#4224
South African Class 34-600
🇿🇦 South Africa ·built by General Motors South Africa· from 1974· class of South African diesel-electric locomotives
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. SAR Class 34-600 34-612: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. Class 34-600 34-601: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. Class 34-600 34-650: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. Class 34-600 34-694: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 5. Class 34-600 no. 34-660: User:Peter Bagshawe· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 6. SAR Class 34-600 84-652: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 7. TFR Class 34-600 34-610: User:Railfan· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 8. SAR Class 34-600 34-613: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 9. SAR Class 34-600 34-614: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 10. SAR Class 34-600 34-615: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The South African Railways Class 34-600 of 1974 is a diesel-electric locomotive. Between December 1974 and July 1976, the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-600 General Motors Electro-Motive Division type GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in 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 52 years ago, in 1974.
- Weighs about as much as 19 African elephants (~6 t each).
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 1974–1976
- in service from
- 1974
- number built
- 100
- kind
- Diesel-electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- builders
- General Motors South Africa
- designer
- General Motors Electro-Motive Division
- operators
- Transnet Freight Rail, South African Railways and Harbours Administration
- top speed
- 100 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- wheel arrangement
- Co'Co'
- weight
- 113 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7565512, Wikipedia: South African Class 34-600 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.