South African Class 39-000

No. 39-002 at Pyramid South Depot on 7 May 2013

Type and origin
Power type	Diesel-electric
Designer	General Motors Electro-Motive Division
Builder	Transwerk Transnet Rail Engineering
Serial number	See table
Model	EMD GT26CU-3
Build date	2006-2008
Total produced	5

Specifications
Configuration:
• AAR	C-C
• UIC	Co'Co'
• Commonwealth	Co+Co
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Wheel diameter	1,016 mm (40.0 in)
Wheelbase	14,732 mm (48 ft 4.0 in)
• Bogie	3,632 mm (11 ft 11.0 in)
Pivot centres	11,278 mm (37 ft 0 in)
Length:
• Over couplers	19,202 mm (63 ft 0 in)
Fuel type	Diesel
Prime mover	GM-EMD 16-645E3B
Engine type	2-stroke diesel
Displacement	10.57 litres (645.0 cu in)
Traction motors	Six EMD D31 DC 4 pole
Cylinders	V16
Loco brake	Knorr-Bremse EBR
Train brakes	Air & Vacuum
Safety systems	ZTR Nexsys control system
Couplers	AAR knuckle

Performance figures
Power output	2,460 kW (3,300 hp)
Tractive effort:
• Starting	350 kN (79,000 lbf)
• Continuous	305 kN (69,000 lbf)
Factor of adh.:
• Starting	25%
• Continuous	20%

Career
Operators	Spoornet Transnet Freight Rail
Class	Class 39-000
Number in class	5
Numbers	39-001 to 39-005
Delivered	2006-2008
First run	2006

The Spoornet Class 39-000 of 2006 is a South African diesel-electric locomotive from the Spoornet era.

In 2005, Transwerk commenced a project of rebuilding one hundred existing locomotives to new Class 39-000 Electro-Motive Diesel type GT26CU-3 locomotives for Spoornet. Only five were eventually rebuilt and placed in service between April 2006 and 2009.^[1]^[2]

Manufacturer

In 2005, a project commenced to rebuild one hundred Class 39-000 Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) type GT26CU-3 diesel-electric locomotives for Spoornet from Classes 34-600 and 34-800 type GT26MC and Class 37-000 type GT26M2C locomotives. The original locomotives had all originally been designed by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (GM-EMD) and had been built by General Motors South Africa (GMSA) in Port Elizabeth between 1974 and 1981. Suitable frames from wrecked locomotives were to be used.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Rebuilding

Number 39-251

Two companies were invited to produce prototypes for the project. One was Electro-Motive Sibanye, a joint venture between the recently established Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) and Sibanye Trade and Services, a South African Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) company which dealt in locomotives and spare parts. The Sibanye venture produced only one locomotive, which was rebuilt from Class 37-000 no. 37-010 in 2008 and numbered 39-251. The locomotive was tested, but rejected by Transnet, reportedly due to poor quality. Furthermore, when serious tender irregularities came to light, the locomotive rebuilding deal between Transnet and Sibanye was cancelled.^[1]^[2]^[4]^[5]

Even though it was painted in the red Transnet Freight Rail livery, no. 39-251 never worked for Transnet.^[1]

The locomotive did have the distinctive cab roof profile of other locomotives in the EMD family, unlike the completely different rounded cab roof profile of its successful competitor. When the Electro-Motive Sibanye joint venture was dissolved, the locomotive remained in the possession of Sibanye Trade and Services and was renumbered STS 001. It was later hired or leased to the Khumani iron ore mine in the Northern Cape, where it was renumbered again to LC9-1.

Numbers 39-001 to 39-005

The other company was Transwerk, later Transnet Rail Engineering (TRE) and then Transnet Engineering, who produced five locomotives at its Bloemfontein shops between 2005 and 2008, rebuilt from three wrecked Class 34-600 and two Class 34-800 locomotives. These five were tested and approved by Transnet and placed in service between April 2006 and 2009 as the Class 39-000, numbered in the range from 39-001 to 39-005.^[1]^[2]

It was intended to produce one hundred Class 39-000 locomotives, but in spite of the technical success of the TRE part of the project rebuilding was halted after completing five locomotives, allegedly due to higher than anticipated cost. Instead of rebuilding one hundred old locomotives, it was decided to rather continue the program by building fifty new Class 39-200 locomotives from imported and locally produced components. This was to take place at the Koedoespoort shops of TRE.^[6]

