railways africa january and february 2013

Transformation in the Rail Environment has shifted attention from Quality to Quantity.

Sheltam remains focused on Quality and Service Excellence.

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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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 1 // 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

CONTRIBUTORSAnton van Schalkwyk

Bruno Martin

Col André Kritzinger

Dawie Kuyler

Eugene Armer

Geoff Cooke

Jacque Wepener

John Batwell

Trevor Staats

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


ISS

UE

1 // 2

01

3


THE NEVER-ENDING STORYThe idea of a Mchinji-Chipata railway was conceived in 1982 - 30 years ago last year - as

part of a bilateral project between Zambia and Malawi. With assistance from Canada, the

Malawian government completed the line on their side of the border in 1984, within the

stipulated time. The Zambian part of the scheme (24km) stalled however for lack of funds.

The project marked time - for some 24 years - and was not revived until 2006 when then

president Levy Mwanawasa rekindled interest at an estimated cost of $US10 million.

The railway was completed and offi cially opened in August 2010 but has not functioned due

to the lack of facilities at Chipata (formerly Fort Jameson, in the east of Zambia). Kabwata

Member of Parliament Given Lubinda was quoted three years ago pointing out that If the

line remains dormant, it risks being vandalised by “unscrupulous people”.

In January 2011, according to Communication and Transport Minister Geoffrey Lungwangwa,

the government signed a $US1.5 million memorandum of understanding with the China

Civil Engineering Construction Company for feasibility studies on extending the line about

250km from Chipata via Petauke to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) at

Mpika. In February 2011, the government fl oated a tender for the construction of a dry port

and goods shed at Chipata station. According to Zambia Railways Limited acting Managing

Director Regina Mwale, lack of funds has delayed the erecting of a dry port. Chipata-Mchinji

railway line project engineer Ernest Silwamba says the Zambian Government engaged a

Chinese fi rm to do a feasibility study on construction of a dry port. The feasibility study was

completed but design work has still to be undertaken. Until the proposed facility is built,

says Central East African Railways (Cear), which is to work the line, there is no point in

running trains. Cear made it clear at the same time that it will not be running passenger

services unless the operating cost of these is subsidised.

Agriculture, which employs about 80% of the country’s workforce, is the main activity in

Zambia’s eastern province. According to Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) export promotion

offi cer Charles Mulombwa, the province contributed 531,810 tonnes of maize - about 21% of

the national output during the 2008/9 agricultural season - and 73% of sunfl ower cultivation

in the country.

The main railway through Zambia, some 500km to the west, runs north-south and provides

routes to the ports of Beira, Dar es Salaam and Durban. It is more than 1,000km from the

capital Lusaka to Beira, nearly 2,000km to Dar and even more than that to Durban. The

unused line from Chipata would - if it were running - provide access to northern Mozambique’s

port of Nacala, about 1,150km by rail through Malawi.

The economic survival of Zambia, being landlocked, is highly dependent on good transport for

the movement of exports and imports. Recently, citing “non-performance”, the government

threw out the company concessioned to work the main-line. But what about Chipata?

1 – 3 OCTOBER 2013 | TSHWANE EVENTS CENTRE | HALL J

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.

Floorplan NOW OPEN! Call for Speakers

To book your space or for more information

contact Barbara Sheat

Tel: +27 72 340 5621

Email: [email protected]

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Regular Menongue Trains Begin 12

Lagos-Kano Open 15

Africa Update

RAILWAYS AFRICA / CONTENTS

ContentsContents

UK TRAVEL EXPERIENCELetter From Britain 6

Features6

19

33

www.railwaysafrica.com

Always Something New For Africa From TE 18

Barloworld / EMD Joint Venture 19

SA Rail News

London Underground Celebrates 150 Years 28

Railway Heritage

Jacob Daniël du Toit 30

End of The Line

Soweto Derailment 24

Train Kills Five Elephants 26

Mishaps & Blunders

Issue 1 // 2013 Railways Africa 5

Photo: Shaun Loureiro,Railways Africa.

Our journey started on Easter Sunday

aboard Singapore Airlines fl ight 236 from

Brisbane. After a three-hour stopover 8½

hours later at Changi International Airport,

we continued on a Singapore Airlines’ A380

Airbus long-haul to London-Heathrow.

Arrival was on-time at 06:00, and by 07:00

– thanks to no delay with immigration

or baggage collection - we had validated

our BritRail passes and boarded a waiting

Heathrow Express for the 15-minute, non-

stop, trip to Paddington. Being Easter

Monday, London’s streets were almost

deserted and the taxi to Waterloo took no

time at all.

A South West Trains’ eight-car diesel-

multiple-unit (dmu) took an hour and 20

minutes - with eight intermediate stops -

for the 127km to Salisbury. There we hired

a car, clocking up 2,400km in 22 days,

mostly using minor roads and lanes, to

Land’s End. There we turned north along

the coast of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset

back to Salisbury, overnighting in B&Bs,

guesthouses or hotels. At the beginning

of April, about 50% of England reported

drought conditions, but by the third week

many places were having fl oods! Still, we

had sunny spells in between the squally

showers, hail and biting cold wind - and

only on one occasion were we confi ned

to the hotel all day, because of hazardous

roads. The closest we came to fl ooding

was at Cheddar Gorge near Bristol. Here

we suddenly confronted a raging torrent

and beat a hasty retreat back down into

Cheddar town.

There is so much to see in the area: the

picturesque villages with their quaint

thatched-roof cottages in Dorset, numerous

castles and castle ruins, sites such as

Stonehenge, the bleak landscape of

Dartmoor and Exmoor, the spectacular

cliffs of the Jurassic Coast and the rugged

coastline of Cornwall and Devon. Driving on

the narrow country lanes certainly takes a bit

of getting used to: at times only 2.28m wide

with hedgerows nearly 2m high on either

side makes for some interesting passing

manoeuvres when meeting up with another

car from the opposite direction!

Lynmouth Cliff Railway On the North Devon coast facing the

Bristol Channel, the Lynton and Lynmouth

Cliff Railway - 262.7m in total length, with

the top station 152.4m higher than the

bottom - has been in operation since it

opened on 7 April 1890. Powered only by the

weight of water, the two cars are connected

by four cables to counter-balance each

other: two are for hauling and carrying the

weight of both cars, while the other two

are for tail-balance, counteracting the

weight of the hauling cables. Each car

has a tank fi lled with 3,182 litres of water

mounted between the wheels, with a

smaller tank containing 45.46 litres

Heathrow Express Paddington Station.

Stonehenge near Salisbury.

6 www.railwaysafrica.comRailways Africa Issue 1 // 2013

UK TRAVEL EXPERIENCE

LETTER FROM BRITAINBy Bruno Martin

“To see the wild fl owers in spring” was a good excuse for a

two-month holiday in Britain. We timed our trip for April/

May, when the weather is supposedly settled and before

the crowds arrived for the Olympic Games.

instantaneously drop back in place,

clamping the shoes fi rmly onto the rails.

To London and The NorthAfter dropping off our hire car in Salisbury,

we boarded a train to London and there -

from Euston at 13:30 - one of Virgin Train’s

Alstom class 390 Pendolino 11-car sets

took us 648km along the West Coast main-

line to Glasgow, arriving at 18:05. Brief

stops were made at Warrington Bank Quay;

Wigan North West; Preston; Oxenholme

and Penrith. Although capable of 225km/h,

the Pendolinos operate at a top speed of

200km/h – so fast that it’s near impossible

to read station nameboards as they fl ash

by. Catering in fi rst class offers free hot

and cold beverages (including alcohol),

snacks, sandwiches and hot meals on some

services. WiFi is free of charge.

In Scotland we experienced everything

from gale force winds in Fort William to

snow and ice on Cairngorm Mountain,

daytime temperatures between 2-5° at

times, and a week with a balmy 28°.

Despite the weather, we got to see all the

places we had planned to visit. The scenery

was spectacular with the mountain peaks

under a generous dusting of snow.

as reservoir for the braking system.

On a pre-arranged signal, the drivers

release the safety locking device and the

cars’ brakes. As water is discharged from

the tank of the lower car, the now heavier

top car descends, pulling the lower car up.

The water discharged by the lower car is

pumped back into the reservoir at the top

station to fi ll the top car’s tank and the

whole procedure is ready to start over again.

A secondary braking system, patented in

1888, and the forerunner of the railway

“deadman’s handle”, activates calliper-

type brake shoes clamped to each side of

the crown of the rail and held fast by

54.4kg lead weights. When the driver turns

a hand-wheel operated by a large water

accumulator, the brakes are released,

but should the driver at any time release

the wheel, the lead weights would

Durdle Door and Chalk Cliffs, Jurassic Coast, Dorset.

Lynmouth Cliff Railway.


Another exhibit of interest is Highland Railway locomotive no 103,

designed by engineer David Jones with the assistance of DA Hendrie

in 1894. It was the most powerful locomotive in Britain at the time,

and the fi rst to use the 4-6-0 wheel arrangement. The South African

connection is that David Anderson Hendrie took up the position

of Locomotive Superintendent with the Natal Government Railways

early in January 1903.

