Railways Africa July and August 2013

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

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Predicably, a Boeing 777 making a bumpy

landing at San Francisco’s international

airport made bigger headlines in South

Africa on Monday 8 July than a derailment in

Canada. The Johannesburg Times managed

an insignifi cant passing mention of the

train on an inside page; the aeroplane

merited a full story, even a picture.

Being strong believers in object lessons,

in learning from mistakes and the ever-

important relevance of history, Railways

Africa didn’t fi nd local newspaper coverage

of the two occurrences encouraging. In

San Francisco, it was (it seems) simply a

matter of pilot error. At Lac Mégantic in

Quebec, a sequence of unfortunate events

- none of which should have taken place

- resulted in what was arguably the most

horrifi c railway disaster this century in the

fi rst-world.

An exaggeration? We think not. For so many

in a Western community to be still listed

“missing” several days after a train mishap

is without precedent. It is unheard of for a

coroner’s offi ce to be asking relatives to

bring in toothbrushes, combs and razors

so DNA samples could be extracted

from strands of hair. Four days after the

accident, 20 bodies had been found but

altogether around 50 people known to

have been in the area had - to all intents

and purposes - “gone up in smoke.” Two

thousand residents who survived the

tragedy - a third of the town’s population -

were evacuated.

You can read more about it in our Mishaps

section on page 30. We emphasise that the

account precedes any offi cial investigative

fi ndings. Our report was put together from

international press stories, chronicling as

much as could be discovered - quite soon

afterwards - of what took place.

As far as history is concerned, it wouldn’t

have happened in the “old days”. The

difference is that today’s laws don’t permit

train staff to remain on duty for the length

of time that used to be accepted, even if

it wasn’t specifi cally condoned. The idea

of freight trains being shut down at remote

spots and left for the night would have

appalled railway management in years

gone by.

But this does happen in South Africa in 2013,

and it all too obviously happens in North

America. Drastic steps are bound to be

recommended by Canada’s Transportation

Safety Board in Ottawa, once it gets its

teeth into the Lac Mégantic investigation.

If I were South Africa’s Railway Safety

Regulator, I should follow the proceedings

very closely. There’s nothing like learning

from somebody else’s mistakes - and those

seen at Lac Mégantic had consequences

about as bad as they get.

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 4 // 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

Chas Rickwood

Geoff Cooke

Jacque Wepener

John Batwell

Pierre de Wet

Stanislav Kolenic

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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ContentsContents

PRASA Prasa Looks to The Female Factor in Fleet Renewal 6

LEVEL CROSSING PROTECTION Modernisation of Level Crossing Control Systems With Modern Train Detection Designed for SIL4 - Level According to Cenelec Standards 10

Features 10

16

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

Ageing Rolling Stock, Cape Town at Easter in 1953, High-speed Trains to Durban and Extending Gautrain 16

Pete The Pundit

TRANSNET ENGINEERINGManufacturing For Africa

29

19Reviving Angolan Memories 18

Chinese Loan For Addis-Djibouti Railway 19

Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Seeks Investors 21

Tazara Freight Picks Up 23

Zambian Railway Overhaul to Start 24

Africa Update

Impressive Transnet Results 26

New SA Transport Minister 27

3rd Generation Telemeters 28

Transnet Engineering Manufacturing For Africa 29

SA Rail News

Montagu Pass 38

End of the Line

Proposed Steam Tour in November 36

Sandstone’s Free State Steam Gala 36

Geoff Cooke Visits Zimbabwe and Botswana 37

Railway Heritage

Massive Explosion as Runaway Canadian Fuel Train Derails 30

Questions Remain Over Lac Mégantic 31

Spanish Crash Kills 79 32

Floods Cut Tanzanian Central Line 34

Passenger Train Derails in Saskatchewan, Canada 35

Mishaps & Blunders

26

33

36


capabilities in their various industries. Keen interest was evidenced

in the roadshows, with more than 3,000 attending sessions.

Consequently, the number of resulting submissions was “huge”.

“What broke my heart was the level of desperation for advancement

displayed during these roadshows,” Pearl says.

The capability profi les as submitted were categorised by Prasa into

tiers in respect of each industry. Tier 1 consisted of those with 0-2

years’ practical industry experience; Tier 2, those with between

two and fi ve years; and Tier 3, those with fi ve years or more. “The

Railways Africa spoke to Prasa Group Executive Business

Development Pearl Munthali about the Women in Rail (WIR)

programme and what it entails. In addition to her role in business

development, she has taken on the responsibility as champion of

women in the rail industry. However, her role as champion goes

beyond the concerns of women only, extending into the area of

universal access for groups such as the disabled.

Asked why she accepted the role of championing the Women In Rail

Programme, Pearl explains this was a personal matter. “I believe it

was important for me to stay the course that would eventually land

me in this role.” Pearl, an ICT professional, was Prasa group chief

information offi cer at the time when the sponsor, the group CEO,

Lucky Montana asked whether she would take it on.

“One thing I have been vocal about is the comparatively small

number of women holding leadership positions in business.” As a

practical expression of this concern, she has started a programme

of mentoring women in Prasa, to sensitise them to how corporate

life in general is navigated.

She does not see the initiative to empower women, Pearl

emphasises, as one that replaces men in business. The fact of the

matter is that women, currently, are an underutilised resource – a

resource that should be harnessed. “We must make it comfortable

for women to participate freely without necessarily feeling they

need outdo their male counterparts,” she says.

Any organisation not making full use of the intelligence of women is

ignoring what 50% of the population has to offer.

FINDING FEMALE RESOURCESSince the beginning of the year, Pearl has been spearheading the

Phase II of Prasa’s WIR programme public information engagement

sessions in various provinces, to inform women about the supplier

and career opportunities at Prasa. As part of WIR, Prasa is looking

into empowering enterprises owned by women, by enlisting their

services in the sectors of rail engineering, property and professional

services. At the end of each session, programmes were listed where

opportunities in Prasa exist.

After these roadshows, Prasa made use of the print media to

invite women-owned entities to send in submissions listing their

However she warns that women

entrepreneurs whom Prasa empowers

should not “kick the ladder away”

once they have reached the top. “We

don’t want companies with a female

head and an all-male shop fl oor but

rather female-owned entities that

are conduits for the empowerment of

other women”, she says.

PRASA’S Group Executive

Business Development,

Pearl Munthali.


PRASA

PRASA LOOKS TO THE FEMALE FACTOR IN FLEET RENEWALThe next fi ve years will be a revolutionary

period for Prasa, as it embarks on its new rolling

stock programme, which will see the entire

fl eet renewed over the next 20 years. As part of

the initiative, the company has underlined its

determination to see that women benefi t from

the proceeds of the renewal.

division into tiers provided us with a good idea of which skills

development was needed and by whom”, Pearl explains.

“We categorised subsequent initiatives to fi t the needs of each

tier. We have a list of skills we want to impart in many fi elds of

management (contract, project, quality, growth and risk, for

example) and obviously core technical skills where applicable.

Prasa alone though, cannot be the only business engendering

such an initiative; it needs to be replicated throughout the entire

range of government-owned entities.” The responsibility has been

considerable, she says: “For me, it is about the invaluable role being

played in ensuring that the untapped talent of women is harvested.”

GETTING TO THE CORE BUSINESSPhase 1 of the WIR initiative started during the years 2008-2012.

A year ago, Pearl became its champion. Since then she has

developed the initiative, putting her personal stamp on it. “In terms

of economic emancipation for women, the achievements during

the fi rst fi ve years were remarkable. In this time, Prasa awarded

contracts to the value of R637 million to entities owned by women.”

A number of lessons were learned in the course of the fi rst fi ve

years. Despite initial successes, for instance, women-owned

enterprises did not make inroads into nor participate meaningfully

in key areas such as rail engineering, property, construction and

professional services. In the course of the next fi ve years, Pearl

explains, changes envisaged include the underpinning of WIR-type

contracts with skills development. For the businesses involved,

these skills are going to prove a sustaining factor as they will have

wide application within the rail industry globally, as well as in other

areas of business outside the rail sector.

“In applying the WIR initiative, we have identifi ed three core areas

within Prasa,” Pearl goes on. “The fi rst is rail engineering which

includes rolling stock maintenance, component manufacturing and

supply, signalling systems, perways, infrastructure and information

communication technology. The second area is property, which

includes construction and facilities management. Prasa owns

more than 378 stations throughout the country, which need to

be properly maintained. The third element is that of professional

services. These include disciplines such as quantity surveying,

architecture, legal and risk management, among others.”

In increasing the representation of women in the rail industry, Pearl

is fully aware that ready-made business leaders are not going to

be found automatically. “Prasa,” she observes, “will have to help

cultivate the skills needed.”

“When I was younger and studying computer science in a totally

male preserve,” Pearl continues, “it became clear that women

are able to grasp technical subjects just as well as their male

counterparts.”

To be an entrepreneur, a woman does not necessarily have to be

technically qualifi ed. “But she will need to be an inspiring leader,

with the ability to put a competent team together, to drive the value

chain.”

In addressing the shortfall of technical skills within Prasa, the

organisation seeks to train and empower both female professionals

and entrepreneurs. To achieve this, the company is currently

supporting girls at school as well as female university students.

Scholars are supported from grade nine, the young women being

groomed along the way for careers in engineering. “By the time they

enter tertiary educational institutions, we will have readied them for

a dedicated career in rail,” Pearl says.

Expanding on the subject of training, Pearl advocates the integration

of state-owned services whenever possible. For example, Transnet

and Prasa might pool their engineering skills for a stronger cohesive

end result. “We don’t need to create our very own Prasa school of

rail engineering.”

SEEKING SYNERGYIn this context, Pearl says she was pleased with her appointment

as council member at the Central University of Technology. It

provides her with the opportunity to address a major concern of

hers - the mismatch of skills which occurs all too often in industry,

with people ending up either unemployed or in jobs for which they

are not suited.

She recommends that, instead of funding internship programmes,

companies rather donate towards tertiary education, leaving

internship to take the form of work during vacations. This would

have the effect of moving the technical and practical agenda

away from the academic arena. It would offer an alternative to the

practice of funding internships after university, thus limiting the

intake of skills to numbers that industry can accommodate, and

avoiding the risk of adding to unemployment.

Students should realise, Pearl emphasises, that vacation time

is best spent acquiring practical work experience, and not ”in

idleness”.

In effect, Gibela/Alstom is going to function as an extension of

Prasa for the next 20 years. Once the contract is signed, Prasa


PRASA

are to remain sustainable. The women who will be part of the WIR

initiative – and this is part of Pearl’s personal agenda – need to

be introduced to the wider African market. “To be able to deliver

globally,” she suggests, “ we should start thinking about it now.”

As few other countries in Africa have or can afford rail commuter

passenger services, their focus is on revenue-generating freight.

“South Africa’s fl edgling rail manufacturers should look towards

expanding their scope of production in due course, to include

the supply of components to freight railways elsewhere on the

continent. This broader focus will ensure the existence of markets

for their products, long after the initial Prasa contracts have been

completed,” Pearl concludes.

will be working closely with the consortium in furthering enterprise

development. At the same time, it will work with the opportunities

that Gibela/Alstom presents to it.

“However,” Pearl observes, “labour practices in other countries are

not always applicable in South Africa. One cannot simply ‘paste’

them into the local context without some degree of customising,

if optimum results are to be obtained. Issues such as entitlements

and work ethics invariably differ between countries.

Prasa, Pearl hopes, will contribute understanding of experience

with local entrepreneurs. “You don’t want a situation where

somebody says ‘we tried educating these guys, but I think they are

just incompetent.’ This happens frequently, but people forget to

ask: ‘Did we apply the right method?’”

LOCAL SOLUTIONS“We need to be able to take enterprise development in its fullest

sense,” Pearl advises, “and use it as a ‘pay forward’ tool. Rather

than seeing this as a ‘tick the box’ type of compliance issue, as

many organisations do, rather let it be regarded as the right thing

to do for the growth of our economy.”

In addition to the Gibela/Alstom consortium, Pearl will also be

dealing with every established fi rm to which Prasa has awarded

business. In meetings with them, she will be asking what they have

to put on the table in terms of enterprise development. “Are you

making sure that women have advancement opportunities in your

company?” she will want to know. Although Prasa provides a list of

women who are available, the actual selection process will be left

to the supplier companies themselves.