Features

The original Class identity of each Class 39-000 locomotive can be visually determined by the difference between their left side sills. The three ex Class 34-600 locomotives have thicker fishbelly-shaped left sills, compared to the thinner straight left sills of the two ex Class 34-800 locomotives.^[2]^[7]^[8]

Improvements over the pre-rebuilt locomotives which were realised in the Class 39-000 include microprocessor control, 26% more maximum continuous tractive effort and 15% more tractive horse-power, and a Knorr-Bremse electronic brake rack (EBR) to replace the old pneumatic braking controls.^[9]

Works numbers

The original Classes 34-600, 34-800 and 37-000 numbers and works numbers of the Class 39-000 locomotives are listed in the table.^[1]

**Class 34-600, 34-800 & 37-000** locomotives rebuilt to Class 39-000
Class 34 or 37-000 No.	Works No.	Class 39-000 No.
34-635	GMSA 101-35	39-001
34-838	GMSA 112-38	39-002
34-674	GMSA 101-74	39-003
34-620	GMSA 101-20	39-004
34-829	GMSA 112-29	39-005
37-010	GMSA 116-10	39-251

Service

The five Class 39-000 locomotives were initially placed in service on the Pretoria-Komatipoort section of the line to Maputo in Mozambique to work in conjunction with Class 37-000 locomotives on the heavy grades of the Belfast-Steelpoort section in Mpumalanga. By 2013, once the Class 39-200 locomotive fleet had also entered service, they were redeployed to the Thabazimbi iron ore line and shedded at Pyramid South.^[9]^[10]

Illustration

The main picture shows no. 39-002 at Pyramid South, north of Pretoria, as delivered in Transnet Freight Rail livery. Of the five Class 39-000 locomotives, only no. 39-001 was delivered in Spoornet's blue livery with outline numbers.

No. 39–001 in Spoornet blue livery with outline numbers, Koedoespoort, Pretoria, Gauteng, 24 April 2007
Early construction phase of no. 39-002 photographed from the cab end at Transwerk, Bloemfontein, 7 April 2006
No. 39–005 with the short hood removed at Koedoespoort, Pretoria, Gauteng, 30 September 2009

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South African Class 39-000.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Middleton, John N. (2002). Railways of Southern Africa Locomotive Guide - 2002 (as amended by Combined Amendment List 4, January 2009) (2nd, Dec 2002 ed.). Herts, England: Beyer-Garratt Publications.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Information supplied by staff at Transnet Rail Engineering, Bloemfontein and Koedoespoort
^ South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610mm and 1065mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20, 28 January 1975, as amended
^ Railways Africa, 2 Apr 2009: Why Transnet Discontinued That Diesel Order
^ Railways Africa, 12 Mar 2009: Transnet Tender to High Court
^ Railways Africa, 12 Dec 2008: The Class 39 Diesels
^ Class 34-600 sill
^ Class 34-800 sill
^ ^a ^b Railways Africa, 21 Feb 2006: Spoornet's Class 39
^ Railways Africa, 27 Nov 2008: TFR Locos

