#4384
South African Class 7E1
🇯🇵 Japan ·built by DCD Group (Pty) Ltd· from 1979· class of 50 South African electric locomotives
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. SAR Class 7E1 E7111: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. Class 7E1 E7108: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. Class 7E1 E7138: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. SAR Class 7E1 E7133 ID: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 5. SAR Class 7E1 E7137: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 6. SAR Class 7E1 E7145: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 7. Class 7E1 E7106: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 8. SAR Class 7E1 E7122: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 9. SAR Class 7E1 E7124: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 10. SAR Class 7E1 E7126: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The South African Railways Class 7E1 of 1980 is an electric locomotive. In 1980 and 1981, the South African Railways placed fifty Class 7E1 electric locomotives with a Co-Co wheel arrangement in mainline service.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 47 years ago, in 1979.
- Weighs about as much as 21 African elephants (~6 t each).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1979–1981
- in service from
- 1980
- number built
- 50
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- builders
- DCD Group (Pty) Ltd, Hitachi
- designer
- Hitachi
- operators
- Transnet Freight Rail, South African Railways and Harbours Administration
- top speed
- 100 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- electric system
- 25 kV AC 50 Hz catenary
- wheel arrangement
- Co′Co′
- weight
- 126 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7565580, Wikipedia: South African Class 7E1 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.