South African Class 5E1, Series 1

The South African Railways Class 5E1, Series 1 of 1959 was an electric locomotive.

South African Class 5E1, Series 1
No. E464 at Salt River, Cape Town, 7 January 1966
Type and origin Power type Electric Designer Metropolitan-Vickers Builder Metropolitan-Vickers Serial number 1032-1166 Model MV 5E1 Build date 1959-1961 Total produced 135
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B  • UIC Bo′Bo′  • Commonwealth Bo-Bo Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Wheel diameter 1,220 mm (48.03 in) Wheelbase 11,279 mm (37 ft 1⁄16 in) ​  • Bogie 3,430 mm (11 ft 3+1⁄16 in) Pivot centres 7,849 mm (25 ft 9 in) Panto shoes 6,972 mm (22 ft 10+1⁄2 in) Length: ​  • Over couplers 15,494 mm (50 ft 10 in)  • Over beams 14,631 mm (48 ft 0 in) Width 2,896 mm (9 ft 6 in) Height: ​  • Pantograph 4,089 mm (13 ft 5 in)  • Body height 3,937 mm (12 ft 11 in) Axle load 21,591 kg (47,600 lb) Adhesive weight 86,364 kg (190,400 lb) Loco weight 86,364 kg (190,400 lb) Electric system/s 3 kV DC catenary Current pickup(s) Pantographs Traction motors Four MV 281 ​  • Rating 1 hour 485 kW (650 hp)  • Continuous 364 kW (488 hp) Gear ratio 18:67 Loco brake Air & regenerative Train brakes Vacuum Couplers AAR knuckle
Performance figures Maximum speed 97 km/h (60 mph) Power output: ​  • 1 hour 1,940 kW (2,600 hp)  • Continuous 1,456 kW (1,953 hp) Tractive effort: ​  • Starting 250 kN (56,000 lbf)  • 1 hour 184 kN (41,000 lbf)  • Continuous 122 kN (27,000 lbf) @ 40 km/h (25 mph)
Career Operators South African Railways Spoornet Class Class 5E1 Number in class 135 Numbers E364-E498 Delivered 1959-1961 First run 1959

Between 1959 and 1961, the South African Railways placed 135 Class 5E1, Series 1 electric locomotives with a Bo-Bo wheel arrangement in mainline service. It was an upgraded and more powerful version of the Class 5E.

Manufacturer

The first series of the 3 kV DC Class 5E1 electric locomotive was designed and built for the South African Railways (SAR) by Metropolitan-Vickers (Metrovick) at its Bowesfield Works. Metrovick was one of the companies owned by the Associated Electrical Industries holding group (AEI) who supplied the electrical equipment. In all, 135 locomotives were delivered between 1959 and 1961, numbered in the range from E364 to E498. These were the last electric locomotives to be imported from the United Kingdom.

Builder's plate on no. E397

The Class 5E1 was virtually identical in outward appearance to the forerunner Class 5E, but with more powerful traction motors and with a new Commonwealth bogie design that gave a smoother ride. Apart from the bogies, an externally visible difference from the Class 5E is the size and location of the small access panels on the lower body sides.

Class 5E1 series

The Class 5E1 was produced in five series, the Metrovick built Series 1 and the Union Carriage & Wagon (UCW) built Series 2 to 5. Between 1959 and 1969 altogether 690 of them were built, 135 Series 1, 130 Series 2, 100 Series 3, 100 Series 4 and 225 Series 5.

With the exception of the Series 2 and 3, the series distinction between Class 5E1 locomotives was mainly based on the different model traction motors each was equipped with, MV 281 in Series 1, AEI 281 AZX in Series 2 and 3, AEI 281 AX in Series 4 and AEI 281 BX in Series 5. The distinction between the series 2 and 3 locomotives appears to have been based on the difference in the design of their traction motor bearings.

Identifying features

These dual cab locomotives had a roof access ladder on one side only, just to the right of the cab access door. The roof access ladder end was marked as the no. 2 end. A corridor along the centre of the locomotive connected the cabs, which were identical except that cab 2 was where the handbrake was located.

The locomotive had two cut-outs on the roofline on the roof access ladder side, but an unbroken roofline on the opposite side. Like the predecessor Class 5E, the Class 5E1, Series 1 had two rectangular access panels on the lower sides above the battery box, but it also had an additional rectangular panel on the lower sides above the second axle from the left.