At the museum’s shop I purchased a DVD entitled North British

- Locomotives for the world’s railways. It features old newsreel

footage depicting the manufacturing of steam locomotives from

start to fi nish at the North British Locomotive Company Ltd,

Queens Park Works in Glasgow. One of the locomotives, class 24

no 3675, the 2,000th to come off the assembly line ordered by

South African Railways, receives a brief mention. The locomotive

was named Bartholomew Diaz, and special nameplates were cast

to mark the occasion. In January 1950, transport minister Paul

Sauer unveiled the nameplates at a formal handing-over ceremony

in Cape Town attended by Sir Andrew Duncan and Mr W D Lorrimer,

director and managing director of NBL respectively; as well as the

Portuguese ambassador to South Africa, members of parliament

and senior railway offi cials. The newly named locomotive worked

a special train over Sir Lowry’s Pass during which the guests were

treated to lunch.

The North of ScotlandWhile in Fort William I saw The Jacobite on 14 May (loco 62005

with eight coaches in tow) on its inaugural run to Mallaig for the

Museum of Transport: Glasgow In Glasgow I visited the Riverside Museum of Transport which

spreads over two fl oors and houses over 3,000 exhibits grouped

into 150 separate, themed displays. Entry is free, but cash

donations are gladly accepted. There is a splendid collection

of railway locomotives, trams, models of ships and cars – the

centrepiece being SAR class 15F no 3007, which was rescued

from the cutter’s torch in Bloemfontein and shipped to Glasgow

in 2007. It represents one of 20,000 locomotives built in Scotland

and shipped out overseas and one of a few that have been brought

back “home” again. The 15F is by far the largest object on display,

its great size best appreciated close up and seeing the colossus

sitting on rails only 1,067mm apart.

After its return to Glasgow, 3007 was exhibited in the city’s

George Square, marking the launch of the museum’s fund-raising

campaign. Thereafter it was moved to the museum’s resource

centre. Though in overall good condition, there were missing

components such as copper pipes to be replicated and it took two

years’ painstaking restoration work to meet the requirements of

the museum’s guidelines. Rather than applying shiny new paint, it

was decided to retain a matt fi nish, refl ecting 40 years of heavy

duty in South Africa. On the evening of 21 September 2010, the

loco was transported by road to take her place as one of the star

attractions when the museum opened on 21 June 2011. There is a

fi lm clip on YouTube about the Train from Bloemfontein featuring

15F #3007 at: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=hlTISVynSbA

The Jacobite crossing River Lochy bridge. Connel bridge over the Falls of Lora.

Riverside Museum Glasgow: SAR 15F no 3007. Riverside Museum Highland Railway loco 103.

Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com8


Cairngorm Mountain Railway A railway with a difference operates in the Cairngorm ski area, a

short drive south of Aviemore. Ranking as the United Kingdom’s

highest railway, the Cairngorm Railway is Scotland’s only truly

mountain line. The Swiss-built funicular opened on 23 December

2001. The track length is 1,970m (gauge 2m) with a 130m passing

loop midway. The cars start from the base station in the Coirre Cas

area, 637m above sea level and terminate at Ptarmigan, altitude

1,097m. This lies some 150m below the summit of An Càrn Gorm

(Cairngorm Mountain), 1,245m, Britain’s sixth highest mountain.

The maximum gradient is 23.14º (1 in 2.34 or 42.8% inclination).

Famous BridgesNo tour of Scotland would be complete without visiting the two

great structures spanning the wide estuaries of the Firth of Tay and

the Firth of Forth, the latter arguably the most famous of all British

railway bridges.

The original Tay bridge, designed by Thomas Bouch, was a 3,552m

single line affair comprising 89 iron girders in spans ranging from

8.23 to 60.9m, perched on twin circular brick column piers ”tied

together in the middle like stacks of brick opera glasses”. It climbed

from the south bank to a section of high girders 26.8m above

the shipping lanes, comprising thirteen 24.6m spans seated on

ungainly cast-iron columns. From the high girders, the line dropped

gradually to a lower level and fi nally curved east to the north

bank at Dundee.

summer season. The operators of The Jacobite provided the steam

locomotive and carriages for Hogwart’s Express in the Harry Potter

movies. Judging by the large crowd that morning, the train would

have been fully booked, confi rming its immense popularity. Two

days earlier, on our outing to Mallaig, we stopped at Glenfi nnan to

see the impressive railway viaduct also made famous in the Harry

Potter fi lms, comprising 21 arched spans of 15.5m, some 381m

long and towering up to 30.5m above the valley fl oor.

North of Oban the main road crosses the impressive structure at

Connel Ferry - one of Britain’s few steel cantilever rail bridges.

When opened in 1903, it carried the branch line to Ballachulish

(Glen Coe) across the Falls of Lora where Loch Etive enters the Firth

of Lorne. The 213.4m crossing comprises a centre span of 167.6m

and two 32.3 m anchor arms extending from three-arched masonry

approaches on either side. In 1914 the bridge was adapted for use

by road vehicles and since closing of the line in 1966, it has carried

road vehicles only.

Our stay at Boat of Garten placed us beside the station of the

Strathspey Steam Railway. From March to October, this operates

three journeys daily between Aviemore and Broomhill. In winter,

a twice-daily diesel railcar runs during December and February.

Some 15.3km of the original Highland Railway of 1865 has been

restored and the line is being restored a further 5.3km towards

Grantown-on-Spey. On the day we travelled, Caledonian Railways

0-6-0 no 828 (built by McIntosh in 1899), resplendent in its original

striking blue livery, was rostered.

Cairngorm mountain railway passing loop.

Glenfi nnan viaduct on Fort William-Mallaig line.

Cairngorm mountain railway en route to the top station.

Strathspey Railway arriving at Boat of Garten.

Issue 1 // 2013 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com 9


The structure was neither symmetrical,

balanced nor picturesque in appearance.

When it opened to traffi c on 31 May 1878,

it ranked as the longest railway bridge in

the world. Disaster struck on 28 December

1879, when the high spans collapsed as a

northbound mail train from Edinburgh was

crossing at about 19:15 in the midst of a

fi erce storm and the entire consist plunged

into the icy water of the Tay, drowning all

75 passengers and crew on board.

An enquiry into the cause of the accident

concluded that poor design, inferior quality

materials and slipshod work, amongst

other inherent defects, and the gross

underestimation of the force of the winds

in the estuary, had doomed the bridge from

the outset.

No risks were taken by civil engineer

William H Barlow and his son Crawford,

when the new 3208.6m long, double-line

Tay bridge was built 18.2m upstream of

the old one. Work on this started in 1882

and trains began running on 20 June 1887.

It crosses the estuary on 74 spans, eleven

of them 74.6m long over the shipping lanes

at the centre, 23.5m above high tide. The

visually reassuring, monolithic structure is

supported by twin cylindrical piers 9.75m

apart, their foundations sunk 6 to 9m below

the river bed and rising to just above the

high tide mark. They are bound together

by a 2.4m base-plate composed of iron,

brick and concrete. Towering above each

base plate is a hollow structure composed

of three-quarter-inch-thick wrought-iron,

plated octagonal “legs” curving inward

at the top to form an arch supporting

the bridge girders. Between the piers

of the current bridge, the stumps of its

predecessor are still visible.

Our journey continued to Edinburgh – fi rst

crossing the Firth of Tay on a 2,250m long

road bridge and followed some while later

on the other, equally impressive engineering

feat, the 2,512m long suspension bridge

over the Firth of Forth. Within sight of the

suspension bridge is the crown jewel of

19th century engineering and arguably

Scotland’s most distinctive landmark, the

magnifi cent Forth railway bridge. This is a

structure of gigantic proportions spanning

the Firth at its narrowest point between

North and South Queensferry. Three huge

cantilever towers rise 104.5m into the air,

spanning 521.2m across, with the middle

tower anchored on the strategically located

Island of Inchgarvie. From the middle tower,

arms stretch out on each side to grasp

the ends of two 106.7m long connecting

ISLE OF MAN

B R I T A I N

G R E A TRIVERSIDE MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT

FORT WILLIAM - MALLAIG

Margate

Northampton

Wolverhampton

Wymouth

Norwich

Ipswich

FRANCE

Dover

Wick

Aviemore

Inverness

Berwick

Perth

Carlisle

EDINBURGH

Dundee

Fort William

Kyle of Lochalsh

Mallaig

Oban

BELFASTIRELAND

NORTHERN

100 S C O T L A N D

GLASGOW

0

miles

Virgin Trains

GREAT BRITAIN 2012ROUTES TRAVELLEDBY TRAIN

South West TrainsEast CoastMain Line Co.

Darlington

Sheffield

York

Crewe

Manchester

Leeds

LeicesterCoventry

Salisbury

Bristol Oxford

E N G L A N D

Holyhead

DUBLIN

WALES

Lynton

Cardiff

Swansea

Aberystwyth

Lancaster

Liverpool

Blackpool

Birmingham

Chester

Brighton

SouthamptonPlymouth

Padstowe Exeter

c BRUNO MARTIN 7/2012

REPUBLIC

Penzance

IRELAND

OF

Newcastle

Peterborough

Hull

Aberdeen

LONDON

B R I T A I N

G R E A T

ISLE OF MAN

Margate

Northampton

Wolverhampton

Wymouth

Main Line Co.