Locomotives of South Africa

Steam

7' ¼" gauge	East London 0-4-0VB Table Bay 0-4-0ST Table Bay 0-4-0T Table Bay 0-4-0WT
Standard gauge	Cape 0-4-0T Blackie Cape 0-4-2 Cape 2-4-0T CGR 0-4-0ST Aid Natal 0-4-0ST Durban Natal 0-4-0WT Natal Natal 4-4-0T Perseverance
Cape gauge Tank engines	CGR 0-4-0ST 1873 CGR 0-4-0ST 1874 CGR 0-4-0ST 1881 CGR 0-4-0ST 1881 Coffee Pot CGR 0-6-0ST CGR 0-6-0T CGR 2-6-0ST 1900 CGR 2-6-0ST 1902 CGR 1st Class 0-4-0ST 1875 CGR 1st Class 0-4-0ST 1876 CGR 1st Class 2-6-0ST CGR 1st Class 4-4-0T CGR 2nd Class 4-4-0T CGR 3rd Class 2-6-0T CGR Railmotor CSAR Class C CSAR Class E CSAR Rack 4-6-4RT CSAR Railmotor Durban's Congella Durban's Edward Innes Durban's John Milne Durban's Sir Albert Port Elizabeth 0-4-0ST Kowie Railway 0-6-0T Kowie Railway 4-4-0T Metropolitan & Suburban 4-6-2T NGR 2-6-0T Durban & Pietermaritzburg NGR Class I 2-6-2T NGR Class K 0-4-0ST NGR Class K 0-6-0ST NGR Class K 2-6-0T NZASM 10 Tonner NZASM 13 Tonner NZASM 14 Tonner NZASM 18 Tonner NZASM 19 Tonner NZASM 32 Tonner NZASM 40 Tonner PPR 26 Tonner PPR 35 Tonner Portuguese SAR Class A SAR Class B SAR Class C SAR Class C1 SAR Class C2 SAR Class D SAR Class E SAR Class F SAR Class G SAR Class H SAR Class H1 SAR Class H2 SAR Class J SAR Class K SAR Railmotor SAR Dock 0-4-0ST SAR Dock 0-4-0T SWA 2-8-0T
Cape gauge Tender engines	CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 BP CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 Kitson CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1879 CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1891 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0TT CGR 2nd Class 2-6-2TT CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1883 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1884 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1889 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1898 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1901 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1903 CGR 4th Class 4-4-2 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1880 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1882 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1882 Joy CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1884 CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1890 CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1891 NGR Havelock NGR Class I SAR Class Exp 1 SAR Class Exp 2 SAR Class Exp 3 SAR Class Exp 4 SAR Class Exp 5 SAR Class Exp 6 SAR Class S SAR Class S1 SAR Class S2 SAR Class 1 SAR Class 1A SAR Class 1B SAR Class 2 SAR Class 2C SAR Class 3 SAR Class 3A SAR Class 3B SAR Class 4 SAR Class 4A SAR Class 5 SAR Class 5A SAR Class 5B SAR Class 6 SAR Class 6A SAR Class 6B SAR Class 6C SAR Class 6D SAR Class 6E SAR Class 6F SAR Class 6G SAR Class 6H SAR Class 6J SAR Class 6K SAR Class 6L SAR Class 6Y SAR Class 6Z SAR Class 7 SAR Class 7A SAR Class 7B SAR Class 7C SAR Class 7D SAR Class 7E SAR Class 7F SAR Class 8 SAR Class 8A SAR Class 8B SAR Class 8C SAR Class 8D SAR Class 8E SAR Class 8F SAR Class 8R SAR Class 8X SAR Class 8Y SAR Class 8Z SAR Class 9 SAR Class 10 SAR Class 10A SAR Class 10B SAR Class 10C SAR Class 10D SAR Class 11 SAR Class 12 SAR Class 12A SAR Class 12B SAR Class 13 SAR Class 14 SAR Class 14A SAR Class 14B SAR Class 14C 1st SAR Class 14C 2nd SAR Class 14C 3rd SAR Class 14C 4th SAR Class 15 SAR Class 15A SAR Class 15B SAR Class 15C SAR Class 15CA SAR Class 15E SAR Class 15F SAR Class 16 SAR Class 16A SAR Class 16B SAR Class 16C SAR Class 16D SAR Class 16DA 1928 SAR Class 16DA 1930 SAR Class 16E SAR Class 17 SAR Class 18 SAR Class 19 SAR Class 19A SAR Class 19B SAR Class 19C SAR Class 19D SAR Class 20 SAR Class 21 SAR Class 23 SAR Class 24 SAR Class 25 SAR Class 25NC SAR Class 26 SAR Katanga SWA 2-8-0
Cape gauge Articulated engines	CGR Fairlie CGR Kitson-Meyer SAR Class FC SAR Class FD SAR Class GA SAR Class GB SAR Class GC SAR Class GCA SAR Class GD SAR Class GDA SAR Class GE SAR Class GEA SAR Class GF SAR Class GG SAR Class GH SAR Class GK SAR Class GL SAR Class GM SAR Class GMA SAR Class GO SAR Class HF SAR Class KM SAR Class MA SAR Class MB SAR Class MC SAR Class MC1 SAR Class MD SAR Class ME SAR Class MF SAR Class MG SAR Class MH SAR Class MJ SAR Class MJ1 SAR Class U
2' 6" gauge	Cape Copper John King & Miner Cape Copper Britannia Cape Copper Caledonia Cape Copper Clara Cape Copper Condenser Cape Copper Scotia Namaqua Copper Pioneer Walvis Bay 2-4-2T Hope
2' & 600mm gauges	ACR Class NG-G16A CGR NG 0-4-0T CGR NG 0-6-0T CGR NG 4-6-2T CGR Type A 2-6-4T CGR Type C 0-4-0T NGR Class N 4-6-2T SAR Dutton SAR NG 0-4-0T SAR Class NG1 SAR Class NG2 SAR Class NG3 SAR Class NG4 SAR Class NG5 SAR Class NG6 SAR Class NG7 SAR Class NG8 SAR Class NG9 SAR Class NG10 SAR Class NG-G11 SAR Class NG-G12 SAR Class NG-G13 SAR Class NG-G14 SAR Class NG15 SAR Class NG-G16 SWA Class Ha SWA Class Hb SWA Class Hc SWA Class Hd SWA Jung SWA Zwillinge