The Series 1 and 2 locomotives could be distinguished from each other by the builder's plates on their end doors, a rectangular Metropolitan-Vickers plate on Series 1 locomotives and an oval Union Carriage and Wagon plate on Series 2. The Series 3, 4 and 5 locomotives could be visually distinguished from earlier models by their three small square access panels on the lower sides above the battery box, compared to the two larger rectangular panels on the Series 1 and 2 locomotives. Series 4 and 5 locomotives could be distinguished from all earlier models by their one small square and one larger rectangular access panels on the lower sides above the second axle from the left, compared to the single rectangular panel on all earlier models.

Brakes

The locomotive itself used air brakes, but it was only equipped to operate trains with vacuum brakes. While hauling a train, the locomotive's air brake system would be made subordinate to the train's brake system and would come into operation as the train brakes were being applied, gradually building up to its maximum pressure of 350 kilopascals (51 pounds per square inch). While working a train downgrade, the locomotive's regenerative braking system would also work in conjunction with the train brakes.

The locomotive's air brakes would usually only be used along with the train brakes during emergencies. Under normal circumstances the train would be controlled using the train brakes alone to slow down and stop.

While the locomotive was stopped, the air brakes on each bogie could be applied independently. The handbrake or parking brake, located in cab 2, only operated on the unit's last axle, the no. 7 and 8 wheels.

Traction motor bearings

The axle-hung traction motors of all earlier SAR electric locomotives up to and including the Class 5E1, Series 1, were suspended on the axles by means of plain oil-lubricated bearings consisting of bronze shells with white metal linings. With the introduction of the more powerful Class 5E1, Series 1, considerable trouble was experienced due to flaking of the white metal linings as a result of the increased intensity of the pressure on these bearings. The use of roller bearings was investigated and one traction motor of a Class 1E locomotive was converted for trial purposes. Since satisfactory results were obtained, it was decided to equip the traction motors of the subsequent UCW built Series 2 and later locomotives with roller-type suspension bearings.

Liveries

Prior to 1960, green was the traditional colour for electric locomotives, with yellow whiskers and side-stripes being added in the late 1950s. When the SAR celebrated 100 years of railways in South Africa in 1960, new colour schemes were adopted for passenger stock as well as electric and diesel-electric locomotives. Gulf Red with signal red cowcatchers was the colour initially chosen for locomotives and the yellow whiskers and stripes were carried over from the earlier green livery. The yellow side-stripes were initially applied to the full body-length of electric locomotives, but these were later curtailed to just beyond the cab-sides, with the number plates on the sides enclosed in three-stripe wings.

The early deliveries of Series 1 units still entered service in the bottle green and yellow whiskers livery with red cowcatchers. The later arrivals of Series 1 locomotives were delivered in this newly adopted livery. The change from the green to the red livery appears to have occurred somewhere between no. E446 in green and no. E451 in Gulf Red. The units were delivered in plain green or red and the yellow whiskers were added in South Africa during their erection.

Some selected electric and diesel-electric locomotives were painted blue for use with the Blue Train, but without altering the layout of the various paint schemes. Blue Train locomotives were therefore blue with yellow whiskers in the SAR era. During the 1970s eight Class 5E1, Series 1 locomotives, numbers E441 to E448, were painted blue with yellow whiskers for use with the Blue Train between Cape Town and Beaufort West in the Cape Western region. By 1981 they were all back in pool service and were gradually repainted to Gulf Red and whiskers again as they were shopped for major overhauls.

Service

The Class 5E1 family served on all 3 kV DC electrified mainlines country-wide for almost forty years. The Class 5E1 worked the vacuum-braked goods and mainline passenger trains over the lines radiating south, west and north of Durban almost exclusively until the mid-1970s and Class 6E1s only became regular motive power in Natal when air-braked car trains began running between Durban and the Reef.

By the early 2000s the Series 1 locomotives had all been withdrawn from SAR service. Unit no. E496 was still in service by 2014 as shop shunting locomotive at MetroRail's depot at Salt River, Cape Town, painted in a grey and yellow livery to match that of Metrorail’s carriages, with yellow cowcatchers and with reflective stripe whiskers on the ends. Apart from this unit, the shells of numbers E397 and E461 have been converted to a club room at Sentrarand. No more of the Metrovick built Class 5E1, Series 1 are known to have survived. While these two shells are now painted in the SAR Blue Train livery, neither unit wore the blue livery while still in service.

