In June and July 1966, the South African Railways placed ten Class 32-200 General Electric type U20C1 diesel-electric locomotives with a 1Co+Co1 wheel arrangement in service in South West Africa.[1][page needed]
Manufacturer
The Class 32-200 type GE U20C1 diesel-electric locomotive was designed and built to South African Railways (SAR) requirements by General Electric (GE) and imported. The ten locomotives were numbered in the range from 32-201 to 32-210.[1][page needed]
Class 32 series
The Class 32 consisted of two series, the high short hood Class 32-000 and the low short hood Class 32-200, both GE products and both with a 1Co+Co1 wheel arrangement. Both had single station controls.[1][page needed]
1Co bogie
Both versions ran on the same 1Co' bogies, three-axle Co' bogies with additional integral single axle pony trucks which was designed and produced by General Steel Castings. The fourth axle reduced the maximum axle loading sufficiently to enable these relatively heavy locomotives to operate on the very light rail which was used throughout South West Africa at the time.[2][page needed]
The Class 32-200 was a more powerful low short hood version of the earlier Class 32-000 and was essentially a Class 33-000 locomotive on the bogies of the Class 32-000. This reduced its maximum axle load from the 15,749 kilograms (34,721 pounds) of the Class 33-000 to 12,700 kilograms (27,999 pounds). Apart from the bogies which necessitated a smaller fuel tank, its physical dimensions and exterior appearance were identical to that of the Class 33-000 and it used the same V12 prime mover.[1][page needed]
Service
South African Railways
While it was acquired specifically for service on light rail in South West Africa, the Class 32-200s also ended up being employed in South Africa at times. From 1972 to 1974, between the withdrawal of the Class GO 4-8-2+2-8-4 Garratt locomotives and the arrival of the Class 35-000 diesel-electrics on the line between Amabele and Umtata in Transkei, some of them performed temporary service on that line.[3]
Post-SAR service
All ten locomotives survived and most were still in service by 2014.[4][5]
Numbers 32-201 and 32-203 are with Sheltam, renumbered 2012 and 2013, and have been working in Welkom.
The class 32-000 were delivered in the new Gulf Red livery with yellow side-stripes on the long hood and a yellow V on each end. They wore this livery throughout their SAR service life.[6]
Works numbers
The Class 32-200 builder's works numbers and disposition are listed in the table.[4][5]
Class 32-200, type GE U20C1
SAR no.
GE works no.
Post-SAR owner
Post-SAR no.
32-201
35842
Sheltam
2012
32-202
35843
PPC
32-203
35844
Sheltam
2013
32-204
35845
New Clydesdale
32-205
35846
TransNamib
205
32-206
35847
TransNamib
206
32-207
35848
TransNamib
207
32-208
35849
TransNamib
208
32-209
35850
Sudan Railways
32-210
35851
Sudan Railways
Illustration
TransNamib's no. 205 at Windhoek station, Namibia, 26 June 2010
^ abcdSouth African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610mm and 1065mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20 (amended ed.). 28 January 1975.
^Steinbrenner, Richard T. (2003). The American Locomotive Company: A Centennial Remembrance. Warren, NJ: On Track Publishers, LLC. ISBN0911122-07-9.
^Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 138–139. ISBN0869772112.
^ abMiddleton, John N. (2002). Railways of Southern Africa Locomotive Guide - 2002 (as amended by Combined Amendment List 4, January 2009) (2nd, Dec 2002 ed.). Herts, England: Beyer-Garratt Publications. pp. 38, 45, 47, 66.