SOUTH AFRICA THE CONDUITIn expanding local industrialisation, there is excellent opportunity

for indigenising the rail supply chain. “We need to get away from

the idea that foreign products are necessarily better than South

African,” Pearl insists. Where the need arises, local industries can

always “borrow” scarce skills from overseas. She cites South Korea

as an example, in particular its development of a highly successful

automotive manufacturing sector. Following a strategy known as

the Triple Helix Practice Model, the country harnessed academia,

industry and government to put together - fi rstly, the skills and

research needed; secondly the securing of appropriate markets and

the creation of enabling trade policies; and fi nally, the quality and

quantity of the product required.

South Africa of course serves as a gateway to the rest of sub-

Saharan Africa. In this context, Pearl points out, Prasa’s rolling

stock renewal programme should be looked upon as a conduit.

“Enterprises involved in supplying Prasa will gain the opportunity

eventually to supply their goods and services to the rest of Africa.

Admittedly the potential market for South African component

manufacturers is largely limited at present to Transnet and Prasa,

but the future holds promise for exporting rail-related goods to

the rest of the continent. In fact, Pearl asserts, emerging fi rms will

have to expand their horizons beyond South Africa’s borders if they

One of the challenges that both Transnet

and Prasa face is that both are not

seen as desirable contemporary career

destinations. Asked how it will be

possible to raise the public perception of

rail she adds: “The whole notion about

rail re-industrialisation is not only about

industrialising just the technical nuances.

It should actually be a revolution. For

me, that starts with the family because

from a family you get a student, then a

worker and from there, you build a solid

commuter network.

“The interest in trains has to start at an

early age, when lasting impressions are

made,” says Munthali.


PRASA

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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systems were equipped with long track circuits, usually using pulse

coding to enhance safety. Thus today most LC protection systems

in these countries operate using two long track circuits – see the

fourth example in Figure 1. A similar situation is found in North

America, where the most common detection method employs three

consecutive track circuits – see the fi fth example in Figure 1.

With the advancement of electronic technology, railway equipment

manufacturers developed train detection devices whose operation

was superior to the earlier systems based on treadles (mechanical

or magnetic) or track circuits. It is not always necessary to replace

the whole of an existing (eg relay-based) system; often only the

actual train detection device needs to be dealt with. For instance,

LC protection systems provided originally for operation with

Train detection devices used for switching level crossing protection systems on and off

Many different train detection devices have been used across the

world for automatically switching level crossing (LC) protection

systems on and off. Devices still in operation today (and still used

in new LC installations in many countries) are depicted in Figure

1. Seven examples shown here can be grouped according to the

following criteria:

• By the object of detection: wheel detectors or treadles (example

1) and vehicle detectors (examples 2 to 7);

• By length of detection area (for vehicle detectors): short area

detectors (usually a few metres to 30m, loops or short joint-

less track circuits, examples 2 and 3) and long area detectors

(from the switch-on point to the road area, usually 500m to

2km, examples 4 to 7);

• By the principle of operation: track circuits (examples 3 to 5),

inductive loops (example 2), mechanical/magnetic/electronic

treadles (example 1) and axle-counters (examples 6 and 7).

In most countries, the type of train detection used at level

crossings is usually due to historic reasons. For example, in

formerly Yugoslav countries, the fi rst signalling projects after

World War II were supplied from Germany by Siemens and SEL. In

the main these used Siemens magnetic wheel detectors/treadles

(MagnetikSchienenkontakt) at level crossings. This resulted in the

situation found today, with most LC protection systems in this

region using single or double treadles, as in the fi rst example on

Figure 1. Later, following the development of electronic devices,

short jointless audio-frequency track circuits (AFTC) were added.

These were able to detect a train that stopped in the detection

area – thereby overcoming a shortcoming in the use of treadles,

which sometimes failed to detect a stopped train depending on

where the actuating wheel came to a standstill.

During the expansion of railway signalling in Russia, as well as former

Russian-dominated and East European countries, LC protection

ABSTRACT

Different solutions and applications related to the modernisation and upgrading of existing level

crossing protection is presented here, in terms of replacing old train detection systems with new (based

on modern, state-of-the-art solutions), designed for SIL4 safety level according to the standards EN 50126,

EN 50128, EN 50129, EN 50121-4, TS 50238. The article deals with the worldwide experience of Altpro

(of Croatia) in modernising various level crossing protection systems, using its multi-section, digital axle-

counter system BO23, train detection system TDR14 and electronic treadle UTR/ITR. The presentation

should be useful to railway infrastructure managers looking to increasing the reliability, availability and

safety of existing level crossing protection systems at relatively low cost.

Figure 1: Various train detection devices used in level crossing

protection systems.


LEVEL CROSSING PROTECTION

Modernisation of Level Crossing Control Systems With Modern Train Detection Designed for SIL4 - Level According to Cenelec Standards

This is an edited version of a paper given at a recent Slovenian international symposium on electronics in transport

By Zvonimir Viduka and Mia Viduka

mechanical or magnetic treadles can be altered to use electronic

wheel detectors or inductive loops instead – see the second

example in Figure 1.

Protection systems provided originally for operation with short track

circuits can be altered to work with short jointless electronic track

circuits, inductive loops or short axle-counter sections. Systems

provided originally for operation with long track circuits can be

altered to use two long axle-counter sections with overlapping over

the road – see sixth example in Figure 1 - or three consecutive axle-

counter sections – see seventh example in Figure 1.

Replacing mechanical and magnetic treadles with electronic, double-wheel detectors

On Croatian Railways today, the protection at more than 1,000

level crossings still relies on magnetic treadles. On some local

lines, mechanical treadles are still to be found. Having been in

operation almost 40 years, many reed relay contacts are worn

out, while permanent magnets on magnetic treadles have lost the

required characteristics. In 2007, to deal with this situation, the

Altpro company developed an electronic, double-wheel detector

UTR/ITR1 and started to replace magnetic and mechanical

treadles at level crossings. Since the wheel sensor ZK24-2 of the

detection system UTR/ITR contains two completely independent

and galvanically-separated sensing heads, as well as the indoor

relay interface module UTR245/ITR245, one double-wheel

detector UTR/ITR replaces two magnetic or mechanical treadles.

For safety reasons, the switch-on point of the original LC protection

system was usually equipped with two magnetic treadles, one on

each rail. The replacement system consists of one double-wheel

sensor attached to only one rail, which is much easier to maintain,

especially during track reconstruction or grinding. A typical

application of double-wheel detectors UTR/ITR on LC protection

systems that have double control structure (A and B control

system), replacing two magnetic treadles per switch-on/switch-off

point, is shown in Figure 2.

Since mechanical or magnetic treadles provided NO or NC contact

(depending on whether they switched the protection system

on or off), double-wheel sensors are connected to relay interface

modules UTR245/ITR245 with contact outputs5 housed in a cabinet.

Having the relay contacts under protective cover, ie not at the

switch-on point, is a considerable advantage, as it avoids the

possibility of a hazardous failure (eg a contact permanently closed,

independently of a train passing). A double-wheel sensor ZK24-2

Figure 2: Application of double wheel detectors UTR/ITR on LC with double

control structure that previously used two treadles per switch-on/switch-

off point.

www.railwaysafrica.com

installed instead of two magnetic treadles at a level crossing in

Croatia is shown in Figure 3. On the nearer rail in the fi gure, a

magnetic treadle Is still visible – this is in the process of being

removed (ie disconnected from the system).

Several hundreds of magnetic and mechanical treadles have been

replaced to date with double-wheel detectors UTR/ITR on level

crossings in Croatia, Serbia and other neighbouring countries.

In recent years, the Altpro company has developed an upgraded

type of electronic wheel-detector, the device TDR142, which

features a microprocessor-based, indoor evaluation module –

see Figure 4. In addition to new features such as event-logging

(recording trains that pass) other useful functions have been

included in the TDR14. One of these distinguishes between

unidirectional or bidirectional modes of operation. In unidirectional

mode, the double-wheel detector provides fail-safe activation of

both detection channels but in only one train movement direction;

for the opposite direction, both detection channels remain in the

basic state (no reaction). Thus the double-wheel detectorTDR14

may be used to replace the old Silec mechanical, unidirectional

pedal/treadle, which is still in use on many LCs in Europe. The

TDR14 can also be applied as a train detection device for new

microprocessor LC protection systems, since it is designed

and certifi ed for safety integrity level SIL4 (TÜV Rheinland,

Germany). The indoor unit of wheel-detector TDR14 has 2-out-of-3

microprocessor voting structure and can evaluate signals from

up to three double-wheel sensors ZK24-2.

Replacing long track circuits with axle-counters

Most of the LC protection systems in the Slovak Republic are old

relay-based level crossings that use two long track circuits with

insulating joints for train detection. These track circuits are AC 25Hz

with pulse coding (approximately 2Hz), dependent on a motor with

axle-eccentric to synchronise the pulses transmitted and received.

Motors that have rotated continuously for 30 years or more, and

the associated track circuits, have obvious implications for

maintenance cost. The track circuits suffer typically from fl uctuation

in voltage received during changes in track or ballast resistance, eg

during the presence of snow (or salt for the melting of snow on the

roads), rust on local line rails etc. The Slovak Republic Railways

decided to replace such track circuits with axle-counters and Altpro

proposed a solution with two axle-counter sections overlapping

over the road.

Figure 5 shows the project document for the application of Altpro

axle-counters BO23 on three relay-based, Slovak Republic Railways’

LC protection systems, to replace the track circuits previously used.

The red lines below show the length of each axle-counter section.

Each of three LCs is controlled by two axle-counter sections with

overlapping over the road. In each LC cabinet there is one multi-

section, axle-counter indoor unit/evaluator BO23-UNUR3 that

controls four counting points – see Figure 6 - on single track (two

sections), or eight counting points on double track lines (four

sections).The use of two axle-counter sections per track eliminates

both long track circuits (together with insulating joints, which is

better for traction return current) and short audio-frequency

track circuits across the road area – see the fourth example in

Figure 1 - since the axle-counter sections overlap over the road

and will detect a train that might come to a stop in the road area.

Using the axle-counters BO23 instead of track circuits signifi cantly

Figure 3: Double-wheel sensor ZK24-2 being installed at a Croatian

Railways level crossing, to replace two magnetic treadles.

Figure 4: Indoor unit of electronic train detection system TDR14 for the

evaluation of three double-wheel sensors.

Figure 5. Application of axle-counters BO23 with two overlapping sections

instead of track circuits on three LCs in Slovakia.

Figure 6. Indoor unit of the axle-counter BO23 for the control of four

counting points at a single track, relay-based level crossing on railways in

the Slovak Republic.



increased the safety of the old LC protection systems, since the

axle-counter BO23 is SIL4 certifi ed (TÜV Rheinland, Germany)

and the indoor unit BO23-UNUR has 2-out-of-3 microprocessor

voting structure.

Replacing the short jointless track circuits with axle-counters

In recent years, a number of electronic LC protection systems

installed on Croatian Railways and other railways in the region

feature two adjacent, short jointless track circuits (about 2x15m)

for switching the LC on and off – see the third example in Figure 1.

Although such track circuits do not need insulating joints, some

typical problems with the technology were experienced after a

few years in use. Rust on local lines with low traffi c density is a

recurrent problem. Other examples of disturbance in LC operation

were caused by the traction return current of locomotives with

switching converters. Croatian Railways decided to replace such

short jointless track circuits with alternative devices, but using

the same output of two consecutive occupancy signals (designated

“b” and “c” on the third example in Figure 1), so that the software

of the electronic protection system would not need to be changed.

Altpro devised a replacement solution4 using axle counters – see

Figure 7. Short track circuits being replaced are designated in red

on Figure 7 (“EOC-detectors” – two consecutive track circuits with

a common transmitter in the middle and two receivers 15m on

either side). Axle-counter BO23 equipment with two counting

points (one section) for replacement of both track circuits on

each switch on/off point is designated in green. Additional relay

interface that it was necessary to develop for connecting to the

existing protection system is designated in blue on Figure 7. Since

two consecutive track circuits are replaced with only one axle-

counter section, Altpro developed a relay interface with B and C

output relays. Using optocoupler directional axle-counter outputs,

the passage of a train activates the appropriate relay (B or C) when

the fi rst axle passes the fi rst or second detection point in the

section.

In this way, the two occupancy signals “b” and “c” are achieved in

correct sequence during a train’s passage – see Figure 8 – similar

to a train passing over two consecutive track circuits. The benefi t

of this simple relay interface development was that only one axle-

Figure 7. Replacement of short jointless track circuits with axle-counter

BO23 and additional relay interface on Croatian Railways’ electronic LC

protection systems.

