to SakaniaSakaniaSakania is a town in Haut-Katanga District, in the far south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, near the border with Zambia.It is located at an elevation of 1278m asl ,therefore it has a cool climate....
in the Congo.
In Zambia the RSZ locomotive fleet includes former ZR locomotives, but the rest of the locomotive fleet of all three operations consist of EMD Class 34-200
South African Class 34-200
Between October 1971 and March 1972 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-200 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
, 34-600
South African Class 34-600
Between December 1974 and July 1976 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-600 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.-Manufacturer:...
and 34-800
South African Class 34-800
Between August 1978 and December 1979 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-800 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service. In 1979 one more of the same type was placed in service by Iscor in Newcastle, and between April and July 1980 a further eight of these locomotives were...
and GE Class 35-000 and Class 35-400 locomotives from Transnet Freight Rail (TFR). These locomotives are sometimes marked or branded as either BBR or LOG or both, but their status, whether leased or loaned, is unclear since they are still on the TFR roster and still often work in South Africa as well. The locomotives do not appear to be restricted to working in any one of the three operations sections and have been observed being transferred between Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
across the bridge at Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls
The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.-Introduction:...
as required.
Liveries
The main picture shows 35-016 in Spoornet blue livery with outline numbers and with a saddle hood, at Worcester, Western Cape on 13 April 2006.See also
- South African Class 35-200South African Class 35-200Between November 1974 and August 1976 the South African Railways placed one hundred and fifty Class 35-200 EMD GT18MC diesel-electric locomotives in service...
(EMD) - South African Class 35-400South African Class 35-400Between March 1976 and May 1980 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 35-400 GE U15C diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
(GE) - South African Class 35-600South African Class 35-600Between September 1976 and June 1978 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 35-600 EMD GT18MC diesel-electric locomotives in service...
(EMD) - Diesel-electric locomotive numbering and classification
- List of South African locomotive classes