Railways Africa Issue 2 2013

ROLLING STOCK | PERWAY | INFRASTRUCTURE | SIGNALLING | OPERATORS | COMMENT

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RAILWAYS AFRICA / FOREWORD

Foreword

The copyright on all material in this magazine is expressly reserved and vested in Rail Link Communications cc, unless otherwise stated. No material may be reproduced in any form, in part or in whole, without the permission of the publishers. Please note that the opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers of Rail Link Communications cc unless otherwise stated. While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information, neither the Editor, Publisher or Contributor can be held liable for any inaccuracies or damages that may arise.

3Issue 2 // 2013 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com

BARBARA SHEATPublisher / Railways Africa

PUBLISHERBarbara Sheat

EDITOR Rollo Dickson

DESIGN & LAYOUTGrazia Muto

WEBSITEShaun Loureiro

ADVERTISINGKim Bevan

SUBSCRIPTIONS Kim Bevan

CONTRIBUTORSBruno Martin

Elna Conradie

Eugene Armer

Jacque Wepener

John Batwell

Louis Conradie

Paul Kilfoil

Pierre de Wet

Piet Conradie

W C Dempsey

ISSN 1029 - 2756

Rail Link Communications ccPO Box 4794 Randburg 2125

Tel: +27 72 340 5621

E-mail: [email protected]

Twitter: railwaysafrica

Website: www.railwaysafrica.com


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One of many ambitious current railway construction schemes in Africa concerns the existing

1,200km line from Tanzania’s port at Dar es Salaam to Mwanza on Lake Victoria, which is

being rebuilt. In terms of the original project, a new extension was to be constructed at

the same time from the intermediate station at Isaka to Kigali in Rwanda, with a branch to

Bujumburi in Burundi. Several hundred kilometres of entirely new line would be involved. In

both cases - rebuilding the present line and extending it - there was talk of adopting 1,435mm

gauge. Two years ago, the all-in price-tag was thought to be in the region of $US5 billion, but

nobody seems too sure about this, whether the fi gure has been updated subsequently or

where the money is to come from.

An important aim is the ability to move an estimated 35 million tonnes of freight annually

to Rwanda, Burundi, parts of Uganda and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In early August 2011, Rwandan minister for foreign affairs Louise Mushikiwabo told the East

African Citizen that her country and Tanzania had committed themselves to ensuring that

construction started by mid-2012 and be completed “within fi ve years as scheduled”.

Seven months later, the creation of an entirely separate new rail link was announced - from

Musoma on Lake Victoria to Arusha in the north of Tanzania, extended eastwards (reviving a

long-dormant section of existing railway) to the port of Tanga, 200km north of Dar es Salaam.

Construction was “expected to start in the second half of this year [2012] and will go on up to

2015 with a $US3 billion budget funded by the governments of Uganda and Tanzania.”

Recently Tanzanian Transport Minister Harrison Mwakyembe reported that the “Central Line”

westwards from Dar es Salaam is being upgraded at a cost of $US330 million, but he said

nothing about starting extensions to Rwanda and Burundi, and made no mention of progress

on Musoma-Tanga. He did confi rm the intention to convert from the present metre-gauge to

1,435mm. The East African quoted him explaining that this is to bring the railway “in line with

other networks across central and Southern Africa”.

The intention is well-meaning, but will not conversion to 1,435mm gauge achieve the opposite

of the objective? Through running is currently possible between Zimbabwe, Botswana, the

DRC, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia and South Africa, precisely because all use 1,067mm

gauge; neighbouring Zambia (including the Tazara railway from Dar es Salaam) as well. In the

near future, Angola will be in the picture too, once rebuilding the Benguela line to the DRC

is fi nished. If the 1,832km of Tazara is also to be regauged, the present-day through running

from Tanzania into and through Zambia to the DRC will no longer be possible.

Minister Mwakyembe says $3.7 million has been spent so far in renovating the existing

Tanzanian network, which includes an order for rolling stock expected to arrive by June. This

includes 274 passenger coaches, 22 locomotives and other items.

Presumably these will be metre-gauge, to suit the existing scheme of things. One wonders

about the implications of converting to 1,435mm. The track is one thing, but how much is it

going to cost acquiring a second fl eet of locomotives and rolling stock?

ContentsContents

PLASSER SOUTH AFRICA FLASH BUTT RAIL WELDING – Plasser & Theurer APT 1500 RA Flash Butt Welding RobotInnovation and Progress 6

AUS-LÜDERITZ LINE Reconstruction of Namibia’s Aus-Lüderitz Line 12

Features 6

21

4 Railways Africa Issue 2 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com

Photo: W C Dempsey.

Angola Buying GE Locos 14

Vale & CFM Sign in Mozambique 15

Additional Locos From RRL for Sierra Leone 18

Standard Gauge for Uganda 21

Africa Update

AUS-LÜDERITZ LINEReconstruction of Namibia’s Aus-Lüderitz Line

The line linking the Port of Lüderitz with

the Namibian rail network runs from

Seeheim-North, where it branches off the

Nakop-Keetmanshoop main-line, via Aus to

Lüderitz.

12

25Transnet & CSIR to Cooperate 24

Marikana to Richards Bay 24

R450 Million for Johannesburg-Mthatha Line 25

SA’s Chinese Tender 26

Union Carriage Changes Hands 26

Free State Panorama 27

Simon’s Town Line: March 2013 28

Longer Gautrain Operating Times 29

Gautrain Threatened With Fire 30

SA Rail News

Reefsteamers, Germiston 32

Steam in Zimbabwe 32

Apple Express Study 33

Railway Heritage

NAMIBIAN INTERLUDEKarasburg to Keetmanshoop in the Fifties 38

End of the Line

RAILWAYS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA 150 YEARS – Locomotives and Trains 34

STEAMING INTO THE 21ST CENTURY- Photographing South African Steam Trains 36

Book Review

27

32

36


two rails to be welded at low voltage but very high amperage. By

bringing the two rail ends close to each other without touching,

arcing occurs between the rail ends - basically creating an electrical

short circuit. The resistance of the current fl ow between one rail

and the other causes rapid heating of the rail ends, to melting

temperature.

Based purely on a time-controlled and programmed basis for the

specifi c rail type, the heated rail ends are forced together (butted)

in an upset stroke at high pressure, during which all impurities are

forced out and the ends caused to join. The upset metal is trimmed

(sheared) off immediately after the upset stroke, using trimming

tools which follow the contours of the rail shape.

Flash butt welding does not require

any foreign fi ller material as the

rail itself is used as the welding

compound. The result is a near-

fl awless weld without signifi cant

change in the hardness curve or

metallurgical character of the rail.

The heat-affected (spheroidised)

zone is limited to the smallest

possible area (Figure 4) thereby

dramatically reducing the possibility

of loss of running smoothness. This

is in stark contrast to the 12 to

22mm experienced with thermite

welding. The material is softer in the spheroidised zone, which is

prone to cupping. A loss of running smoothness results, increasing

dynamic loading of the track structure.

INTRODUCTIONFishplated track joints have always been an area requiring

concentrated (therefore costly) maintenance effort. Discontinuity

of the running surface produces dynamic impact loads which

increase track settlement and result in an uneven track longitudinal

profi le. The pumping action at the joints accelerates rail fatigue,

rail damage, sleeper breakage and fouling of the ballast at the joint

due to ballast crushing and increased stress on the formation. If

the joint is poorly maintained as well (Figure 2), track deterioration

in the area of the joint is inevitably fast and destructive.

Rail joints are therefore eliminated as far as reasonably possible

by welding to achieve continuously welded rail (Figure 3), thereby

vastly improving the geometric stability of the track structure and

reducing maintenance input.

The fl ash butt welding process was developed in 1930 and was

immediately superior (as it still is today) to any other method in

terms of quality, cost and productivity. This process charges the

Figure 2: Poorly maintained rail joint.

Figure 4: Cross-section of a fl ash

butt welded rail joint.

Figure 1: The Plasser & Theurer APT

1500 RA Flash Butt welding robot.

Figure 3: Flash butt welded joint.

Figure 5: Plasser & Theurer APT 500 A fl ash butt welding machine.


PLASSER SOUTH AFRICA

FLASH BUTT RAIL WELDINGPLASSER & THEURER APT 1500 RA FLASH BUTT WELDING ROBOT

Innovation and ProgressFlash butt welding has long been considered the best method for joining rails. The process was so good that the weld-making equipment was hardly changed in many decades. Now, by improving the process with the introduction of the new APT 1500 RA welding robot, Plasser & Theurer has once again showed that its reputation for innovation and progress is well deserved.

Local Partner of Plasser & Theurer for:

Consulting and new machine sales

Technical support

Training

Spare parts

Major component overhaul and machine refurbishment

Operating and maintenance agreements

Contracting

Plasser South Africa (Pty) Ltd | PO Box103, Maraisburg, 1700 | Tel: 011-761-2400 | [email protected]

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Initially, a drawback of the fl ash butt welding process was that it

was only used in stationary depots. This necessitated specialised

transport of the long welded rails to the installation site, thus

setting constructional limits for the production lengths.

Accordingly, Plasser & Theurer developed the fi rst rail-mounted,

self-propelled fl ash butt welding machine in 1973, incorporating an

integrated K355 welding head developed at the J O Paton Institute

in Kiev, Russia. The mobile fl ash butt welding machine produced

welds similar in quality to those found in a controlled factory

environment. Plasser South Africa imported the fi rst mobile fl ash

butt welding machine to South Africa in 1982 (Figure 5).

Over the next two decades, the welding head remained basically

unchanged, with hundreds of machines using it being sold

worldwide by various suppliers. Plasser & Theurer alone has sold

115 fl ash butt welding machines to 41 countries. The most important

changes made were to the control system for the programming of

the welding process, to keep up with advancement in computer

technology, as well as lessons learned in practice. However, a

new European welding standard, EN14587-2 published in 2009,

changed the status quo by specifying additional requirements from

mobile fl ash butt welding machines.

These included:

• Greater geometric accuracy after welding, with a vertical and

horizontal deviation specifi ed to be less than 0.5mm;

• Higher breaking strength (for example, R260 rails ≥1600kN)

and fatigue strength (≥245MPa);

• The rail clamping jaws of the two rails as well as the upset

trimming tools are now required to operate independently of

one another;

• The excess upset (the material squeezed out after the butting

process) must be trimmed automatically and the weld must

remain in compression during removal of the excess upset; and

• All welds must be carried out according to programmed and

automatic sequences. The welding parameters are determined

by means of welding tests for each rail type and size and should

not be altered once approval has been given.

Though the Russian welding head partly met the new requirements,

Plasser & Theurer set out to design and develop a new head (Figure

6), that would fully comply with EN standards and at the same time

set new quality standards, based on their extensive experience in

this fi eld. To improve productivity and quality, advantage was taken

of the opportunity to build various features into the new head, some

of which were not available with the Russian head and had to be

carried out manually.

BENEFITS AND FEATURESSome of the most important benefi ts and features of the new

Plasser & Theurer welding robot include:

• The process of aligning the rails has been included in the

automatic work sequence to very high accuracy, thereby

eliminating the time-consuming manual alignment associated

with the Russian welding head. Auxiliary clamping jaws raise

the rails and automatically and accurately align the rail-ends

to the required slight upward inclination (Figure 7), using a

total of eight distance transducers (Figure 8). The rails are also

horizontally aligned, using a horizontal-action centring device.

The upward inclination is required to ensure that the rail top

remains within the specifi ed fi ne tolerance in the longitudinal

level after cooling down. Due to the shape of the rail and the

irregular volumetric distribution of material over the cross

Figure 6: The Plasser & TheurerAPT

1500 fl ash butt welding robot.

