#4101
South African Class 6E1, Series 2
🇿🇦 South Africa ·built by Union Carriage & Wagon· from 1971· class of 50 South African electric locomotives
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10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. SAR Class 6E1 Series 2 E1252: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. Class 6E1 Series 2 E1267: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. Class 6E1 Series 2 E1272 (16-100A): User:John Middleton· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. SAR Class 6E1 Series 2 E1289: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 5. SAR Class 6E1 Series 2 E1253: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 6. SAR Class 6E1 Series 2 E1257: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 7. SAR Class 6E1 Series 2 E1258: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 8. SAR Class 6E1 Series 2 E1260: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 9. SAR Class 6E1 Series 2 E1262: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 10. Class 6E1 Series 2 E1264: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 2 of 1971 was an electric locomotive. In 1971, the South African Railways placed fifty Class 6E1, Series 2 electric locomotives with a Bo-Bo wheel arrangement in mainline service. Series 2 was the first of the Class 6E1s to have their sandbox lids set into the bottom edge of the locomotive body sides.
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 55 years ago, in 1971.
- Weighs about as much as 15 African elephants (~6 t each).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1971
- in service from
- 1971
- number built
- 50
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- builders
- Union Carriage & Wagon
- designer
- Union Carriage & Wagon
- operators
- Transnet Freight Rail, South African Railways and Harbours Administration
- top speed
- 113 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- electric system
- 3 kV DC catenary
- wheel arrangement
- Bo'Bo'
- weight
- 88.9 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7565555, Wikipedia: South African Class 6E1, Series 2 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.