{{Short description|Type of electric locomotive}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}} {{Use South African English|date=October 2013}} {{Infobox locomotive | name = South African Class 14E1 | image = SAR Class 14E Series 2 14-107.JPG | alt = | caption = No. 14-107 at [[Beaufort West]] on 1 May 2006 | hatnote = | powertype = Electric | designer = 50 <sup>c</sup>/s Group | builder = [[Union Carriage & Wagon]] | ordernumber = | serialnumber = | buildmodel = SLM 14E1 | builddate = 1993-1994 | totalproduction = 10 | rebuilder = | rebuilddate = | numberrebuilt = | aarwheels = [[AAR wheel arrangement#B-B|B-B]] | uicclass = [[Bo'Bo']] | Britishclass = [[Bo-Bo]] | gauge = {{Track gauge|Cape|allk=on}} | bogies = | leadingdiameter = | wheeldiameter = {{convert|1250|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} new<br>{{convert|1170|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} worn | trailingdiameter = | minimumcurve = {{convert|85|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} radius | wheelbase = {{convert|12400|mm|ftin|1|abbr=on}} | bogie = {{convert|3100|mm|ftin|1|abbr=on}} | pivotcentres = {{convert|9300|mm|ftin|1|abbr=on}} | pantoshoecentres = {{convert|8800|mm|ftin|1|abbr=on}} | wheelspacing = | length = | over couplers = {{convert|18500|mm|ftin|1|abbr=on}} | over bufferbeams = | body = {{convert|17400|mm|ftin|1|abbr=on}} | width = {{convert|2973|mm|ftin|1|abbr=on}} | height = | pantodown = {{convert|4120|mm|ftin|1|abbr=on}} | bodyonly = {{convert|4047|mm|ftin|1|abbr=on}} | frametype = | axleload = {{convert|23125|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | leadingbogie/pony= | weightondrivers = {{convert|92500|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | trail bogie/pony = | locoweight = {{convert|92500|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | sandcap = | electricsystem = Dual 3 [[Volt|kV]] [[Direct current|DC]] & [[25 kV AC]] 50 [[Hertz|Hz]] [[Overhead line|catenary]] | collectionmethod = [[Pantograph (transport)|Pantographs]] | alternator = | generator = | tractionmotors = Four Siemens ITB2 820-OGA03 | t/m amps 1 hr = | t/m amps cont = {{convert|1020|kW|hp|abbr=on}} | headendpower = | transmission = | gear ratio = 18:67 | multipleworking = | trainheating = | locobrakes = [[Railway air brake|Air]], [[Regenerative brake|Regenerative]] on 3 kV DC & [[Dynamic braking#Rheostatic braking|Rheostatic]] on 25 kV AC | trainbrakes = [[Railway air brake|Air]] | reservoircap = | compressorcap = | exhaustercap = | safety = | coupling = [[Janney coupler|AAR knuckle]] | maxspeed = {{convert|140|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} | poweroutput = | poweroutput start= | poweroutput 1 hr = | poweroutput cont = {{convert|4080|kW|hp|abbr=on}} | tractiveeffort = | t/e starting = {{convert|369|kN|lbf|abbr=on}} | t/e 1 hr = {{convert|110|kN|lbf|abbr=on}} @ {{convert|130|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} | t/e continuous = {{convert|245|kN|lbf|abbr=on}} @ {{convert|58.6|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} | factorofadhesion = | f/adh starting = | f/adh 1 hr = | f/adh continuous = | locobrakeforce = {{convert|172|kN|lbf|abbr=on}} @ {{convert|12|to|60.5|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} | operator = Spoornet<br>[[Transnet Freight Rail]] | operatorclass = Class 14E1 | numinclass = 10 | fleetnumbers = 14-101 to 14-110 | officialname = | nicknames = | axleloadclass = | locale = | deliverydate = 1994 | firstrundate = 1994 | lastrundate = | withdrawndate = 2015 | preservedunits = | restoredate = | scrapdate = | currentowner = | disposition = | notes = }}

The '''Spoornet Class 14E1''' of 1994 was a South African [[electric locomotive]].