(1) Auxiliary Clamping Jaws

(2) Distance Transducers

(3) Horizontal-Action Centring Device

(4) Rail Clamping Jaws

(5) Rail Clamping Cylinders

(6) Current Transferring Electrodes

(7) Transformers

(8) Integrated Upset Trimming Tools

(9) Traction/Pulling Cylinders

Figure 7: Rails are welded at a slight inclination.

Figure 8: Transducer.



section, the rail foot and base will cool down fi rst while the

thicker rail crown will take longer. The natural consequence is

a depression of the rail in the longitudinal plane over the weld.

This can be avoided by welding the rails at a slight inclination.

• The rail clamping jaws grip the rail with a 3,200kN clamping

force (more than 2.5 times that of the Russian welding head),

using four hydraulic cylinders.

• The electrodes that transfer the current to the rail are

independent from the rail clamping jaws that hold the rail in

position. This together with the design of the rail clamping jaws

eliminates the need to remove rail markings from the rail web

before welding, thus reducing preparation time.

• A unique design feature and a fi rst for fl ash butt welding is

the 1,000Hz frequency used for the current supply from a

400V alternating current generator. The transformers on the

welding robot rectify the alternating current into direct current

and transform it down to low voltages at very high amperage.

The high frequency produces a very low residual ripple of the

electric welding voltage which has a markedly positive effect

on the welding quality. The continuous welding current is

26,000A with a maximum welding current of 75,000A.

• Due to the incorporation of the pulsation welding process, by

applying current under constantly oscillating rail ends, it is

possible to shorten the time required for welding (at around

90 seconds it can be as little as half the time required by the

Russian welding head). This also results in shorter burn-off

lengths(15 to 30mm depending on the process) and reduces

the length of track where rail fastenings have to be loosened.

• During trimming of the excess upset, the weld is held in

compression by all the rail clamping jaws, which remain closed.

The jaws and trimming tools are positioned so that it is possible

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Figure 9: Upset removed by the trimming tools.

Figure 10: Rail gaps exceeding 200mm can be pulled up using additional

pulling cylinders located on the machine.



to trim the weld immediately after the upset stroke, without

having to open the jaws. The trimming tools are designed to

apply the load on the welded joint in the compression direction.

This fulfi ls one of the important requirements of the EN

standard. The trimming tools perfectly follow the contours of

the rail.

• An integrated no-contact temperature measuring device allows

monitoring of the rail cooling temperature after welding, to

ensure that high-alloy rails such as chrome-manganese rails

(which are still common on the South African rail network) can

be made to follow a reduced time-temperature-transformation

cooling curve after welding, thereby ensuring that the desired

pearlitic crystalline structure of the rail material form is

retained unhindered. No post-heating material or blankets are

required since the cooling rate is slowed down by the welding

robot using current pulses.

• For the accelerated cooling of head-hardened rails, a device is

incorporated that supplies a stream of air directly to the area of

the rail head (air quenching).

• Arguably the most important new and unique feature of the APT

1500 RA is its ability to perform closure welds (the last weld

to connect two sections of continuously welded rail) without

an additional pulling device, thereby eliminating a thermite

weld. The pulling cylinders exert a traction force of 1500N at

a stroke distance up to 200mm. This allows welds to be made

at rail temperatures up to 20ºC below neutral rail temperature.

After closure welding at below neutral temperatures, the rails

are held by the clamping jaws until the weld can withstand

the pulling forces in the rail. Since the rail clamping jaws and

trimming tools work independently from one another, trimming

can take place directly after the upset stroke without releasing

the jaws.

• Additional hydraulic pulling cylinders (Figure 10) on the machine

can be used to pull up rails that are further than 200mm apart.

• To guide the process, a programmable control system is used

which meets the stricter hardware requirements (extended

temperature and oscillation resistance ranges, etc.) in

compliance with EN 50155. Welding programmes which include

all parameters for fully automatic welding are pre-programmed

for many different types of rails and can be extended at any

time. Flash butt welding is therefore not subject to operator

errors. During welding the parameters are monitored

constantly. If the specifi ed tolerance thresholds and quality

values are exceeded, welding is aborted automatically.

• All data relevant to the weld, such as operator, line, rail type,

temperature, etc., are entered using the keypad and are stored

simultaneously in the log in the same way as the machine

parameters. The logs contain the text section and a recording

of the weld in graph form. This data is available at any time

and continuous monitoring is carried out during the welding

process. The software compares the actual data with the

target data and shows the operator the state of the weld. The

log is protected from manipulation and can be used on standard

computers without additional troubleshooting software.

THE APT 1500 RA WELDING PROCESSThe self-contained machine arrives on site with the welding robot

completely enclosed inside the machine, to protect it against

inclement weather and damage during transfer. At the working site

the welding robot is extended using the crane specifi cally designed

for this purpose (Figure 12). Alternatively, the welding robot can be

mounted on a suitable road/rail vehicle.

Preparation of the weld involves grinding the rail ends clean of

any corrosion, also the areas on the rail where the electrodes

will make contact with it. Since the electrodes have separate

jaws from the rail clamping jaws, there is no need to remove

Figure 11: Welding report.

Figure 12: The welding robot is protected inside the machine during transfer.



These are:

(i) The unstable phase which burns off any impurities in the rail

cross-sections.

(ii) The stable phase which is a continuous input of current for a

uniform burn-off.

(iii) The progressive phase which increases the current fl ow to burn

out impurities such as air inclusions or material defects.

Directly after the welding phases, the upset stroke follows. This

involves butting the two rail ends with a force of 1,500kN, during

which all the excess material is squeezed out. The adjustable upset

displacement is between 10 and 15mm.

Trimming of the excess upset takes place immediately after the

upset stroke, while the weld is still held in compression by the rail

clamping jaws while it cools, as defi ned by the EN standard.

The current-carrying clamps and the clamping jaws are now opened

and the welding robot can be raised. A welding report is compiled

automatically by the software, refl ecting the parameters continually

recorded during the welding process.

CONCLUSIONWith the expected growth in traffi c on the railway network in South

Africa, pressure for machinery with higher production capability

will increase, so that lines may be reopened as quickly as possible

after maintenance and so reduce the number of occupations

required to maintain the maintenance cycle. The machines will

not only be required to work faster, but will also need reduced

preparation time, both before and after maintenance. The highest

attainable quality will be needed, to extend the maintenance cycles.

The Plasser & Theurer APT 1500 RA fl ash butt welding machine

fi ts this description well and it is only a matter of time before

its benefi ts and features will be seen on the South African rail

network, especially on the two heavy-haul lines, where train

frequency and intensity will soon increase beyond the current rail

infrastructure traffi c limit.

the manufacturer’s markings on the rail to ensure good contact

since the electrodes do so under the crown and on top of the rail

foot. The fastenings of the rail to be welded must be loosened

and the rail preferably placed on rollers at between 10 and 20

sleeper intervals.

Depending on the direction from which the rail will be pulled during

welding, the machine can be lifted off the rail using the integrated

lifting jacks. The machine is capable of pulling from either side.

The welding robot is lowered over the two rails to be welded.

These should be no more than approximately 200mm apart (the

maximum stroke of the cylinders) for the machine to bring the two

rails together within the defi ned gap of approximately 3 to 5mm.

The auxiliary clamping jaws raise the rails and automatically

and accurately align the rail ends to the required slight upward

inclination, using the eight distance transducers. Lateral alignment

constitutes the fi nal step. The rail clamping jaws will hold the

rails in this position which means that welds can even be made

above sleepers.

Once the process has been initiated, the welding procedure will

follow the programme totally free from any operator input, in a

number of very distinct phases.

FOLLOW US ON@RailwaysAfrica

Figure 13: Integrated lifting jacks.

Transnet is to spend R300 billion on a number of new projects, many involving new track infrastructure and rolling

stock. Railway operators (and the Railway Safety Regulator) seriously need to address a number of questions of which

maintenance strategy is one of the most important. The next article addresses a maintenance strategy required to

ensure long term sustainability of the assets, safety to commuters and freight and at the lowest possible lifecycle cost.



The line was very lightly constructed, using

20kg/m rails on light steel sleepers. The

line beyond Aus crosses a moving dune belt

close to Lüderitz over a distance of about

7km which made the maintenance and

operation of the line extremely diffi cult.

The section between Aus and Lüderitz

degraded over the years to such an extent

that TransNamib, the Nambian railway

authority and operator, had to close it in

1999 pending total reconstruction.

Rebuilding the line, spanning a distance

of 139km, is being undertaken by the

Namibian government. Work commenced

in 2003. The fi rst 73km from Aus was

completed in 2006 with only earthworks

and drainage structures continued beyond

that point since then.

A contract was awarded in September 2011

to Tubular Track Namibia for completion

of track construction over 48.5km of the

remaining 66km to Lüderitz. This section

is to be built using tubular modular track

(TMT) technology. The line through moving

sand dune sections will all be done with

TMT. D&M Rail Construction (a 100%

Namibian rail construction company)

has been sub-contracted to build the

remaining 17.5km using conventional

track comprising 48kg/m rail, P2 concrete

sleepers and 1m200m3/km ballast. The

scheduled completion date is March 2014.

Garub station showing the section completed between 2003 and 2006. Conventional track under construction.

Tubular modular track under construction.

*Source: Brenda Bravenboer & Walter Rusch. The fi rst 100 years of state railways in Namibia. 1997.

The line linking the Port of Lüderitz with the Namibian rail network runs from Seeheim-North, where it branches off the Nakop-Keetmanshoop main-line, via Aus to Lüderitz. The Aus-Lüderitz section was originally constructed between 1905 and 1907 and that between Aus and Keetmanshoop between 1907 and 1908 by the then German colonial government*.


AUS-LÜDERITZ LINE

Reconstruction of Namibia’s Aus-Lüderitz line By W C Dempsey

Conventional track under construction at Tsaukaib crossing loop.

Garub station.

Tubular modular track under construction.

The line at Grasplatz before it was closed. At this station a railway worker

picked up the fi rst diamond found in this area.

www.railwaysafrica.com

ANGOLAANGOLA BUYING GE LOCOS Director in the Angolan Transport Ministry’s Offi ce of Studies,

Planning and Statistics Teresa Muro has signed an accord with

GE Transportation (USA) President and CEO Lorenzo Simonelli in

terms of which “about 100” new locomotives are to be supplied

and technical assistance provided. The Angolan News Agency

Angop quoted Simonelli saying the locomotives will be of the “much

advanced type 5, incorporating environmental needs” and suitably

adapted to conditions on the African continent. Muro told press

representatives that the locomotives are intended for use mainly in

the Benguela corridor to the DRC and Zambia.

SADC MEETS ON THE LOBITO CORRIDORUnder the joint sponsorship of the Southern Africa Development

Community (SADC) executive secretariat and Angola’s transport

ministry, the fi rst ministerial meeting to consider Lobito Corridor

development took place over three days in Luanda.

The agenda included boosting corridor development, establishing

mechanisms for management and producing an integrated plan for

rehabilitation, maintenance and management of infrastructure.

The draft memorandum of agreement involving Angola, the DRC

and Zambia was reviewed and prepared for ministerial approval.

Discussion proceeded on the development of an integrated plan

for construction, rehabilitation and funding of the railway network

in the Lobito corridor, specifi cally (within Angola) completion of

railway rehabilitation from Lobito to Luau.

In respect of the DRC, focus is on the line from Dilolo eastwards to

Lubumbashi.

In Zambia, emphasis concentrates on construction of the new North

Western Railway from Chingola, through the border checkpoint

of Jimbe, to link directly with the Benguela Railway (CFB) running

to the port city of Lobito. Zambian Minister of Transport Yaluma

Christopher Bwalya attended the ministerial meeting.

CONGO-OCEAN (BRAZZAVILLE)CONGO-OCEAN BUYS COACHES FROM PRASAThomas Kautzor reporting on the sar-L site:“In an interview with the ‘Chemin de Fer Congo-Océan’ (CFCO,

Pointe-Noire - Brazzaville) Assistant Manager in Africa24 Magazine

(Feb-Mar 2013) he mentioned that the railway had bought a number

of coaches from Prasa. Thirteen were being overhauled for delivery

in late 2013, with another 30 to follow.”

