DOT

Brand new explosion-proof battery electric mining locomotive No.6 entered service on 29th March 2021, following initial test runs and subsequent modifications/adjustments which began on 23rd March 2021.

She was the very first locomotive to be entirely designed and constructed in-house by the SdR at our Low End Works and carries the name DOT, after Dorothea Callum, one of the founding prospectors for the SADMC copper mining company.

Technical features (as originally built 2021)

• Explosion proof
• Built to underground mining dimensions
• Fitted with powerful LED headlamps fed from separate battery rather than from the traction supply
• Headlamps supplied by Switch Electronics, Hull
• Electrical equipment and chassis by Essel Engineering
• Chain-drive transmission to all four wheels
• Power/brake wheel from Wilesco and supplied by Forest Classics

Rebuild project 2024

This locomotive was taken into Low End Works in 2023 for a complete rebuild as follows:

• Double frames extended to accommodate a larger driving cab
• New cab
• Replacement electrical control gear supplied by Fosworks
• Conversion to full radio control
• All manual control gear including power/brake wheel removed
• Weight increased to 2.1Kg for greater adhesion