GREAT BRITAIN 2012

BY TRAIN

South West TrainsEast Coast

ROUTES TRAVELLED

Virgin Trains

BELFAST

DUBLIN

Holyhead

Chester

Aberystwyth

IRELAND

NORTHERN

OF

IRELAND

REPUBLIC

Lynton

Padstowe

Wick

Inverness

Aberdeen

Aviemore

Perth

Oxford

Coventry

Hull

Ipswich

Norwich

Leicester

DoverBrighton

SouthamptonPenzance Plymouth

Exeter

Bristol

Swansea

Cardiff

Birmingham

Blackpool

Sheffield

LiverpoolManchester

Leeds

Crewe

Lancaster

E N G L A N D

WALES Peterborough

Salisbury LONDON

York

Darlington

Carlisle

Berwick

Newcastle

Dundee

EDINBURGHGLASGOW

Oban

Mallaig

Fort William

Kyle of Lochalsh

1000

miles

S C O T L A N D

FRANCEc BRUNO MARTIN 7/2012

GLENFINNAN VIADUCT

FORT WILLIAM - MALLAIG

CONNEL FERRY BRIDGE

RIVERSIDE MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT

LYNTON & LYNMOUTH CLIFF RAILWAY

SAR CLASS 15F #3007

"THE JACOBITE"

FORTH BRIDGE

STRATHSPEY STEAM RAILWAY

TAY BRIDGE

Railway bridge across the Firth of Forth.

10 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com


London in Jubilee YearLondon was busier than usual with the

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in

full swing, the streets decked out with fl ags

and preparations under way for the long

weekend events for 3 – 6 June. “The Tube”

(the London Underground) is certainly a

very effi cient way of getting around but the

fare for a one-day travelcard had almost

doubled since our previous visit in 2007:

from £4.00 to £7.00.

Our departure from Heathrow on the return

journey was delayed due to a “technical

problem” on the A380. Fortunately, this

was quickly resolved and we made up most

of the 1½ hours lost by arriving just 10

minutes late in Singapore. We had visions of

a repeat of our previous journey fi ve years

previously when British Airways left four

hours late and we missed our connecting

fl ight to Brisbane in Sydney. This time we

made sure we were on a direct fl ight back

to Brisbane.

And yes, the spectacle of the Bluebells

(Hyacinthoides non-scripta) and the huge

variety of wild fl owers blooming in the lush

green meadows and in the woods all over

Britain is truly a magnifi cent sight – well

worth the trip just to see that!

girders some 47.5m above high water. The

superstructure of each tower comprises

3.65m diameter riveted tubes of 31.75mm

steel. At the outer ends, the shoreward

cantilever towers are balanced by 1,000

tonne counterweights. Including the north

and south approach viaducts, carried on

39.8m granite columns, the Forth bridge

measures 2,528.6m from end to end.

Work on the bridge commenced in April

1883 and took seven years to complete.

During construction, 63 lives were lost and

461 men injured in a workforce totalling

4,000 at times. The Prince of Wales (later

King Edward VII) performed the opening

ceremony on 4 March 1890.

Trams for EdinburghIn Edinburgh, traffi c diversions due to

construction work on the new tramway

made driving to the city centre an absolute

nightmare. The project - under construction

since 2008 - has been nothing short of a

fi nancial disaster. Bungled decisions and

setbacks saw the offi cial cost jump from

£520 million to £776 and it seems a fi nal

fi gure exceeding £1 billion would not

be surprising. The three lines originally

planned have been scaled down to one of

13km running from the airport to the city

centre, scheduled for opening by summer

2014. Apart from the fi nancial blow-

out, the tramlines along Princes Street,

completed some while back, have already

needed repairs, due to damage caused by

conventional motor traffi c.

From Edinburgh we travelled on the East

Coast main-line to Kings Cross (632.3km)

but the ride was not as smooth as on

Virgin Train’s Pendolino. The train departed

on time from Waverley station at 10:30,

but when we reached Newcastle an

announcement over the PA system advised

that the service would be delayed due to an

“incident” at Darlington earlier in the day

which had resulted in a backlog of trains on

the line. This incident got us to Kings Cross

in London at 15:22 - about half an hour late.

Tay Railway bridge Dundee. Edinburgh Waverley Station East Coast Train. Edinburgh tramrails in Princes Street.

According to a tourist

brochure, the clock at the

Balmoral Hotel, situated

above Edinburgh’s

Waverley station, is set

two minutes fast so that

travellers running for a

train have two minutes to

spare. The only time the

clock runs to the correct

time is on Hogmanay when

Princes Street is the scene

of a huge party, and the

clock counts down the

minutes to midnight.

Bruno Martin, who also took the photos, was born in Switzerland but lived for many years in

South Africa. A noted cartographer, today he is based near Brisbane in Australia’s Queensland.



of Beira, Mozambique, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in the Indian

Ocean. [It] Is also connected indirectly to the rail system in South

Africa Thus, the CFB [is] part of a railway continental.”

ANGOLAREGULAR MENONGUE TRAINS BEGIN Regular scheduled passenger trains began running between

Menongue and the Atlantic coast at Namibe (756kn) on 7 January.

Rehabilitation of the line (Caminhos de ferro de Moçamedes - CFM),

closed for many years since the start of the civil war, was completed

recently. Freight service has also commenced. At a launching

ceremony at Humbia station, 162km east of Namibe, CFM Chief

Executive Daniel Quipaxe explained that the introduction of regular

trains followed a series of test runs that began in September 2012.

The track and other infrastructure underwent thorough technical

assessment. It is expected that more than a million passengers

will travel on CFM during 2013. Quipaxe expressed concern at the

extent of vandalism which is being experienced, mainly comprising

track components.

ANGOLA’S BENGUELA LINEAccording to Jornal de Angola (30 December 2012), “the completion

of the rehabilitation, upgrading and construction of Caminhos de

ferro de Benguela (CFB), scheduled for the fi rst quarter of 2013,

when the train arrives at Luau (at the end of the line), will cost

the state coffers about 180 billion Kwanza. It is estimated that the

CFB operation will accelerate the process of regional integration,

connecting Angola to the DRC and Zambia. The CFB has a total

length of 1,344km and beyond Luau is connected to the railway

systems of the two countries. After Zambia, you can reach the city

A station at Chamutete, south of Dongo junction (500km from the Atlantic

at Namibe), on the CFM branch which is to be extended to connect with

TransNamib at Oshikango. Photo: Anton van Schalkwyk.

New Chinese rolling stock in Angola. Photo: Anton van Schalkwyk.

ZenzaLuanda

Dondo

Malanje

LobitoBenguela

Camacupa

Caaia KuitoHuamboCubal

Luena

Namibe

LubangoDongo Menongue

Chiange

Oshikango

Ondangwa

Tsumeb

Chamutete

Luau Dilolo

DRC

ATLANTIC

ZAMBIA

BOTSWANA

ANGOLA

NAMIBIA

Km300

CFB’s Benguela station. Photo: Anton van Schalkwyk.

Anton van Schalkwyk photographed this explicit-looking bilingual sign

between Luena and Luau on the Benguela line, not far from the DRC border.

Station at Caala, about 250km from Benguela on CFB.

Photo: Anton van Schalkwyk.


AFRICA UPDATEAFRICA UPDATE

AFRICA UPDATE

freight operations nationally. It is hoped to increase the volume

of freight conveyed annually to 400 million tonnes after 10 years.

About E£27 billion is to be spent on rolling stock, some of which is

to be air-conditioned.

ETHIOPIAETHIOPIAN LIGHT RAILConstruction of the 37km Addis Ababa light rail system has been

resumed, following interruption due to the rainy season. The

route extends from Meskel Square to Kaliti. The Chinese CREEC

contractors have been assembling a cylindrical structure in front

of St Josephs school, some 30 metres deep in the ground. This will

support the south-north corridor overpass running from Ras Birru

Street to Piazza.

GHANARAILWAY HISTORY LESSONS FROM GHANA

In a recent working paper, Rémi Jedwab and Alexander Moradi

explore the importance of transport infrastructure to a country’s

development. The specifi c subject of their research was Ghana,

where two railways were built in the early twentieth-century to

extract minerals, as well as a means of moving soldiers in times

of war. The railways brought with them reduced transport costs.

This resulted in many subsistence farmers switching production

to a more lucrative crop – cocoa. Detailed GIS census data used

by Jedwab and Moradi confi rmed the obvious - farms closest to

the railway benefi ted the most. Within a decade most farmers in

Ghana had become successful cocoa producers, “making Ghana an

example of the positive impact of colonial policies.”

CFB SERVICE RESUMPTION: 2012 HIGHLIGHT The resumption of passenger and freight train services along

the eastern portion of Angola’s Caminhos de ferro de Benguela

(CFB) was a highlight of 2012, linking the cities of Kuito, Huambo,

Lobito and Luena. The reopening of the railway, the Angolan press

reports, has made a signifi cant contribution to the socioeconomic

development of the regions, notably the central Bie Province,

where thirteen stations have been rehabilitated - Chinguar, Cutato,

Capeio, Cunhinga, Cunje, Chipeta, Catabola, Camacupa, Kwanza,

Cueli, Cuiva, Cuemba and Munhango.