Dr John Middleton recalled that RRL [Rail Road Logistics] bought

10 coaches from Prasa in early 2011 for resale to the Congo: “They

were stored outside the RRL works in May 2011.” Geoff Pethick

advised subsequently however that these coaches were “still there

in May 2012.”

EGYPTEGYPT’S RAILWAY ASKS FOR WORLD BANK HELPAt a meeting with World Bank offi cials Merza Hassan (Executive

Director for the Middle East) and Hartwig Schafer (Country Director

for Egypt), Prime Minister Hesham Qandil asked for fi nancial

assistance and technical help in developing Egypt’s railways. He

emphasised the need to meet safety and security requirements,

and to develop employee capabilities.

PRIVATISING PROPOSALS FOR EGYPT’S RAILWAYSIn the aftermath of recent fatal accidents, there have been calls to

privatise Egypt’s railways. One proposal was to close individual loss-

making lines and replace the service with minibus-taxis, subsidised if

necessary. Others have suggested that the system be sold literally

“train-by-train” to commercial interests. The buying companies

would become responsible for upgrading and maintaining the rolling

stock, with each train carrying advertisements. One journalist

proposed on state radio that, instead of the Alexandria train or the

Upper Egypt train, they could become “the Pepsi or Chipsy trains”.

[Comment: It isn’t quite as easy as that, unfortunately. From a

broader perspective of private sector involvement, the railways are

not a particularly attractive area in which to invest. Perceived social

responsibilities, notably in terms of passenger services, mean that

these almost never run without signifi cant subsidy. Efforts by several

governments in recent years to concession railways to private

Derelict loco and rolling stock at Luau on

the CFB. Photo: Anton van Schalkwyk.

ZenzaLuanda

Dondo Malanje

LobitoBenguela

Camacupa

Caaia KuitoHuamboCubal

Luena

NamibeLubango Dongo

Menongue

Chiange

Oshikango

Ondangwa

Tsumeb

Chamutete

LuauDilolo

JimbeTo

Chingola

DRC

ATLANTIC

ZAMBIA

BOTSWANA

ANGOLA

NAMIBIA

C

ZAMB

Km300


AFRICA UPDATEAFRICA UPDATE

AFRICA UPDATE

KENYASUDAN UNHAPPY WITH KENYA’S LAMU PROJECT According to East African press reports, offi cials in South

Sudan are unhappy with the unimpressive progress evident in

Kenya’s construction of the new port at Lamu and the building

of a connecting railway to South Sudan. New Sudan foundation

executive chairman Costello Ring Garang was quoted saying that,

“If the speed at which the Kenya government is constructing Lamu

port and doing the railway line does not change dramatically, we

will seriously consider going to Djibouti.” However, responsible

offi cial in Kenya Peter Oremo is quoted saying the project is “on

course and within the planned time-frame”. The Kenya ports

authority has Oremo heading the Lamu Port and Lamu-Southern

Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor project.

MOZAMBIQUEVALE & CFM SIGN IN MOZAMBIQUEOn 6 February, Caminhos de ferro do Moçambique (CFM – the

state railway & harbours) signed an agreement with the Brazilian

mining giant Vale in respect of the rail corridor from Moatize, in

the western province of Tete, to the northern port of Nacala. The

agreement defi nes the operational model to be used and the fees

applicable. Five concessionary companies are expected to take

out leases on different parts of the corridor.

companies have not been conspicuously successful, largely due to

unrealistic expectations.

In the end it comes down to governments facing their responsibilities

head-on and – if they really mean business - ploughing big money into

their railways. – Editor: Railways Africa.]

EGYPT’S CROSSING ACCIDENTS CONFUSE THE BIGGER ISSUEThe collision between a train and bus late in 2012 at a crossing in

Egypt, in which 48 lives were lost, resulted in public uproar and

demands for improvement to the country’s railway. The need for

this is undisputed. Like many other state-owned rail systems

in Africa, the network suffers from years of underinvestment,

refl ected in ageing locomotives, rolling stock and infrastructure,

shortage of spare parts, etc.

But demands that crossing protection be comprehensively

overhauled confuses the issue when it comes to according

priorities. Cairo University professor of transport planning Boulos

Salama points out that equipping a crossing with automatic

barriers costs between E£2 and 3 million. This represents a very

costly outlay when compared with the railway’s basic needs in

terms of track, signalling, motive power and trains.

Crossing collisions are almost without exception the fault of road

users who disregard warning signs and/or try to race trains.

Invariably these accidents result in an outcry about the inadequacy

of protection. This is understandable, but a badly run-down rail

system can hardly be expected to improve its performance overall

if the bulk of its funding is to be devoted to level crossings.

Manual protective measures are fraught with dangerous

implications. Road users relying on them to be in place risk

everything if the designated attendant fails to report for duty –

or falls asleep on the job. Blaming the railway or the minister of

transport for resulting accidents gets nobody anywhere.

In urban areas, a more constructive approach is for local authorities

to initiate – and pay for – the replacing of level crossings as far as

possible with bridges.

SAUDIARABIA

ASWAN DAM

JORDAN

ISR

AE

LSUDAN

EGYPT

C AIRO

Abu Tarlour

El Kharga

Nag’Hammadi

El Korma

Isna

Aswan

Luxor

Oena

Sadd el Ali

Bur Sataga

Asyut

Beni Suef

El Wasta

SuezEl Shatt

IsmailiaFerdan

RafahPort Said

EL’Alamein

To Tobruk Mersa

Matruh SimilaSalum

Alexandria

El Faiyum

Railway outof use

Helwan

BahariaOasis

AY

BIL

N0 250 km

MEDITERRANEAN

RED SEA

NAIROBI

VoiMombasa

Lamu

Nakuru

KampalaMalaba

Entebbe

Kisumu

Mwanza

100 200 400km

TANZANIA

UGANDA

SOUTHSUDAN ETHIOPIA

KENYA

SO

MA

LIA

ZIM

BA

BWE

MOZAMBIQUEMA

LAW

I

ZAM

BIA

Beira

Dondo

Inhamitanga

Manica

Mutare

To Harare

Caia

Vila de Sena

Marromeu

Mocuba

Nacala

Monapo

LumboNampula

Cuamba

Entre LagosNkaya

Moatize

Chiromo

Mutarara

Blantyre

Tete

Lichinga

Lilongwe

Chipata

Quelimane

Indian Ocean

Cabora Bassa Dam

Zambesi River

TANZANIA

Lake

Ma

law

i

1500 300 450

Km

Morrumbala

AFRICA UPDATE


According to Tjaronda, it costs between N$3 million and N$5

million to rehabilitate one kilometre of line, but the state has been

contributing only N$1 million per annum for maintenance of the

railway. “For the period 2006 to 2012, TransNamib spent over

N$220 million in maintenance, but the government only contributed

N$7 million”.

The current development budget, New Era comments, shows that

the state treasury has allocated, “for this fi nancial year alone”,

N$165 million for rehabilitating the Aus-Lüderitz line and N$237.2

million for the procurement of new rails, and manufacturing and

transport of ballast to use mainly in rehabilitating the lines from

Kranzberg to Otjiwarongo and Tsumeb, and between Windhoek

and Walvis Bay. “The budget document says that line ‘is regarded

as the most important line because it links the port of Walvis

Bay with the rest of the country. Strategic important commodities

such as fuel and coal are transported over this line. Severe speed

restrictions, as low as 15 to 20km/h have been imposed on some

sections.’”

NAMIBIA’S LÜDERITZ LINE(See also W C Dempsey’s article on page 12)

In past years. Pieter Conradie writes, the Rosh Pinah mine sent its

zinc concentrate from Aus to a smelter in Gauteng for processing,

but due to economics the smelter was mothballed. Then, for

some time, the concentrate went all the way from Aus by rail

via Windhoek to Walvis Bay for export. In 2013, the mine put in

bulk loading facilities at Lüderitz harbour and currently large road

trucks carry the zinc concentrate to Lüderitz for export. Clearly the

mine is a good potential customer for the railway when it reopens.

The route - which Vale will use for transporting export coal - passes

through Malawi, and requires a new line to be built across the

southern part of that country. The Malawian government and Vale

have already reached agreement on this.

In northern Mozambique, the existing line from Malawi to Nacala

requires upgrading, and two new connecting lines have to be

constructed. One of these is to link the main-line with a new coal

terminal to be built at Nacala-a-Velha, across the bay from the

present Nacala port. Vale-Mozambique logistics director Ricardo

Saad says he hopes this will be fi nished and that trains will be

running by the second half of 2014. According to Saad, the project

is one of Vale’s largest projects in Africa.

NAMIBIATRANSNAMIB NEEDS REHAB MONEY URGENTLYTransNamib company secretary Eugenia Tjaronda told the

Windhoek newspaper New Era that the railway’s rolling stock and

equipment is old and dilapidated. Unless the government provides

funds to correct this state of affairs, she said, the future could

be “catastrophic”. The comments were made in the wake of the

recent derailment in which the assistant driver was killed.

SOUTH AFRICA

N A M I B I A

A N G O L A

WINDHOEK

To Cassinga

Oshakati Oshikango

Ondangwa

Tsumeb

Oshivelo

Otavi

Outjo

Grootfontein

Otjiwarongo

OkahandjaKranzberg

Usakos

Rehoboth

Mariental

Keetmanshoop

Seeheim Seeheim NorthKolmanskop

Lüderitz

BogenfelsKarasburg

Oranjemund

N

0 250 km

Nakop

ToUpington

Gobabis

AT

LA

NT

I C O

CE

AN

SwakopmundWalvis Bay

To Katima Mulilo

BO

TS

WA

NA

Louis Conradie took these photos at Lüderitz in early March 2013.

www.railwaysafrica.com16 Railways Africa Issue 2 // 2013

AFRICA UPDATE

TRANSNAMIB OUTSOURCES FREIGHT CONVEYANCETransNamib Holdings has signed a two-year agreement with

Triton Express (Pty) Limited, a South African road carrier. This

formalised the outsourcing of break-bulk freight movement to

Triton, an arrangement fi rst implemented some years ago. The

Namibian quotes Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union

(Natau) General Secretary John Kwedhi saying the union was not

consulted prior to the signing. Following concerns expressed by

railway employees who fear job losses, TransNamib CEO Sara

Naanda gave an assurance that there would be no layoffs as a

result of the outsourcing. According to The Namibian, some 500

workers might be affected and they have called upon the country’s

anti-corruption commission to investigate the matter.

TRANS-KALAHARI ON HOLDAn agreement was to have been signed between Botswana and

Namibia during April, dealing with the construction of a new 1,500km

Trans-Kalahari railway from Botswana’s Mmamabula coalfi eld to

the port of Walvis Bay. Feasibility studies were completed in 2012

under the auspices of the World Bank, the estimated cost of the

project being in the region of $US10 billion. In the event, Botswana

ministry of transport and communications public relations offi cer

Titi Nyadza told Windhoek’s The Namibian: signing has been

“suspended for the time being and we are not sure when it will

take place. There seemed to have been issues with regards to the

minister’s travelling arrangements to Namibia that did not work out”.

NAMIBIA’S GHOST STATIONThough the last train from the impressive German colonial station

on Bahnhof Street in the Namibian port of Lüderitz departed 17

years ago, in 1996, the station-master is still on duty. In fact, Julia

Dombrowsky writes in Windhoek’s Algemeine Zeitung, Hannes

Schmidt is no ghost. Alive and well and 59 years old, he has one

important ambition – to signal the departure of a real train from

Lüderitz once again before he retires in 2014. His aim may just be

achieved in time. Reconstruction of the 139km line from Aus is

currently nearing completion and trains are due to start running

again, some time in 2014.

