In 1994 Spoornet took delivery of ten Class 14E1 dual voltage 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC electric main line locomotives, numbered in the range from 14-101 to 14-110. Designed by Consortium, consisting of Siemens, ABB, AEG-Westinghouse, GEC and Alsthom-Atlantique, they were built by Union Carriage and Wagon in Nigel, Transvaal, under licence to Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works. The original order was for fifty locomotives, but it was reduced to ten after some unsatisfactory trial results.
A few weeks after 14-104 was repainted in blue for Blue Train service, tragedy struck and she burnt.
See also the Wikipedia article on the South African Class 14E1. |