#4520
South African Class 7E3, Series 1
🇿🇦 South Africa ·built by DCD Group (Pty) Ltd· from 1983· class of 60 South African electric locomotives
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10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Class 7E3 Series 1 E7216: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. SAR Class 7E3 Series 1 E7223 (2): Pechristener· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. SAR Class 7E3 Series 1 E7229: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. SAR Class 7E3 Series 1 E7238: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 5. Class 7E3 E7220: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 6. Class 7E3 Series 1 E7221: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 7. Class 7E3 E7222: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 8. SAR Class 7E3 Series 1 E7223: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 9. Class 7E3 E7224: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 10. Class 7E3 Series 1 E7224: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The South African Railways Class 7E3, Series 1 of 1983 is an electric locomotive. Between 1983 and 1984, the South African Railways placed sixty Class 7E3, Series 1 electric locomotives with a Co-Co wheel arrangement in mainline service. Beginning in 2001, sixteen of these dual cab locomotives were rebuilt to single cab locomotives and reclassified to Class 7E4.
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 43 years ago, in 1983.
- 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
- 1983–1984
- in service from
- 1983
- number built
- 60
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- builders
- DCD Group (Pty) Ltd
- 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
- 124 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7565584, Wikipedia: South African Class 7E3, Series 1 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.