At present Schmidt is responsible for coordinating the operation

of fi fteen road trucks that carry goods for the mines but his heart,

says Dombrowsky, remains fi rmly in the railway.

Newly laid tubular track between Aus and Lüderitz. Photo: Louis Conradie.

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AFRICA UPDATE

FREIGHT SERVICE RESUMES IN NIGERIAFollowing the resumption of passenger train service between

Lagos and Kano in December, freight is now being carried on the

line between the states of Ogun and Niger. For the last ten years,

all goods have moved by road. The inaugural freight train carried

675 tonnes of cement to Minna, 744km from Lagos, on 17 January.

Minna station Public Relations Offi cer Abdulraouf Akinwuye told

media representatives that the cargo was transported from the

Lafarage Cement Company at Ewekoro in Ogun State. He expected

that a number of jobs would be created for people loading, off-

loading and transporting freight. Regular goods trains would be

running soon, Akinwuye said.

NRC STRIKEThe newly reopened Lagos-Kano passenger train service was

halted on 18 February when employees of the Nigerian Railway

Corporation (NRC) commenced strike action in complaint over

alleged “anomalies” in their conditions of service. According to

press reports, existing employees protested they had not been

considered for promotion, while NRC continued recruiting from

outside the organisation in fi lling vacant posts. Another grievance

concerns company insurance policy. “Locomotives are insured, but

not the drivers,” strikers reportedly said. ”Hundreds” of travellers

were reported stranded by the strike, with stations locked.

Following the signing of an agreement between management and

the workers’ union, the strike was called off on 19 February. It had

been agreed, NRC Managing Director Adeseyi Sijuwade explained,

that “the employees’ plight would be attended to”.

SIERRA LEONE ADDITIONAL LOCOS FROM RRL FOR SIERRA LEONEThe latest new-build diesel (no 1211) arrived at Durban’s Maydon

Wharf in mid-February, travelling via Swaziland from the RRL

factory in Pretoria.

Thomas Kantor explains on the sar-L site: “The total order is for 30 locos built to EMD GT26CU-2

specifi cations by RRL Grindrod for use by African Minerals Ltd

(AML) on the 200km railway linking Tonkolili iron ore mine with

Port Pepel in Sierra Leone. They have EMD 645 E3B engines and

weigh 126 tons. Nos 1105-1120 were built in 2011/12 and nos 1201-

1204 in 2012/13. As RRL wouldn’t have been able to complete

the fi rst locos in time for the start of operations they bought in

four NREC GT26CW built by TZV Gredelj in Croatia in 2011, numbered

1101-1104. All the locomotives are owned by RRL Grindrod and

are on lease to AML.”

NIGERIANIGERIA PLANS MINNA-ABUJA LRT The construction of a 150km light rail line to Nigeria’s federal capital

Abuja from Minna junction, 744km from Lagos on the main-line, is

under consideration by Niger State, according to Governor Babangida

Aliyu. The viability of the idea is to be determined by a committee that

has been charged with undertaking a feasibility study.

OVERCROWDED NIGERIAN TRAINSNigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) Assistant Director of Public

Relations David Ndanusa told the Lagos newspaper Vanguard that

more than 30,000 people had travelled on the newly renovated

Lagos-Kano line since trains resumed operation early in December

2012. The paper believes the fi gure is a great deal higher. A reporter

who rode the train recently – it runs only once a week – was one of

150 people crammed in a coach intended to carry 95.

“The huge patronage,” wrote Jonah Nwokpoku, “has however

led to unquantifi able congestion, a situation [which] passengers

say, makes rail travel a harrowing experience”. On the train he

rode, “Every available space contained human beings or luggage

including the aisles, the couplers and the toilets.”

Offi cials told him the overcrowding is allowed because they do not

want to turn away and disappoint would-be passengers. Fellow

travellers were miserable, having had to stand for hours in the jam-

packed coaches.

According to PRO Ndanusa, It is hoped to augment the service as

soon as coaches currently being renovated become available.

Nigerian train. NREC GT26CW locos 1101-1104 were built by TZV Gredelj in Croatia in

2011. Owned by RRL Grindrod, they are on lease to AML.


AFRICA UPDATE

Seif Seif is quoted saying that Dar is facing competition from

the ports in neighbouring countries. “Serious threats”, he said

are posed by the ports at Mombasa in Kenya, Beira and Nacala

in Mozambique, Durban in South Africa and “the fast upcoming”

Walvis Bay in Namibia.

TANZANIA CENTRAL LINE UPGRADEDeputy Minister for Transport Dr Charles Tizeba told the Tanzanian

parliament in Dodoma that “short, medium and long-term strategic

plans” are being implemented - in phases - to improve Tanzania

Railways Limited (TRL). “State-of-the-art” stations are to be

constructed to upgrade passenger facilities. Locomotives and rolling

stock are being rehabilitated. The Central Line running westwards

TANZANIAGERMANY TO ASSIST TANZANIATanzanian Railways’ Central Line – from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma

on Lake Tanganyika (together with the branch to Mwanza on Lake

Victoria) - was built by the German colonial administration from

1905 to 1914. During a recent visit by high-ranking government

offi cials from Germany, State Secretary in the Ministry of

Economics and Technology Anne-Ruth Herkes and State Secretary

in the Federal Foreign Offi ce Professor Harald Braun said there is

serious commitment in looking into overhauling and modernising

Tanzania’s Central Line. They met with Tanzanian Vice-president

Dr Mohammed Gharib Bilal, Minister of Foreign Affairs and

International Cooperation Bernard Membe and Minister for

Industries and Trade Dr Abdallah Kigoda. According to Professor

Braun, the process for implementation of the project would

begin as soon as the Tanzanian government accepts the proposals

put forward.

The visitors said Germany is impressed with Tanzania as one

of “the strongest emerging economies in East Africa, recording

growth at 6 to 7% over the last decade.” According to Herkes,

Germany will support the government of Tanzania in creating the

“legal framework and capacity” to deliver more inclusive economic

growth, sustainable development and poverty reduction.

TANZANIAN FREIGHT TRANSPORT UP 400% IN 5 YEARSAccording to a recent study reported by East African Business

Week, goods transport volumes in Tanzania grew 400% in the past

fi ve years. A study by the Tanzania Truck Owners’ Association

(Tatoa) demonstrates that road freight constitutes 95% of the

total. Concern is being expressed over the capacity and operation

of the port at Dar es Salaam, its ability to meet growing demand

and the time taken for cargo to be cleared. Tatoa chairman

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AFRICA UPDATE

from Dar es Salaam through Dodoma is to be substantially improved

in 2013, the minister promised.

In March 2011,Transport Minister Omary Nundu told an international

investors’ forum that an upgraded and extended Tanzanian Central

Line on standard gauge would be carrying 35 million tonnes of

freight annually by 2013 to Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern DRC.

TAZARATAZARA TRANSFORMATIONAt a recent meeting with two of the major customers of the

Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara), Acting Managing

Director Dr Damas Ndumbaro said the organisation is undergoing

a “radical transformation” that will lead to improved performance

following the introduction and tying of managers to performance-

based contracts. To date, the two regional general managers

for Tanzania and Zambia have been made to sign performance-

based contracts and all managers below them will be required to

sign similar documents. “It has been made clear by the board of

directors that whoever does not perform should either leave Tazara

voluntarily or be forced out,” Ndumbaro was quoted saying.

Chingola’s Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) head of marketing,

logistics and concentrate procurement Amol Mehra said his

company was encouraged by the commitment shown through

Zambia’s government injecting $US32 million working capital

for Tazara. KCM he said is ready to double (to 10,000 tonnes) its

monthly transport of cargo on Tazara to Dar es Salaam - as long as

the railway is “consistently able to deliver on time”.

Ndola’s Impala Warehousing and Logistics Country Manager

Clement Mwiya said he would be happy to see change at Tazara.

“We would like to see consistency and commitment”, he said, “with

Tazara performing to its highest capacity with clear predictability

and reliability,” Impala he said is able to guarantee “enough traffi c

in both directions”. Impala currently fi lls about two trains per

month (about 2,600mt) but “would be happier with fi ve or more

trains” of containerised cargo.

TAZARA CONTAINER CAPACITY RESTORED The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) is once again able

to provide container transport to and from four stations in Zambia

and Tanzania, following the restoring of gantry cranes that have

been out of service for many years. Public Relations Head Conrad

Simuchile says container handling capacity has been restored at

Dar-es-Salaam, Makambako, Kasama and New Kapiri Mposhi,

the junction with Zambia Railways Ltd. Tazara Managing Director

Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika explains that the cranes were

rehabilitated in terms of a contract between the company and

the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC)

signed in Dar-es-Salaam on 30 May 2011. “The cranes have a lifting

capacity of 36 tonnes and are mainly used for lifting containerised

cargo on and off wagons,” Mbikusita-Lewanika says.

Tazara enjoys continuing support from the Chinese government

in terms of interest-free loans provided through “protocols of

economic and technical cooperation” signed with Tanzania and

Zambia. The 14th Protocol was signed in December 2009, followed

by the 15th Protocol in March 2012.

The gantry crane rehabilitation concludes six of the nine projects

under the 14th Protocol. Those still outstanding involve rehabilitating

three shunting locomotives, the supply of SKF bearings for wagons

and the delivery of two new shunting locomotives.

TUNISIAFIRST RFR SECTION IN TUNISIAAn agreement was signed recently at Gammarth between the Tunis

Rapid Railway Network (RFR) company and the Siemens-Tunisia

consortium, Colas Rail and Somatra, marking the start of work on

the fi rst section of the Tunis Rapid Rail project. The French-German-

Austrian consortium won the tender worth about 305 million

Tunisian Dinars. Completion is scheduled within three years.

UGANDARVR FIXING UGANDA’S NORTHERN LINEAccording to Rift Valley Railways (RVR) executive vice-chairman

Brown Ondego, work has begun on rehabilitating Uganda’s

northern line, out of use for some 18 years due to security

issues and vandalism. He told East African Business Week, “The

Northern line is a very important part of our concession and will

play an increasingly strategic role in our business development

going forward due to existing opportunities to open up business

in landlocked Southern Sudan and in the Albertine Graben as well

as Northern Uganda.”

Kato contractors, a Ugandan engineering fi rm, is busy with the

fi rst phase of the project which involves bush clearing and anthill

removal. In the next phase, fl ood-damaged areas and washouts

are to be repaired, culverts reinstated and vandalised sections of

line replaced.

RIFT VALLEY RAILWAYS CONCESSION In the light of media reports that China is to build a standard-gauge

line from Mombasa to the Ugandan border at Malaba, in terms of

an agreement reached with the government of Kenya, East African

Business Week asked Rift Valley Railways (RVR) how this would

affect its interests. RVR Executive Vice-chairman Brown Ondego

told the paper that the concession agreement signed between RVR

and the governments of Uganda and Kenya in 2010 provides “a

well-defi ned process for the planning, construction and operation

of the standard gauge railway, which includes offering RVR the

opportunity to operate rolling stock on the line.” Ondego added: “It

is our expectation that the concession agreement will be adhered

to by all parties”.

East African Business Week sums up the situation succinctly:

“According to the current concession, RVR’s interests are

guaranteed by clauses that stipulate that the governments of Kenya

and Uganda cannot during the tenure of the concession introduce

changes that jeopardise RVR’s profi tability.”

YDM4 locos on Tanzania’s Central Line. Photo: V Lines.


AFRICA UPDATE

STANDARD GAUGE FOR UGANDAUgandan Works and Transport Minister Abraham Byandala,

commenting on Kenya’s decision to build a standard gauge railway

from Mombasa to the border at Malaba, told East African Business

Week in Kampala that “it would only make sense” to extend the new

line into Uganda. In terms of a contract signed between Uganda

and Kenya, he was quoted explaining, it had been agreed “to work

together in the development of this standard gauge railway from

Mombasa to Kampala then to Kasese.” Byandala emphasised

that the concession that Kenya and Uganda have with Rift Valley

Railways (RVR) is not affected by these activities. “The concession

was written in such a way that right from the word go, they

(RVR) agreed that we can continue or we can start constructing a

standard gauge line”.