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SERVICING THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

CD46

4_SU

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mechanical or magnetic treadles. Many systems that have been

in operation for 20 to 30 years in Europe (mostly relay-based, but

some microprocessor) are capable of 20 or more years’ service,

due to equipment being enclosed or under cover. However, much

train detection equipment in the open, eg mechanical or magnetic

treadles – and track circuits – is nearing the end of its life-cycle.

Replacement with electronic wheel-detectors or axle-counters can

extend the usefulness of such equipment by another 20 years,

improving the reliability and safety of the crossings.

REFERENCES

1. Train detection system UTR/ITR operating instructions. Altpro,

Zagreb 2011.

2. Train detection system TDR14 operating instructios. Altpro, Zagreb 2011.

3. Axle-counter BO23 operating instructions. Altpro, Zagreb 2011.

4. Specifi c application of axle-counters BO23 as a replacement for

EOC-detectors. Altpro, Zagreb 2011.

5. HORVAT H. New solution for on/off switching of level crossing systems,

Signal und Draht, 6/2007.

counter section with two counting points (instead of two sections

with three counting points) can be used to replace two consecutive

track circuits at LC switch on/off points.

The introduction of new components meant that the LC protection

system utilising axle-counter BO23 and relay interface needed to

be assessed for safety. Axle-counter BO23 already had the SIL4

certifi cate and in respect of the relay interface, the necessary safety

analyses and safety case had been made. Overall safety assessment

of the system was then performed by TÜV Süd, Germany, and

Croatian Railways subsequently commissioned several dozen LCs

at which track circuits were replaced by the axle-counter BO23 and

relay interface - see Figure 9. A signifi cant reduction in operational

disturbances was reported at these crossings, as well as improved

reliability and safety.

Conclusion

Over a number of years, electronic wheel detectors and axle-

counters have proved themselves a much better, more reliable

and safer solution for the detection of trains and activation of level

crossing protection than earlier devices such as track circuits and

Figure 8. Overview of relay interface output during the passage of a train

over an axle-counter section.

Figure 9. Indoor unit of the axle-counter BO23 on top of an electronic LC

protection system cabinet on Croatian Railways; this crossing previously

used short track circuits.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Otok Consulting Enterprise cc, Johannesburg, South Africa

Email: [email protected]



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SIXTY YEARS AGO: CAPE TRAINS AT EASTER IN 1953A sixty-year-old working timetable supplement issued to South

African railways staff at Easter 1953 makes instructive reading. It

sets out in meticulous detail instructions for special procedures

on 3 April (Good Friday), van Riebeeck Day (4 April) and Easter

Monday (6 April). Among these, ticket examiners and guards were

required to carry out a passenger census on each of these days at

nominated stations on every section of line, such as Franschhoek

(census at Groot Drakenstein), Caledon (Sir Lowry’s Pass) and

main-line steam shuttles from Bellville to Kraaifontein (at Stikland).

[The newly-strung wiring was in place, but electric working still

ended at Bellville.] On all three days, fairly intensive services were

run, notably to the False Bay seaside resorts. By contrast, hourly

trains on public holidays are the rule today.

A useful inclusion comprised a listing of suburban electric trainsets.

Most of these comprised four coaches (a 1M1 motor coach, two

trailers and a driving trailer) but some with six coaches and some

with eight included two motor coaches. The set designations ran

from A to T, plus X and Z (ie 22 sets) on the Simon’s Town suburban

line and from BA to BV (also 22 sets), serving both the Bellville and

Cape Flats lines. All these were still operating on 1,500V DC.

Among points of interest - Detailed operating schedules for the

three holidays listed arrival and departure times at every

intermediate station in quarters of a minute. The Afrikaans

equivalent of Salt River was still given as Zoutrivier.

The opening of the new electric section from Bellville to Worcester

on 8 April 1953 was little more than political window-dressing.

Two class 4Es (nobody was taking chances) hauled a special

AGEING ROLLING STOCKWe commented previously on the South African fondness for

blaming a variety of ills on the age of suburban passenger rolling

stock – variously claimed to be 30, even 40 years old. It turns

out this is nothing out of the ordinary. Properly looked after, fi fty

years it seems is nothing to write home about. Trains magazine in

the USA recently featured the withdrawal of Silverliner multiple

unit electrics from intensive commuter service in Pennsylvania.

The Mark I models were built in 1963, in other words, exactly

50 years ago. The Mark II sets dated from 1967 – a little younger,

but still with more than 45 years under the belt.

According to the pessimists and doomsayers – call them what

you will – African railways aren’t conspicuously good in the

maintenance department. What then about Namibia, where ex-

South African class 33 (General Electric U20C) diesels nearly

forty years old remain the system’s mainstay, outperforming much

younger Chinese-built motive power.

Silverliner Mark II – withdrawn after 46 years’ intensive commuter service

in Pennsylvania.

The 1M1 timber-bodied multiple unit sets were still standard in 1953 in

Cape Town. Running on 1,500V DC, they dated from 1928. SAR photo.

Ex-South African class 33 (General Electric U20C) diesels remain

TransNamib system’s mainstay. Photo: John Batwell.


OPINION – AND THE WIDER WORLD

PETE THE PUNDIT ruminates over

Ageing Rolling Stock, Cape Town at Easter in 1953, High-speed Trains to Durban and Extending Gautrain

SOUTH AFRICA LOOKING AT HIGH-SPEED TRAINSAccording to South African Department of Transport (DoT) deputy

director-general for integrated transport planning Mawethu

Vilana, quoted in Business Day, consultants are to be briefed

before the end of 2013 to undertake a feasibility study into

running long-distance high-speed passenger trains. The Durban

to Johannesburg route is specifi cally mentioned. Cape Town to

Johannesburg (with intermediate stops) is “also mooted”, as well

as Polokwane to Gauteng. It is accepted, Vilana says, that a wider

gauge will be needed than the current 1,067mm.

The implications go much further than gauge. Topography between

the Drakensberg and Durban, for instance, will require much of the

line to be in tunnel. Gautrain, with only 15km in tunnel, was to cost

R7 billion but is ending up at over four times more. Go fi gure.

GAUTRAIN FINANCESRecent press reports on Gautrain fi nances have tended to be

confusing. Widespread criticism of the very substantial subsidy

being contributed by Gauteng residents has been answered with

assurances that similar arrangements are to be seen in many

cities overseas and that the concept formed an integral part of

the original agreement between the provincial authorities and

the concessionaires. In any event, with train patronage steadily

growing, the amount of the subsidy asked is already dropping –

from between R80 million and R85 million in 2012 to between

R70 million and R75 million in 2013. (Those are not annual

millions, mark you, but monthly), During May there was even talk

of a need for the subsidy disappearing altogether in the foreseeable

future, and how profi ts from running the train are to be shared.

Long before that happy day arrives, seemingly there are other

problems to be solved, not all of which were anticipated.

Ironically, with barely a third of the 140,000 daily passengers

that were expected by some when the line opened (a fi gure that

would have made any subsidy at all unnecessary), there are

reports of overcrowding, and diffi culties with meeting passenger

capacity demand on peak-hour trains. These headaches have not

thwarted enthusiasm for expansion of the system, though the

provincial people concede that the cost factor is likely to infl uence

government thinking. Apparently four separate feasibility studies

are currently on the go, all with Gautrain route extensions in mind.

Before we rush in to accept and implement recommendations,

those eager to spend our money should be reminded that past

estimates for building Gautrain lines were about as far removed

from the fi nal cost as chalk is from apples – or should that be

pears and cheese?

passenger train to Worcester via Kraaifontein, returning through

Stellenbosch. There were many festivities along the way and

countless speeches. Statistics quoted included the total cost of

£1,759,484 for wiring 123 miles (197km) route distance, including

the Stellenbosch loop.

However, this was to be almost the last main-line electric train

seen north of Bellville for some time. The 4E units had teething

problems and even three years later, many trains were still in

the hands of steam engines. The local suburbans, however, soon

switched to electric traction, notably to Kraaifontein and Kuils River,

which had been served by steam shuttles from Bellville. Another

ten years were to pass however before electric trains reached

Somerset West and the Strand.

The “fast passenger train” which took 290 minutes from Cape

Town to Touws River, would need - according to one of the

8 April speechmakers (once the wires reached that town) only

256 minutes. However, reading from the 1957 timetable, train 203,

the “fast” train to Johannesburg, was allowed 5 hours 42 minutes

to Touws River, which is 342 minutes. Even 1 Down, the Blue Train,

needed 5 hours in that year, ie 300 minutes. Arithmetic was never

the politicians’ strongest point. Even by the nineteen-nineties,

following completion of the Hex River tunnels, the Trans-Karoo

(successor to 203 Down) was scheduled at 4 hours 35 minutes -

only a fraction under what was promised in 1953, long before the

tunnels cut 50 minutes off the journey.

On 30 March 1953 incidentally there was a class 3E electric

locomotive at Salt River. Evidently brought down as a backup in

case a 4E failed on electrifi cation inauguration day, she was never

used - as far as is known - at the Cape.

FOOTPLATEMEN IN SKIRTSShorts in Stockholm’s hot summer weather are much more

practicable than trousers. At least, that’s how the men driving

trains on the Roslagsbanan line felt. Arriva Trains, the operating

company, thought differently. Shorts were out of line with the

offi cial uniform, it seems, and wearing them on the footplate was

forbidden. The men accepted the ruling – and went to work in kilt-

like skirts instead. The response of passengers has been “positive”,

the men say and curiously Arriva accepted this dress, indicating

that to object would amount to discrimination.

FOOTNOTE: The story made headlines around the world, Arriva relented and the

drivers are back in shorts.

Class 4E electric locomotive and 1M1 motor coach at Salt River in 1953.

The 4E had to run on half-voltage to Bellville as the change-over to 3,000V

was not effected till late in 1954. SAR photo.

“ Factoring in cable theft, pantograph hook-ups and Eskom, it works out quicker this way ”


OPINION – AND THE WIDER WORLD

Fourth class coach.

ANGOLA

REVIVING ANGOLAN MEMORIESAnton van Schalkwyk photographed rolling stock

characteristic of the old Caminhos de ferro de Benguela

(CFB) at Lobito in July 2012.

Photo display in a sleeper compartment. The fi ne viaduct (about 30km

from the coast) is labelled: Ponte Comandante Alvaro Machado.

Interior: clerestory-roof dining-car.

About fi ve decades ago - by way of comparison. Photo: CFB.

First class coupe.

Balcony-ended sleeper, typical product of Birmingham’s Metropolitan

Cammell-Carriage & Wagon company in the thirties. The much younger

adjoining vehicle is ex-South African Railways (built by Union Carriage &

Wagon, Nigel).


AFRICA UPDATEAFRICA UPDATE

AFRICA UPDATE

PRIVATE PARTICIPATION IN ANGOLAN RAILWAYSSpeaking to the press at the end of the second ordinary session

of the commission for the real economy of the Angolan cabinet

council in Luanda, minister of transport Augusto da Silva Tomás

said government intends to leave the commercial provision of rail

facilities to private entities. For this reason, he explained, there

is a need to regulate the “general basis of concessions” and the

provision of goods, passenger and baggage services, as well as

the fi xing of tariffs. Da Silva Tomás added that the reform of the

railway sector currently under way in the country is centred on

the management of infrastructure in the three systems, Caminhos

de ferro de Luanda (CFL: Luanda-Malanje), Caminhos de ferro de

Benguela (CFB: Lobito-Luau) and Caminhos de ferro de Moçamedes

(CFM: Namibe-Menongue).

BENGUELA NEARS COMPLETION Rebuilding of Angola’s 1,350km CFB line from the Atlantic to the DRC

border is approaching completion. It has been a huge undertaking

and considerable credit is due to the Chinese construction teams.

The project isn’t quite on schedule however. The following appeared

on www.railwaysafrica.com in March 2006:

“BENGUELA 24-HR PROGRAMME

The Chinese company that has undertaken complete rehabilitation

of the Benguela railway from the Atlantic coast to the district of

Luau (about 1,300km) by the end of 2007 is to work 24 hours a day,

the Angola Press Agency reports. A ship loaded with equipment

arrived in Lobito port at the end of February.”

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC)

EGYPTEGYPTIANS URGED NOT TO BLOCK RAIL LINESLarge-scale protests by opposition movements demanding

President Mohamed Morsi step down have been a major concern

to Egyptian railway offi cials recently. In a number of instances,

demonstrators have blocked rail lines in Egypt, causing large-

scale service disruption. The government has appealed to citizens

not to block rail lines as this creates nationwide transport delays

affecting “large swaths” of society, including doctors, nurses,

the elderly and students, both at school and university. Egyptian

Railways Authority head Hussein Zakaria says the disruptions

not only give rise to widespread confusion, but cause the railway

“huge losses”.

