South African Class 4E

No. E238 at the Salt River Depot, Cape Town, 7 January 1966

Type and origin
Power type	Electric
Designer	General Electric Company
Builder	North British Locomotive Company
Serial number	26859-26898
Model	GEC 4E
Build date	1952-1953
Total produced	40

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 in)
Wheel diameter	1,295 mm (51.0 in)
Wheelbase	18,390 mm (60 ft 4.0 in)
• Bogie	6,833 mm (22 ft 5.0 in)
Pivot centres	10,795 mm (35 ft 5.0 in)
Panto shoes	14,122 mm (46 ft 4.0 in)
Wheel spacing (Assymetrical)	1-2: 2,337 mm (7 ft 8.0 in) 2-3: 2,286 mm (7 ft 6.0 in)
Length:
• Over couplers	21,844 mm (71 ft 8.0 in)
Height:
• Pantograph	4,140 mm (13 ft 7.0 in)
• Body height	3,924 mm (12 ft 10.5 in)
Axle load	21,845 kg (48,160 lb)
• Leading	13,209 kg (29,121 lb)
Adhesive weight	131,070 kilograms (288,960 lb)
Loco weight	157,488 kg (347,202 lb)
Power supply	Catenary
Current collection	Pantographs
Traction motors	Six GEC WT580
• Rating 1 hour	377 kW (506 hp)
• Continuous	313 kW (420 hp)
Gear ratio	21:75
Loco brake	Regenerative
Train brakes	Air & Vacuum
Couplers	AAR knuckle

Performance figures
Maximum speed	97 km/h (60 mph)
Power output:
• 1 hour	2,262 kW (3,033 hp)
• Continuous	1,878 kW (2,518 hp)
Tractive effort:
• Starting	322 kN (72,000 lbf)
• 1 hour	185 kN (42,000 lbf)
• Continuous	141 kN (32,000 lbf)

Career
Operators	South African Railways
Class	Class 4E
Power class	3 kV DC
Number in class	40
Numbers	E219-E258
Nicknames	Groen Mamba (Green Mamba) Groot Mamba (Large Mamba)
Delivered	1952-1954
First run	1952

The South African Railways Class 4E of 1952 was an electric locomotive.

Between 1952 and 1954 the South African Railways placed forty Class 4E electric locomotives with a 1Co+Co1 wheel arrangement in service on the mainline from Cape Town across the Hex River rail pass to Touws River in the Karoo.^[1]

Manufacturer

GEC and NBL logos on the end doors

The 3 kV DC Class 4E electric locomotive was designed for the South African Railways (SAR) by the General Electric Company (GEC) and was built by the North British Locomotive Company (NBL) between 1952 and 1953. They were delivered between 1952 and 1954 and were numbered in the range from E219 to E258. The Class 4E was amongst the most powerful electric locomotives in the world at that time.^[2]^[1]^[3]

Orientation

NBL works plate, no. E258

These dual cab locomotives have two large grilles on one side and a passage linking the cabs on the opposite side. When observing the locomotive from the side with the grilles, the number 1 end would be to the right. Like the Classes 1E, 2E and 3E, the Class 4E has bogie mounted draft gear and an articulated inter-bogie linkage, therefore no train forces are transmitted to the locomotive body.^[2]

The Class 4E has a 1Co+Co1 wheel arrangement, with an additional bissel truck (pony truck) at the outer end of each of the two three-axle powered bogies. The Classes 32-000 and 32-200 diesel-electric locomotive types also used this wheel arrangement, but the Class 4E was unique amongst South African electric locomotives in this respect.^[1]

Service

The Class 4E was specifically built for use on the mainline from Cape Town across the Hex River rail pass to Touws River, from where Class 23 and later Class 25 and Class 25NC steam locomotives took over across the stretch of unelectrified mainline to De Aar and from there to either Kimberley or Bloemfontein.^[1]

The first locomotives to be delivered, were placed in service on the Natal mainline while electrification from Worcester to Touws River was being completed, but they eventually had to be withdrawn from Natal because the severe curvature of the Natal mainline caused their frames to crack.^[4]

No. E219 was the first Class 4E locomotive to be relocated to Cape Town, where it initially ran on 1.5 kV DC power, which was still being used for the Cape Town suburban trains, until the upgrading of the lines to 3 kV DC was completed in November 1954. This restricted the locomotive's load capacity and mobility.^[4]

One Class 4E locomotive even briefly served on the Western Transvaal system while being relocated from Natal to the Cape in 1957, when that system was granted permission to use no. E247 for between four and six weeks, before the locomotive was forwarded on to Cape Town.^[5]

Hex River tunnel scheme

The Class 4E purchase was part of a scheme to eliminate the 1 in 40 (2½%) gradients and severe curves of the Hex River rail pass, which would entail the construction of a series of four tunnels through the Hex River Mountains. The tunnel system would have enabled a single Class 4E locomotive to haul 1,000 ton trains up the resulting 1 in 66 (1½%) gradients.^[1]

