Gautrain South Africa Class 301 Electrostar multiple units.

[stadler]

Does anyone have the full unit numbers and carriage numbers of the Gautrain Class 301 Electrostar trains on the South African rail network?

There are 24 units and there appears to be two different subclasses:

• 19x 4car 301s for Commuter services. These have our class 376 seats in 3+2 configuration.

• 5x 4car 301s for Airport services. These have our class 375/377 seats in 2+2 configuration.

The trains actually look so similar to our Electrostar units. The interiors are mostly the same. Even down to the same PIS screens and the same guard panels (even though they run DOO there) and the same seats and door buttons and everything.

I am searching through photos of them online but i am struggling to find what the South African numbers of the units and carriages are as they do not seem to be visible on the exteriors?

Secondly is Class 301 an actual official TOPS classification registered in the British system or is this an unofficial classification that Bombardier gave them? On the data panels at the ends of each coach it says "Class 301" on it. I also have an old railway magazine from when they were built where a Bombardier spokesperson calls them "Class 301" trains. Perhaps they had to be given a TOPS classification to get used on the UK test track?

Also does anyone remember how they got to the port to get on the South African ship? Did they get hauled by rail to one of our ports? If so are there any photos of them being hauled there by rail? Or did they get sent by lorry?

 

[jamesontheroad]

I am searching through photos of them online but i am struggling to find what the South African numbers of the units and carriages are as they do not seem to be visible on the exteriors?

The unit numbers are low down, on the sides of the leading carriages.

Secondly is Class 301 an actual official TOPS classification registered in the British system or is this an unofficial classification that Bombardier gave them? On the data panels at the ends of each coach it says "Class 301" on it. I also have an old railway magazine from when they were built where a Bombardier spokesperson calls them "Class 301" trains. Perhaps they had to be given a TOPS classification to get used on the UK test track?

I don't know about TOPS - but they are class 301 in South Africa.

Also does anyone remember how they got to the port to get on the South African ship? Did they get hauled by rail to one of our ports? If so are there any photos of them being hauled there by rail? Or did they get sent by lorry?

According to this archived web page, the first 15 were assembled in Derby, shipped by sea to South Africa and then by road to the depot in Gauteng. There are some nice old photos inside of Litchurch Lane on the page too...

 

[stadler]

The unit numbers are low down, on the sides of the leading carriages.

View attachment 189852




I don't know about TOPS - but they are class 301 in South Africa.



According to this archived web page, the first 15 were assembled in Derby, shipped by sea to South Africa and then by road to the depot in Gauteng. There are some nice old photos inside of Litchurch Lane on the page too...

Thank you. I never noticed the unit number there before. Although i am looking at other photos now and oddly some do not seem to have any unit numbers on display anywhere. Some have unit numbers on the side where you posted. Some have unit numbers in very small font on the front at the bottom of the coupler area. I am guessing they have moved the placement over time.

Also now that i have found unit numbers i am even more confused. I have found photos showing exterior unit numbers in the "301 001" and "301 101" and "301 501" series. But i thought there were only two different subclasses. I have also found interior photos where you can see carriages numbered in the "10 001" and "11 001" and "30 001" and "31 001" series. But it is not clear which carriages are which.

Lasty i stumbled across a photo that appears to be taken in the depot when they were brand new that shows a suburban carriage coupled to an airport carriage. The carriage that the photo was taken in has 376 seats and in the following carriage you can see 375/377 seats. It seems odd that they would mix up the carriages of units.

Thank you for the archive link. A shame they never got delivered by rail to the British export port.

Does anyone know if these Gautrain units are built to the same loading gauge as our British based units? Or have they used a wider South African loading gauge?

 

[jamesontheroad]

Does anyone know if these Gautrain units are built to the same loading gauge as our British based units? Or have they used a wider South African loading gauge?

The Gautrain run on standard gauge 1,435mm tracks and the carriages are built to the UK loading gauge (because they are basically identical in profile to the rest of the Electrostar family).

Almost all of the rest of the South African network is Cape Gauge 1,067mm. Adopting the UK gauge for the Gautrain was likely a deliberate political decision to ensure that the Metrorail and Gautrain networks and rolling stock remained permanently separate, and to ensure that passengers felt this distinction.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

The official reason for adopting standard gauge was to allow 160 km/h running.

The platforms are level with the Electrostar train floor.

File:Gautrain..., O R Tambo Intl Airport South Africa.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

(Photo shows a Gautrain train at O R Tambo International Airport station.)

 

[pdeaves]

Does anyone know if these Gautrain units are built to the same loading gauge as our British based units? Or have they used a wider South African loading gauge?

as jamesontheroad says, they are essentially UK Electrostars. It is possible that the longer cabs may have caused issues if being hauled on our network but I suspect no one bothered with the various checks in the first place.

 

[SeanG]

Why were these cab designs used rather than 357 or 377 style cabs - surely that would have been easier or cheaper?

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Gautrain wanted to impress passengers with a "high speed" train. It is positioned as a premium service for middle class passengers who would regard the narrow gauge commuter trains as too spartan (they have hard plastic bench seats, so bog standard Electrostar seats count as luxury) as well as dangerous. Gautrain trains have security guards on board to deter crime, and eating and drinking are forbidden.

 

[pdeaves]

Why were these cab designs used rather than 357 or 377 style cabs - surely that would have been easier or cheaper?

The manufacturer will provide what the customer wants.

 

[sad1e]

Secondly is Class 301 an actual official TOPS classification registered in the British system or is this an unofficial classification that Bombardier gave them? On the data panels at the ends of each coach it says "Class 301" on it. I also have an old railway magazine from when they were built where a Bombardier spokesperson calls them "Class 301" trains. Perhaps they had to be given a TOPS classification to get used on the UK test track?

Also does anyone remember how they got to the port to get on the South African ship? Did they get hauled by rail to one of our ports? If so are there any photos of them being hauled there by rail? Or did they get sent by lorry?

I do find it quite strange that they seem to have UK tops unit numbers and use the 301xxx series, a series that was never used by any UK EMU making them what looks like deliberately not overlap with any UK EMU.

Does South Africa use a variant of TOPS for it's train classification ?

 

[AdamWW]

The manufacturer will provide what the customer wants.

And is prepared to pay for.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

I do find it quite strange that they seem to have UK tops unit numbers and use the 301xxx series, a series that was never used by any UK EMU making them what looks like deliberately not overlap with any UK EMU.

Perhaps Derby used TOPS numbers internally to identify vehicles under construction and conjured up TOPS-style numbers when needed for export projects. Gautrain could then adopt those numbers, since it is completely isolated from any other railway in South Africa and can number its rolling stock however it wants.

 

[StephenHunter]

Why were these cab designs used rather than 357 or 377 style cabs - surely that would have been easier or cheaper?

Perhaps extra strength in case of wildlife collisions?

 

[43096]

I do find it quite strange that they seem to have UK tops unit numbers and use the 301xxx series, a series that was never used by any UK EMU making them what looks like deliberately not overlap with any UK EMU.

Does South Africa use a variant of TOPS for it's train classification ?

They are not UK TOPS numbers. It's just a number - stop over-thinking it!

 

[AdamWW]

They are not UK TOPS numbers. It's just a number - stop over-thinking it!

But where's the fun in that?

 

[ShadowKnight]

The numbers are quite obviously inspired to fit into the UK numbering scheme

They are not UK TOPS numbers. It's just a number - stop over-thinking it!