ETHIOPIACHINESE LOAN FOR ADDIS-DJIBOUTI RAILWAYOn 22 May, Ethiopian Railways Corporation CEO Dr Getachew

Betru, Djibouti minister of economy and fi nance llyas Moussa

Dawazeh and EXIM Bank vice-president Zhu Xinqiang signed a loan

agreement of nearly $US3 billion towards reconstruction of the

Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway. Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam

Desalegn and other senior offi cials were present at the signing

ceremony. The loan will also cover the cost of the 107km of railway

from the Ethiopian border with Djibouti at Dewiele Frontière (near

Ali Sabieh) to the harbour at Dorrale.

Chinese companies CREC and CCECC are engaged on reconstructing

the line, originally metre-gauge, to 1,435mm. It is to be double track

from Sebeta to Adama, and electrifi ed. Project manager Netsanet

Hussein of the $US1.8 billion, 108km section from Sebeta to Miesso

has told the transport affairs standing committee of the House of

People’s Representatives that this project is 18% complete. Of the

90 bridges needed, the construction of 20 has been started.

FOOTNOTE: The Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency, based in Addis Ababa,

in a report dated 21 May 2013 gave the length of the railway from Addis Ababa to

Djibouti as 656km. In another report a day later, it revised the fi gure to 756km.

Thomas Cook’s Overseas Timetable gives the distance as 784km; Neil Robinson

in his World Rail Atlas, part 7 – North, East and Central Africa (World Rail Atlas

Ltd, 2009) says 782km.

FINANCING ETHIOPIA’S GRAND RAILWAYDocuments seen by the press say current railway construction in

Ethiopia involves daily spending of $US5 million in fl at terrain and

$13 million where the topography is diffi cult. $400 million has been

spent to date on the new light rail system in Addis Ababa, which is

reportedly 30% complete. Apparently the government of India has

agreed to provide $300 million towards construction of the new

Asayita-Tajura line. The Brazilian Development Bank is advancing

$1 billion to build a new line of about 439km running south-west

from Addis Ababa, to Jimma. Being built by Andrade Gutierrez

Participacoes SA of Brazil, this is to be extended later into South

Sudan. The government is looking to Russia for help in paying for

other sections of the proposed 4,744km network.

TURKEY TO ASSIST ETHIOPIA Early in June 2013, Ethiopian railway offi cials spent four days in

Turkey where they inspected railway developments including the

high-speed lines and the Marmaray project beneath the Bosphorus.

Ethiopia initially approached the Turkish Cooperation and

Development Agency (TİKA) and as a result. Torkiye Cumhuriyeti

Devlet Demiryollari (TCDD – the Turkish State Railway) sent experts

to Ethiopia in April. Following the preparation of a report, TCDD

agreed to assist Ethiopia in restructuring its railways, to train staff

Geoff Cooke, Geoff’s Trains Limited, photographed these three ex-

Queensland locos at Victoria Falls on 23 May 2013, en route from RRL-

Grindrod in Pretoria on lease to Société Nationale des Chemins de fer

Congolais (SNCC – the state railway in the DRC). SNCC 1704-5 (ex QR

1748) is nearest the camera.

SOMALIA

DJIBOUTI

Addis Ababa

Nazaret

Metahara

Dire Dawa

ETHIOPIA

0 50 100 150 Km

AFRICA UPDATE


and engage in technology transfer. According to the agreement

reached, TCDD will prepare operational regulations, help in

restructuring the Ethiopian Railway Corporation (ERC) and give

technical support in rail construction.

KENYAKENYA’S COLONIALIST-ERA RAILWAY “INEFFECTIVE”- According to Kenya’s permanent mission to the United Nations

commercial counsellor Elijah Manyara, the railway in the country

is not fully utilised by importers and exporters due to its poor

condition. The system was constructed during the colonial period,

he explained and is no longer effective. He was speaking during

the 28 May offi cial opening in Nakuru of a workshop on the needs

assessment in trade facilitation. Reviving the railway sector would

improve economic standards in the country and speed up trade,

which depends largely on infrastructure, he pointed out.

LIBYALIBYAN RAIL CONSTRUCTION MAY RESUMEOn 23 February 2011, Rossiiskie Zheleznie Dorogi (RZhD – the

Russian State Railway) announced that it and its affi liates had

204 specialised people working on the new €2.2 billion, 550km

railway between Sirte and Benghazi in Libya. In view of protests

and demonstrations taking place in the country, a statement was

released saying the employees were safe but that the situation

was being closely monitored.

On 4 March it was reported that the “front line of the civil war”

had reached the Russian construction base at Ra’s Lanuf, halfway

between Benghazi and Sirte. All work on the line had ceased and

all Russian and Chinese workers had been withdrawn from Libya.

Two years later, it was reported at the end of June 2013 that the

Libya Rail Implementation Authority had met with both RZhD and

the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) to discuss the

possibility of reviving work on the railway. CRCC held contracts to

build certain sections in the previous scheme, specifi cally from

Tripoli to the Tunisian border at Ras Jdair and Tripoli to Khoms,

Sirte and Al-Hisha-Sebha, in addition to an 800km line between

Misrata and Wadi Shatti near Sebha.

MOZAMBIQUERENAMO THREAT OF A SENA LINE BLOCKADEMain Mozambique opposition party Renamo called a press

conference on 19 June where it announced its intention to disrupt

rail traffi c on the Sena Line between Beira and Moatize. The

objective is to impede the government transporting arms and

military equipment to the Gorongosa region where the party’s

leader Afonso Dhlakama is based. Renamo information head

Jerónimo Malagueta drew attention to the recent arrival of imported

military equipment in the port of Maputo, including “about 25

new military trucks carrying large weaponry and 25 other Land

Rover type vehicles with a military character”. He assured press

representatives that Renamo does not want war.

SA-BUILT ROLLING STOCK FOR MOZAMBIQUE

Three (from a batch of ten) ex-TFR class 33 (GE U20C) diesel-

electrics outshopped recently following extensive overhaul by

Transnet Engineering. The locos, seen at Durban’s Maydon Wharf

on 1 June awaiting shipment to Mozambique are labelled on the

sides Corredor de Desenvolvimento do Norte, CDN - the operator

of the CFM line to Malawi from the port of Nacala. The multi-million

Rand order also included 21 refurbished passenger coaches.

NAMIBIATRANS-KALAHARI RAILWAYPress reports on a strategic consultative meeting with stakeholders

in the logistics and transport sector held on 23 May suggest that

the construction of a new railway from Botswana to Walvis Bay

has been agreed by Namibia “in principle”. In his keynote address,

minister of trade and industry Calle Schlettwein explained that

his ministry has embarked on a consultative process though it is

not intended to duplicate the National Logistics Master Plan being

developed by Namibia’s National Planning Commission. He was

quoted saying: “Our intention is complementary [to the Plan] and

mainly focuses on optimising the critical link between logistics and

our desire to develop and boost local manufacturing and supply-

side capacity, trade and investment.” At the meeting, discussions

centred around the current structure, performance and capacity

of the logistics and transport sector, challenges and constraints

faced, and opportunities that exist for expansion. Specifi cally, the

meeting looked at the possibilities and implications of transforming

Walvis Bay (and thereby Namibia) into a regional and global

logistics hub.

Attendees at the meeting included the Walvis Bay Corridor Group,

the Namibia Logistics Association and the Walvis Bay Port Users

Association, together with a number of companies involved in

transport and related activities. Namibia Logistics Association

chairman Willie du Toit emphasised the challenges created by “the

rapid deterioration of the country’s rail and road infrastructure”.

Both require “massive volumes to make the infrastructure

investment a viable economic option.”

With reference to the envisaged new Trans-Kalahari railway,

which has been under discussion for many years, it was accepted

Al Kuma

Sabha

Sirte

TUNISIA

GREECE

Photo: Charles Baker.


AFRICA UPDATE

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that “massive” traffi c volumes would be needed to justify the

investment. Botswana’s Morupule coal deposit is said to be one of

the biggest in the world, with capacity to export about 100 million

tonnes per annum. No concrete fi gures were presented but “one

of the prerequisites” is said to be the development of a new port

north of Walvis Bay, hopefully by 2016. The Namibia Ports Authority

(NPA) would need to invest some N$20 billion in a facility able to

handle bulk volumes such as coal exports from Botswana.

NIGERIANIGERIAN RAILWAY CORPORATION (NRC) SEEKS INVESTORSSpeaking in Lagos, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) managing

director Adeseyi Sijuade said the government realises that

participation by the private sector is indispensable if a world-class

railway is to be created. In view of this, the federal government,

through the ministry of transport, recently prepared a draft bill to

amend the 1957 Railway Act which did not provide for or permit

private sector participation. The bill has been approved by the

National Council on Privatisation and is to be submitted to the

National Assembly for approval soon.

While waiting for this process to be completed, the NRC has begun

paving the way for privatisation, Sijuade says. In terms of the picture

envisaged, private entities may be granted access “to run some

of the vital aspects of the railway operation”. NRC will however

retain regulatory control. The PPP initiative, he explains, will include

outsourcing, supply chain and concessioning. Some services have

been outsourced already, such as on-board catering and cleaning

of passenger coaches, and the cleaning of the larger stations.

According to Sijuade, a procurement process has begun for

selecting potential logistics service providers in a number of

areas. These include the design, building, operation and transfer of

warehousing to provide suitable, safe and secure storage space for

goods; the fi nance, supply and operation of modern facilities and

the provision of services for loading and offl oading of goods. The

supply of rolling stock is also involved and General Electric of the

USA plans to set up a locomotive assembly plant in Nigeria.

OGUN STATE LIGHT RAILThe government of Ogun State in Nigeria has approved the

expenditure of N1 billion on the construction of a light rail system.

According to commissioner for special duties Chief Olu Odeyemi,

preliminary work on the project has commenced and further

feasibility studies are to be carried out.

RAILWAY PERFORMANCENigerian transport minister Senator Idris Umar disclosed recently

in Abuja that the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) conveys

approximately 6,188 passengers every week on the three-times-

weekly trains between Lagos and Ibadan-Ilorin. There has been an

increase in the conveyance of raw materials, petroleum products

and containers, Umar said, from the ports to various parts of the

country. Altogether 1, 500 tons of cement is conveyed for the

Lafarge company every week from the Ewekoro cement factory to

Ibadan, Oshogbo, Ilorin, Minna and Kano. It would need 50 trailers

to move this amount by road. The fl our mill of Nigeria is moving

wheat by rail from the Apapa port to Kaduna and Kano.

STANDARD GAUGE BY 2017Reporting on progress with rebuilding to standard gauge, Nigeria

Railway Corporation (NRC) chairman Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje

told the Daily Trust newspaper: “The vision is that we should travel

from Lagos to Kano in two hours”. A contract for building the initial

portion of this 1,126km line on 1,435mm gauge – 193km from

Lagos to Ibadan - was awarded recently.


AFRICA UPDATE

Rehabilitation Project (Netrp), a $US64.7 million investment in the

country’s transport routes to improve access to goods, markets

and administrative and social services. Babanusa lies 983km

south-west of Khartoum. Together with a number of key road

reconstructions, the transport improvements have provided all-

weather access to goods and services for more than 220,000

people. “People are no longer confi ned,” explains World Bank

senior transport engineer Tesfamichael Mitiku. “They are free to go

to market during the rainy season.” In addition, the restored routes

have increased agricultural opportunities in the communities

around the new roads and railway, Mitiku points out.

The Babanusa-Wåu line reopened two years ago for the fi rst time

in 25 years, connecting Sudan to South Sudan. About nine months

ago, transport into South Sudan was suspended pending a facilities

agreement between the two countries. Still, the railway is the only

dependable transport to the South Sudan border. “This railway is

their life, their lifeline,” Mitiku says.

The National Emergency Transport Rehabilitation Project is one of

15 funded by the Multi-Donor Trust Fund-National (Mdtf-n).Through

the Mdtf-n, nine countries and the World Bank contributed $64.7

million to the development and rehabilitation of three roads and

railway, bringing access to states throughout the country.

TANZANIASUMMIT & REGIONAL MEETINGS

An East African Railways Summit was planned to run in Tanzania’s

Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika for three days from 29 June 2013.

According to Tanzania Mwandi Company Limited managing director

Teonas Aswile, organiser of the event, it is to be followed by a

series of regional meetings in various towns. The theme of these

is to be the improving of rail transport which Aswile explains will

uplift the economy of the region. He told journalists at a press

conference: “We believe that the railway sector needs major

renovations to capture the continuous economic growth in the

region. Rail networks are currently disconnected and many of them

need huge investments for neglected infrastructure development,”

He expected the summit “to host different big investors, experts,

businesspersons and other railway stakeholders from around the

world with healthful topics in railways.”