BOTSWANA

EGYPTEGYPT REORGANISES

Egypt Railways (ER) has created three new companies aimed at

improving both passenger and freight service. Vice-president of the

Railway’s Bureau for Financial and Economic Affairs Yehia Ibrahim

is quoted saying that a loan of E£320 million has been requested

from the National Investment Bank to fund new developments. One

of the new entities is to oversee long-distance passenger service,

the second, commuter traffi c. The third will be responsible for rail

TE DELIVERS HUNDREDTH SALT WAGON Botswana Rail ordered a total of 562 wagons from Transnet

Engineering (TE). The vehicles are designed, engineered and

manufactured at the Uitenhage plant in the Eastern Cape. Early

in December, the hundredth wagon for the transport of salt was

handed over. This forms part of an initial order for 240 specialised

wagons to convey bulk chemical-grade salt from Sua Pan in

Botswana to Sasol’s factories in South Africa.

SAUDIARABIA

ASWAN DAM

JORDAN

ISR

AE

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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

Suez El Shatt

IsmailiaFerdan

RafahPort Said

EL’Alamein

To TobrukMersa Matru

h

SimilaSalum

Alexandria

El Faiyum

Railway outof use

Helwan

BahariaOasis

AY

BIL

N0 250 km

MEDITERRANEAN

RED SEA

BURKINA FASO

COTE

D’IV

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Volta

Lake

Techiman

Mampong

Nkoranza

Bole

Sawila

Wa

Bolgatanga

Hamale Paga

Sheini

YendiTamale

KumasiEjisu

Anyinam

KadeShai

Hills

Accra

TemaHumi

Valley

Awaso

Dunkwa

Prestea

Tarkwa

TakoradiSecondi

Nsawam

Akosombo

GHANA

N

AFRICA UPDATE


Commenting on the research, Finweek points out that transport

infrastructure is often the fi rst item slashed from a government’s

budget in times of economic crisis: “There are few consumer, labour

or other electoral groups that feel strong enough about an unbuilt

railway, and we only notice the decline of the infrastructure over

an extended period of time (and when it’s already too late): small

potholes don’t attract the anguish of protesters, but wait a few years

and those same potholes might double or triple the time and cost

of travelling. Any politician trying to cut government expenditure

on education or health would face the (election) gallows, but cut

transport infrastructure investment and few will notice. One of the

reasons economic historians investigate the past is because they

believe that history has valuable lessons that can inform the tough

decisions policy makers face.”

MOROCCOCASABLANCA TRAMWAY OPENED On 12 December 2012, King Mohammed VI of Morocco inaugurated

Casablanca’s new tramway. The 31km line links the east and south-

west districts via the city centre, and calls at 48 stations. The Alstom

Citadis trams are 65 metre double units accommodating up to 606

passengers. They are to carry up to 250,000 passengers daily. The

service is to run at intervals of 4 minutes 45 seconds during peak

hours and 8 minutes 30 seconds during the off-peak. The average

speed attained is expected to be 18.8km/h. The signalling system

supplied and installed by Alstom will ensure safety and is to give a

75% priority rate at street intersections.

Accompanied by French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, the King

travelled by tram between the United Nations and Mohammed

V squares. He decorated executives from the Casa Transports

company for their distinguished contribution to the project.

NAMIBIANORTHERN NAMIBIA RAIL HICCUPThere are still no passenger trains on the 392km line to Tsumeb

from Kranzberg junction, 210km west of Windhoek on the main-line

to Walvis Bay. The condition of the track is said to be such that

safety would be at risk. On the other hand, TransNamib is running

trains northwards from Tsumeb over the new line to Oshikango.

For the past two years buses were arranged between Tsumeb

and Kranzberg. This facility was not provided over the 2012-2013

Christmas and New Year season, however, stranding “hundreds”

of travellers according to press reports. TransNamib’s Elaine

Claasen explained to the press that the company is “facing fi nancial

challenges” and that hiring buses is very costly.

TRANSNAMIB’S DEAD DUCKSIn a “controversial deal worth more than N$44 million clinched nearly

10 years ago”, writes New Era (published in Windhoek), TransNamib

acquired Chinese-built locomotives and a diesel-multiple-unit (DMU)

passenger train, which was specifi cally intended for use on the new

Northern Extension railway from Tsumeb. According to New Era, the

DMU, named Omugulu Gwombashe Star, is currently confi ned to

Windhoek, “after Chinese engineers repaired the damages caused

by long-distance travelling about two years ago, at great cost.” The

paper quotes TransNamib’s Christina Kharigus saying the train “has

not been fi xed since it became unfi t for passenger transport.”

New Era adds: “The other locomotives that TransNamib bought

along with the DMU were also found unsuitable for local conditions,

and TransNamib does not know what to do with them.”

TRANSNAMIB FACT SHEETPrior to 1988, the railways and associated road motor services

in Namibia were operated by the South African Railways

administration. On 1 July 1988, the responsibility was handed over

to the newly formed Namibian National Transport Corporation. Ten

years later, TransNamib Holdings Limited was established.

Today the country’s railways cover some 2,628km. The line to

Luderitz has been out of use for a number of years but the 140km

west of Aus is currently being reconstructed for return to service in

2014. The 389km section from Kranzberg (210km from Windhoek

on the main-line to Walvis Bay) to Tsumeb requires substantial

“ One of the reasons economic historians investigate the past is because they believe that history has valuable lessons that can inform the tough decisions policy makers face.” Back in 2009, Namibian works and Transport Minister Helmut Angula

told parliament that four Chinese locomotives costing about N$36 million which arrived in Namibia in 2004 suffered 265 failures between October 2004 and June 2007, and were then withdrawn from service. “The decision to buy them,” the Minister said, “was economically justifi ed, but due to a lack of a proper technical analysis of the Chinese manufacturer’s design and a lack of quality control, these locomotives were not suitable for the Namibian environment.”

TransNamib’s diesel-multiple-unit passenger train - the Omugulu GwoMbashe Star – cost $US2.3 million, works and transport minister Helmut Angula told parliament in 2009. ”From July 2006 it ran once a week between Windhoek and Ondangwa. In March 2007 it broke down with a broken gearbox casing. As this was a one-off unit manufactured for TransNamib, a replacement part had to be manufactured in China. This arrived in September 2007.” During the test run however: “the complete gearbox disintegrated”. More replacement parts arrived 15 months later, at the end of 2008, but the unit was deemed unsuited to lengthy journeys.


AFRICA UPDATE

rehabilitation, as do the branches to Outjo (72km) and Grootfontein

(91km). Passenger service on these lines - constructed when the

narrow gauge was replaced in the early sixties - has been suspended

temporarily for safety reasons.

Conveyance of containers throughout the territory is served by

terminal facilities at key points, Windhoek, Ondangwa, Oshikango,

Keetmanshoop, Aus, Otjiwarongo, Tsumeb and Grootfontein, all of

which have 45-ton reach-stackers and gantry cranes.

NIGERIALAGOS-KANO OPENFollowing many years with no train service, Nigeria’s 1,106km

Lagos-Kano main-line reopened in December 2012. One passenger

train and one freight are currently running every week. Applauding

this, an editorial in Leadership (published in Abuja) points out that

one of the advantages is the haulage of petroleum products by

rail, using newly acquired pressurised tank wagons. “The haulage

of petroleum products and other heavy duty materials such as

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

KeetmanshoopSeeheimKolmanskop

BogenfelsKarasburg

Oranjemund

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0 250 km

Nakop

ToUpington

Gobabis

AT

LA

NT

I C O

CE

AN

Luderitz

SwakopmundWalvis Bay

To Katima Mulilo

BO

TS

WA

NA

www.railwaysafrica.com

were caught red-handed when police in Ndola swooped on them as

they vandalised the Ndola-Luanshya railway line.”

ZIMBABWENRZ TO MOVE 6M TONNES IN 2013The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) aimed to move 6.4 million

tonnes of freight in 2012 but – blaming economic circumstances-

was unable to reach the target. Undaunted, the stated objective for

2013 is 6 million tons, despite a fl eet strength of only 65 locomotives

against a requirement for 83. There are 3,271 operable wagons, a

thousand short of what is needed. There is a six-month backlog in

salary arrears for the railway’s 7,000 employees, Public Relations

Manager Fanuel Masakati told Newsday. The posts of those retiring

are not being fi lled.

LOCOS FROM CHINA FOR NRZAccording to a note from John Batwell based on a National Railways

of Zimbabwe (NRZ) release, “the government announced early

in 2012 that it had secured funds to purchase 14 locomotives

from China, hopefully for delivery during 2013. The NRZ deposited

$US2.9 million some time ago, but the manufacturers insisted on

full payment of $29 million. The locos are believed to be CSR type

SDD6 (Co Co) as used in Angola and Namibia. Diesels most recently

acquired by NRZ were of classes DE10A and 11A in 1982.“

A subsequent note from Peter Bagshawe advises:

“A contact in Australia tells me that CSR is trying to sell six of these

locos for under $US1.5 million each to commercial interests in

Australia and Latin America, so far without results. Reading between

the lines, it seems that NRZ has not come up with the rest of the

money, and the Chinese stopped production after six had been built

and are trying to recoup their costs by selling them off cheap.”

cement, iron rods etc usually shorten the life span of these roads.

Besides the wear and tear, the carnage these trucks cause on the

highways is monumental. For the safety of the road users, we want

to propose a total ban on the haulage of these products, especially

petroleum products, by road, when rail lines become operational.”

