#4349
South African Class 34-800
🇿🇦 South Africa ·built by General Motors South Africa· from 1978· class of 58+1 South African diesel-electric locomotives
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. SAR Class 34-800 34-849: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. Class 34-800 34-847: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. SAR Class 34-800 34-810: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. SAR Class 34-800 34-819: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 5. SAR Class 34-800 34-839 Right: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 6. Class 34-800 34-805: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 7. SAR Class 34-800 34-806: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 8. SAR Class 34-800 34-808: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 9. SAR Class 34-800 34-811: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 10. SAR Class 34-800 34-813: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The South African Railways Class 34-800 of 1978 is a diesel-electric locomotive. Between August 1978 and December 1979, the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-800 General Motors Electro-Motive Division type GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service. In 1979 one more of the same type was placed in service by Iscor in Newcastle and between April and July 1980 a further eight of these locomotives were delivered to the South African Railways.
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 48 years ago, in 1978.
- 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
- 1978–1980
- in service from
- 1978
- number built
- 59
- kind
- Diesel-electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- builders
- General Motors South Africa
- designer
- General Motors Electro-Motive Division
- operators
- Transnet Freight Rail, Mittal Steel South Africa, 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 Q7565513, Wikipedia: South African Class 34-800 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.