Speakers invited included Professor Clive Chirwa, described as

Zambia Railways Limited ex-managing director. Others were listed

Asked why the route had been reconstructed recently on 1,067mm

gauge, NRC director (administration) Aminu Gusau explained that

building to standard gauge – which is expensive - would have taken

10 years and NRC couldn’t afford to wait that long.

The Itapke-Ajaokuta standard gauge rehabilitation is ongoing,

Baraje said, and construction of the N243 billion new Abuja to

Kaduna standard gauge line is in progress. He hopes that standard

gauge will start operating by 2017.

NIGERIAN TRAIN HANGERS-ON: ZERO TOLERANCEChief superintendent of police Bayo Sulaiman, who chairs the

taskforce on special offences and the environment, says the Lagos

state government has declared zero tolerance for hanging on the

outside of trains. According to a recent independent survey, most of

the culprits are “peasants, who go as far as Lagos Island on a daily

basis, to engage in petty trading and do menial jobs”. The state

government, which is determined to stop this practice, has drawn

up plans in conjunction with the management of the Nigeria Railway

Corporation (NRC). Commissioner for transport Kayode Opeifa,

following a meeting in Alausa with NRC management headed by

managing director Adeseyi Sijuwade, said the partnership intends

the special taskforce to tackle all issues posing security challenges

along rail lines. These he said include passengers hanging on the

outside of trains, street trading and encroachment on the line.

Commenting to the press, Iddo passenger Munirat Adeosun was

quoted saying, “If the government stops us from climbing n the

train, I expect the same government to provide alternatives or

make more trains available at fare affordable to the masses. It isn’t

comfortable for anyone to hang onto a train, neither is it safe.” Ikeja

passenger Olaiya Olorunesan said that “If the government does

not want people to hang, the solution is that of making more

trains available.”

NEW NRC CHAIRMANAlhaji Abubakar Baraje has been appointed chairman of the board

of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC). The Vanguard quoted him

saying that, after completing current rail rehabilitation in the west

of Nigeria, the next area that will receive attention is that in the

eastern part of the country. He added that 19 sections of line have

been identifi ed for conversion to standard gauge.

SOUTH SUDANSOUTH SUDAN’S BABANUSA-WÅU RAIWAYThe repair and reopening of South Sudan’s Babanusa-Wåu rail

line (414km) formed part of the National Emergency Transport

Isaka

Tabora

Chipata

Chingola

Lumbo

DODOMA

Copperbelt

Lake Tanganyika

Lake

Mal

awi

Cabora BassaZambezi RiverKafue River

Lake Victoria

Mwanza


AFRICA UPDATE

TUNISIATAPARURA DEVELOPMENTAmong several measures being taken to speed up Tunisia’s Taparura

development project, it is intended to move the Sfax railway

station whose presence impedes access, caretaker prime minister

Ali Larayedh told representatives of the state government at the

47th International Fair. Completion of Taparura’s fi rst phase has

seen the development of some 420 hectares of land, he said.

Referring to Société Industrielle d’Acide Phosphorique et d’Engrais

(Siape), the minister said this is one of the main causes of pollution

of Sfax’s coastal areas, promising it will be relocated by late 2014

or in 2015.

During his visit to the fair, Ali Larayedh was accompanied by

minister in charge of economic affairs Ridha Saïdi, minister of

trade and handicrafts Abdelwahab Mâatar, minister of equipment

Mohamed Salmène and secretary of state in charge of energy and

mines Nidhal Ouerfelli.

UGANDAPAKWACH LINE TO REOPEN Rift Valley Railways (RVR) CEO Darlan De David told the paper

New Vision that Uganda’s 500km Tororo-Gulu-Pakwach line, out of

operation for many years, was to be re-opened before the end of July

2013. Ugandan engineering company Kato Contractors undertook

repair of the line under contract to RVR “in a phased approach” at

a cost of approximately $US2 million. In 2004, some time before

the RVR concession was signed, press reports said the Ugandan

government would repair the closed railway and hand it over to the

concessionaire to operate, but this did not happen.

as Tazara former managing director Henry Chipewo and Tazara’s

former deputy managing director Dr Damas Ndumbaro. They were

to be joined by other “key experts from different parts of the world”.

TAZARATAZARA FREIGHT PICKS UPDuring April and May, says Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority

(Tazara) public relations chief Conrad Simuchile, the line moved

more than 15,700 tonnes of copper to the port of Dar es Salaam

in Tanzania. The Zambian consignors were Konkola Copper Mines

(KCM) and Impala Warehousing and Logistics.

According to Simuchile, Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) operated

seven trains loaded with a cumulative total of 7,440 tonnes of

copper from Impala’s warehouse in Ndola and eight trains carrying

8,293 tonnes of copper from the Kitwe and Chingola plants of

KCM. These were handed over to Tazara for onward conveyance to

Dar es Salaam.

Tazara acting managing director Ronald Phiri says collaboration

between Tazara and ZRL is working well. His records show that a

total of 39,068 tonnes of freight was moved by Tazara between

April and May 2013, of which 40% (15,733 tonnes) was copper and

the rest other commodities such as maize, fertiliser, fuel, cement

and “mixed goods.” These positive results were achieved despite

disruption lasting nearly two weeks following an accident in April.

However, according to Phiri, Tazara’s situation is “precarious”, due

largely to shortage of locomotives and wagons and the inability to

generate suffi cient revenue to fund operations.

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AFRICA UPDATE

RAILFREIGHT TO RISE 50% - UGANDA MASTER PLAN In terms of the recently launched Ugandan transport master plan,

it is hoped to effect a 50% increase in the freight carried by rail

within ten years. State minister for works John Byabagambi explains

that it is “a realistic 15-year (2008-2023) sector investment plan,

covering all transport modes including roads, railways, air, inland

water transport and urban transport in Kampala, as well as other

modes including pipelines and non-motorised movement.” The

need to connect the rail network to developing Ugandan oilfi elds

also needs to be considered, Byabagambi said. The rail component

in the plan includes a new Kampala-Malaba standard gauge line,

the re-opening of the long closed Kampala- Kasese and Tororo-

Pakwach sections, and a new extension from Gulu to Nimule, to

serve South Sudan.

The plan includes the rehabilitation of the two Ugandan rail wagon

ferries on Lake Victoria. Work on one of these – the MV Kaawa - has

already been completed. It is proposed that the MV Kabalega be

replaced, and that ports and landing sites on the lake be improved.

RVR SUED BY WORKERSThe Uganda Railway Workers’ Union is reportedly representing a

group of 492 suing Rift Valley Railways (RVR) for 2 million shillings.

Attorneys Barya, Byamugisha and Company allege on their behalf

that RVR reneged on an undertaking to honour the interim partial

Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) dated 3 April 2013, and

the agreement for redundancy pay for RVR Uganda staff dated

27 November 2012. A number of alleged shortcomings are listed in

the court papers, the more signifi cant relating to workers

being made redundant. It is maintained that these contravened

agreements reached. In particular, in a notice of redundancy dated

15 November 2012, RVR said it intended to automate various

manual systems and that 200 employees were to be laid off.

ZAMBIAZAMBIAN RAILWAY OVERHAUL TO START According to parliamentary transport, communication, works and

supply permanent secretary Dr Muyenga Atanga, who is acting

chief executive of Zambian Railways Limited (ZRL), the $US120

million forthcoming from Eurobond is to be utilised as soon as a

contract is awarded for the rehabilitation programme which was

scheduled to commence in July. He is quoted saying that ZRL has

moved “close to 5,000 tonnes” of copper from Konkola Copper

Mines to Kapiri Mposhi for onward conveyance by the Tazara line

to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. ZRL, he said, has the capacity to

move 1.13 million tonnes of import and export cargo by the end of

2013. This fi gure is the current target.

ZIMBABWENEW INVESTOR GIVES HOPE TO NRZ Zimbabwean minister of transport, communications and

infrastructure development Nicholas Goche says a new investor

has been found to aid the National Railways of Zimbabwe which is in

dire fi nancial straits and has been unable to pay full wages owing to

its staff for 12 months. Goche says he is “not at liberty” to disclose

the prospective benefactor but the Zimbabwe Financial Gazette

speculates it is someone in the Far East. It points out that Japanese

Ambassador to Zimbabwe Yonezo Fukuda indicated recently that

companies in his country were “ready to recapitalise NRZ”.

Serious problems facing the railway, the paper says, include a

marked decline in business since 2000. “Several manufacturing

companies, the backbone of the NRZ’s business, have closed, and

shipment of coal from Hwange Colliery Company Limited, which

sustained NRZ, has declined signifi cantly. Some reports say the

NRZ is operating at 20% capacity.”

EMPLOYEES’ PLIGHT Press reports continue to highlight the plight of employees at the

National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), who say they were last paid

eight months ago. The newspaper NewsDay quotes one worker

saying she used to earn $190 monthly (when actually paid), but

has been told she is to get only $150 from now on. Many living at

a derelict railway club have been told to move out as their

presence is illegal, but they say they have nowhere else to go and

no money due to not being paid. Asked about this, NRZ public

relations manager Fanuel Masikati was quoted explaining: “The

people did not follow due process of the law.”

REMEMBER WHEN? ZIMBABWE FIVE-YEAR FLASHBACKThe following appeared on www.railwaysafrica.com in March 2006:

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS

The only coins in Zimbabwe (where infl ation is running at 500%

plus) are relics discarded in the dust – all worthless. The current

Z$100 dollar note is little better. Until recently, the Z$20,000 dollar

bill was the highest denomination, but now a Z$50,000 version is

in circulation. It doesn’t go far – you won’t see much change from

buying a single ticket on a Harare commuter train, and one needs a

wheelbarrow rather than a purse for carrying pocket money.

N500 100 150

KM

RWANDATANZANIA

SOUTH SUDAN

UGANDA

DRCPakwach

LakeAlbert

Kasese

LakeEdward

KENYA

Malaba

TororoKampala

LakeVictoria

GuluLira

Mbale

Soroti

National Railways of Zimbabwe freight hauled by a class DE6 diesel-

electric unit dating back to the sixties (left) and a pair of former South

African U15C type locos (right). Photo: G E Cooke.


AFRICA UPDATE

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

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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 SheatTel: +27 72 340 5621 Email: [email protected]

GM

946_

Pres

slin

k

Containers southbound on the main-line near Kingswood, 307km south-west of Johannesburg. Photo:

Jacque Wepener .TFR “car train” from Port Elizabeth near Whites

in the OFS, 6 June 2013. Photo: Jacque Wepener.


RAIL NEWSSOUTH AFRICAN

SA RAIL NEWS

MORE TRANSNET HIGHLIGHTSIn the course of CE Brian Molefe’s

announcing Transnet’s results for the

last fi nancial year, he made a number of

interesting points:

• Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) regenerated

151,139MWh of electricity –

“enough to power a township the

size of Alexandra for a year”. This

achievement, which reduced the

group’s consumption of electricity

by 3.3%, is attributed largely to the

newest locomotives in use, notably

those on the iron ore and coal lines.

• Transnet Freight Rail’s (TFR) market

share gains from road to rail during the

year reduced carbon emissions in the

country’s transport sector by 206,540

tC02e.

• Opportunities identifi ed for further

effi ciency, Molefe said, include the

introduction of 200-wagon trains

running direct from the mines to

Richards Bay. The use of dual-voltage

locomotives means that the previous

need to change engines at Ermelo can

be obviated. “Current tests suggest

that cycle times can be reduced from

the present 65 hours to about 41

hours, thereby adding about 5mt to

total coal volumes transported.”

higher prices for fuel, electricity

and materials, notably steel. “An

aggressive cost management drive

yielded a R2.2 billion saving for the

year despite rising operating costs.”

• In terms of the group’s infrastructure

rejuvenation programme, a record

R27.5 billion was spent - a 23.4%

increase over the previous year’s

R22.3 billion. “This takes the total

investment over the last seven years

to an unrivalled R136.5 billion.”

• Transnet Freight Rail’s (TFR)

containers and automotive segment

recorded a 21.6% growth to 10.7

million tonnes (mt). Iron ore and

manganese rail volumes rose 7.3%

to 64.3mt , refl ecting rising demand

for manganese and “improved

effi ciencies” in the iron ore channel,

especially locomotive utilisation which

improved by 12.8%.

