In 1955 and 1956 the South African Railways placed sixty Class 5E, Series 1 electric locomotives with a Bo-Bo wheel arrangement in main line service, numbered in the range from E259 to E318. It was designed by English Electric, who built the first forty-eight locomotives while the building of the last twelve was subcontracted to Vulcan Foundry. The Class 5E was the prototype of what eventually became the most prolific locomotive type in South Africa, being succeeded by the Class 5E1, Class 6E and Class 6E1. The type is still surviving in the rebuilt Class 18E.
See also the Wikipedia article on the South African Class 5E, Series 1. |