Title
Film - GEC Traction South Africa
Reference
GEC/4/6/29
Production date
1980 - 1981
Creator
- GEC Traction LimitedBiographyBiography
GEC Traction (GECT) was formed in 1972 as part of the GEC Power Engineering Group following earlier amalgamations of the traction divisions of the General Electric Company (GEC), the English Electric Company (EE) and Associated Electrical Industries (AEI). A wholly owned subsidiary company of GEC, the company had offices and works, located at Trafford Park in Manchester, at Strand Road in Preston, and at Attercliffe Common, Sheffield.
The headquarters of GEC Traction was Trafford Park, Manchester (previously the headquarters of English Electric-AEI Traction) with design of rotating machines at Preston and Sheffield, and manufacturing activities for control equipment at Manchester and Preston. GEC Traction designed and manufactured a full range of traction machines and control equipment for electric vehicles, including electric locomotives and multiple unit trains for main-line and mass-transit railway systems (dc up to 3,000 volts, and ac up to 50,000 volts), diesel-electric locomotives and trains, mining and industrial locomotives, tramcars and trolleybuses.
GEC Traction was the leading supplier of traction equipment in the UK and had a wide market around the world, particularly in South Africa, Australasia, Hong Kong, South Korea, South America and Pakistan. In 1979 the Industrial Locomotive Division of the former English Electric which was based at Vulcan Works, Newton-le-Willows was merged into GEC Traction, which later became a separate company, GEC Industrial Locomotives Ltd.
During the late 1980s and 1990s the firm underwent major rationalisation, involving closure of several sites including Attercliffe Common in Sheffield in 1985 and the company’s headquarters at Trafford Park in Manchester in 1998. The company name GEC Traction endured until a merger with the French Alsthom group in 1989, which created GEC Alsthom Traction, which was still a branch of the main company GEC Alsthom.
Scope and Content
Corporate film produced for GEC Traction and Signal (Pty) Ltd, co-produced by SABI productions and Group Editors.
The film presents GEC Traction and Signal (Pty) Ltd., as the leader manufacturer and supplier for electric traction equipment in South Africa since the invention of the electric train. The company has been the supplier for South African Railways for more than 50 years. It supplies and manufactures traction equipment for locomotives, motor coaches (suburban railways) and provides signalling engineering services.
The film starts with a selection of still images (drawings, paintings) of early steam locomotives. Most footage was shot on the company’s work site near Johannesburg, showing employees and machines at work manufacturing electrical traction equipment. The various phases of manufacturing are filmed: winding, welding, testing.
Further shots show the completed equipment leaving the works for Union Carriage & Wagon, based in Nigel, to be fitted on locomotive bogies. Some footage also illustrates the company’s signalling services and shots were taken of the centralised traffic control system based in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
There are also images of South African electric locomotives and motor coaches running on the lines.
Extent
1 16mm film print, approx. 10 minutes
Physical description
16 mm film print (copy), colour, optical sound, stored in plastic canister. This is an acetate base film. In September 2016 this was tested with A-D strip as level 0 of deterioration (no deterioration). The general condition is fair, though the copypresent some scratches.
Wear cotton gloves when manipulating 16 mm copies. 16 mm requires specific equipment to be viewed such as 16mm editing bench or projector. 16 mm can also be unrolled with the help of a manual film coiler to look at frames with a magnifying glass and a light table, but this system won't allow to see footage in motion.
Language
English
Level of description
ITEM
Repository name
National Railway Museum, York
Associated people and organisations
- South African Railways and HarboursBiographyBiography
In 1910 the state-owned South African Railways and Harbours (SAR&H) organisation was created, after the four colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State were amalgamated into the new Union of South Africa. In 1916, SAR&H took over the activities of the Central South African Railways, the Cape Government Railways and the Natal Government Railways. In 1924 the last privately owned railway line in South Africa was taken over by SAR&H; the New Cape Central Railway between Worcester and Voor Bay. In 1920 electrification of South Africa’s railways was completed, and in 1924 the first electric test train ran between Ladysmith and Chieveley in Natal. In 1950 the first portion of the new Johannesburg station was opened and construction was completed on the huge workshops complex at Koedoespoort. In 1960, diesel locomotives were introduced on a large scale to SAR&H. In 1981, SAR&H changed its name to South African Transport Services (SATS) and took on South Africa’s railway, harbour, road transport, and aviation and pipeline operations.
Subject
Conditions governing access
Access is given in accordance with the NRM access policy. Access to film collections is assessed on a case by case basis.
Conditions governing Reproduction
Copies may be supplied of items in the collection, provided that the copying process used does not damage the item or is not detrimental to its preservation. Copies will be supplied in accordance with the NRM’s terms and conditions for the supply and reproduction of copies, and the provisions of any relevant copyright legislation. Copyright is retained by the author of the footage.