• The volume of coal moved increased

by only 1.9%. This is attributed to

prevailing market conditions, despite

a 22% increase in demand from

Eskom and higher levels of operational

effi ciency.

• Revenue up 9.4% to R50.2 billion

• Rail volumes grew to 207.7 million

tonnes

• Gearing at 44.6% and cash interest

cover ratio: 3.7 times. “This was in line

with expectations.”

• Capital investment increased 23.4% to

R27.5 billion.

• Seven-year infrastructure investment

programme raised to R307.5 billion.

This refl ects the group’s “counter-

cyclical” investment strategy of

creating capacity ahead of demand.

• Created and sustained 28,493 jobs

• Transnet’s key measure of profi tability,

earnings before interest, taxation,

depreciation, and amortisation (Ebitda)

surged by 11.5% to R21.1 billion. “The

growth in profi tability is well in excess

of economic growth (gross domestic

product) and above the offi cial rate

of infl ation.”

• Expenses increased by 7.9% to

R29.1 billion, largely driven by higher

personnel costs due to growing staff

numbers and training spend as well

as an average 8.4% wage settlement

for employees. Other factors included

increased energy costs due to

IMPRESSIVE TRANSNET RESULTSTransnet CE Brian Molefe recently announced impressive results for the fi nancial year ended 31 March 2013.

effi cient handling of trains, and new electrical equipment

installed to reduce electricity consumption.

• Coal line expansion to 81mt a capacity

Engineering designs for the expansion to 81mta capacity are

being undertaken. The project is expected to be completed by

the last quarter of 2018.

• Acquisition of wagons in 2013

Transnet Engineering completed building 2,235 of the 2,346

wagons approved for the year. These included automotive

wagons, fl atbeds for rail containers and CR type wagons for

transporting mineral and mining products.

A number of other large projects, not directly rail-related,

were announced. Molefe explains: “The company’s investment

programme is backed by a comprehensive funding programme

on the strength of its own fi nancial position without government

guarantees. During the year Transnet raised R14.6 billion from

LOCOMOTIVE SUPPLY Transnet CE Brian Molefe, while announcing fi nancial results at

the end of June, confi rmed the signing of a contract with

manufacturer China South Railways for the supply of 95 electric

locomotives, following a competitive tender process. The company

is currently adjudicating bids for the acquisition of 465 diesel-

electric and 599 electric locomotives for use in Transnet Freight

Rail’s (TFR) general freight business.

TFR “INFRASTRUCTURE REJUVENATION” PROJECTSTransnet CE Brian Molefe listed a number of “infrastructure

rejuvenation” projects when he was announcing fi nancial results

at the end of June:

• Iron ore line expansion to 60mta capacity

The old sampling building at the Port of Saldanha has been

demolished, the rail triangle completed to enable the more

SA RAIL NEWS


NEW SA TRANSPORT MINISTERElizabeth Dipuo Peters (53) has been appointed South African minister of transport, replacing

Dikobe Ben Martins who held the position for two years from 11 May 2009. Peters had been

minister of energy during the same period. She holds a BA in social work from the University

of the North, also certifi cates from UCT, the University of the Western Cape (1996) and - in

international policy management - from Havana, Cuba. Prior to 2009 she was premier of the

Northern Cape Province (from April 2004). Peters has held a succession of senior positions in

the African National Congress, the ANC Women’s League and its Youth League.

[Not much continuity in the transport ministry this century: Dikobe Ben Martins replaced S’bu

Ndebele. He had taken over in 2008 from Jeff Radebe, who was in the hot seat the longest - for four

years. Note: Transnet does not fall under the minister of transport. It reports to minister of public

enterprises Malusi Gigaba. - Editor.] Ph

oto

: M

ore

leta

park

Med

ia.

debt capital markets. This year’s programme included the issuance

of a 10-year R8.2 billion bond in the United States as part of the

company’s Global Medium-Term Note programme. The issuance

made history as it became the largest by a South African corporate

and its 4% coupon rate was also the lowest.”

Molefe continued: “The rate and subscription to our bonds is

testimony to management’s success in strengthening the company’s

fi nances, and the attractiveness of its portfolio of projects as an

investment destination, especially among foreign investors. The

rest of the funding requirement was raised from various sources

including development fi nance institutions, domestic bonds,

export credit agencies and commercial paper. This is in line with

the company’s commitment to diversify its sources of funding.

For the 2013/2014 fi nancial year, the company intends to raise

R15.6 billion. As a result of the year’s activity, the gearing ratio

edged higher to 44.6% as expected and remains well within the

company’s ceiling of 50%, refl ecting ongoing capacity to raise

funding for its infrastructure investment programme.

“On the jobs front, Transnet created 28,493 direct and indirect

jobs. This includes 3,804 or a 7.5% increase in its permanent Near Daalder, 261km south-west of Johannesburg on the main-line: a load

of blue “Skiptainers” on fl atcars. Photo: Jacque Wepener.

3RD GENERATION TELEMETERSA telemeter mounted at the rear of an air-braked train monitors pressure in the braking system, providing critically important information to the

driver. The device also serves to confi rm that a train has remained intact and that no vehicles have become detached along the way.

The introduction of third-generation telemeter equipment at Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) will, it is hoped, reduce problems experienced with

the older models by as much as 50%. New telemeters were offi cially handed over by TFR’s Iron Ore and Manganese Business Unit at Kimberley

on 23 May, followed by Port Elizabeth early in June. The new generation telemeter is supplied complete with desktop-based speed monitoring,

an automatic brake application facility, global positioning (GPS) and simcard.

The Blue Train south-west of Klerksdorp: note the telemeter next to the rear

coupler. Photo: Jacque Wepener.

Southbound freight near Grasslands, 319km south-west of Johannesburg:

telemeter visible next to the rear coupler. Photo: Jacque Wepener.

Shosholoza Meyl’s Cape Town-

Johannesburg express near Bloemhof

(331km south-west of Johannesburg)

on 13 June 2013, running about six

hours late. Photo: Jacque Wepener.

employee numbers which now stand at 54,726. Encouragingly, our

various training programmes included 2,042 apprentices and 433

engineering bursars in our talent pool.”


SA RAIL NEWS

Transnet Engineering (TE), the group’s

engineering, rolling stock manufacturing

and maintenance division, focused in the

past on servicing Transnet Freight Rail’s own

fl eet of locomotives and wagons, as well

as the remanufacturing of coaches for the

Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa

(Prasa). Today, with capabilities that include

the building of complete locomotives, the

facility aims to establish itself as a centre

of engineering excellence on the continent.

This strategy of expanding into the rest

of Africa was exemplifi ed in the recent

supply of 1,067mm gauge locomotives and

passenger coaches worth several million

dollars for use on the northern line of

Caminhos de Ferro do Moçambique (CFM

– the state railway) which extends 615km

westwards from the Indian Ocean port

of Nacala to the border with Malawi, and

also by Malawi Railways. A branch some

162km in length runs northwards from

Cuamba (539km from Nacala) to Lichinga.

The rolling stock from TE is to be operated

by Corredor de Desenvolvimento Do Norte

(CDN), the concessionaire running the

Nacala line, and also by Central East

African Railways (CEAR), which runs the

Malawi rail system. On the Mozambiquan

section, passenger service is presently

concentrated between Nampula (192km

from Nacala) and Cuamba.

The 10 locomotives delivered in terms of the

recent order were ex-South African class

33 (General Electric type U20C), following

extensive refurbishing at TE’s Koedoespoort

heavy engineering and manufacturing plant

near Pretoria. In all, 21 passenger coaches

were supplied, following remanufacture

at TE’s Salt River works in Cape Town.

Prior to despatch, the vehicles were put

through Transnet’s comprehensive testing

and commissioning programme to ensure

that all equipment and systems complied

with the customers’ specifi cations. Both

locomotives and coaches were shipped to

Nacala by sea from the port of Durban.

In the recent past, TE has manufactured

rolling stock for some of the continent’s

leading rail operators. For instance, 560

specialised wagons were supplied to

Botswana Rail and 95 wagons to Rio Tinto

for use in its coal mining operations in

Mozambique, as well as wagons to South

African mining fi rm Exxaro, working in

the Republic of Congo-Brazzaville. All this

equipment runs on 1,067mm gauge, on

which TE specialises.

“We have set aside in excess of R1 billion over

seven years for research and development,”

Transnet group chief executive Brian

Molefe explains: “A signifi cant part of this is

focused on what our peers on the continent

need. We’re already reaping the benefi ts of

this focus through an ever-expanding range

of rolling stock products and crucially, a

comprehensive list of satisfi ed customers.

“The mix of the contract awards is also

encouraging with some following open

tender processes in which we compete

with some of the world’s leading builders of

rolling stock – including original equipment

manufacturers (OEMs) – and there has

been a substantial number of referrals and

invitations. All this evidences our growing

reputation as a manufacturer.”

In line with Transnet’s commitment to

the development of local suppliers and to

various government-led initiatives - such

as the competitive supplier development

programme (CSDP), Transnet Engineering

outsourced a meaningful portion of the

work to emerging businesses. These

included Rolling Stock Rail Services (RSRS),

which was awarded a contract for painting

and the conversion of seats, and Proseat,

which supplied seats. Both enterprises are

based at East London in the Eastern Cape.

TRANSNET ENGINEERING MANUFACTURING FOR AFRICA

Left to right: Messrs Nelson Machava, Amado Mabasso, Brian Molefe and Vanderlei Marques.

Photos: Transnet.


SA RAIL NEWS

MASSIVE EXPLOSION AS RUNAWAY CANADIAN FUEL TRAIN DERAILSOn 6 July, an unattended train of 72 tankcars conveying 8 million

litres of crude oil ran away at the town of Nantes in Quebec,

gathering speed downgrade for some 11km before derailing at

a level crossing over the main road in downtown Lac Mégantic,

about 250km to the east of Montreal. The speed limit at this point

was 16km/h; the train is thought to have been travelling very

much faster. Five tankcars reportedly exploded one by one from

about 01:15. The massive resultant confl agration destroyed

some 30 buildings. More than 150 fi refi ghters were brought in,

some from across the US border. By 11 July, 20 bodies had been

recovered, with 30 people still missing.

At some point the locomotives became detached from the train.

A BBC report said they were stationary some 800 metres from

the crossing. Another report said employees of a nearby concern

uncoupled the locos and nine tankcars still on the track, and moved

them away out of range.

Identifi cation of human remains is not going to be easy. The

coroner’s offi ce appealed to relatives to provide combs,

toothbrushes and razors from which DNA samples might be

derived. Forensic anthropologist and well-known author Kathy

Reichs told the Montreal Gazette the work might take years, given

the intensity of the fi re. (Reichs was deployed to Ground Zero in

New York with a mortuary disaster response team, following the

9/11 terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Centre.)

Altogether about 2,000 people were evacuated from Lac Mégantic

on 6 July – a third of the town’s population. Some 1,200 were

allowed to return home four days later but many lacked electricity

and a number found their homes burgled.

Two days after the incident, fi re outbreaks persisted in sewers and

stormwater drains. The shores of Lake Mégantic were contaminated.

Booms were installed on the Chaudière River to restrain the oil

pouring out of damaged tankcars, each containing 113,000 litres

of crude oil. Crews worked to contain an estimated 100,000 litres

that spilled into various waterways.

Pollution was reported from the town of Saint-Georges, about

80km downstream, prompting fears that oil might reach the St

Lawrence River.

The train was apparently parked for the night at Nantes, 11km west

of Lac Mégantic. The driver shut down four of the locomotives

but left the fi fth running to maintain air in the brakeline. Sometime

after this the local fi re department attended and extinguished a

fi re on one of the locomotives. It appears that the fi fth locomotive

was shut down at this time.

President and CEO of Rail World Inc Ed Burkhardt, whose

company owns the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, told press

representatives: “If the operating locomotive is shut down, there’s

[Lac M

égan

tic: Can

ad

ian

po

lice p

ho

tos.]

MISHAPS & BLUNDERS


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.

had the runaway train been parked in a siding, any unauthorised

movement would have been aborted by the derailing device.

QUESTIONS REMAIN OVER LAC MÉGANTICAccording to Canadian National Railway (CN) CEO Claude Mongeau,

regulations should not be changed until investigations into the Lac

Mégantic incident are completed. The reasons for what happened,

he says, go far beyond the number of handbrakes that were set in

the runaway train. The sequence of events was unusual and nobody

knows at this point exactly what happened, he told pressmen. The

cause of a fi re in a locomotive before the train ran away needs to

be established, and one wants to know why the airbrakes ceased

to be effective so quickly – they should have held for several hours.