In December 1994 Spoornet took delivery of the last of ten locally manufactured Class 14E1 dual voltage electric mainline locomotives with a Bo-Bo wheel arrangement. They had been preceded in 1991 by three prototype [[South African Class 14E|Class 14E]] locomotives.<ref name="E&D diagram-book">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</ref>

==Manufacturer== The dual voltage 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC Class 14E1 electric locomotive was designed by Consortium 14E consisting of [[Siemens Mobility|Siemens]], [[ABB Group|ABB]], [[AEG (German company)|AEG-Westinghouse]], [[General Electric Company]] and [[Alstom|Alsthom-Atlantique]], headed by Siemens. They were built for Spoornet by [[Union Carriage & Wagon]] (UCW) in Nigel, Transvaal, under licence to [[Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works]] (SLM) in [[Winterthur]]. Ten locomotives were delivered and placed in service by December 1994, numbered in the range from {{nowrap|14-101}} to {{nowrap|14-110}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=UCW – Electric locomotives|url=http://www.ucw.co.za/pdf/electric_loco.pdf |publisher=The UCW Partnership|access-date=30 September 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071012023401/http://www.ucw.co.za/pdf/electric_loco.pdf |archive-date = 12 October 2007}}</ref><ref name="Middleton">{{Middleton-SA Loco Guide|pages=49-52, 60}}</ref>

[[File:Consortium 14E (14-101).JPG|thumb|left|240px|Builders' plates]] The original order had been placed for fifty locomotives. The first units to be delivered were subjected to intensive trial runs on speed-freight trains in [[KwaZulu-Natal]] and the [[Free State (province)|Free State]], during which it was found not to be a suitable locomotive for the infrastructure on lines rated at {{convert|20|t|lt|abbr=off}} per axle. It caused some damage to points when travelling at {{convert|80|km/h|mph|0|abbr=off}} in the Free State. When one of the units developed a vibration in the gear box, the order for fifty locomotives was summarily reduced to ten only given the unsatisfactory trial results to date.<ref>Information supplied by Mr. Brian Clark, Krugersdorp</ref>

==Characteristics== These dual cab locomotives had a roof access ladder on one side only, just to the right of the cab access door. The roof access ladder end was designated the no. 1 end. The cabs were connected by a corridor along the centre of the locomotive.<ref name="E&D diagram-book"/>

[[File:Class 14E1 14-105 wheelset.JPG|thumb|left|x120px|Class 14E1 spoked wheelset with helical gear]] With the exception of the [[South African Class 9E, Series 1|Class 9E]], all previous South African electric locomotives ran on spoked wheels and used [[spur gear]]s. The Swiss-built Class 14E ran on solid wheels and used [[Gear#Double helical|double helical]] or [[herringbone gear]]s with a traction motor to wheel gear ratio of 20:103, while the locally built Class 14E1 was delivered with the traditional spoked wheels but with [[Gear#Helical|helical gears]] and a traction motor to wheel gear ratio of 18:67.<ref name="Duplessis">[https://www.facebook.com/groups/1827816830864549/?multi_permalinks=1831291053850460&comment_id=1832551667057732&notif_t=like&notif_id=1506029040473755 Comments by Jaco Holtzhausen (Blue train driver) & Philmar du Plessis (TFR Electrical engineer)] (Accessed on 22 September 2017)</ref>

Unlike the later dual voltage [[South African Class 19E|Classes 19E]], [[South African Class 20E|20E]] and [[South African Class 21E|21E]] which were equipped to automatically transition between AC and DC mode on the run, the Class 14E1 had to be stopped and then restarted under the different voltage. Along with the earlier [[South African Class 14E|Class 14E]], these electric locomotives were some of the most powerful at the time. They were equipped with three-phase AC motors (induction motors) made by Siemens and also incorporated Siemens' sophisticated train communication network system.<ref name="Class 14E1">Class 14E1 – Principal Dimensions and Technical Data (TFR leaflet used in driver training, c. 2010)</ref>

==Service== By 2006, Class 14E1 locomotives were all shedded at Bellville Loco in [[Cape Town]]. In freight service they were employed on the route between [[Cape Town]] and [[Beaufort West]] in the [[Western Cape]]. Since they are dual voltage 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC locomotives, they can work on any electrified line country-wide with the exception of the 50 kV AC Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line.<ref name="Middleton"/>