The article adds pertinently: “It now behoves the Nigerian Railway

Corporation (NRC) to ensure that the rehabilitated rail tracks are

not only maintained, but are secured.”

NIGERIAN TRAIN PASSENGERS’ SAFETY EMPHASISED In an end-of-2012 editorial, Leadership (published in Abuja)

comments on the recent reopening of the 1,128km Lagos-Kano

main-line. “As a matter of urgency,” it suggests, the Nigerian

Railway Corporation (NRC) “should work out a formula that would

guarantee the safety of its passengers. Providing passengers with

insurance cover while in transit is also a necessity.” The paper

adds: “The Corporation should also redouble efforts at ensure that

the engines and wagons are maintained in optimal condition to

meet passengers’ expectations.”

COLONIALIST MONO RAILSAn editorial in Leadership (published in Abuja), writing about the

recently reopened Lagos-Kano main-line, observes:

“If our government is abreast with development in the rail system

the world over, we should not be rehabilitating the mono rail system,

which the colonial administration bequeathed us. The vogue now is

the electric train or the dual rail system.”

[Naughty colonialists, building monorails in Nigeria (of all places).

Actually, we believe the writer has his terminology confused. His

“mono rail” apparently means single track as opposed to double

(which we think he intended when he spoke of “dual rail”). But we’re

not at all sure double track is the world “vogue”. Vast lengths of single

line cross Canada, the USA and elsewhere. Doubling takes place not

to comply with fashion but only when traffi c volumes (hardly trains

running once a week), justify the expense... – Editor: Railways Africa.]

ZAMBIARAILWAY VANDANLISED IN ZAMBIAAccording to the Times of Zambia, following a “spot-check”,

the Luanshya-Ndola branch in the copperbelt has been badly

vandalised with “the line uprooted in many portions and sold to

scrap metal dealers who have over the years been targeting the

lucrative export market.” The paper reported recently: “Most of the

railway slippers [sleepers] have been shipped out of the country for

sale to some furniture companies as confessed by suspects who

ZAMBIA

NDOLA

LUBUMBASHI

COPPER BELT

Katanga Province

Chingola

Nkana/Kitwe

Mufulira

Mokambo

Sakania

Luanshya

To Kabwe

ZAMBIADEMOCRATIC

REPUBLIC OF CONGO

N0 km 80 km 160 km

An NRZ DE10A at Victoria Falls in 2010. Photo: Geoff Cooke.


AFRICA UPDATE

CORRIDOR CONTROL CENTRE FOR BULAWAYOA joint international railway operations control centre is to be

established in Bulawayo, to direct traffi c on the South Africa-

Zimbabwe-Zambia-DRC corridor. South African Transport Minister

Ben Martins announced this in parliament, explaining that the

fi ve affected administrations are in talks to streamline workings

on the line. In addition to the state railways of the four countries,

the privately-run Bulawayo-Beitbridge line in Zimbabwe is a key

component.

GOEFF’S TRAINS’ YEAR REVIEW & A LOOK AT 2013Geoff Cooke sums up 2012:“I ran two successful Geoff’s Trains tours to Zimbabwe in 2012. The

fi rst was our steam charter that ran from Bulawayo to Cement (14A

Garratt), Bulawayo to Plumtree (16A Garratt) and then to Victoria

Falls 15A Garratt). The 2011 tour had been affected with boiler

foaming problems that concerned both NRZ and ourselves, and it

was decided to operate this year with diesel assistance. This was

a success, with NRZ willing to explore the operation of the tour in

a way that benefi ted them with greater reliability and reduced fi re

risk, and our clients with some of the best photography in years.

“The second tour was a South Africa/Zimbabwe combined trip that

explored the heritage left by Cecil John Rhodes. The only steam

charter was a trip with class 14A 512 from Victoria Falls station to

the bridge and back, but we also fi tted in a visit to the Hwange

Colliery locomotives and the Bulawayo steam shed.

And for 2013? We will return in

May with a tour that focuses on

photography around Thomson

Junction and Victoria Falls. It is

planned to base a class 15 and

a class 16A Garratt at Thomson

Junction and run a series of day

trips from there. The Garratts,

and Hwange and Victoria Falls,

KEEPING AIR FLOWING EFFICIENTLY

105 Theuns Street, Hennopspark, Centurion, 0157

PO Box 51063, Wierda Park, 0149, South Africa

www.vanrail.co.za

Tel: +27 (0)12 653 4595

Fax: +27 (0)12 653 6841


GM84

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will also feature. A pleasing development is that the Baobab Hotel

has new owners. It is being refurbished and we will use it, something

that has not been possible recently. There will be a post-tour option

to travel to Bulawayo for a few days. So many enthusiasts booking

these tours have travelled to Zimbabwe with us before that it is now

better to offer this as an option (a second option is a few days in the

Chobe National Park). Both of these groups come together again for

a visit to Selebe Phikwe. For some years now these enthusiast tours

have supported the KGVI Rehabilitation Centre in Bulawayo with both

funds and book donations. This year we have supported two pupils

through the centre and fi lled some library shelves, and hope to

do the same next year. Hwange Colliery charges us for admission

but they donate our money to their own charity that helps local

people affected by HIV. The result - our Zimbabwe tours help two

local charities each year. “Encouraging news is the start of the

tram service between Vic Falls and the Bridge. An identical tram has

started running in South Africa’s Cape Winelands. Both trams were

built by Prof Engineering, based in Johannesburg but presumably the

same company that manufactured railway locomotives in Harare for

many years. There must be a story there worth reporting?”

Class 14A Garratt no 512 in October 2012. Photo: Geoff Cooke.

The new tram at Victoria Falls.

Photo: Geoff Cooke.


AFRICA UPDATE

Transnet Engineering’s (TE) recent completion of 100 salt carrier

wagons for Botswana Rail – part of an order totalling 562 vehicles

- followed the successful execution of an order for 200 wagons for

mining giant Rio Tinto’s operations in Mozambique, both projects

being carried out at the Uitenhage plant.

A recent specialised project involved the development of two

prototype car-transport wagons with adjustable hydraulic top

decks in line with specifi c requirements from a customer. TE was

awarded this contract In open tendering, confi rming that the

Uitenhage plant has the capacity and ability to compete with the

best rolling stock manufacturers internationally.

In addition to Uitenhage, Transnet has manufacturing plants at

Koedoespoort, Pretoria (for locomotives, in partnership with

original-equipment manufacturers); at Salt River in the Western

Cape (for coaches, wheels and other rolling stock components);

and in Bloemfontein, among others.

ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW FOR AFRICA FROM TE

RAIL NEWSSOUTH AFRICAN


SA RAIL NEWS

R100 MILLION FOR METRORAIL SECURITY

Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) management met

representatives of the Utatu-Sarhwu union on 3 January to discuss

safety measures for Metrorail employees and commuters. This

followed the Christmas Day murder of driver J P du Plessis in the

control cabin of a commuter set at Hercules in Pretoria.

Prasa has announced an allocation of R100 million to complement

current security measures through the introducing of technology

such as CCTV surveillance, Metrorail’s Lillian Mofokeng told the

press. Mobile armed guards are to be deployed in “identifi ed

hotspot areas”. Helicopter services would be contracted to enable

rapid response to emergency situations.

It was agreed at the meeting that the measures discussed will be

reviewed after three months to assess the impact.

RAIL “MORE SUSTAINABLE”Both international and local research has proved that rail is

environmentally more sustainable than road transport, says David

King of Stellenbosch University. In a project for Transnet Group

Planning completed in September 2012, the university’s Growth

and Intelligence Network (Gain) - part of its Centre for Supply

Chain Management - measured congestion, accidents, policing and

regulation as well as noise and land use. These factors, all inherent

in transport, are classifi ed as “externalities”.

PROPOSED GAUTENG-DURBAN TRUCK HIGHWAY Hard on the heels of research supporting government’s repeated

commitment to getting freight off South African roads and back

onto rail, comes news of a proposed six-lane Gauteng-Durban

“dedicated truck highway”. Ironically, the proponents reportedly

expect fi nancial support for the project from Transnet which,

they say “will be the main benefi ciary” of such a road. Details

of the scheme were released to FTW by eThekwini municipality

transport economist Paul Sessions who is quoted saying: “we’ve

got government funding for the environmental impact study

early in 2013, and we are also going ahead with the planning –

working out the route and actual costing of the fi rst phases of the

dedicated truck highway and we are also talking to the SA National

Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) and the government about their

possible involvement.”

BARLOWORLD / EMD JOINT VENTURE Speaking at the group’s annual fi nancial results presentation in

December, Barloworld Chief Executive Clive Thomson said “big

things” are foreseen from the rail joint venture recently established

with Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), a subsidiary of Caterpillar group

company Progress Rail Services Corporation. He has hopes of

winning part of Transnet’s intended order for 1,064 locomotives,

budgeted at R35 billion over seven years. EMD Africa, Thomson

reported, had submitted a bid for the latest Transnet locomotive

tender and expected to hear the outcome by February 2013.

However, he acknowledged that there is competition for Transnet’s

business; 15 entities paid for and collected tender documents.

