#2867
South African Class 3E
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns· from 1947· class of 28 South African Co′Co′ electric locomotives
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Class 3E no. E201 e: Christo Kleingeld· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. Class 3E E201: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. Class 3E E215 ID: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. Class 3E E 201: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 5. Class 3E c: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
- 6. Class 3E no. E192: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
- 7. Class 3E no. E201 a: Christo Kleingeld· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 8. Class 3E no. E201 b: Christo Kleingeld· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 9. Class 3E no. E201 c: Christo Kleingeld· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 10. Class 3E no. E201 d: Christo Kleingeld· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The South African Railways Class 3E of 1947 was an electric locomotive. In 1947 and 1948, the South African Railways placed twenty-eight Class 3E 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 79 years ago, in 1947.
- Weighs about as much as 19 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Served for 33 years (1947–1980).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1947
- in service from
- 1947
- retired
- 1980
- status
- retired
- number built
- 28
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns, Metropolitan-Vickers
- designer
- Metropolitan-Vickers
- operators
- Transnet Freight Rail, South African Railways and Harbours Administration
- top speed
- 105 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- electric system
- 3 kV DC catenary
- wheel arrangement
- Co′Co′
- weight
- 114 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7565528, Wikipedia: South African Class 3E (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.