Class 1Es, Umzinto Natal, 1974

[Steve Appleton]

Posted for the photographer, Dennis Mitchell:

Umzinto was a junction and terminus for the 3'6" branch from Kelso, on the Durban - Port Shepstone main line, and a 2' gauge line ran from here to Donnybrook with a branch from Ixopo to Madelena. "Cry The Beloved Country" featured this line.
Here, three of the ancient class 1E electrics leave Umzinto with a freight for Durban. These old electrics of about 1200 H.P. were built between 1925 to about 1942, when the more modern electrics started to come on line. By the late 1980s, the South African Railways had a fleet of over 2,300 electrics of 3 kV DC, 11 kV AC, 25 kV AC and 50 kV AC. One of the numerous 6E1 (800 odd) set a speed record for 3'6" gauge trains of 245 km/h in 1979 and then bettered it in 1980 with a speed of 280 km/h -- a speed record for southern hemisphere trains, regardless of gauge.
In the background is an NGG 16 class Garratt , ex-workshops at Pietermaritzburg on a 3'6" gauge low-loader. The cab is dismantled for clearance purposes. These mighty 2' gauge locos were more powerful than everything that Queensland Rlwys ran except their 1000 class Garratts. The last NGG 16s were built in 1968 and they monopolised traffic on this line.

[Stefan Andrzejewski]

Its a pity that one of the 1E's and 4E's are still not kept as a running museum piece

[Morne Bothma]

Nice pic Steve, yes it is indeed a pity that none of these old electrics have been kept in running condition for the history of it. Unfortunaltely these locos were a bit before my time, I would have liked to know how they sounded!

[Derek Walker]

I seem to recall them making an odd rattling noise, kind of like something was always loose on them.

[carldasnevesvieira]

What a great photo!!

I remember seeing some 1Es (1Es) down in JHB station when they were used for shunting.
When I moved down to Durban I went to see in Umbilo yards the last two which were 151 and 155 together with the last ES 526 and the first 5E(i) 591 built in SA.

The 1Es were in a derelict state but it was sad to see them as they were. THF only bothered to preserve one --the first of its class and 23 is in UCW and 25 in Ladysmith.

It would be nice to see them back again. I do have them in a DVD which I bought not for the steam in it but for these locos which introduced electric power in a time when my late mother was not even born.
It just shows how the world was better developed than it is today and South Africa was the first in many cases --from the first 4-8-2 loco by NGR in the world to CSAR dining cars with smokers and non smokers sections to NGR family compartments as well as coaches for disabled and CSAR coaches with showers not to forget the first hospital train in the world was used in SA during Boer War.

History will always be kind to the Railways of South Africa and give its due value.