The Hex River Tunnels scheme (Hexton) was initially started in 1945, but was deferred indefinitely in 1950 as a result of financial constraints. The tunnel scheme was briefly resuscitated in 1965 but was deferred once again in 1966. Work was eventually resumed in 1974 and included the remodelling of the lower section of the deviation between De Doorns and Osplaas stations as well as the construction of the short twin tunnels. This was completed in 1976, at which point financial constraints resulted in yet another postponement. Authority to proceed was only given once again in late 1979.^[6]^[7]

When the project was resumed, the eastern portal of the longest tunnel was relocated a short distance to the southeast of the original site, while the location of the western portal remained as originally planned during the first attempt. The tunnel system was opened on 27 November 1989, by which time the Class 4Es were already retired, after having spent their entire careers double-heading trains across the Hex River rail pass.^[1]

Liveries

The Class 4E was delivered in an all over bottle green livery with red cowcatchers. The colour and the almost 22 metres (72 feet) length of the locomotive quickly earned it the nickname Groen Mamba (Green Mamba). This changed to Groot Mamba (Large Mamba) when the much shorter Class 5E was introduced in 1955 and nicknamed Klein Mamba (Little Mamba).^[8]

Soon after they entered service, however, Hex River Valley farmers complained that the bottle green all over colour scheme made the locomotives difficult to see when they were approaching through the vineyards. Yellow lines were then added all around the locomotive to improve its visibility, with various line patterns being used before eventually settling on the V shaped whiskers on the ends which extended onto the sides, and multiple lines around the number plates on the sides. The attractive whiskers livery was eventually adopted for all the electric locomotives of the SAR.^[9]

Beginning in 1960, a Gulf Red and yellow whiskers livery gradually replaced the green and yellow.^[1]

Works numbers

The NBL works numbers of the Class 4E are listed in the table.^[8]

**Class 4E**
Loco no.	Works no.
E219	26859
E220	26860
E221	26861
E222	26862
E223	26863
E224	26864
E225	26865
E226	26866
E227	26867
E228	26868
E229	26869
E230	26870
E231	26871
E232	26872
E233	26873
E234	26874
E235	26875
E236	26876
E237	26877
E238	26878
E239	26879
E240	26880
E241	26881
E242	26882
E243	26883
E244	26884
E245	26885
E246	26886
E247	26887
E248	26888
E249	26889
E250	26890
E251	26891
E252	26892
E253	26893
E254	26894
E255	26895
E256	26896
E257	26897
E258	26898

Illustration

The main picture shows number E238, in the bottle green and whiskers livery, at the Salt River Depot in Cape Town on 7 January 1966, while the following pictures serve to illustrate some of the other liveries used on the Class 4E during its service lifetime.

No. E258 in an earlier green and yellow line livery, at Vlottenburg station, 24 May 1993
No. E258 showing the length which earned it the Green Mamba nickname, 24 May 1993
Right side of no. E258, with its no. 1 end at right, Bloemfontein, 18 September 2015
No. E219 in Gulf Red and whiskers livery, Millsite Depot, 14 December 2010

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 126–127. ISBN 0869772112.
1 2 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
↑ North British Locomotive Company works list, compiled by Austrian locomotive historian Bernhard Schmeiser
1 2 South African Railways & Harbours Photo Journal, Vol. 6, p. 15, by Les Pivnic
↑ South African Railways & Harbours Photo Journal, Vol. 19, p. 9, by Les Pivnic
↑ Hex River Tunnels
↑ South African Construction World, July 1990, pp. 60-61
1 2 Railways of Southern Africa Locomotive Guide, 2002 Edition, (Compiled by John N. Middleton), 4E photograph, as amended by Combined Amendment List 4, January 2009
↑ South African Railways & Harbours Photo Journal, Vol. 7, pp. 16-17, by Les Pivnic

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South African Class 4E.

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3' 6" gauge Tank engines	CGR 0-4-0ST 1873 CGR 0-4-0ST 1874 CGR 0-4-0ST 1881 Coffee Pot CGR 0-6-0ST 1902 CGR 0-6-0T 1876 Back-to-Back 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 1876 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0T 1875 CGR 2nd Class 4-4-0T 1882 CGR 3rd Class 2-6-0T CGR Railmotor CSAR Class C CSAR Class E CSAR Rack CSAR Railmotor DSWA Eight-Coupled Tank 2-8-0T Durban's Congella Durban's Edward Innes Durban's John Milne Durban's Sir Albert Port Elizabeth Harbour 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 0-4-0ST 1903 SAR 0-4-0T no. 69 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 Clayton

3' 6" gauge Tender engines	CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 Beyer, Peacock 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 1879 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0TT 1881 CGR 2nd Class 2-6-2TT 1875 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 Joy 1882 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1884 CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1890 CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1891 DSWA Eight-Coupled Tender 2-8-0 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 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

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Gas-electric

Gas-electric

Diesel

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