the five grilles and two windows, the number 1 end of the locomotive would be to the left. Service The Class 2E could be, and were, utilised in multiple working with Class 1E units, but this did not apply to regenerative working. During the 1940s steam traction still ruled the mainlines, but the use of electric locomotives through Johannesburg station and on general Reef hauler service became commonplace in an attempt to reduce the smoke nuisance in the central business district. They spent most of their years in service on the mainline between Transvaal and Natal. By 1946 they were mainly employed working between Pretoria and Johannesburg. They briefly served in the Western Cape near the end of their service lives. All three units were withdrawn from service in 1973. Illustration The main picture shows a Class 2E unit with its right side and no. 2 end visible, coupled to a Class 1E unit. References 2750 B-B locomotives Bo+Bo locomotives Henschel locomotives Cape gauge railway locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1937 1937 in South Africa