Electric

Amcoal Class E38

Gas-electric

SAR Gas-electric

Diesel

Cape 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 TFR Class 45-000
2' gauge Diesel-electric	SAR Class 91-000
Cape gauge Diesel-hydraulic	SAR Class 61-000
Cape gauge Electro-diesel	Spoornet Class 38-000

v t e Locomotives built by GM-EMD (EMD)
Switchers	SC NC NC1 NC2 T NW2 NW3 NW4 NW5 TR1 SW1 SW7 SW8 SW9 SW600 SW900 SW1000 SW1001 SW1200 SW1500 SW1504 MP15DC MP15AC MP15T RS1325 GMD1
Four axle road switchers	BL2 GP7 GP9 GP15-1 GP15AC GP15T GP18 GP20 GP28 GP30 GP35 GP38 GP38AC GP38-2 GP39 GP39DC GP39X GP39-2 GP40 GP40P GP40P-2 GP40TC GP40X GP40-2 GP49 GP50 GP59 GP60
Six axle road switchers	SD7 SD9 SD18 SD24 SD28 SD35 SDP35 SD38 SD38AC SD38-2 SD39 SDL39 SD40 SD40A SD40-2 SD40-2W SD40T-2 SD40-2S SDP40 SD45 SD45X SD45-2 SD45T-2 SDP45 SD50 SD60 SD70 SD80MAC SD89MAC SD90MAC
Eight axle road switchers	DD35 DD35A DDA40X
Cab units (E- & F-units)	FT F2 F3 F7 FP7 F9 FP9 FL9 TA EA/EB E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 AA AB6
Cowl units	DE30AC/DM30AC F45 FP45 F40C F40PH F40PH-2 F40PH-2C F40PH-2M SDP40F SD40-2F SD50F F59PH F59PHI SD60F
Electrics	SW1200MG AEM-7 GM5FC GM6C GM10B GF6C
Industrial, military, export and narrow gauge	Model 40 DH1 DDM45 GM6W GMDH-1 GMDH-3 MRS-1 GA8 G8 G12 G16 NF110 NF210 JT42CWR (Series 66) JT42HW-HS GL26C-2 GL26MC GT18MC GT26MC GT26M2C GT26CU-3 GT-16 GA-12 GA-12b GT46MAC GT46PAC DDM45 GL8 JL8 JL18 JT22CW JT42HCW JT56ACe SDP28 SDP38
Streamliners	M-10000 M-10001 M-10002 M-10003 to M-10006 Pioneer Zephyr General Pershing Zephyr Green Diamond Flying Yankee Aerotrain (LWT12)
Experimentals and rebuilds	EMC 1800 hp B-B Beep (SWBLW) CF7 GP8 GP10 GP11 GP16 GP15D GP20D GP22ECO GP39X GP40X BL1 BL20-2 SD20 SD20-2 SD22ECO SD26 SD40X SD45X
List of EMD locomotives

This page was last edited on 5 October 2023, at 11:39