Between 1936 and 1964 twenty-four Class ES electric shunting locomotives, based on the Class 1E mainline electric locomotive, were placed in service by the South African Railways. The first two, numbered E500 and E501 (Series 1), were built in the Pietermaritzburg shops in 1936. Series 2 in 1937 and Series 3 in 1951 were built by the Nederlandsche Fabriek van Werktuigen en Spoorwegmaterieel and were numbered in the ranges E503 to E512 and E515 to E524 respectively. In 1964 the last two, numbers E525 and E526 (Series 4), were rebuilt from Class 1E locomotives. In 1952 and 1957 four more were built new for Driefontein Consolidated Gold Mine.
E526 was rebuilt from Class 1E, Series 5 E146 and commissioned in 1964.
See also the Wikipedia article on the South African Class ES. |