#4450
South African Class 6E1, Series 9
🇿🇦 South Africa ·built by Union Carriage & Wagon· from 1981· class of 85 South African electric locomotives
4 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. SAR Class 6E1 Series 9 E2034: User:Greg Hart· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. SAR Class 6E1 Series 9 E2007: Hennie Heymans· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. SAR Class 6E1 Series 9 E2030: User:Greg Hart· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. SAR Class 6E1 Series 9 E2057: User:Greg Hart· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 9 of 1981 was an electric locomotive. In 1981 and 1982, the South African Railways placed eighty-five Class 6E1, Series 9 electric locomotives with a Bo-Bo 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 45 years ago, in 1981.
- Weighs about as much as 15 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Served for 26 years (1981–2007).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1981–1982
- in service from
- 1981
- retired
- 2007
- status
- retired
- number built
- 85
- 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
- 89.8 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7565562, Wikipedia: South African Class 6E1, Series 9 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.