Former Uganda Investment Authority Executive Director Dr Maggie

Kigozi said in an interview with East African Business Week that

the existing poor railway and road infrastructure is a barrier to

investment in Uganda. His ministry, Byandala disclosed to the

paper, has contracted two companies to reconstruct the Malaba-

Kampala section of railway and is “in the process of signing a

deal” with another fi rm to work on extending the 503km Tororo-

Gulu-Pakwach line to Nimule on the border with South Sudan. In

addition, he said, the ministry has engaged a South African

company to “look into” the 333km Kampala-Kasese line, which has

been out of operation for many years.

ZAMBIAZAMBIAN PASSENGER SCHEDULE DOUBLEDEarly in 2013, Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) newly appointed

Chief Executive Professor Clive Chirwa launched a second weekly

main-line passenger train, explaining that only one per week was

an unacceptable service. Promising that ZRL would ensure the

railway promoted national development and that people could

travel safely between towns, the professor added: “We know just

rehabilitation is not good enough because we need to build a

railway line of tomorrow.”

UNDERGROUND STATION FOR LUSAKAA master plan drawn up by Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) Chief

Executive Professor Clive Chirwa envisages an underground

passenger station for the capital Lusaka. The new ZRL commercial

department will revamp all stations, he said, as these are currently

“deplorable”. The professor was quoted saying that “coming from

a highly sophisticated technological environment, he did not

see how he could not design wagons, a railway line, as well as

a passenger coach and advanced locomotives.” Saying: “The

design is already on the computer”, he estimated that about 100

to 150 people would be employed during the rehabilitation period

of three years.

ZAMBIAN BRANCH REHABILITATIONThe Ndola-Luanshya branch is to be upgraded in terms of his

master plan, says ZRL’s Professor Clive Chirwa, as “it is key to the

haulage of copper ore to processing facilities as well as copper

cathodes for the export market from Luanshya Copper Mine

(LCM). Restructured, this line will also help service more than

500 small-scale farmers along the Kafubu Farm Bloc “who have

been facing challenges in transporting their produce to the nearest

markets on the Copperbelt and beyond. It will also give impetus

and encouragement to other farmers along the main-line to grow

more food as an improved network will provide guarantee for their

transport needs.”

Another key branch, Chirwa points out, is the Mulobezi line “which

citizens of this country want the concession revisited if the whole

railway system is to be fully revamped.”

CHINGOLA-LIVINGSTONE: 2ND TRACK In a recent radio programme, ZRL’s Professor Clive Chirwa said

a three-year project to rehabilitate the main-line will commence

shortly. This follows the government’s releasing $US120 million

N50 100 150

KM

RWANDA TANZANIA

SOUTH SUDAN

UGANDA

DRCPakwach

LakeAlbert

Kasese

LakeEdward

KENYA

Malaba

TororoKampala

LakeVictoria

GuluLira

Mbale

Soroti

ZRL CEO Professor Clive Chirwa envisages an underground station in his

master plan for Zambia.

The present station was photographed by Peter Bagshawe.

ZAMBIA

ANGOLA

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

BOTSWANA

ZIMBABWE

MOZAMBIQUE

MA

LAW

I

MonzeChoma

Kwekwe

Gweru

Mutare

Marondera

Tete

Chipata Mchinji

Odzi

Hwange

Chingola

Kitwe

KolweziDilolo

Luau

Luanshya

Mazabuka

Ndola

Kabwe

LUSAKA

LILONGWE

HARARE

Kapiri Mposhi

LivingstoneCAPRIVI

STRIP

OkavangoDelta

Lake Kariba

Kariba Dam

Cabora Bassa

Mulobezi

Senanga

Kazungula

Kafue

NAMIBIA

Lubumbashi


AFRICA UPDATE

to fund the work. It is the intention, he was quoted saying, to

construct a second track parallel to the existing one from Chingola

to Livingstone.

Which is how long exactly? The choice seems fairly wide, for

instance:

• 812km: AA Road Atlas (1974 edition)

• 898km: AA Road Atlas (1972 edition)

• 904km: Cook’s Overseas Timetable

• 915km: Old South African railway timetables

• 980km: Professor Chirwa (radio quote)

ZIMBABWEON STRIKE IN ZIMBABWE: NO PAY FOR 8 MONTHSNational Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) locomotive drivers went on

strike on 12 March, listing a number of grievances. One of these

is the absence of fi re extinguishers. According to the Bulawayo

Chronicle, quoting an NRZ employee, “These are the most

important things that should be present on a train. One needs a

fi re extinguisher to put out the fi re in the event of a fi re outbreak.”

Though this puts matters fairly clearly, arguably it is even more

important to pay staff for their services, as without pay they cannot

be expected to continue working, and if they leave – well, nobody is

going to need fi re extinguishers.

The main problem cited by the drivers has to do with pay; not the

size of the paypackets (the usual striker’s gripe), but the lack of

them. A workers’ representative quoted by the Chronicle said:

“We have not received our salaries for the past eight months.

Our employer is splitting a month’s salary to cover two months.

For example, last year’s June salary was used to pay this year’s

January and February salaries. This means NRZ still owes us eight

months salary.”

The Chronicle talked to NRZ General Manager Air Commodore

(retired) Mike Karakadzai who pointed out that the railway can

only generate revenue to pay salaries if they actually move

people and goods. “This course of action [ie striking] will instead

worsen our plight …. how else can we be able to generate cash to

pay them?,”

The retired air commodore said workers had to be aware that

NRZ is facing “operational challenges” as a result of the prevailing

economic environment. He said the Harare-Shamva and the

Harare-Lions Den trains had to be cancelled due to the industrial

action, and “a few clients” had their freight delayed.

PROTESTS BY NRZ WORKERS’ WIVES Gladys Ncube writes in The Zimbabwean:“In February] riot police were engaged in running battles in the

city centre with the wives of National Railways of Zimbabwe

(NRZ) workers who were protesting against the parastatal’s

management for failing to pay their husbands’ salaries. Over a

hundred wives of workers gathered again on the 23 March at the

(NRZ) headquarters in the city centre and started crying in protest

over the company’s failure to pay their husbands for the past

nine months.

“’NRZ owes its workers a total of $US1 million,’ Ncube explains,

‘Like other parastatals it is facing numerous problems stemming

from lack of funds to import spare parts and improve services.

Most of NRZ diesel and electric locomotives are out of service

while passenger and freight services are constantly cancelled.’

“Further, the company is seriously indebted, making it impossible

to solve this situation without external help. Other challenges

facing the company include vandalised communication equipment

and dilapidated yard facilities.”

One of the women told The Zimbabwean their husbands haven’t

been paid since July last year and the management only paid

them a paltry $US150 this month. “There is no food at home and

our children are starving”.

STOP PRESSZAMBIAN GRAND PLANS FALTERIn late April, the much publicised intentions and grand plans at

Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) ran into all sorts of trouble. It

began when Zambian President Michael Sata suddenly sent the

railway’s entire board packing – with the exception, that is, of

recently appointed ZRL chief executive Professor Clive Chirwa.

The move gave rise to widespread criticism, in particular the

speed with which the board was dissolved. According to press

reports, the action was taken at Professor Chirwa’s insistence,

following demands by board members for K500 million* “sitting

allowance”. Board members countered this, saying Chirwa had

demanded a K248 million monthly salary, a 25% stake in the

company after fi ve years and had “single-sourced” a contract

to his own company to train company staff.

In addition, Chirwa’s “lavish lifestyle” had been questioned –

apparently he insisted on being accommodated at Falls Way

Villas in Thabo Mbeki Road at a cost to the company of K72

million per month.

On 22 April, mounting pressure on the President resulted

in Professor Chirwa being suspended from duty on half pay,

together with an order to vacate Falls Way Villas. At the

same time, Zambia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)

was instructed to probe alleged corrupt practices at Zambia

Railways and “abuse of authority of offi ce”.

Press comment drew attention to the President’s unilateral

appointment of Professor Chirwa, without going through

proper recruiting and interviewing procedures. Commentators

suggested that other potential candidates for the position – had

they had the opportunity to apply - might well have had more

impressive experience in running a railway (Chirwa being an

aeronautical engineer).

This unhappy sequence of events followed the 2012 termination

- on the grounds of “non-performance” - of the concession in

terms of which private enterprise was running Zambia railways.

President Sata, reportedly, was determined to “renationalise”

the system.

Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Permanent

Secretary Muyenga Atanga has been appointed to take interim

charge of ZRL operations.

FOOTNOTE:

*The exchange rate at the time was K0.00018 to the US dollar.


AFRICA UPDATE

Act safely at level crossings

fi nancial year 2012/13, TFR initially budgeted to rail 3.2 million

tons. Current planning envisages increasing this to 3.8mta at fi rst,

and then 4.8mta later. Eventual efforts are to focus on attaining

volumes of 6 million tons per annum, the ultimate goal being 10mta.

MARIKANA TO RICHARDS BAYOn 19 November 2012, a test train of 100 CR wagons hauled by

three class 43 diesel-electric locomotives was run from Marikana

near Rustenburg to Ermelo. There four class 7E electric locomotives

(25kV AC) took over for the run to Richards Bay. The object was

to assess the effectiveness and traction power of the locos in the

corridor. The test was successful and paved the way for running

trains of this length on a regular basis.

Once suffi cient rolling stock becomes available, it is hoped to

schedule fi ve trains of 100 wagons every week. Before this can

be implemented, re-evaluation of the total supply chain will need

to be undertaken, to ensure that adequate loading and unloading

arrangements are put in place so that trains are not delayed.

SHOSHOLOZA MEYL INTERCITY TRAINS CURTAILED AGAINWith effect from 14 January 2013, South African intercity passenger

train operator Shosholoza Meyl cut the number of scheduled long-

distance trains from 66 per week to 36. At the same time it was

advised that the number of coaches in trainsets was to be reduced.

As from 1 February the frequency of the Cape Town-Johannesburg

Premier Classe express was trimmed from twice to once a week

each way, northbound on Tuesdays and southbound on Thursdays.

REVIVING THE MUSINA-BEITBRIDGE LINEPreparations for the soccer World Cup in South Africa in 2010

included a project that would have revived traffi c on the Musina-

Beitbridge line, the specifi c objective being to convey football

fans from Zimbabwe. Security concerns resulted in the scheme

being aborted.

New moves to revive passenger traffi c north of Musina are aimed

mainly at relieving serious congestion at the Beitbridge border

post. If customs and other formalities could be completed on the

trains, pressure on the post could be substantially reduced. At the

same time, it is hoped that lessening road traffi c would help reduce

the accident rate. Authorities involved in current talks include the

Zimbabwean Public Against Traffi c Accidents Bureau (Patab), the

National Railways of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority,

the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and Cross

Border Services.

Patab Managing Director John Manjengwa, who is optimistic about

early implementation, says the Beitbridge Town Council has agreed

to make land available. This will be used in providing facilities for

buses loading passengers disembarking from trains, for onward

travel into Zimbabwe. At a later stage, it is hoped that passenger

train service can be reinstated north of Beitbridge.

MAGNETITE ON TFRTransnet Freight Rail (TFR) is currently running 14 magnetite

trains weekly to Richards Bay, carrying some 66,150 tons in all.

The commodity is loaded at Mica station near Phalaborwa. For the


RAIL NEWSSOUTH AFRICAN

SA RAIL NEWS

Transnet is to spend more than R1 billion

on research and development over the

next seven years in terms of an agreement

signed with the Council for Scientifi c and

Industrial Research (CSIR).

All Transnet operations in port, rail and

pipelines are included, as well as ownership

and rights such as intellectual property,

which will be agreed on a project basis.