In 1998 a number of Spoornet's electric locomotives and most of their [[South African Class 38-000|Class 38-000]] electro-diesel locomotives were sold to Maquarie-GETX (General Electric Financing) and leased back to Spoornet for a ten-year period which was to expire in 2008. Of the Class 14E1, numbers {{nowrap|14-101}} to {{nowrap|14-106}} were also included in this leasing deal.<ref name="Middleton"/>

Beginning c. 2005, selected Class 14E1 locomotives were employed to haul the [[Blue Train (South Africa)|Blue Train]] all the way along the [[Cape Town]]-[[Pretoria]] route across the 25 kV AC stretch between [[Beaufort West]] and [[Kimberley, Northern Cape|Kimberley]]. By 2012 they often ran country-wide when hauling the Blue Train. Being fast and giving a comfortable ride in an air conditioned cab, the Class 14E1 became popular with drivers.

From July 2012, possibly as a result of popular demand, eight of the Class 14E1 locomotives were repainted in a special blue Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) livery to match the Blue Train livery. After two incidents shortly thereafter, in 2013 with Class 14E1 no. {{nowrap|14-104}} and in 2014 with Class 14E no. {{nowrap|14-001}} when the locomotives caught fire and were destroyed while working the Blue Train, the Class was replaced by a pair of blue-liveried Class 18E locomotives on Blue Train service.

==Serial numbers== UCW did not allocate works numbers to the locomotives they built for Spoornet. On the Class 14E1, the [[transformer]] serial numbers are engraved in the top right corner of a large plate which depicts the circuit diagram of the transformer, mounted below the sill and halfway between the bogies on the roof access ladder side of the locomotive. These serial numbers do not follow the locomotive unit number sequence. Their transformer numbers, last livery and disposal are listed in the table.<ref>The serial numbers were visually and photographically confirmed on individual locomotives by the contributor during 2009 and 2010, except no. {{nowrap|14-102}} which had been destroyed in 2005.</ref> {| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed sortable" style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:100%;" |+'''Class 14E1 transformer numbers & disposal''' |- !Loco<br>no. !Transformer<br>no. !Final livery and disposal |- |14-101 |16876-1- 9/1994 |Blue, found staged at Bellville Loco on 4 July 2017. |- |14-102 |16876-1- 4/1994 |Orange, wrecked at [[Deelfontein]] on 26 October 2005, shell sold 13 April 2010 at [[De Aar]]. |- |14-103 |16876-1- 7/1994 |Blue, found staged at Bellville Loco on 4 July 2017. |- |14-104 |16876-1-10/1994 |Blue, burnt near Kimberley in late 2012, sold on 18 September 2014 at Bellville. |- |14-105 |16876-1- 2/1993 |Orange, staged and stripped for parts for several years, sold on 15 July 2015 at Bellville. |- |14-106 |16876-1- 6/1994 |Blue, found staged at Bellville Loco on 4 July 2017. |- |14-107 |16876-1-11/1994 |Blue, found staged at Bellville Loco on 4 July 2017. |- |14-108 |16876-1- 3/1994 |Blue, found staged at Bellville Loco on 4 July 2017. |- |14-109 |16876-1- 8/1994 |Blue, found staged at Bellville Loco on 4 July 2017. |- |14-110 |16876-1- 5/1994 |Blue, reserved for preservation, moved to Bloemfontein Loco for museum. |- |}

==Illustration== <gallery mode=packed heights="220px"> File:SAR Class 14E Series 2 14-101.JPG|Numbers {{nowrap|14-101}} and {{nowrap|14-103}} at [[Beaufort West]], [[Western Cape]] on 2 August 2007 File:Class 14E1 no. 14-108.jpg|No. {{nowrap|14-108}} in Blue Train livery at Bellville Locomotive Depot, Cape Town, 4 July 2015 </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category-inline|South African Class 14E1}}

{{Locomotives of South Africa}}

[[Category:Bo-Bo locomotives]] [[Category:Cape gauge railway locomotives]] [[Category:Electric locomotives of South Africa|3150]] [[Category:Multi-system locomotives]] [[Category:Railway locomotives introduced in 1994]] [[Category:SLM locomotives]] [[Category:Union Carriage & Wagon locomotives]] [[Category:1994 in South Africa]]