International Railroad Discussion > New Transnet South Africa C30ACi

Photos have appeared in Flickr

New Transnet C30ACi Class 43 Diesels at Balgowan in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands (28th January 2011)

43.001
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sar_connecta/5398489666/sizes/l/in/photostream/
43.002
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sar_connecta/5397888319/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Class leaders for an order of 100, 10 to be built in the USA, 90 to be assembled from kits in South Africa

Hate to say it, but even uglier than the EMD's built for Freightliner UK. The bar just keeps being lowered and lowered. . .

jmt Wrote:
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> Photos have appeared in Flickr
>
> New Transnet C30ACi Class 43 Diesels at Balgowan
> in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands (28th January 2011)
>
> 43.001
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/sar_connecta/53984896
> 66/sizes/l/in/photostream/
> 43.002
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/sar_connecta/53978883
> 19/sizes/l/in/photostream/
>
> Class leaders for an order of 100, 10 to be built
> in the USA, 90 to be assembled from kits in South
> Africa

Nice color scheme, but ugly. Or should I say butt ugly?

What does anyone know about the trucks on these ugly monsters........designed in USA, China, Germany???

lynnpowell Wrote:
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> What does anyone know about the trucks on these
> ugly monsters........designed in USA, China,
> Germany???

I don't know for sure, but they look just like the trucks used on the locomotives supplied to Egypt last year, which AFAIK were designed and built in Erie. They also look as though they are a fabricated (welded-up) variation of the Dash-9 truck, designed this way for lighter weight/lower axle load.

Roger Lewis (airbrakegeezer)

Australian

The lightweight fabricated bogie used by GE was designed by its Australian licensee, United Group Rail

http://www.ugllimited.com/templates/pdf/20101101%20ASX-Media%20Release_Rail%20contracts.pdf

The Egyptian, Chinese, and CIS orders all used Australian designed, and in some cases fabricated, bogies.

There is a track weight limit on the Australian open access interstate network of 132 tonnes for a C-C locomotive. This can be increased to 134 tones for AC traction if the bogie has a degree of flexibility. In standard gauge, using GEB30 traction motors, the Australian fabricated bogie is 7 tonnes lighter than the standard GE Adirondack cast unit with GEB 13 motors

For further photos of the units in South Africa
http://sarconnecta.blogspot.com/2011/01/43-001-28th-january-2011.html
Refer 3 February 2011 entry
http://sa-railnews.blogspot.com/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/11 04:27 by jmt.

jmt Wrote:
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the Australian fabricated bogie
> is 7 tonnes lighter than the standard GE
> Adirondack cast unit with GEB 13 motors
>
I don't mean to split hairs, but Adirondack Foundries, Inc. (aka Adirondack Steel Castings) went out of business in July 1987.

GE also obtained truck castings from General Steel Castings. Curious about GSC as it was originally owned by Baldwin, Alco and American Steel Foundries. Decline in business for large steel castings and a strike caused the company to cease the casting and St. Louis Car Division operations in December 1972.

GE then began to acquire their truck (bogie) castings from Dofasco (Dominion Foundry and Steel Company) of Canada. But a downturn in business seems to have forced Dofasco to scale down operations and large steel castings took a hit sometime in the mid-90s.

GE also received castings from Atchison Castings Corp. (the former Rockwell Division and known formerly as LFM or Locomotive Finishing Materials-A big EMD supplier). Atchison went belly up and filed for bankruptcy in September 2003.

GE has recently been getting the castings from South Africa but the company name escapes me. Maybe someone else can fill in the blank.

Thanks for the other information.

Daniel



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/11 16:07 by 251F.

Scaw's Germiston foundry produced the bogies for the 50 39.200 Class assembled in Pretoria by EMD

http://www.scaw.co.za/scaw-sa/products.aspx

jmt Wrote:
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> Scaw's Germiston foundry produced the bogies for
> the 50 39.200 Class assembled in Pretoria by EMD
>
> http://www.scaw.co.za/scaw-sa/products.aspx

Yes, that's the company-Thanks!

Their logo shown on this website now graces the GE truck castings along with Made in RSA.

Daniel

jackpot Wrote:
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> Hate to say it, but even uglier than the EMD's
> built for Freightliner UK. The bar just keeps
> being lowered and lowered. . .

I think you mean the Class 70s which are another product of GE