“For Transnet to play its rightful role in

the economy, we have to grow, invest and

modernise at an unprecedented rate,”

says Transnet GCE Brian Molefe. “We need

to constantly explore innovations and

technological advancements. We have that

in abundance at the CSIR.”

Transnet is about to enter the second

year of its seven-year R300 billion market

demand strategy, which aims to improve the

company’s capital investment programme,

operational effi ciencies and safety levels.

“This partnership is an excellent opportunity

for the CSIR to provide comprehensive

research and development support to a

pivotal state-owned company,” says CSIR

CEO Sibusiso Sibisi.

Together the CSIR and Transnet are already

working on infrastructure, which includes

rail, port and coastal engineering. Rolling

stock energy effi ciency and regeneration,

also alternative fuels, are on the agenda.

TRANSNET & CSIR TO COOPERATE

TRANSNET RAIL ENGINEERING RENAMEDMore than twenty years ago, the long-established workshop

complexes of the old South African Railways – at Salt River, Durban,

Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Uitenhage, Germiston etc -were brought

together in a Transnet subsidiary business unit called Transwerk.

Subsequently this was renamed Transnet Rail Engineering, widely

known today as TRE.

Recently a ninth operating business unit was created at TRE, to

handle the assembly and maintenance of ports-related equipment,

such as straddle carriers. This development meant that TRE

activities were no longer exclusive to rail. Recognising this, the

division has been renamed once more, becoming simply Transnet

Engineering (TE). The long-term view, says CE Richard Vallihu, is to

get involved in ports business beyond South Africa’s borders.

HEAVY TRANSNET TARIFF RISE FOR MINES According to Transnet GCE Brian Molefe early In March, it is

planned to increase tariffs on dry bulk freight by 68% though rates

for manufactured goods are likely to decrease by 47%. He said

restructuring was necessary “to encourage benefi ciation and bring

Transnet pricing in line with the government’s economic policy”.

The rise of more than two-thirds was expected to cause alarm in

mining circles. Transnet’s National Ports Authority CE Tau Morwe

was quoted saying that the price of moving iron ore from Sishen to

Saldanha is set to double. Molefe justifi ed the proposed increases

by explaining that mining has been “hugely subsidised” in the past

through a tariff structure “weighted in favour of raw exports at

the expense of manufacturing and agriculture.” The deadline for

comments on the application for tariff changes is 31 May.

Four class 39-200 diesel-electric locos, recent products from TRE - now

retitled Transnet Engineering. Photographed on a limestone train at Irene

by Eugene Armer.

Transnet Engineering: getting involved in ports business. Photo: Ncqura in

the Eastern Cape.

R450 MILLION FOR JOHANNESBURG-MTHATHA LINE“The Johannesburg-Queenstown-Mthatha Rail project of R450-

million has been committed over the next three years, which

includes the construction of eight stations”. This item was reported

in a Sunday Times supplement on 17 March. Entitled “BUILDING SA”,

a footnote explains it was “produced by Times Media in conjunction

with Government Communication and Information Systems (GCIS)”.

RAILWAYS AFRICA FOOTNOTE:

Extensive reconstruction of the existing line to Mthatha was completed in 2008

and passenger service was reintroduced with fi nancial support from the Eastern

Cape provincial government. The route leaves the main-line to Johannesburg

at Amabele junction, 76km from East London. No connection to Johannesburg

was provided at Amabele, but buses were run to and from East London. Trains

ceased running for a period, due it is understood to funding problems. Service

then resumed but reportedly ceased again during the course of 2012.

Though the crow-fl y distance from Amabele to Mthatha is only about 180km,

the railway needs 282km to traverse the very diffi cult topography. A 392m,

nine-span bridge crosses the Great Kei River.

Crow-fl y to Mthatha from Queenstown is about 210km, Queenstown being

214km by rail from East London. Given that four stations and doubling about

6km of line at Greenview east of Pretoria is costing R400 million (reported in the

same supplement), it does not seem that R450 million will go very far towards

some 200km of new line from Queenstown to Mthatha - and the cost of eight

stations. Or are we missing something?

0 10 20 30 40 50km

EAST LONDON

Butterworth

IdutywaExisting

Mthatha Line

To Cookhouse & Port Elizabeth

Qunu

Ndyebo

Munyu

Imvani

Tylden

Middledrift

Blaney

aMabele

Great Kei

Mbashe

Mbashe

Thomas River

Komga

Cathcart

Stutterheim

Alice

King Williams Town

Mdantsane

QUEENSTOWN

To Springfontein, Bloemfontein & Johannesburg

Mthatha

SA RAIL NEWS


BIG CHINESE LOAN FOR TRANSNETIn terms of an agreement signed in Pretoria on 26 March during

a meeting between the presidents of South Africa and China,

the China Development Bank is expected to lend Transnet about

R45 billion to help fi nance the R300 billion infrastructure upgrade

programme. In the course of this, Transnet plans to spend R205

billion on rail projects. It aims to increase freight rail volumes from

about 200 million tons per annum to 350 million by 2019, and its

market share of South African container traffi c from around 79%

to 92%.

The cooperation agreed with China, according to Transnet, “is

to include the fi nancing of the construction and upgrade of

railway and port infrastructure and localisation of equipment

manufacturing. In addition, the two agreed on future collaboration

on research and development initiatives, manufacturing, marketing

and the construction of cross-border infrastructure throughout

the continent.”

In October 2012, a consortium led by Chinese manufacturer CSR

Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive (CSR) was named as the winning

bidder to supply Transnet with 95 electric locomotives at a cost

of R2.6 billion. The fi rst 10 are being assembled in CSR’s factories

in China and the remainder will be manufactured in South Africa.

SA’s CHINESE TENDERLate in 2012, the Workers International Vanguard Party petitioned

South Africa’s Public Protector to investigate the circumstances

under which Transnet Freight Rail contracted a Chinese fi rm to

supply 95 electric locomotives. According to the party, locomotives

acquired by Namibia in 2005 from the same manufacturer had

serious technical problems and had to be withdrawn from service.

[In recent years, Nigeria, Pakistan and New Zealand, in addition to

Namibia, all reported technical problems with locomotives acquired

from Chinese manufacturers. However these were diesels. Hopefully

the electric locos South Africa is buying will be less troublesome. –

Editor: Railways Africa.]

COMMUNITIES TO HELP CLEAN STATIONSAccording to the “BUILDING SA” supplement in the 17 March

2013 Sunday Times, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa

(Prasa) is “expected to carry out 98 station improvement projects

in 2012/13, to improve safety and cleanliness”. At some stations

community members have been trained and have been assisted

to set up cooperatives to clean stations.

Chief executive Patricia Norris

created the CTE enterprise at

Touws River with help from

the IDC in 1999, when she

submitted a successful tender

for refurbishing South African

commuter rolling stock. Prior

to that she held an executive

position at Transwerk (now

Transnet Engineering). The

addition of UCW to the CTE

establishment adds some 900

employees to around 500 who

were on the books in 2012.

Union Carriage & Wagon at Nigel, started many decades ago by

Australia’s leading rolling stock manufacturer Comeng and noted

for building large numbers of locomotives and coaches for South

Africa’s railways (including Gautrain) has changed hands. Owned

until now by Murray & Roberts (M&R), UCW has been acquired by

a consortium comprising the Industrial Development Corporation

(IDC), Commuter Transport Engineering (CTE), the National Union

of Metalworkers, company management and an employee trust. In

the future, M&R is to concentrate its efforts in the railway fi eld on

infrastructure construction rather than rolling stock manufacturing.

UNION CARRIAGE CHANGES HANDS

Photo: CTE.

Aerial photo of CTE’s Touws River division. Photo: CTE.

Chinese-built CKD8C loco, new at TransNamib in 2004.

Good-looking but troublesome.

WORCESTER-MOSSEL BAY LINECommenting on the withdrawal of the class 33 diesels, long

characteristic of the Worcester-Mossel Bay line, Paul Ash writes:

“Well, the writing was on the wall - during [my] last year’s cab ride,

the lead loco overheated all the way from Karringmelk to Mowers

where it fi nally lay down like an old horse, and we had to wait a

couple of hours for the fi tters. Nothing like that warning bell clanging

away for an hour as we ground up the hills from Swellendam... [Now

class] 35s apparently work Worcester-Karringmelk and the 34s

Voorbaai-Karringmelk.”

Three class 35 locos – 431, 465 and 413 – heading a train near Bonnievale,

86km east of Worcester on the line to Mossel Bay.

Photo (14 February 2013): Elna Conradie.


SA RAIL NEWS

FREE STATE PANORAMAJacque Wepener – who took all the photos in this

feature - spent time during March with RRL at Welkom

where locos 1701-6 and 1702-9 were being tested under

operational conditions. They will be heading in due

course to Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Congolais

(SNCC – the state railway in the Democratic Republic

of Congo). Two of six acquired by RRL from Australia

in 2012, 1701-6 and 1720-9 are ex- Queensland Rail (QR)

17xx series built GM-Clyde between 1967 and 1970.

RRL 1701-6 (ex Queensland Rail 1772) at Welkom.

RRL 1720-9, also ex-QR, at Welkom.

Up hill and down dale on the main-line at Kalkvlakte, 53km south of

Kroonstad.

Hennenman, 42km south of Kroonstad, with E1510 of class 6E1 leading.

Note the overhead catenary support cantilevered over both tracks from a

single mast. This construction is comparatively rare in South Africa, though

familiar along the edge of the sea south of Muizenberg in the Cape Peninsula.

Car train passing Virginia (63km south of Kroonstad on the OFS main-line).

View from the cab.

1701-6 hauling ore. The overhead structure is a reminder that the 24km

line from Welkom to Whites (47km south of Kroonstad on the OFS main-

line) was formerly electrifi ed.


SA RAIL NEWS

“Glencairn station [last stop before the end of the line] has been totally rebuilt. Only about 40% at the north end of the new building is used by Metrorail - the rest is to be rented out for commercial purposes. The ticket offi ce man thought it was going to be a coffee shop but they hadn’t quite fi nished doing the interior yet. It‘s a fantastic location, looking out over False Bay with nothing between you and the sea except the single-track railway. There’s quite a lot of parking and the only surprise is it’s taken so long for somebody to realise the potential of the site!”

5M2A Metrorail set at Glencairn.

Street side of Glencairn station.

5M2A Metrorail set on seawall near Kalk Bay. Kalk Bay station, recently upgraded.

SIMON’S TOWN LINE: MARCH 2013Paul Kilfoil Reports:


SA RAIL NEWS

NEW GAUTRAIN “Z-CARD”Gautrain’s new “Z-card” pocket guide - detailing all feeder bus routes,

new and old - is being distributed free to commuters (via station

dispensers) as an add-on to the initial train-route Z-card. The facility

provides a “real-time service update application”, received directly

on passengers’ cellphones. According to Bombela Concession

Company General Manager Errol Braithwaite, users register by

sending an SMS and the word “alert” to 32693. A “quick response

code” and other applications on the back of the Z-card direct

travellers to the Gautrain website for any information they may need.

GAUTRAIN CAPACITY PROBLEMSDaily Gautrain passenger loadings approaching 50,000 are putting

“an immense amount of strain on the capacity we have available,”

Bombela Concession Company General Manager Errol Braithwaite

conceded in a recent interview. In an attempt to try levelling the

disparity in peak and off-peak demand, lower fares in the middle

of the day are under consideration. The southbound morning peak-

hour passenger loading is much heavier on the Pretoria route then

northbound, the situation in the late afternoon being the reverse.

“The peak is extremely steep”, Braithwaite says.

Though train frequency has been increased, there are constraints

on any signifi cant further service augmentation – total fl eet

availability for instance, signalling limitations on closer headways

and other factors. One of these is the single track south of Sandton,

with trains crossing by means of the loop at Rosebank. To duplicate

the tunnel in this section would be a very costly undertaking.