He said he was aware that China South Rail Zhuzhou Electric

Locomotive (CSR) had been announced as the successful bidder

for a recent Transnet Freight Rail contract for 95 electric

locomotives worth about R2.6bn. The winning bid was awarded to

joint venture company CSR E-loco Supply, in which CSR has a 70%

stake and black economic empowerment partner Matsete Basadi

holds the balance.

The joint venture, Thomson explained, enables Barloworld to bid

competitively through using long-established EMD locomotive

technology. Although EMD locomotives have been operating in

South Africa for many years, the manufacturer sees a better chance

of success in current tendering by having a locally-based partner.

Thomson also referred to opportunities for EMD Africa elsewhere

on the continent, notably in respect of mining projects requiring

railway equipment.

Transnet Freight Rail 34 652, one of many EMD locos in service.

Photo: Col André Kritzinger.

The train consisted of empty fl atcars, as well as diesel 33.019 being

hauled dead behind the electric locos. Photos: Jacque Wepener.

Jacque Wepener photographed this Transnet Freight Rail train heading

north at Holfontein in the Free State on 3 January.

The class 33, sold recently at a TFR auction in East

London, was on its way to the purchaser in Gauteng.

Sister loco 33.120, sold at the same auction, was seen

later going north in another train (TFR regulations

prohibit the hauling of more than one dead unit in

the same consist). Both these GE type U20C locos,

partially stripped but including bogies, realised

R220,000 each (R2,657 per ton).


SA RAIL NEWS

BLOCK LOADS AT ERMELOCharlie Lewis, writing on sar-L at Christmas:“Peter Stow told me he had recently been to Durban on holiday and

on the way home he called in at Ermelo. Every few minutes, huge

block loads and corresponding mt workings were moving in and

out of the yard – very impressive. Alistair Christisson has written

that freight traffi c is on the increase and record tonnages are being

handled. Eugene Armer and Peter Rogers have sent magnifi cent

photos of modern traction in beautiful locations.”

FILTHY METRORAIL TRAINCharlie Lewis, writing on sar-L at Christmas:“A few days ago, I caught a train from Newlands to Kalk Bay. It ran

to time, as did the return working, but the carriages were fi lthy,

graffi ti despoiled almost every surface and the windows were

opaque (what’s wrong with old-fashioned windows that open?).”

[If we recall correctly, the offi cial explanation is that stones get

thrown through open windows, injuring passengers and involving

Metrorail in formidable damage claims. – Editor: Railways Africa.]

POSSIBLE TFR SPLIT DELAYS RAIL GREEN PAPER The South African Rail Green paper on rail transport is apparently

“on hold” and the “round-table meeting of stakeholders” planned

for late October 2012 did not take place. It is understood that a

proposal to split Transnet Freight Rail operations from infrastructure

is favoured by the Department of Transport (DoT) but not by

Transnet. DoT apparently bases its case on overseas precedent

which allows private operators to run trains on state-owned lines.

[The splitting of rail operations from infrastructure has indeed been

implemented overseas – but by no means with universally reported

success. Very careful assessment of the concept needs to done and

all known examples meticulously evaluated. – Editor: Railways Africa.]

CONTROVERSIAL PRASA CEO The recapitalisation of South Africa’s Passenger Rail Agency

(Prasa) amounts to one of the biggest, if not the biggest, deals in

the country’s history – and that

includes the notorious “arms deal”.

The Financial Mail (FM) speculates

that it may put CEO Lucky Montana

at the top of many party guest lists

for some time to come. Certainly,

says the magazine, he’s no

stranger to controversy.

Montana’s previous position was

deputy director-general at the

Department of Transport, from

which he resigned following death

threats from minibus-taxi interests

opposed to the government’s “taxi recapitalisation” policy,

which he was administering. Minister Jeff Radebe then appointed

Montana to head the SA Rail Commuter Corporation, which

was effectively renamed Prasa in 2009. Here he has weathered

accusations of corruption by the SA Transport & Allied Workers

Union (threatening an action for defamation that appears to have

frightened them off).

Subsequently he exchanged blows with the Black Business

Council over his interpretation of broad-based black economic

empowerment. Montana shrugs his seemingly broad shoulders.

“When implementing something new and different,” he explained

to the FM, “you are bound to face challenges”.

Lucky Montana, Prasa CEO.

Class 19E locos on block coal train at Ermelo. Photo: Eugene Armer.

GAUTRAIN ALLOCATED R861 MILLIONDuring presentation of the 2012/2013

adjustment budget and the medium term

budget policy statement in the Gauteng

Provincial Legislature, Finance MEC Mandla

Nkomfe announced that R861 million had

been granted for the Gautrain Rapid Link.

These funds were to be transferred to the

Gautrain Management Agency “to continue

with ensuring effi cient management and

implementation of the Gautrain project.”

Improving fi nancial management in the “tight

fi scal environment” was vital and the MEC

called on all employees of the province to

exercise prudent fi nancial management,

adding that this is “non-negotiable.” The

Gauteng Provincial Treasury is working

with all departments to improve fi nancial

management: “Special attention is being

given towards clearing all accruals in the

province; I should however hasten to state

that this is a process not an event,” he was

quoted saying.

GAUTRAIN’S SECRETS SHARED Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane is

quoted saying that representatives from

Tanzania, Ghana and Mozambique have

requested that Gautrain Management

Agency CEO Jack van der Merwe “share the

Gautrain’s secrets”. According to Moneyweb,

“she said central government, Gauteng

and KwaZulu-Natal are [collaborating] on

the construction of a freight train between

eThekwini and Gauteng, with those who were

involved in the Gautrain being able to share

their expertise.” Gauteng MEC for Roads and

Transport Ishmael Vadi was reported saying

“the train is a benchmark of how public

transport should be designed, constructed

and managed.”

Moneyweb added: “Van der Merwe said the

project had been worthwhile and it would

undertake it again, if Finance Minister Pravin

Gordhan were to ‘spread some money to

our side’”.


SA RAIL NEWS

PRASA EMPOWERMENT MODEL In implementing its multi-million-Rand rolling

stock renewal programme, the Passenger

Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has set

aside 33% for the benefi t of empowerment

companies. Entities interested in participating

were invited to a “compulsory” meeting on

1 November. Failure to attend disqualifi ed

any further potential participants. National

Empowerment Fund (NEF) General Counsel

Mzi Dayimani told The Sowetan that the

fund would most likely provide about 30%

of each empowerment company’s equity

contribution.

Dayimani was quoted saying “We are willing

to assist companies that prioritise the

empowerment of women and black people,

and the creation of capacity.”

With a solid track record spanning over half a century, GIBB has established itself as a partner of choice. Backed by a Level 2 BBBEE rating, GIBB provides engineering solutions to a diverse range of markets across the African continent.

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SA RAIL NEWS

Transnet group employees are being offered an “unbelievable

offer” at “prices from as low as R7,397 per person sharing” which

includes:

* Two days and one night’s accommodation on The Blue Train

(in a De Luxe Suite) from Pretoria to Cape Town or vice-versa

– including snacks, all meals, all drinks (alcoholic & non-

alcoholic), high-tea, off-the-train excursion and personal

butler service

* Two days’ car hire with 200km free per day, limited waivers,

airport surcharge & tourism levy

* Two nights’ accommodation at the 5-star African Pride Crystal

Towers Hotel & Spa Cape Town in a superior room with

breakfast daily

* One-way fl ight from Cape Town to Johannesburg or vice-versa

(airport taxes included) or return fl ights from Durban to either

Cape Town or Johannesburg

* Value Add Cape Town Hotel: Complimentary use of the steam

room and sauna as well as early check in and late check out

(subject to availability)

* Complimentary parking, WI-FI, drink voucher, 20% dinner

discount voucher, one complimentary return transfer into town

Employees based in Durban (who presumably use a Premier Classe

train to reach Johannesburg), pay an add-on charge of: R8,223 per

person sharing, i.e a fi gure exceeding that of the basic special Blue

Train offer.

[Recent press reports of Blue Train happenings lead one to believe that

average loadings seldom exceed 20 or so passengers on the entire

train. Bargain-price handouts to the staff therefore represent income

that would otherwise not be realised. The extent of the sizable annual

operating loss is not in the public domain – Editor: Railways Africa.]

BLUE TRAIN BARGAIN (TRANSNET STAFF ONLY)

The Blue Train negotiating the S-bend at Braamfontein in 1992.

Today the express bypasses Johannesburg. Photo: Editor.

W W W. R A I LWAYS A N D H A R B O U R S . CO MFor more information contact Barbara Sheat Tel: +27 72 340 5621 Email: [email protected]

Floorplan NOW OPEN! Call for Speakers


SA RAIL NEWS

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METRORAIL DRIVER MURDERED AT CHRISTMAS Metrorail driver J P du Plessis, 58, was found dead in the cab of an

empty commuter set near Hercules station, Pretoria, on Christmas

Day. He had multiple stab wounds and is thought to have been

killed for his cellphone. Appalled Metrorail management announced

that no trains would operate in Gauteng on New Year’s Day as a

mark of respect to an exemplary and dedicated employee.

For safety reasons, it was decided to cancel all trains scheduled

after 18:00 until 4 January.

TFR DRIVER KILLED IN ATM ROBBERYTransnet Freight Rail (TFR) Locomotive Driver Bongiwe Nkosi (31)

was in the wrong place at 02:30 on 5 December when gunmen

opened fi re on a railway combi in Utrecht, mistaking it for a police

vehicle. She died of her injuries. Service driver Sizwe Gule (29)

was hospitalised in critical condition. The combi had stopped at

a service station to offl oad shift workers while robbers were busy

bombing the facility’s auto teller.

