South African Class 19E
South African Class 19E | |
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Air | |
Couplers | AAR knuckle Type F |
Performance figures | |
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Maximum speed | 120 km/h (75 mph) operating 132 km/h (82 mph) by design |
Power output: | |
• Continuous | 3,000 kW (4,000 hp) |
Tractive effort: | |
• Starting | 392 kN (88,000 lbf) |
• Continuous | 300 kN (67,000 lbf) |
Career | |
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Operators | Transnet Freight Rail |
Class | 19E |
Number in class | 110 |
Numbers | 19-001 to 19-110 |
Delivered | 2009 |
First run | 2009 |
The Transnet Freight Rail Class 19E of 2009 is a South African electric locomotive.
In 2009,
Manufacturer
The dual-voltage 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC Class 19E is the product of a joint venture by
Characteristics
The Class 19E was the first South African AC locomotive to incorporate
The locomotive uses Toshiba-made 3-phase AC motors, powered through Insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) control. It is a dual-voltage locomotive, designed to operate on either 3 kV DC or 25 kV AC. Like the earlier Classes 7E1, 7E4, 9E, 11E, 15E and 18E electric locomotives, these engines have driving cabs at one end only since they would only be utilised in multi-unit consists.[7]
As on the dual-voltage Classes 20E and 21E, the main electric circuit is automatically selected in either AC or DC mode based on the voltage of the overhead contact wire feeding the locomotive. To facilitate automatic trouble-free transition on the run, the locomotive is equipped with onboard voltage detectors, while the overhead wire is equipped with two wooden isolators and a 3 metres (10 feet) length of neutral wire to separate the AC and DC feeds. The neutral section is connected to the rails, which serve as the return conductor on electrified lines.[8]
The transition process requires that the locomotive should be switched off automatically before it reaches the isolators and the unpowered overhead wire section, and automatically restarted after exiting from under the unpowered wire. This is done by a pair of track magnets, one on either side of the neutral overhead wire and spaced 45 metres (148 feet) apart. The two magnets are mounted with their polarities reversed in relation to each other and they activate a magnetic relay, located underneath the locomotive, to do the switching off and restarting.[8]
By July 2009, Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) had taken delivery of the first three Class 19E locomotives, and UCW intended to deliver between six and eight new units per quarter.[9]
Service
The Class 19E locomotives were placed in service on the 580 kilometres (360 miles) long Coalink line from Ermelo to Richards Bay to haul export coal from forty-four coal mines in
Illustration
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No. 19-011 at Ermelo, Mpumalanga, 18 September 2010
References
- ^ Railways Africa, 29 Aug 2008: First 19E Loco
- ^ a b South African Railway News, 9 Apr 2009: TFR Class 19E Test Train / Information
- ^ Railways Africa, 29 Aug 2008: First 19E Loco
- ^ Toshiba Review Feature article (Japanese)
- ^ Railways Africa, 1 Sep 2006: 220 Bogies on Order
- ^ Toshiba Review, 2008, Vol 63 No 9
- ^ Railways Africa, 2 Aug 2009: Visit to UCW
- ^ a b Class 20E manual: Part 1: Locomotive Profile and Technical Data
- ^ Railways Africa, 9 Jul 2009: Loco Delivery Delays
External links
Media related to South African Class 19E at Wikimedia Commons