MONTREAL, MAINE & ATLANTIC RAILWAYThe Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA), whose 72-tankwagon

runaway at Lac-Mégantic in eastern Canada caused havoc on 6

July, has been in the news before. Only two weeks previously, the

fuel tank on an MMA locomotive was perforated on a set of points

about 5km east of Lac-Mégantic. According to a press report,

13,000 litres of diesel oil were spilled.

Over the previous decade, according to the same source quoting

the United States’ Federal Railroad Administration, MMA recorded

36.1 accidents per million miles travelled, in comparison to a

national average in the USA of 14.6 accidents.

NORTH AMERICAN TANKCARS & THE BIG SPILLThe United States’ National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

notes that, In 2009, 69% of tankcars in the country were type

DOT-111A. In Canada, where the same vehicle is designated CTC-

111A), it represents close to 80% of the fl eet. The NTSB records

nothing left to keep the brakes charged up, and the brake pressure

will drop fi nally to the point where they can’t be held in place

any longer.”

By 10 July the railway had suspended the loco driver without

pay, apparently convinced he had failed to apply handbrakes on

suffi cient vehicles as required by regulation. It is understood the

train was parked on the main-line, which was said to be unusual.

Had it been left on the adjacent siding, the existence of a protective

derailing device would have prevented the subsequent runaway.

The train’s 8-million-litre cargo of crude oil was being transported

from North Dakota’s Bakken oil region to a large refi nery in the

eastern Canadian state of New Brunswick. The consist arrived in

Montreal on the Canadian Pacifi c Railway and was handed over

there to the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic, whose 800km of railway

runs eastwards through Lac Mégantic and the adjacent US state

of Maine.

The Canadian Railway Association estimated recently that as many as

140,000 wagonloads of crude oil will be shipped on Canada’s tracks

this year – compared to 500 in 2009. The Quebec disaster is reportedly

the fourth freight train accident in Canada under investigation involving

crude oil shipments since the beginning of 2013.

CANADA CHANGES THE RULESIn the aftermath of the horrendous Lac Mégantic runaway,

Transport Canada has issued an emergency directive banning the

transport of dangerous goods in trains worked by a single-person

crew. Also, such trains may not be parked unattended on a main-

line. Though the reasons for the accident in eastern Quebec have

not been offi cially established yet, it has been pointed out that,

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


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MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

that the DOT-111A “has a high incidence of tank failures during

accidents”. Since 2011, the Canadian government has required

tankcars to be built with a thicker shell, though older models are

still allowed to operate.

The 72 tankcars involved in the disastrous runaway at Lac-Mégantic

in eastern Canada on 6 July were all of type DOT-111A. According

to the Montreal Gazette, a million litres of crude oil remained in

the vehicles after the accident and many were understood to

be leaking.

While the police probe of the area and the search for bodies

continued, oil continued seeping into the ground. In the hours

following the derailment, a total of 6.5 million litres of crude either

burned in burst wagons or spilled. Oil also fl ooded the basements

of more than 50 downtown buildings. Burning oil ran into the

town sewers, causing multiple underground explosions, cracking

pipes and sending iron manhole covers up as high as 10 metres.

Droplets of oil fell onto cars parked 8km from the accident site. The

Quebec environment ministry told the Montreal Gazette that

400,000 litres of oil had been pumped out of the sewers by 12

July, together with some 4 million litres of “oil-tainted river and lake

water, as well as sewage”. The decontaminating of thousands of

tonnes of oily earth is a massive task still to come.

FATAL DERAILMENT NEAR PARIS

On 12 July, a passenger express from Paris to Limoges, about

400km, was some 20 minutes into the three-hour journey when

the third and fourth coaches left the rails while passing through

the station at Bretigny-sur-Orge, dragging a number of other

vehicles off the line and across a platform, bringing down the roof.

Six people died in the crash and many – some on the platform -

were badly hurt. According to Société Nationale des Chemins

de fer Français (SNCF - the French national railway), there were

about 385 passengers on board when it derailed at 17:15 on the

Friday evening. Eight helicopters, 20 medical teams and about

300 fi refi ghters were sent to the scene, according to the French

interior ministry.

All trains from the busy Gare d’Austerlitz in Paris were cancelled.

Signifi cant disruption ensued, as large numbers of holidaymakers

were heading out of Paris, with France preparing to celebrate

Bastille Day, an important national holiday, on the Sunday.

The initial fi ndings by SNCF suggest that a broken fi shplate,

which fell between the rails at a set of points, may have been the

cause. The focus now is to determine how the fi shplate became

detached. Meanwhile the entire railway network is being examined

for evidence of any similar failing. Inspections are concentrated

on some 5,000 diamond crossings including those with single or

double slips. The train driver has been commended for his fast

refl ex in alerting a second oncoming express to the accident, so

averting it’s running into the debris.

SPANISH CRASH KILLS 79

On 24 July, an eight-coach Spanish express from Madrid to Ferrol on

the Galician coast with 218 passengers aboard derailed on a curve

at Santiago de Compostela and smashed into a lineside concrete

wall. Fatalities at the scene totalled 78, the fi gure becoming 79

when one of more than 130 injured died in hospital.

The train, an Alvia series 130 electro-diesel set, with power cars

front and rear, was reportedly moving at 190km/h when it left the

track on a curve restricted to 80. The Talgo coaches, the abutting

ends of which share a single pair of wheels, were badly thrown

around. In some of them, fi re broke out, and one coach was thrown

clean over the wall, landing on the roadway above.

DOT-111A tankcar. Photo: Harvey Henkelmann.


MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

President of Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Espaholes (Renfe

– the national railway of Spain), Julio Gómez-Pomar was quoted

emphasising that as the set was not a “high-speed” train and

since the crash occurred on conventional, not “high-speed” track,

the incident did not rate as “a Spanish high-speed rail accident”.

(Spanish high-speed trains are known as AVE).

The relevance of his remarks apparently relate to Renfe being part

of a consortium bidding to build a €13 billion high-speed railway

between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Brazil. According to the

paper El País, the terms of the tender exclude any companies that

“took part in the operation of any high-speed train system where an

accident had occurred” in the preceding fi ve years.

One of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites in Europe, the

El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St James) pilgrimage route has

been followed by Christians since the Middle Ages. The remains of

St James, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples and the patron saint of Galicia,

are said to rest in the city. The derailment happened on the eve of

Santiago de Compostela’s main annual festival where thousands

of Christian pilgrims were expected to fl ock to the city in honour

of St James.

The crash was the worst in Spain since a 1944 three-train accident

in a tunnel, when it is believed more than 200 died.

TRUCK ON CROSSING DERAILS KANO-LAGOS EXPRESSNigeria’s Kano-Lagos passenger train derailed in Kaku on the

outskirts of Kaduna during the fi rst week of July. A number of

passengers were injured and taken to hospital. According to the

Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), the locomotive ran off the

track when it hit a sewage truck crossing the line. Press reports

said the driver and owner of the truck were arrested. Minister

of Transport Senator Idris Umar personally visited the scene of

the incident, accompanied by NRC managing director Adeseyi

Sijuwade. The government would pay for medical attention to those

injured, Umar said.

BRAKPAN COLLISON: FOUR HURTTwo Transnet Freight Rail goods trains collided at Brakpan on

Gauteng’s East Rand on 21 May. Two diesel locomotives – 36 095

and 36 096 – were damaged. Four crew members were reported

by paramedics as seriously injured, one woman “critically”.

Press reports said the cause of the accident was not apparent

but Eyewitness News on radio suggested one train did not hear

the other coming. Metrorail services between Johannesburg and

Springs were dislocated.

TFR MISHAPS, THE YEAR TO 11 JULY 2013By comparison with the series of appalling rail accidents overseas

in only one month – July – Transnet Freight Rail has not done too

badly in the year to date:

- Train collisions 2 (2012: 3)

- Open line derailments 30 (2012: 24)

- Shunting derailments 80 (2012: 88)

- Signals passed at danger 21 (2012: 26)

- Level crossing accidents 21 (2012: 22)

Alvia series 130 Renfe set, which is able to run on both European standard

1,435mm gauge as well as the Spanish 1,668mm. Note the signifi cant

difference in height between the loco and the Talgo coaches. Photo:

Wikipedia (S Martinez Aznar).

FOLLOW US ON@RailwaysAfrica


MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

FLOODS CUT TANZANIAN CENTRAL LINEHeavy rains during the second weekend in March caused fl ooding

that washed out a portion of Tanzania’s Central Line at Godegode

in the Mpwapwa District. According to the Tanzania Daily News,

published in Dar es Salaam, more than 1,200 passengers travelling

to the port from Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika were stranded at

Dodoma. They were told that Godegode station was under water

and that the journey could not resume until the fl oods subsided and

necessary repairs were carried out.

Passengers told the paper that “numerous breakdowns” had

caused delays during the fi rst part of the trip, which took three

days from Kigoma to Dodoma (791km). One night was spent in the

Isinga area near Tabora junction “due to engine problems.” There

were complaints of children being taken ill, and apparently the

only compensation passengers received was a token “subsistence

allowance” of 2,500 shillings which they said was insuffi cient to

buy a “decent meal”. Dodoma stationmaster Celsus Roman was

quoted saying that technicians were working “round the clock”

repairing the line.

ANGOLA: CFB RESUMES KUITO- LUENA RAIL SERVICEIn mid-March, heavy rains caused washouts in the newly repaired

section of Caminhos de ferro de Benguela (CFB) between Kuito in

central Bie province and Luena in eastern Moxico province. In one

place it was reported that a “ravine” had opened up, severing the

line. Train service came to a halt for a full week but on 20 March,

normal twice-weekly operation resumed, Luena stationmaster

Xavier Domingos told the Angolan news agency.

HIJACKED & SHOT AT MARLBORO STATIONOn Wednesday 20 March, two men ordered Kevin Pietersen, who

was waiting for his wife Corinne at Marlboro station, to get out of

his car. He did so, but was shot through one arm, shattering his

elbow, with the bullet entering his abdomen. He was taken by taxi

to hospital where his condition was reported as “stable”. The

hijackers took the car, his cellphone, wallet and a fi rearm.

Mrs Pietersen was quoted in press reports saying Gautrain security

personnel had witnessed the hijacking but took no action. This

was confi rmed by Gautrain spokesman Errol Braithwaite who

explained that security personnel have no authority to carry out

policing duties outside railway property.

NTSB HEARING ON PAULSBORO DERAILMENTOn 30 November 2012, a southbound freight train with 84 wagons

ran onto the Jefferson Street swing bridge in Paulsboro, New Jersey,

allegedly passing a red signal. This aspect was displayed apparently

because the section of the bridge which moves to allow the passage

of river traffi c was not locked in position. As a result it appears the

rails were misaligned, derailing seven wagons which fell into the

water of Mantua Creek. One of these was carrying ethanol, three

others vinyl chloride - a chemical used in making PVC plastics and

vinyl fl ooring. About 90,000 litres of toxic gas were spilled from

one of these and discharged into the air. As a precaution, a number

of local residents were evacuated from their homes for almost

three weeks. On 2 July, the National Transportation Safety Board

began a public hearing into the incident in Washington DC, where

many Paulsboro residents testifi ed that they feared a recurrence

and wanted to know what steps were being taken to prevent this.

CABLE THEFT STILL RIFECable theft remains a huge problem in

South Africa, the main victims being

Telkom, Eskom and the railways. Whole

areas get cut off when key phone lines

are stolen, while suburban commuter

services – even long-distance freight

and passenger trains - are routinely

disrupted. Transnet Freight Rail’s

(TFR) Belcon complex at Bellville,

20km from the Cape Town city

centre, has had considerable trouble

with cable theft in 2013. On 4 July,

two youths wearing refl ector safety

jackets, who could easily have been

mistaken for TFR staff, were found

hiding among stacked containers in the depot. Near them were

piles of electric wire and bags containing more cable. The police

were called and both were arrested. Altogether 30 cables were

recovered with an estimated value of R84,000.00.

INCIDENT INVOLVING A TRAM OPERATING WITH DOORS OPEN The Britain’s Rail Accidents Investigation Branch (RAIB) is

investigating an incident in which a tram departed from two

consecutive tram stops in Croydon (south London) with all four

doors on one side open. Nobody was injured in the incident, but

passengers were standing in the vicinity of the open doors and

there was the potential for a serious accident.

During the fi rst part of its journey between West Croydon and

Beckenham Junction the tram was delayed on a number of

occasions due to a succession of fault indications in the cab

alerting the driver to a possible problem with a parking brake on

one of the tram’s bogies. On each occasion the driver spoke to the

controller and, after receiving instructions on how to deal with the

fault, was able to continue the journey.

