South African Class ES


The South African Railways Class ES of 1936 was an electric locomotive.
In 1936, the South African Railways built two Class ES centre-cab electric shunting locomotives with a Bo+Bo wheel arrangement, based on the Class 1E mainline electric locomotive. Between then and 1964, more were acquired until a total of 24 Class ES locomotives were eventually in service. Four more were built new for industry in 1952 and 1957.
The Class ES was the fourth locomotive type to be designed and built in South Africa, after the Natal Government Railways 4-6-2TT Havelock of 1888, the Class 2C of 1910 and the Class 20 of 1935.

Design

During 1935, it was decided to replace steam shunting locomotives with electric shunting units at Daimana in Ladysmith. A design for a centre-cab electric shunting locomotive, based on the Class 1E mainline locomotive which was originally designed by Metropolitan-Vickers, was prepared by A.G. Watson, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the South African Railways from 1929 to 1936, in collaboration with the SAR Electrical Department.

Manufacturers

The first two Class ES locomotives were built new in Pietermaritzburg, where the bodywork was constructed in the SAR workshops. Two sets of spare Class 1E power bogies, complete with traction motors and gearing, were used. The wiring, control equipment and auxiliary machinery were installed at Daimana. These two units were initially numbered E96 and E97, but they were later renumbered to E500 and E501. They entered service at Daimana in 1936 as South Africa's first purpose-built electric shunting locomotives.
Even though it was not wholly a South African product with its imported Class 1E spare parts, the Class ES was the fourth recorded instance of locomotives designed and constructed in South African workshops, after the Natal Government Railways' engine Havelock of 1888, the Class 2C of 1910 and the Class 20 of 1935.
Over the next 28 years, more of these locomotives were built and by 1964 24 Class ES locomotives had been placed in service by the SAR. As can be expected in a locomotive type which was built by different manufacturers over a period of almost three decades, there are differences in appearance between locomotives.
Two batches of ten were built by the Nederlandsche Fabriek van Werktuigen en Spoorwegmaterieel.
Series 4, numbers E525 and E526, the last two, were rebuilt from Class 1E locomotives in the SAR shops in 1964.
In 1952, two Class ES locomotives were built new for the Driefontein Consolidated Gold Mine by Werkspoor, numbered 1 and 2. Another two were delivered new to the mine in 1957, numbered 3 and 4, also built by Werkspoor.

Characteristics

The locomotive body had three main sections. For the convenience of the driver and to afford him better outside vision, the cab was placed in the middle of the body, with the hoods of the machinery compartments tapering downwards from the cab. The "S" in the locomotive's class designation identifies it as a shunting locomotive, designed for and usually limited to yard work.
With a maximum safe speed of, they ran on an overhead power supply of. Their traction motors, connected in series on each bogie, operated on 1.5 kV DC.

Service

Although the class ES was initially largely confined to service in Natal, members of the class became quite common working on the Western Transvaal System in later years, mainly being employed around the Witwatersrand. Beginning in 1983, they were eventually replaced by the Class 8E, also a centre-cab shunting locomotive.
The locomotives were known by enginemen as Studebakers since the two long hoods either side of the cab were likened to a 1947 Studebaker Commander Business Coupe.
No. E511 is stored at Millsite Locomotive Depot in Krugersdorp awaiting possible restoration.

Works numbers

and renumbering of the Class ES are listed in the table below.

Series		Builder
Works
no.		Year
Old
no.		New
no.		Notes
1SAR1935E96E500
1SAR1935E97E501
2Werkspoor7371937E124E503
2Werkspoor7381937E125E504
2Werkspoor7391937E126E505
2Werkspoor7401937E127E506
2Werkspoor7411937E128E507
2Werkspoor7421937E129E508
2Werkspoor7431937E130E509
2Werkspoor7441937E131E510
2Werkspoor7451937E132E511
2Werkspoor7461937E133E512
3Werkspoor9131951E515
3Werkspoor9141951E516
3Werkspoor9151951E517
3Werkspoor9161951E518
3Werkspoor9171951E519
3Werkspoor9181951E520
3Werkspoor9191951E521
3Werkspoor9201951E522
3Werkspoor9211951E523
3Werkspoor9221951E524
3Werkspoor92319521Dries GM
3Werkspoor92419522Dries GM
3Werkspoor105319573Dries GM
3Werkspoor105419574Dries GM
4Metrovick1964E114E5251E rebuilt
4SLM36621964E146E5261E rebuilt

Illustration

The main picture shows one of the first two Class ES locomotives to be built, c. 1936. Until the 1960s, they had a bottle green livery with red buffer beams. Some of the liveries which were applied to Class ES locomotives are illustrated below.