All South African electric locomotives up to and including the Class 7E's were bidirectional. That came to an end with the arrival of the Class 7E1's, with a cab at one end only.
The Class 11E's are 25 kV locomotives that entered service in 1985, and are used exclusively on the Richards Bay COALink route.
The Class 7E1's were designed by Hitachi and built by Dorbyl. The lead unit of this threesome, ready to set off to Mpumalanga with empty coal wagons, is still in its original SAR livery.
Displaying the difference between their left and right sides, Class 7E3's E7285 and E7293 await the arrival of their new crew.
Vryheid's yard shunters are idle. For the moment, that is...
Basking in the late afternoon sun in Vryheid yard.
The big boys of the Richards Bay coal line. Four dusty Class 11E's are ready to depart further inland with about 200 empty coal wagons.
Still sporting its original SAR paint. Unlike most South African electric locomotives, the Class 7E1 has a cab at one end only. Also, the left and right sides are different in appearance.