At some point during this early part of the journey it is believed

that a switch was operated in the driving cab which had the effect

of by-passing some safety systems on the tram, including the door

interlocking arrangements that would normally prevent the tram

from moving with one or more doors open.

At Lebanon Road tram stop, there was further dialogue between

the tram driver and the controller. The tram then departed with

all four doors on the left-hand side open and reached a maximum

speed of 27km/h while travelling towards Sandilands tram stop.

At some point between the two stops, three of the four doors

closed automatically, as they are designed to do after remaining

open for two minutes.

Marlboro Gautrain station. Photo: Gautrain.

Stolen cables recovered

at Belcon.


MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

At Sandilands, with the driver

and controller unaware of the

problem with the doors, they

focused on dealing with the

parking brake fault. The tram

departed from Sandilands

with all of the left-hand doors

open again. By this stage, the

controller was monitoring the

tram’s departure on CCTV

and noticed that the doors were open. He immediately contacted

the driver and instructed him to stop. The driver then closed the

doors and the tram was taken out of service at the next stop.

PASSENGER TRAIN DERAILS IN SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA

At about 18:00 on 28 April, a passenger train bound for Churchill,

Manitoba, left the rails at Togo, Saskatchewan, 383km east of the

state capital Saskatoon. It was established that ground beneath

the track had been washed out. According to the Canadian

Broadcasting Corporation, a “small fi re” ensued but was quickly

extinguished. Via Rail spokesman Jacques Gagnon was quoted

saying there were only seven passengers on board and fi ve

crew members, some of whom reported “a few scratches.” The

passengers were taken by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to a

nearby lodge in Duck Mountain Provincial Park.

PAKISTAN TRAIN HITS MOTOR RICKSHAW: 14 DEADOn 6 July, a train ran into a motor

rickshaw at an unguarded crossing

in the town of Khanpur, about

40km north-west of Lahore,

Pakistan. Twelve of the 16 people

in the rickshaw were killed on

the spot, including two children

under 12. Four were hospitalised with

critical injuries, but two of these died.

The train was on its way to Lahore

from Karachi.

UNUSUAL AMTRAK DERAILMENTIn a strange incident on 27 March, shortly after a 06:20 station

stop at Port Huron. The second of two diesel locomotives heading

an Amtrak passenger train to Chicago left the track near the east

end of the 24th Street viaduct. The lead locomotive and the rest of

the train remained on the line. According to local press reports, it

took almost fi ve hours to separate the derailed unit from the train,

which then continued its journey. Fortunately there were only 14

passengers on board. Several days elapsed before crews managed

to move the derailed loco. No information on the likely cause of the

accident, which was under investigation by Amtrak and Canadian

National, was made public.

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Saskatchewan derailment. Photo: Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

A Croydon tram. Photo: RAIB.

Pakistan rickshaw hit by

train: 14 dead.

www.railwaysafrica.com

Sandstone’s Free State Steam Gala An estimated 1,000 rail and classic vehicle afi cionados, enthusiast

and author Paul Ash reports, attended the Stars of Sandstone

festival during the fi rst full week of May. Besides rail operations,

there were working displays from Sandstone’s vast collection of

restored farm machinery, traction engines and military vehicles.

The centenary of the 610mm gauge 4-6-2T class NG4 locomotive

was suitably acknowledged. (NG16, the restored last survivor, is at

Sandstone.)

Reefsteamers, GermistonSaturday 13 July saw the club’s sunrise photo-shoot – an event

popular with the enthusiast fraternity. A fortnight later, the depot

was open to the public.

Shield Chemicals recently sponsored an SMS-based competition

to assist Reefsteamers in raising funds for repairs to 87 year-old

4-8-2 class 15CA no 2056, which hasn’t run for four years due

to boiler fl ues in need of replacing. The winner of the draw on 1

September won a prize of R10,000. Multiple SMSs were accepted

in the competition.

Paton’s Express Adventures, KwaZulu NatalGeoff’s Trains from the United Kingdom, in conjunction with

Tanago of Germany, was due to operate between Creighton and

Pietermaritzburg behind steam traction during a visit to KwaZulu

Natal during May. In early March, Julian Pereira of Paton’s Express

had requested a quotation from Transnet for the use of the line,

though this had been offi cially closed to traffi c in July 2012. The

R111,893.60 quoted was paid on 29 April but the tourists – who

came from Germany, Britain, Canada, Australia and Japan - were

already in the country when the operators learned that the

necessary safety inspection had not taken place. The press quoted

Transnet spokesman Mike Asefovitz explaining there were known

sleeper problems and pointing out: “There is no way we can allow

people to operate a tourist train on an unsafe section … imagine

the public outcry if, God forbid, something happened on the trip.”

Hastily made alternative arrangements saw the tourists travelling

behind GMAM Garratt no 4074 on a short section of the line

between Creighton and Riverside, and making use of Umgeni Steam

Railway’s class 19D no 2685, specially laid on for photographic

Proposed Steam Tour in NovemberThe provisional programme for a South African steam-hauled

tour train during November 2013 has been announced: On 16

November, participants are to be welcomed at Johannesburg’s O R

Tambo International Airport. There will be a short ride on Gautrain

to Rhodesfi eld. Here travellers will board the steam train for the

fi rst leg of the excursion to Reefsteamers’ home base in Germiston.

Trips on the following lines are planned:

• Germiston to Koster and return

• Germiston to Pretoria and return

• Pretoria to Cullinan and return

• Pretoria via Germiston to change locomotives, then direct

to Bethlehem in the Free State

• Bethlehem to Ficksburg with different steam traction, then

return to Germiston.

Highlights of the tour will include:

• Photo run-pasts at selected strategic locations

• Visits to some of the remaining working steam depots

in South Africa

• Travel to Sandstone Estates, home to the world’s largest

610mm gauge collection, with its own extensive railway

• A visit to the Pilanesberg National Park and the opportunity

to see lions and other wild life

• Tasteful South African and African cuisine, and a selection

of South African wines.

Further details and announcements will appear on:

www.sarsteamtours.com

Funds generated from this and other proposed tours will be

channelled towards South African rail restoration and preservation

projects.

Rovos Rail, PretoriaAs reported in the Issue 2-2013 column, this Capital Park-based

tour operator put its 4-6-0 Dübs-built class 6 locomotive no 439

back into running order earlier in the year for a photo shoot on

the Cullinan branch line. The cosmetically altered locomotive is

pictured in Cullinan station.

Two former South African Railways’ narrow gauge Garratts in steam at

Stars of Sandstone in May. Photo: G E Cooke.

In disguise for fi lming – Rovos Rail’s 4-6-0 class 6 locomotive no 439 in

Cullinan. Photo: A McCarthy.

RAILWAY HERITAGE


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

By John BatwellBy John Batwell

Geoff Cooke Visits Zimbabwe and BotswanaOnce again this year, Geoff Cooke took patrons to Zimbabwe and

Botswana. In Zimbabwe, the NRZ provided two Garratts, class 15

no 395 and class 16A no 613, for photographic opportunities

between Thomson Junction and Victoria Falls. In Botswana the

visitors called at Bamangwato Concessions Mine in Selebi-Phikwe

where class 19 and 19D locomotives serve the industrial system.

opportunities. It was reported that the visitors paid about £2,500

each to come to South Africa, including their fl ights.

While in KwaZulu-Natal, Geoff Cooke was presented (at a function

at Ixopo station) with a lifetime achievement award by the Heritage

Railway Association of Southern Africa “for his contribution and

commitment to showcasing the heritage legacy of Southern

Africa to international visitors through his photographic and

enthusiast tours”.

Umgeni Steam Railway, KwaZulu NatalUmgeni Steam Railway (USR) has made good progress with

rebuilding 4-8-2 Dübs class A tank loco no 88 Umbilo at Inchanga.

USR member Andries Keyser formed a small team of younger

members who had expressed an interest in taking on the Dübs

restoration as a project. USR’s well-patronised steam-hauled

excursions continue regularly at selected weekends between

Kloof and Inchanga through the scenic “Valley of a thousand hills”.

A special on Sunday 2 June 2013 gave passengers on the 08:30

departure from Kloof an unusual view of the Comrades Marathon

(part of the route parallels that of the race).

Class GMAM Garratt no 4074 working on the Riverside-Creighton line in

May. Photo: G E Cooke.

Umgeni Steam Railway put on class 19D no 2685 for Geoff’s Tours at short

notice. Photo: G Fryer.

Steam in action in Botswana – class 19D no 807 at work on Bamangwato

Concessions, Selebi-Pikwe, during May. Photo: G E Cooke.

Double-heading by Friends of The Rail – class 24 and class

19D - in mid-June. Photo: A McCarthy.

Friends of The Rail, PretoriaOn 18 and 19 May, 2-8-4 class 24 no 3664, with two sitters, a caboose, a DZ wagon and a milk van bringing up the rear, were used in the production of a new Afrikaans fi lm Faan se Trein. On 17 June, the loco operated the annual weekend steam photo-shoot for enthusiasts, double-heading back from Cullinan to Hermanstad with the loco working the club’s Fathers’ Day run – class 19D no 2650.

RAILWAY HERITAGE


Yesterday I stood on top of the Montagu Pass

This was and still is, for most of us who have been there, something

special. I think it’s one of those places that has something in it for

everyone. It’s wild and it’s beautiful and it’s situated in one of the

world’s great fl oral kingdoms.

For railway enthusiasts it holds haunting memories of great battles.

Great battles between Nature and machine, Man and the mountains.

Yesterday it was quiet. No longer the barking call of a Garratt as

it fought the inclines. No, not even the burble of a diesel. Just the

soughing of wind through the fynbos.

As I stood below the towering Cradock Peak, wreathed in swirling

mist, I thought back to long ago. Fifty-three years ago. To a night

in George, below the mountain. We were near the railway. I didn’t

know the line back then, not as well as today. Then it was a

strange line, in a strange town, with strange locomotives. I heard

them shuffl ing out of town, whistling for the level crossing on the

Knysna road. Then I listened to their exhaust roaring, the muddled

beat of the Garratt, as if tripping over its own feet. One could hear

the hurried, muffl ed beats for a long time on a quiet night. They’d

fade for a while as the train tracked up to the horseshoe bend

which seemed so impossibly severe that it invited a derailment,

and then, as she climbed steeply above the line of trees, it would

come back again, reverberating off the mountain, slower now and

more laboured but still - paradoxically, being a GEA - hurried as

the gradient took its toll. If it was daytime, there’d be a towering

column of black-brown smoke to be seen and sometimes, even a

feather of white steam. But on that fi rst night of discovery, all I could

do was listen.

Standing there yesterday, I thought back to subsequent experiences

on this pass and realised that the Garratts emulated the wild animals

of the mountain. The cough of the leopard, the bark of baboon,

the whistling of the wind in the wings of eagles and buzzards,

hawks and falcons. They even copied the articulated, scuttling

movements of agamas and lizards and the hiss of adders. In the

following 50 odd years, I had travelled up and down this living

mountain only twice. Behind steam and diesel traction. The noise

and bustle and life of steam far surpassing the diesel experience.

I pictured the parade of trains that I had witnessed at Topping

over the years, from the PE mails with their lovely half-diners and

regular, if slow reliability, to struggling goods trains, to fl amboyant

specials, to steam festival variants of all shapes and sizes. Even

they, in their relatively artifi cial guises, seemed never-ending and

the public came in droves to ride, to watch and to photograph. As if

what they had taken for granted for a lifetime, had suddenly become

unique. But perhaps they realised that all things have an end and that

this story also had to be fi nite. And of course, it was.

As I stood there yesterday, thinking on these things, my friend who

was with me took out his bagpipes. The skirl of the pipes drifted past

the nodding heads of the leucospermums, proteas and ericas we

were standing in. The haunting sound dipped over fi elds of purple,

fl owering heather, over strands of restias heaving like a sea of

dark green, up towards the rocky peak of Cradock and its swirling

mists and down cascading brooks to the valley below. When he

had fi nished playing, a small group of exhausted, mud-spattered

cyclists below us broke into spontaneous applause.

That was perhaps a fi tting salute, not only to the mountain, but also

to the years of battle and drama on the railway below.

– Pierre de Wet

MONTAGU PASS

Incredibly, the class GEA Garratt - for many years post-World War II the

mainstay of the Montagu Pass - was hand-fi red. Photo: Pierre de Wet.

Ph

oto

: Man

ie B

eau

rain

.

38 www.railwaysafrica.comRailways Africa Issue 4 // 2013

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