Works numbers

The Metrovick works numbers of the Class 5E1, Series 1 and their years of construction are listed in the table.

Class 5E1, Series 1

Loco no.	MV works no.	Year built
E364	1032	1959
E365	1033	1959
E366	1034	1959
E367	1035	1959
E368	1036	1959
E369	1037	1959
E370	1038	1959
E371	1039	1959
E372	1040	1959
E373	1041	1959
E374	1042	1959
E375	1043	1959
E376	1044	1959
E377	1045	1959
E378	1046	1959
E379	1047	1959
E380	1048	1959
E381	1049	1959
E382	1050	1959
E383	1051	1959
E384	1052	1959
E385	1053	1959
E386	1054	1959
E387	1055	1959
E388	1056	1959
E389	1057	1959
E390	1058	1959
E391	1059	1959
E392	1060	1959
E393	1061	1959
E394	1062	1959
E395	1063	1959
E396	1064	1959
E397	1065	1959
E398	1066	1959–61
E399	1067	1959–61
E400	1068	1959–61
E401	1069	1959–61
E402	1070	1959–61
E403	1071	1959–61
E404	1072	1959–61
E405	1073	1959–61
E406	1074	1959–61
E407	1075	1959–61
E408	1076	1959–61
E409	1077	1959–61
E410	1078	1959–61
E411	1079	1959–61
E412	1080	1959–61
E413	1081	1959–61
E414	1082	1959–61
E415	1083	1959–61
E416	1084	1959–61
E417	1085	1959–61
E418	1086	1959–61
E419	1087	1959–61
E420	1088	1959–61
E421	1089	1959–61
E422	1090	1959–61
E423	1091	1959–61
E424	1092	1959–61
E425	1093	1959–61
E426	1094	1959–61
E427	1095	1959–61
E428	1096	1959–61
E429	1097	1959–61
E430	1098	1959–61
E431	1099	1959–61
E432	1100	1959–61
E433	1101	1959–61
E434	1102	1959–61
E435	1103	1959–61
E436	1104	1959–61
E437	1105	1959–61
E438	1106	1959–61
E439	1107	1959–61
E440	1108	1959–61
E441	1109	1959–61
E442	1110	1959–61
E443	1111	1959–61
E444	1112	1959–61
E445	1113	1959–61
E446	1114	1959–61
E447	1115	1959–61
E448	1116	1959–61
E449	1117	1959–61
E450	1118	1959–61
E451	1119	1959–61
E452	1120	1959–61
E453	1121	1959–61
E454	1122	1959–61
E455	1123	1959–61
E456	1124	1959–61
E457	1125	1959–61
E458	1126	1959–61
E459	1127	1959–61
E460	1128	1959–61
E461	1129	1959–61
E462	1130	1959–61
E463	1131	1959–61
E464	1132	1959–61
E465	1133	1959–61
E466	1134	1959–61
E467	1135	1959–61
E468	1136	1959–61
E469	1137	1959–61
E470	1138	1959–61
E471	1139	1959–61
E472	1140	1959–61
E473	1141	1959–61
E474	1142	1959–61
E475	1143	1959–61
E476	1144	1959–61
E477	1145	1959–61
E478	1146	1959–61
E479	1147	1959–61
E480	1148	1959–61
E481	1149	1959–61
E482	1150	1959–61
E483	1151	1959–61
E484	1152	1959–61
E485	1153	1959–61
E486	1154	1959–61
E487	1155	1959–61
E488	1156	1959–61
E489	1157	1959–61
E490	1158	1959–61
E491	1159	1959–61
E492	1160	1959–61
E493	1161	1959–61
E494	1162	1959–61
E495	1163	1959–61
E496	1164	1959–61
E497	1165	1959–61
E498	1166	1959–61

Illustration

The main picture shows no. E464 at the Salt River Depot, Cape Town, on 7 January 1966. The Series 1 locomotives served only in the SAR livery with whiskers, be it bottle green, Gulf Red or Blue Train blue.

• 
  Shells of numbers E397 and E461 in SAR blue and whiskers, as clubroom at Sentrarand Depot, 22 September 2009.
• 
  No. E445, at the time still in bottle green livery, at Salt River Depot, Cape Town, 7 January 1966.
• 
  No. E496 in a MetroRail shop livery at the Salt River MetroRail Depot, Cape Town, 6 November 2014.