South African Class 32-200

South African Class 32-200
TransNamib Class 32

PPC Saldanha's no. 32-202, 8 January 2009

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Designer General Electric Builder General Electric Serial number 35842-35851 Model GE U20C1 Build date 1966 Total produced 10

Specifications AAR wheel arr 1-C+C-1 UIC class (1Co)(Co1) Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia 762 mm (30.0 in) Wheel diameter 915 mm (36.0 in) Wheelbase 15,246 mm (50 ft 0.2 in)  • Bogie 4,927 mm (16 ft 2.0 in) Length:  • Over couplers 16,866 mm (55 ft 4.0 in)  • Pivot centres 8,128 mm (26 ft 8.0 in) Width 2,756 mm (9 ft 0.5 in) Height 3,928 mm (12 ft 10.6 in) Axle load 12,700 kg (28,000 lb)  • Leading 10,160 kg (22,400 lb) Adhesive weight 76,200 kg (168,000 lb) Loco weight 96,520 kg (212,790 lb) max Fuel type Diesel Fuel capacity 4,300 litres (950 imp gal) Prime mover GE 7FDL-12 RPM range 400-1,000  • RPM low idle 400  • Maximum RPM 1,000 Engine type 4 stroke diesel Aspiration C-B ET13 turbocharger Generator DC 10 pole GE 5GT-581C9 Traction motors Six GE 5GE-761A9 DC 4 pole  • Rating 1 hour 625A  • Continuous 615A @ 18 km/h (11 mph) Cylinders V12 Gear ratio 92:19 MU working 4 maximum Loco brake 28-LV-1 with vigilance control Train brakes Westinghouse 6CDX4UC compressor/exhauster Air reservoir cap 700 litres (150 imp gal) Compressor cap 0.029 m3/s (1.0 cu ft/s) Exhauster cap 0.116 m3/s (4.1 cu ft/s) Couplers AAR knuckle SASKOP DS

Performance figures Maximum speed 100 km/h (62 mph) Power output:  • Starting 1,475 kW (1,978 hp)  • Continuous 1,340 kW (1,800 hp) Tractive effort:  • Starting 183 kN (41,000 lbf) @ 25% adhesion  • Continuous 146 kN (33,000 lbf) @ 27 km/h (17 mph) Factor of adh:  • Starting 25%  • Continuous 20% Loco brakeforce 65% ratio @ 345 kPa (50.0 psi)

Career Operators South African Railways Spoornet TransNamib Sudan Railway Goldfields PPC Lime Sheltam Class Class 32-200 Number in class 10 Numbers 32-201 to 32-210 Delivered June and July 1966 First run 1966

The South African Railways Class 32-200 of 1966 was a South African and Namibian diesel-electric locomotive.

In June and July 1966, the South African Railways placed ten Class 32-200 General Electric type U20C1 diesel-electric locomotives in service in South West Africa, now Namibia.

Manufacturer

The Class 32-200 type GE U20C1 diesel-electric locomotive was designed and built to South African Railways (SAR) requirements by General Electric (GE) and imported. The ten locomotives, a more powerful low short hood version of the earlier Class 32-000, were numbered in the range from 32-201 to 32-210.

Class 32 series

File:SAR Class 32-000 32-047.JPG

1Co bogie

The Class 32 consists of two series, the high short hood Class 32-000 and the low short hood Class 32-200, both GE products.

Both locomotive series ran on the same 1Co' bogies, three-axle Co' bogies with additional single axle pony trucks, which was designed and produced by General Steel Castings. The fourth axle reduced the maximum axle loading sufficiently to enable these relatively heavy locomotives to operate on the very light rail which was used throughout South West Africa at the time.

The Class 32-200 was, in reality, a Class 33-000 locomotive on the bogies of the Class 32-000, which reduced its maximum axle load from the 15,749 kilograms (34,721 pounds) of the Class 33-000 to 12,700 kilograms (27,999 pounds). Apart from the bogies, which necessitated a smaller fuel tank, its physical dimensions and exterior appearance were identical to that of the Class 33-000 and it used the same V12 prime mover.

Service

While it was acquired specifically for service on light rail in South West Africa, the Class 32-200s also ended up being employed in South Africa at times. From 1972 to 1974, between the withdrawal of the Class GO 4-8-2+2-8-4 Garratt locomotives and the arrival of the Class 35 diesel-electrics on the line between Amabele and Umtata in Transkei, some of them performed temporary service on that line.

Of the original ten locomotives, most survived in service into the 21st century, some with TransNamib, the Namibian railway, or sold to Sudan Railways, or into industrial use to Gold Fields, PPC Lime in Saldanha and Sheltam.

Works numbers

The Class 32-200 builder's works numbers and disposition are listed in the table.

Class 32-200, type GE U20C1

SAR no.	GE works no.	Post-SAR owner	Post-SAR no.
32-201	35842	Sheltam	2012
32-202	35843	PPC
32-203	35844	Sheltam	2013
32-204	35845	Goldfields
32-205	35846	TransNamib	205
32-206	35847	TransNamib	206
32-207	35848	TransNamib	207
32-208	35849	TransNamib	208
32-209	35850	Sudan Ry
32-210	35851	Sudan Ry

Illustration

The main picture and the following photograph offer views of both sides of the Class 32-200 locomotive, as well as two of the liveries in which they served.

• SAR Class 32-200 32-205.jpg

  TransNamib's no. 205 at Windhoek station, Namibia, 26 June 2010