#5765
South African Class 21E
🇿🇦 South Africa ·built by Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co.· from 2014· South African steam locomotive
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Class 21E 21-004: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. Class 21E 21-010: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. Class 21E 21-003: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. Class 21E 21-033: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 5. Class 21E 21-040: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 6. Class 21E: SAR Connecta· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 7. TFR Class 21E no. 21-001: User:Anymouse 21E· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 8. TFR Class 21E no. 21-002: User:Anymouse 21E· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 9. Class 21E 21-091: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 10. Class 21E 21-095: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The Transnet Freight Rail Class 21E of 2014 is a South African electric locomotive. On 16 September 2014, the first of the Class 21E dual voltage electric locomotives for Transnet Freight Rail was rolled out at the CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Company in China. Two of these locomotives were built in China with another 38 to follow, while the rest were built in South Africa.
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 12 years ago, in 2014.
- 3 MW is about 35 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.
spec sheet
- built
- 2014–2015
- in service from
- 2014
- number built
- 100
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- steam
- origin
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- builders
- Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co.
- designer
- Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co.
- operators
- Transnet Freight Rail
- top speed
- 100 km/h
- power
- 3 MW
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- electric system
- Dual 3 kV DC & 25 kV AC/50 Hz catenary
- wheel arrangement
- Bo'Bo'
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q18666279, Wikipedia: South African Class 21E (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.