M&R’s “MOST PROBLEMATIC” CONTRACTSConstruction giant Murray & Roberts has returned to profi tability,

after two years of reporting operating losses. The group still has

substantial claims outstanding on what it describes as three of its

most problematic contracts: Dubai Airport, the Gorgon Pioneer

material offl oading facility in Australia and Gautrain. A ruling on

the water ingress problem in the rail tunnel south of Rosebank is

expected by June. M&R CEO Henry Laas is quoted saying there is

still an “element of risk” of further costs being incurred though he

does not expect the company to have to do more work in the tunnel.

Laas said M&R had received a “favourable arbitration ruling” to the

effect that the “variation on Sandton station” is claimable; this

is being worked on. However the “delay and disruption claim”

involves billions - this arbitration hearing is not expected to begin

before 2014.

LONGER GAUTRAIN OPERATING TIMESCriticism levelled at Gautrain since services to the airport started

running almost three years ago concern the early evening (20:30)

“last trains”. People who fl y out in the early morning fi nd themselves

stranded at the airport if a late afternoon return fl ight is slightly

delayed. The implications can be far-reaching, notably for people

who park at Gautrain stations and are unable to get back to

their cars at night.

Asked about this in a recent interview, Bombela Concession

Company General Manager Errol Braithwaite said management

is “thinking very hard” about the problem. It would have to be a

“longer term” solution, because “heavy costs” are involved, with

additional shift times and, for example, “longer train operations

which imply more train maintenance etc, etc.” One extra late-

evening run could be provided by using the standby trainset

GAUTRAIN NEWS

Act safely at level crossings

www.railwaysafrica.com

ordinarily stabled at the airport, but this would leave nothing to

cover unforeseen emergencies.

He told Hilton Tarrant of Moneyweb: “You’ll appreciate we’ve got

quite a skeletal system at the moment, single alignments going in

different directions, and that means if you’ve got a problem, let’s

say, on the north-south line at Midrand, it might be a very localised

problem but it affects the entire north-south line.”

GAUTRAIN THREATENED WITH FIREOn 13 March, a group protesting at poor Metrorail commuter

service in the Pretoria area met offi cials from the Department of

Transport (DoT) at the Bosman Street station. Metrorail is part

of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), which falls

under DoT. Group spokesman Albert Mokoena told DoT Deputy

Director-General Maria du Toit that commuters want better service

and facilities such as toilets on trains. If these demands were not

met, he said, “drastic action” would result. With the realisation

that burning Metrorail trains is self-defeating, Mokoena said they

would set fi re to Gautrain instead. Had a proper analysis been

done into the needs of the majority of South Africans, money used

to build the Gautrain would have been used instead to improve

the transport system used by the majority, he claimed. “You should

tell that to the minister”, Mokoena told du Toit.


SA RAIL NEWS

MEDIA WORK FOR CLUBSBoth Rovos Rail and Friends of the Rail

have scored media contracts

latterly which always

mean useful

injections of

capital. Rovos Rail

has returned its 1894-built

class 6 loco no 439 to service

for such work.

Rovos Rail’s class 6 4-6-0 no 439 has recently been returned to steam for

use in a media shoot. Photos: J Batwell collection.

Easter OutingsReefsteamers, Atlantic Rail, Friends of the Rail and Umgeni

Steam Railway all took advantage of the long holiday week-end

in March/April to run trains – Reefsteamers using its class 12AR

no 1535, Atlantic Rail the class 24 no 3655, Friends of The Rail

class 19D no 2650 and Umgeni Steam Railway class 19D no 2685.

Steam in ZimbabweIn February, class 15 Garratt no 395 worked from Bulawayo to

Khami and return on a Valentine’s Day special which culminated

in a dinner function in the NRZ Museum’s premises in Raylton. The

fi rst Saturday in March saw class 16A no 613 working a centenary

special between Cement and Heany Junction on the occasion of

100 years of PPC (local cement company) in the country. The train

operated through to Colleen Bawn on the concessioned section

of line that runs to Beitbridge from Heany, but this part of the

trip was diesel-hauled.

Steam safari operator Geoff’s Trains is due in the country during

May, taking in three lots of Garratts – those at NRZ, Hwange colliery

and the privately-operated class 14A based in Victoria Falls.

Reefsteamers has returned class 12AR no 1535 to service.

Photos: J Batwell collection.

Reefsteamers’ class 15F no 3046 requires a boiler inspection.

Photos: J Batwell collection.

Reefsteamers, GermistonClass 12AR locomotive no 1535 was fi nally steamed in late March

for her initial steam tests and safety valve calibrations. The loco

got to do a little shunting and weed clearing. A fi nal offi cial and

witnessed steam test was done, along with a witnessed sign-off of

the safety valve settings, in time for use over Easter.

After over a year at the hot end of the club’s trains, class 15F no

3046 is taking a well-earned break in the 15M shop, being due for

the mandatory three-year boiler inspection. The boiler ticket had

just expired, hence the stress to get the 12AR going before Easter.

The club is hoping to have no 3046 back in steam by early May.

The boiler is in good shape. Reefsteamers have localised recent

public outings to the greater Johannesburg area with runs along

the Rand Mineral line, south of the city.

Work has started on the further stripping of class 15F no 2914’s

rear end, to clear the way for removal of the entire foundation ring.

Meanwhile Sandstone Estates’ big Cowan Sheldon steam crane

has been moved back into the 15M shop for further work. The

crane is in need of a set of new rivets for the foundation ring before

it can be properly pressure tested. The original rivets had been

installed incorrectly by persons unknown and all leaked as they

had not drawn up properly against their plates and bars. The club

wants to get the steam crane running to assist with track repairs

as well as heavy lifting and for emergencies.

Other work achieved during March included moving half the tube

swaging machine rescued from Sanrasm at Krugersdorp. The

machine is being set up along 15M Bay 8 and is to be put into

service in time.

RAILWAY HERITAGE


Preservation is A Preservation is A Vital Part of The Picture Vital Part of The Picture

By John BatwellBy John Batwell

Friends of The Rail, PretoriaThis club is restoring class 15CA no 2850 to working order but

is not likely to see their project realised before 2014. Its working

locos at this time are class 19D no 2650 and class 24 no 3664.

Apple Express StudyA study is to be commissioned on the future of the 610mm gauge

Apple Express. Mandela Bay Development Agency CEO Pierre

Voges says the work is being funded by the Economic Development,

Environment and Tourism Department through the Eastern Cape

Development Corporation. Possibilities for the narrow gauge line

are to be explored in terms of tourism, general passenger transport

and freight. The Apple Express line is one of several across the

country that Transnet Freight Rail is considering concessioning as

it does not form part of its core business of transporting freight.

Though not running at present (it is hoped to resume a limited

service before the end of the year), the train has the potential to

be one of the province’s top tourist attractions.

Apple Express on van Stadens bridge.

The single use crucibleRail Welding

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RAILWAY HERITAGE

Running to 416 copiously illustrated pages, this remarkable work

substantially enlarges upon – and updates - one or two well-known

predecessors, thereby becoming the undoubted defi nitive record

of railway motive power in South Africa. Eleven characteristic

Bruno Martin maps competently set the scene, together with

391 technical drawings, augmented by 23 informative schedules.

According to the publisher, there are over 1,700 photos, 884 of

them in colour; we’ll take his word for it; there’re so many, the

impression is there’re more! In short, don’t be put off by the

price – you get your money’s worth. Especially noteworthy is

the number of striking photos credited to the author himself;

all six – to take one example – on page 296. In one, a class 6E

hauls the 15F owned by prominent British artist David Shepherd.

Another includes the Up home bracket signal at Huguenot – 63km

from Cape Town on the main-line to the north - one of the few

semaphores still surviving on this (and indeed any) line.

In large-format (and hard-cover), Dulez examines in detail every

locomotive class - steam, diesel and electric – used in South Africa

from the very fi rst in Durban in 1860. The numerous Garratt classes

that were such a success in South Africa feature prominently, as

do the impressive main-line class 25 condensers, developed in

the fi fties to deal with the dearth of water in the Karoo. The Fairlie

articulateds and the big Malletts that preceded the Garratts fi ll

12 pages. Useful comparisons are drawn with Mallett locomotives

in America, complete with photos and diagrams.

Other instructive comparisons were those made by South African

steam fundi David Wardale. On page 168, Dulez illustrates the

Chinese class QJ which Wardale proposed enhancing with further

modifi cations he had in mind for the South African class 26.

On page 249, all engines that were named offi cially are listed. The

larger locomotives in industrial use, mostly privately owned, most

acquired from the South African Railways second-hand, have not

been forgotten. However, for complete information on the many

small industry-owned diesels up and down the country, the reader

is referred to Dr John Middleton’s listings.

Twenty-four pages deal with engines that served the extensive

610mm gauge branches – notably again, Garratts. Unusually, in a

book majoring (as you might say) in locomotives, there is generous

coverage of electric multiple-units, starting with the original wood-

bodied stock used in Cape Town from 1927. A unique set of drawings

by the late Malcolm Bates is a feature in this section. Nine pages

are devoted to the new 160km/h, standard-gauge, Johannesburg-

Pretoria “Gautrain”.

A bonus is a gallery of 79 photos (most by the author), depicting

representative locomotives and trains in action all over South

Africa, some even in the snow. “Southern Africa” in the title is not a

misnomer. The fi nal pages comprise well-documented motive power

to be found over the years in neighbouring Namibia, Botswana

and Swaziland.

It takes time to do justice to 400 pages; we’ve done little more than

skim the cream. Back now to page 1. Let the serious reading begin!

- LRD

RAILWAYSOF

SOUTHERN AFRICA

150YEARS

RAILWAYS O

F SOUTHERN

AFRICA 150 JA D

ULEZ

JA DulezVIDRAILLocomotives and Trainsinnnnnnnnnsnnn

RAILWAYSOF

SOUTHERN

AFRICA150

YEARS

RAILWAYS O

F SOUTHERN

AFRICA 150 JA D

ULEZJA Dulez

VIDRAIL

,

y

o

d

ay

an

Locomotives and Trains

RAILWAYS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA 150 YEARS

ISBN 978-0-620-51228-2

Published by Vidrail, Johannesburg December 2012.

[email protected]

R495.00 (postage included) in South Africa;

overseas rates on request.

In Jean Dulez’s incredible book, the captions to most of the nearly 2,000 photos provide exact chapter and verse. However, one of the nine on page 76 speculates this was probably Bay Junction, 3.13km out of Cape Town’s main station on the so-called “avoiding line”. We have a suggestion: the Down main-line at Salt River might just be a more likely contender (clue: Bay Junc didn’t have platforms).

Class MH 2-6-6-2 Mallett of 1915, then the most powerful loco in the world on 1,067mm gauge, but later superseded by several of the smaller Garratts.

Author’s photo of Chinese-built SDD6 at Walvis Bay in 2010, apparently relegated by service reliability to shunting “rather than remove more robust [40-year-old GE] class 33s from essential main-line work”.


BOOK REVIEW

RAILWAYS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA 150 YEARS - Locomotives and Trains by Jean A Dulez

W W W. R A I LWAYS A N D H A R B O U R S . CO M

RAILWAYS | HARBOURS | MINING | INTERMODAL | COMMUTER

Don’t miss the biggest Rail and Harbours Event on the African Continent from

1 to 3 October 2013 at the Tshwane Events Centre in Pretoria, South Africa –

the ideal opportunity to network and connect with industry peers, see the latest

technology first-hand, engage with suppliers and glean the latest trends from

financing to infrastructure development.

To book your space or for more information

contact Barbara Sheat

Tel: +27 72 340 5621


GM94

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I found the title rather odd. The book,

in landscape format, is an indulgent

narrative supported by many eye-catching

photographic records of steam festivals and

Union Limited “Round South Africa” safaris

over much of the past quarter of a century.