FATAL CRASH IN EGYPTIn the early hours of 15 January, a military train carrying young

recruits to an army camp derailed in the Giza neighbourhood of

Badrashinthe, a suburb of Cairo. At least 19 people were reported

dead and 107 injured, according to the health ministry. The train

was travelling from Upper Egypt to Cairo.

SOWETO DERAILMENTA Metrorail commuter train derailed between the New Canada

and Crown stations south of Johannesburg on 8 January. Details in

press reports were sketchy and contradictory. Johannesburg

emergency services were quoted saying eight people sustained

injuries and were taken to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. It was

suggested they jumped off the train when they saw smoke and

thought it was on fi re. Sapa quoted Metrorail Provincial Manager

Thembela Khulu saying no one jumped from the train and there

had been no injuries. The only smoke was from a grass fi re next to

the track.

HEAT CANCELS OZ TRAINOn 13 January, a record 48.5C was measured in Thargomindah,

Queensland. Passengers travelling west to Longreach on the Spirit

of the Outback train were transferred to buses on 14 January, when

Queensland Rail took the precautionary measure of stopping rail

travel at Emerald, fearing the track might buckle.

When the train started its return trip, passengers were taken by

bus to Rockhampton to commence their journey south.

MAN ON LINEA 27-year-old man who had been walking on the line near

Marietta Square in Atlanta was hit from behind by a CSX train

on 7 January. He was taken to hospital but died of his injuries.

Police were unable to establish any reason for his actions, notably

that he made no attempt to leave the track when the driver sounded

the horn.

CROSSING PRECAUTIONS DISPUTEDThe Union Pacifi c Railroad (UP) has disputed arguments suggesting

that insuffi cient warning was provided at a crossing in Midland,

Texas, where four war veterans and 16 others were killed in a

bizarre accident on 15 November. All were in a parade on a fl oat

which was hit by a UP freight train.

UP says the 20-second warning provided by lights and bells at

the crossing complies with federal requirements. The company

questions the actions of the 50-year-old driver of the fl atbed trailer,

which entered the crossing after warning lights started fl ashing

and was hit by the descending barrier. A Federal Safety Board

investigation, which included interviews with eyewitnesses - one

of whom took video evidence - confi rmed this version of what

happened.

FATAL SHORTCUT FOR SCHOLARA 16-year-old from Tongaat in KwaZulu-Natal who took a shortcut

home across the railway on 6 December died after he was hit

by a train. Landing under a train, he was taken to hospital by

paramedics, but tragically died soon after admission.

RAILWAY BLOCKADED IN ONTARIOAn Aamijiwnaag First Nation blockade of a Canadian National (CN)

St Clair spur line near Sarnia, Ontario, that lasted nearly two weeks

over Christmas ended on 2 January. According to press reports,

“ 30% is a matric pass; what is it for train drivers?”


Mishaps & BlundersMishaps & BlundersOne objective of our regular feature reporting and commenting on rail mishaps is to provide information and object lessons from Africa and abroad, in the hope that – in some cases at least - this might help avoid recurrences.

MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

A third clip, according to the Telegraph, “shows the dangers of

‘pole dancing’ with revellers twirling around a pillar on a station

concourse ending up on the fl oor.” The paper quotes offi cial fi gures

revealing that more than 3,000 people were involved in “slips,

trips or falls” in British railway stations in the last 12 months.

DRAMA ABOARD TRAIN 2Via Train 2, The Canadian, left Vancouver right time at 20:30 on

25 December, bound for Toronto with 200 passengers and a crew

of 13. At about 05:00 on 29 December, the train was halted near

Parry Sound, Ontario, with four passengers reportedly showing fl u-

“provincial police gave the blockaders space to hold a victory feast

and a closing ceremony for the Sacred Fire burning at the site. An

elder smoked his pipe for a group of supporters in the early evening

before people departed.”

The blocked line carries chemicals such as propane to Eastern

Canada. The propane industry and others succeeded eventually in

obtaining a judge’s order that the blockade be “dismantled at the

discretion of the police” by 2 January. An Aamijiwnaag First Nation

spokesman claimed the blockade had been a success and “set the

tone about the power and potential of action within the heart of

First Nations communities across Canada.”

TWO “ESCORTED” OFF AMTRAK TRAINOn 7 January, police escorted two men off an Amtrak passenger

train at the station in Marks, Missouri. Apparently the conductor

requested assistance after fi nding a female passenger “crying in

a toilet” following something she alleged happened between her

and the men. She declined to provide details, according to press

reports, and refused to see a doctor. An Amtrak spokesman was

quoted saying that some 300 trains operate daily and that it is not

unusual for at least one person to be asked to leave.

UK “EMBARRASSING MOMENTS” RAIL VIDEOTo encourage travellers to take care during the festive season, the

UK railway infrastructure administration Network Rail released an

“embarrassing moments” video. In one scene, a woman’s stiletto

heel catches in an escalator step at Euston in London and she

is dragged up on her back. Another female passenger is shown

falling in a last-minute dash for her train at Leeds in Yorkshire.

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Photo: Jamie Gabbay.

MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

like symptoms. Local emergency services confi rmed on reaching

the train that an elderly woman had died. The other three sick

passengers were transported to hospital. Train 2 was delayed

some six hours and eventually arrived in Toronto at 15:53 on

29 December. According to Via Rail, about 100,000 passengers

travel on The Canadian annually.

“As Canada’s national passenger rail service, VIA Rail Canada

(www.viarail.ca) has a mandate to provide Canadian travellers

with safe, effi cient, and cost-effective passenger transportation

services in the country’s two offi cial languages. VIA operates

intercity, regional and transcontinental train services linking 450

communities through its 12,500km network, safely transporting

more than four million passengers annually.”

TRAIN KILLS FIVE ELEPHANTSOn 30 December, a passenger train killed fi ve elephants when

it ran into a herd in the Rambha forest area, about 180km south

of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa state in eastern India.

Conservation authorities said they had warned the railway of

elephant movements and complained that trains run too fast

through national parks and forests. They estimate India’s wild

elephant population at about 26,000.

SHOSHOZA MEYL WOESHennie Heymans on sar-L, 31 December 2012:“My friend Oom Gert (87) recently went down to Cape Town in

the Orange Express from Bloemfontein to Cape Town. On the way

down to Cape Town the train broke down and they arrived in Cape

Town at 23:00 by bus. On Christmas Day he went down from

Bloemfontein to East London. You won’t believe it: The train did

not complete this journey either. They again completed the journey

by bus to East London!

“He is an old man who prefers travelling by train and hates the

bus. He likes the train because of the privacy and there is a toilet

etc. Today he is a retired professor and the poor chap is ill because

of the late-night transfer from the train to the bus.

“During his student days he worked for pocket money on the SAR

as a dining-car steward during holidays.

“On the fi rst trip to Cape Town he lost his ID with wallet etc when

they transferred from the train to the bus but fortunately somebody

picked it up and he received it again whilst in Cape Town.

“One does not know what to say. He could not book a place on the

train from Bloemfontein as nobody answered the phone. Thanks to

a friend on this list he made his bookings.

“Usually an ‘old’ person likes travelling by train because its safe

and one can eat ‘padkos’ and enjoy a drink or two in the

compartment as the country rolls by! [Padkos (literally ‘road food’

is a South African word for food one takes along on a journey.)

There is no English word for ‘padkos’ I know of. Padkos is usually

in a square basket and usually consists of boiled eggs, frikkadelle

(patties), cold sausage, sandwiches, cold chicken, tomatoes, fl ask

coffee, hip fl ask with XXX for ‘snake bite’ and other ‘boerekos’ like

biltong (jerky) with salt and pepper!)”.

UP DERAILS 20 IN THE BUNDUOn 5 January, 20 vehicles in a westbound, 105-wagon Union Pacifi c

grain train came off the track in an isolated location about 75km

west of Winnemucca, near Sulfur, Nevada. The consist was headed

to Roseville, California. No injuries were reported.

TRAINS RUN NON-STOP THROUGH PORT SAIDUnprecedented violence on 26 January in Port Said, Egypt’s fi fth

largest city, was so extreme that long-distance trains ran through

without stopping, to avoid being caught in the trouble. More

than 350 people were reported hurt, including 150 police. The

demonstrations followed the imposing of 21 death sentences in

the aftermath of 74 people dying in the course of chaos that erupted

at a soccer stadium in the city during February 2012.

In Cairo, police teargas penetrated into the underground railway,

causing great discomfort to travellers.

CANADIAN TRACKS BLOCKADEDVia Rail passenger trains between Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal

were disrupted on three occasions between 30 December and mid-

January by demonstrators who blockaded the tracks, sometimes

for as long as six hours. Participants in Canada’s “Idle No More”

grassroots movement at one point staged almost daily protests

against the government’s Bill C-45, which they say violates treaty

rights and weakens environmental laws.

FOLLOW US ON@RailwaysAfrica


MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

Act safely at level crossings

London Underground Celebrates 150 YearsNo doubt many Railways Africa readers have had fi rst-hand

experience of London’s famous underground railway at some stage.