In the light of other recent books which

are far more appealing to a broad base of

rail enthusiasts and followers, in my opinion

Cornell’s work is a collectable only for

those who themselves experienced chasing

by road or riding on the local safaris during

the 1990s. Certainly, I can relate to events

I attended personally and memories were

triggered of some memorable occasions

and almost forgotten fi ner details. However,

I suspect this publication may not be greatly

interesting to the sedentary, arm-chair

fraternity. On the upside, the book would

be a memorable keepsake for any gricer

who can identify with the various

vicissitudes of this physically arduous past-

time – inclement weather, the sun behind

a cloud at the critical moment, other folk

suddenly getting in the way of a lined-up

shot et al. I recall plenty of the frustrations

recorded, but only because line-siding

characterised part of my own hobby.

A matt fi nish was chosen for the book and

I must commend Cornell on a range of

excellent photographs – over 140 in total

– though some I felt were reproduced a tad

on the dark side.

The title of the work only comes into its

own, really, in a fi nal chapter, where the

uninspiring state of South African steam

preservation today is summed up: the loss

of Transnet’s Union Limited trainset (the

main focus of the book’s content), the

survival of a handful of the steam locos

in preservation groups across provinces,

the loss of scenic rail routes and fi nally

the enterprising newer kids on the

preservation block such as Atlantic Rail in

Cape Town.

All in all, the appeal of this publication

(which has not escaped the perennial

gremlins of grammatical and proofi ng

errors - and errata) is restricted in my view

to a particularly niche readership at R450

a copy.

STEAMING INTO THE 21ST CENTURY

– PHOTOGRAPHING SOUTH AFRICAN STEAM TRAINS

ISBN 978-0-620-50878-0

Limited edition; 252 pages, 30cm x 22cm, hard cover.

Published by Butler Tanner & Dennis, Frome, Somerset UK.

First printing 2012. R450.

Available by emailing: [email protected]

Transnet Heritage Foundation’s Union Limited tours ventured into neighbouring states such as

Swaziland, Mozambique and Namibia. Here is a tour train pictured in Zimbabwe back in 1992.

Photo: R S Maidment Wilson


BOOK REVIEW

STEAMING INTO THE 21ST CENTURYPhotographing South African Steam Trainsby John C Cornell Reviewed by John Batwell

You do not have to be the biggest to be THE BEST...

Tel: +27 (041) 581 4400 Fax: +27 (041) 581 4474 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.sheltam.com127 Villiers Rd Walmer 6070 PO Box 15148 Emerald Hill 6011 Port Elizabeth South Africa

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885

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Karasburg was where, travelling south, we usually unbuttoned one

19D and if going north, attached an extra 4-8-2. This was to cope

with the climbs up to Klein Karas and out of the Fish River valley up

to Keetmans, although those in the southerly direction seemed more

severe. It was good to hear the uneven clatter of two locomotives

working hard, but initially it was an easy downgrade all the way to

Grünau which in 1955 consisted of one hotel and that was about it.

This was for the brave and foolhardy who preferred to travel by car.

Usually, between Grünau and Klein Karas we were called by the

chimes to dinner, so with the scenery becoming rockier and more

interesting as the upheavals of the Karasberge rose in front of

us, and a red Namibian sun sank behind layers of dust, we were

provided with a perfect setting for our repast, and dinner became

a splendid affair to be enjoyed for more reasons than just the

food. Klein Karas, set in amongst tumbled rocky confusion, was a

good place to be at that time of day with the rocks bronzed by the

setting sun and the day’s heat dissipating, the clink and chink of

silver and china in the dining saloon and the murmur of voices. No

one in a hurry, no need to hurry, no good in trying to hurry. That

train wasn’t hurrying anywhere. You either got used to the slow

pace of the train or you gnashed your teeth in futility.

Sundown near Klein Karas: it looked exaggerated in its orange hues.

It wasn’t, they really are like that. Another sandy station with a few

people outside. From the (by now) dusky heights of Klein Karas, it

was a winding downhill run to Holoog, the rumble over its bridge

and its put-putting engine, then a climbing and again a downgrade

run to Seeheim where so often the Lüderitz train waited, panting to

depart through the night to the shores of a cold Atlantic.

We were back in our cosy compartments with our bedding made

up for the night and, apart from our stop here, it was the run to

Keetmanshoop that lay ahead, a town with more than a dozen

lights, with cars and people waiting for the arrival of the “Mail”.

But our train and the 4-8-0 7th class to Lüderitz with its four or

fi ve goods wagons, a balcony coach and a guard’s van, turned the

sleepy hollow of Seeheim from fast asleep to animated splendour,

something once experienced, never forgotten.

We heard the old 7th class give a hoarse whistle and then, without

much ado, it puffed softly on its downgrade trundle to the Fish

River bridge and we listened to its rumbling progress and for a

while, its climb on the way to Feldschuhorn siding for a dawn arrival

in the harbour town of Lüderitzbucht.

In our case, it was a clamber out of the valley for a short while, then

easy progress to Jurgen and then a fi nal dramatic climb between

rocky abutments up to Keetmanshoop and a welcome break, not

only for our loco crew but us passengers too. As you came into

Keetmanshoop off a great right-angled curvature, the full length of

our train could be seen. An all-clerestoried, softly lit picture it was,

with two steam engines whistling mightily for a busy level crossing.

Cars pulled up and stopped and hooted as we drew slowly into the

station yards just a bit further on. The Mail had arrived!

Time for celebration, time to hurry to the station to see new life,

new faces, time not to be bored out of your skull. And perhaps

time too to look into the dining saloon, into others’ compartments,

to join the platform stomping throng and to be part of a crowd,

remembering other railway journeys you had been on.

On our last 50 metres or so into Keetmanshoop’s platform, we

passed the tiny, two-track engine shed where the piercing sound of

escaping steam drew one to the corridor windows to see what lurked

there. We weren’t disappointed. As we scraped past the blackened

corrugated iron shed, we could see through dingy windows the

ancient shape of another class 7, hot and ready to go. Its smokebox

was jutting just outside the entrance and its safeties were off,

causing the deafening sound. Men moved around in the murk inside,

fussing around her, a fl are-lamp glowing against machine and man.

Then it was gravelled platform once more and barrows crunching,

heaped with luggage. And wheels being tap-tapped. And shouts

and a slow drawing to a stop with a squeal. And people everywhere,

running to windows, jumping off the train, doors banging. We also

got off the train at Keetmanshoop. We didn’t lock our compartment

door for fear of our things being stolen. We didn’t have to. We

walked up to the locomotives and were just in time to see the weary

enginemen uncouple and puff off to the sheds. We waited until

only one class 24, almost new still, backed down and coupled up

with a sigh of vacuum. For a while we admired the 2-8-4’s lighted

cab and the shining brasswork, heard the giant kettle sound of her

hot boiler and the whine of her generator, saw her men getting

her ready for the run to Mariental.

Just before we left, just after the fi ve-minute bell had rung, we felt

a nudge from behind. A gentle nudge from the old Cape Government

Railways class 7 which was to push us up the hill, then detach on

the run and roll back down to the little grimy shed. Then, fi ve

minutes later, with more whistling we left Keetmanshoop behind

until it was just the stars and our train and a dark veld and the

clickety-clack of rail joints with a steam exhaust up front to be heard.

1908

1908

1912

UPI N GTO N

WINDHOEK

O C E A N

A T L A N T I C

S O U

T H

km0 50

Fish

K a r a s

A F

R I C

A

NAMIB-NAUKLUFT PARK

K a r a s

N A M I B

..

N A M I B I A

..(Kalkfontein Sud)

19081907

1906

1909

1915

..(Luderitzbucht)

BRUNO MARTIN 4/2013

drooN-mieheeS..

Lowen

Kolm

apoksn

Asbo

naps

Schaka

eppuksl

Bethanien

raahrevd

naS Feldsc

nrohhuh

..Luderitz

Shifting Sand Dunes

Pan

ROOIDN

AR

HUIBHOC

UAETALP-

H

FISH RIVER

PARKCANYON

Ariam

ielvsmoobrekoK

..

KLEI

NKA

EGREBSAR

GRO

OTKA

EGREBSAR

Aroab

Hot Spring

Ai-Ais

Konkiep

Permanent Dunes

Permanent Dunes

Permanent Dunes

GannapanKlippiespan

Swartput se Pan

Hondepan

Rosh Pinah

DIAMOND AREA No.1

Klein

ibKonkiep

Gaap

Black PanUbib

Sand Dunes

Sand Dunes

Gaputzpan

Nakop

Brak

Kudung

Geidum

KumsWolplaas

Gaab

Kainab

KarasburgSatco

KanusGemsvlakte

GrunauGrabwasserSignalberg

Klein-Karas

Gamchab

Bree

Koichab

Gibraltar

Hottentots Bay

Douglas PointMarshall Rocks

Dumfudgeon Rocks

Pomona Island

North Long Island

Diaz Point

Grosse Bucht

Bain's Bay

Albatross Rock

Possession IslandElizabeth Bay

KaukausibGrasplatzRotkop

HaalenbergTsaukaib

Garub

Ausweiche

Aus

Ausnek

Hamab

Nuwefontein

Guibes

BuchholzbrunnGoageb

Simplon

Chameites

GawachabNautedam

Noute

Seeheim JurgenCoenbult

GobasKeetmanshoop

Townlands

Gariganus

Tsawisis

Bogenfels

Baker's BayCape Dernburg

Chameis Bucht

Holoog

Gorges

S O U

T H

A F

R I C

A

N A M I B I A

ROOIDN

AR

HUIBHOC

UAETALP-

H

KLEI

NKA

EGREBSAR

GRO

OTKA

EGREBSAR

O C E A N

A T L A N T I C

Fish

..

..Lowen

Pan

Hot Spring

Konkiep

GannapanKlippiespan

Swartput se Pan

Hondepan

Klein

ibpei

knoK

Gaap

Black PanUbib

Gaputzpan

Brak

Kudung

Geidum

Gaab

Kainab

Gamchab

Bree

KoichabHottentots Bay

Grosse Bucht

Bain's BayElizabeth Bay

KaukausibNautedam

Baker's Bay

Chameis Bucht

1908

1908

1912

19081907

1906

1909

1915

Ai-Ais

UPINGTON

WINDHOEK

km0 50

K a r a s

NAMIB-NAUKLUFT PARK

K a r a s

N A M I B

CBRUNO MARTIN 4/2013

Bethanien

Shifting Sand Dunes

FISH RIVER

PARKCANYON

Aroab

Permanent Dunes

Permanent Dunes

Permanent Dunes

DIAMOND AREA No.1Sand Dunes

Sand Dunes

Gibraltar

Douglas PointMarshall Rocks

Dumfudgeon Rocks

Pomona Island

North Long Island

Diaz Point

Albatross Rock

Possession Island

Bogenfels

Cape Dernburg

..(Kalkfontein Sud)

..(Luderitzbucht)drooN-mieheeSKo

lma

poksnAsbo

naps

Schaka

eppuksl

raahrevd

naS Feldsc

nrohhuh

..Luderitz

Ariam

ielvsmoobrekoK

..

Rosh Pinah NakopKums

WolplaasKarasburgSatco

KanusGemsvlakte

GrunauGrabwasserSignalberg

Klein-Karas

GrasplatzRotkop

HaalenbergTsaukaib

Garub

Ausweiche

Aus

Ausnek

Hamab

Nuwefontein

Guibes

BuchholzbrunnGoageb

Simplon

Chameites

Gawachab

Noute

Seeheim JurgenCoenbult

GobasKeetmanshoop

Townlands

Gariganus

Tsawisis

Holoog

Gorges

Map

by B

run

o M

artin

.

– Pierre de Wet38 Railways Africa Issue 2 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com

END OF THE LINE

NAMIBIAN INTERLUDEKARASBURG TO KEETMANSHOOP IN THE FIFTIES



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Railways Africa Issue 2 2013