The world’s fi rst, it launched a year-long celebration of its 150th

anniversary in early January.

The Metropolitan Railway ushered in a global revolution in urban

transport when it started running public passenger trains on

a 6km route between Paddington and Farringdon on 10 January

1863. Metropolitan locomotive no 1, a restored steam engine, is

to operate special commemorative services, giving present-day

passengers a taste of 19th century travel before electrifi cation.

The network has expanded systematically over the years and

currently serves 270 stations. A record 1.17 billion people used the

“Tube” in 2012.

According to London executive mayor Boris Johnson, “the

engineering ingenuity of our Victorian forefathers” laid the

groundwork for what remains a vital economic tool in the capital.

“It annihilates distance, liquidates traffi c and is the throbbing

cardiovascular system of the greatest city on Earth.”

November 2012 – Umgeni Steam Railways’ restored class 19D no 2685

at Inchanga on a ballast train, in preparation for the busy holiday season.

Photo: John Batwell collection.

Preservation Groups Enjoy Good Holiday LoadingsFriends of The Rail and Reefsteamers in Gauteng, also Atlantic

Rail in Cape Town and Umgeni Steam Railway in KwaZulu Natal

all enjoyed excellent public support for their steam-hauled services

over the recent holiday period. In some cases, tickets were

completely sold out.

Engines out of action was a problem in most areas during 2012

and a general aim in 2013 will be to get additional motive power

in service. The reliability of advertised excursions is at risk when

only one loco is available and there is no backup in the event of

unforeseen problems. Friends of The Rail were fortunate in having

alternative power in hand, following the recent repeat derailment

near Cullinan due to sleeper theft.

Reefsteamers has received the boiler tubes needed for its class

12AR no 1535, Friends of The Rail is busy restoring class 15CA no

2850 and Atlantic Rail is working on class 16DA Pacifi c no 879.

Reefsteamers have been heavily occupied with a major fencing

project to improve security at its depot in Germiston.

Visits to ReefsteamersFor several years, Attie de Necker has been the contact person for

visits to Reefsteamers’ Germiston depot, as well as functioning as

site manager. “Attie is retiring from depot visits and station pilot

duties,” Lee Gates writes, “but will continue to assist as train

manager and senior driver. A new lower-mileage depot manager

will be starting in the near future. As soon as we have run him in,

put the fi rst dent in the tender and tightened all the loose bolts, we

will announce new contact details for visitors to use when they

need assistance round the depot.”

Until then, Reefsteamers appeals to the public to email depot-

related queries to:

[email protected] or [email protected].

As little local preservation news has come in

since the previous edition of Railways Africa,

we look this month at two most interesting

highlights from the United Kingdom.

Metropolitan Railway no 1 is being used in the London Underground 150

celebrations. Photo: John Batwell collection.

In central London citizens could travel beneath the city’s increasingly

congested streets on the world’s fi rst underground railway. The Metropolitan

Railway, which opened in 1863, was at fi rst steam operated.

RAILWAY HERITAGE


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

By John BatwellBy John Batwell

Those who built the original Underground had to overcome

suspicions of the new subterranean transport system, characterised

in one newspaper leader as “suggestive of dank, noisome tunnels...

passages inhabited by rats, soaked with sewer drippings and

poisoned by the escape of gas mains”.Their solution – bright, gas-

lit trains and airy, vaulted platforms (that are still in use) – had the

desired effect. On the fi rst day, 30,000 people tried out the new

system, producing revenue of £850. By the 1880s, a network of

lines extended across central London, relieving pressure on roads

jammed with horse-drawn buses, carts and cabs. Its construction

was highly innovative. Engineers pioneered the technique of “cut

and cover”, where a trench was dug from above and roofed over.

Open sections at intervals enabled fumes to escape.

A second era of expansion around the turn of the 20th century

necessitated new deep tunnelling techniques – for which London’s

clay underpinnings were an ideal medium – in constructing the

Piccadilly, Northern and Bakerloo lines.

Today, the London Underground generates £2.18 billion in revenue,

just over half of Transport for London’s annual income, and a

long-term programme of upgrade work has been spared from

the government’s public spending cull. With the city’s population

expected to rise from 8.2m to 9m by 2020, pressure to expand

capacity and service frequency is unrelenting.

The Underground lays claim to the creation of the London

commuter, liberating workers from the city slums in the 1920s and

1930s by sparking construction of suburban estates that fanned

out from stations along the new lines.

As well as steam rail trips, a string of activities and events is

planned for the 150th celebration, including two new two-pound

coins issued by the Royal Mint, special postage stamps from

Royal Mail and 12 short stories commissioned by Penguin Books.

Aldwych station, closed in 1994, will stage theatrical events to

mark the event.

Gresley Class A4 Pacifi cs All Back in UKIn 1964, one of designer Sir Nigel Gresley’s streamlined 4-6-2 class

A4 steam locomotives – no 60008 - was donated to the American

National Railroad Museum in Wisconsin. Two years later, another

– no 60010 - went to the Canadian National Railway Museum in

Montreal. In October 2012, both were brought back to home ground

to join their four preserved counterparts. The reason – to have all

six remaining class A4s on English soil for the National Railway

Museum’s 2013 celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of

60022 Mallard’s 126mph (203km/h) world speed record in 1938.

One of the four preserved in working order in the UK is no 60009,

which carries the name Union of South Africa. Nos 60008 and

60010 are to return to North America next year.

Sales and rentals of locomotives, trackmobiles and other rolling stock.Repair/reconditioning of locomotives, trackmobiles and other rolling stock in our Pretoria West based workshop and on site.Repair/reconditioning of all locomotive and other rolling stock equipment (engines, bogies, turbo chargers, air and vacuum brake valves and auxiliaries, compressors and exhausters, couplers and draft gears etc.)Service exchange components for most major items on present day locomotives, which include traction motors, bogies, power packs, expressors and main generators etc.A full range of spare parts for locomotives and rail wagons, most of which are available off the shelf.Sales and rentals of electrical, mechanical and air jacking systems for the lifting of locomotives and rail wagons etc, on site.Operation and control of entire rail systems ranging from the maintenance of customers own locomotives and rolling stock to the control and transport of their products and the maintenance of their railway tracks and switch/signalling systems.

SPECIALIZING IN THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY

OPERATIONS &

WORKSHOP

No1 Frikkie Meyer RoadPretoria WestGautengRepublic of South Africa

Tel: +27 12 380-0540Fax: +27 12 [email protected]

HEAD OFFICE

P.O Box 40178Cleveland2022Republic of South Africa

93 Whitworth RoadHeriotdale, JohannesburgGautengRepublic of South Africa

Tel: +27 11 626-3516Fax: +27 11 626-1171/[email protected]

>>>>

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SURTEES RAIL GROUP

Class A4 locomotive Union of South Africa is one of six surviving members

lined up for the Mallard celebrations arranged by the National Railway

Museum in York. Photo: John Batwell collection.

RAILWAY HERITAGE

THE TORTOISE AND THE HARERemember the race between the tortoise and the hare?Dawie Kuyler offers a new slant. He writes on sar-L:

“Please allow me to share with you some useless info - A 24 class engine leaving Alicedale at 03:00

going to Grahamstown went uphill at the speed of a running rabbit. I know this, because the

rabbit was running full speed next to the line just in front of the train, in the engine light for quite

a distance before it went into the bush.”

In the lonely veld

Stands a small tent

And alongside in the twilight

Moves the shining train;

I see in the tent

Through the open curtain

A table with plates

And fi ne glasses

That softly shine

In the candle’s light

And I think, “Were I only

In that small tent,

I would be so lucky.”

By the lonely tent

Stands a small girl

In mute wonder

Of the shining train.

She sees me enjoy

My sparkling wine

And expensive meal

By electric light

And I guess the thoughts

Of the small girl:

“Oh, if I were just

In that cheerful train,

I would be so lucky”.

In die eensame veld

staan ‘n tentjie klein,

en daarnaas in die skemering

skuif die ligtende trein;

ek sien in die tentjie,

deur die oop gordyn,

‘n tafel met bordjies

en glasies fyn,

wat sag in die lig

van die kersie skyn,

en ek dag: ‘Was ek net

in die tentjie klein,

ek sou tog so gelukkig syn.

Naas die eensame tent

staan ‘n meisie klein,

in stomme bewond’ring

van die ligtende trein;

sy sien my geniet

my glansende wyn

en kost’like maal

by elektriese skyn;

en ek raai die gedagte

van die meisie klein:

‘Ag, was ek maar net

in die vrolike trein,

ek sou tog o so gelukkig syn’.

JACOB DANIËL DU TOITJacob Daniël du Toit (1877-1953), better known by his pen name Totius, was a military chaplain with the Boer commandos. After the war, he

studied for a doctorate in theology in Amsterdam. From 1911 a professor of theology in Potchefstroom, he is credited for translating much of

the Bible into Afrikaans. Tragic family events are refl ected in much of his poetry. His small son died early of an infection; the young daughter

was killed by lightning.

The typically literal Google translation,

predicably characterless, does not even

attempt words like “bewond’ring” and “syn”.

Trevor Staats (an Australian nogal) – puts

forward a decidedly better version:

END OF THE LINE


TREIN IN DIE VELD



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railways africa january and february 2013

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