Garratts to Victoria Falls
Garratts to Victoria Falls Bulawayo sits neglected, it’s moniker as Zimbabwe’s forgotten city apposite for all the wrong reasons. Still, the city is home to the nation’s remaining steam motive power; three usable Garratts from a fleet that used to number more than 100. The (Geoff’s Trains) tour group arrives from Francistown, having spent the preceding forty eight hours at Bamangwato Concessionaires Limited’s (BCL) mine at Selebi Phikwe in Botswana, home to a similarly dwindling fleet of steam power. We have yet to see a Garratt, but in the pre–dawn light of Sunday 25th July, the bus disgorges us into the shed yard, where the last of these 150–plus ton giants of Africa’s railway simmer. I stare between buildings, workshops and the rusting hulks of other motive power. In the flesh and even better, in steam; three latter day mammoths. Time on this first visit is limited; the group is due to leave for Cement aboard its own Garratt–hauled special train in little more than an hour. Tripods are erected, photographs hurriedly shot, most with little regard for the niceties – those can be sorted out in software later. For now, it’s a rush to grab as many pics as possible.
Right: 414 a 15A class 4–6–4 + 4–6–4 Garratt in the Bulawayo shed. Clearly not currently servicable, there are more than forty other Garratts in the yard in various statges of cannibalisation – perhaps what Ubhejane needs can be found there? Cover: 14A no. 525 hurries through Northolt
525 a 14A class 2–6–2 + 2–6–2 Garratt hurries from the coaling plant to move from the yard to the station to pick up the rolling stock for our excursion to Cement
395 a 15 class 4–6–4 + 4–6–4 Garratt simmers in the yard of the Bulawayo shed
Class 15 no. 395 and behind it, 16A no. 611
14A no. 525 approaches Northolt
16A no. 611 heads for Figtree on Monday 26 July
Back in Bulawayo, after the day’s excursion the group has time to explore the station, its yards, the museum and after all that, the shed. The neglect neatly reflects the nation’s general plight; no money, no skills, no spares and not much interest from those who decide about the country’s future. I choose to wander the museum, then head back to the shed in plenty of time to get the photographs I want and be in good time for the promised braai (barbeque) being arranged by the shed staff.
no. 525 under the Bulawayo station footbridge
Bulawayo’s railway museum is beset by the same budgetary constraints as the railway itself
14A no. 516 in the Bulawayo museum
14A no. 515 (L) and no. 517 (R) stand in Bulawayo shed, the effects of cannibalisation clear
Bulawayo’s dilapidated shed
Just three left from a fleet of more than a hundred
Sunrise at Figtree on Monday 26 July
The wonderful sunrise approaching Figtree soon disappears, leaving this drab morning light on class 16A no. 611
611 about to run–around at Plumtree
Bound for Dete on July 27th
395 can still hurry
395 and train in the bushveldt near Dete
Class 15 no. 395 between Dete and Hwange
The group’s train has made its way from Bulawayo to Dete and on to Hwange, via Nyamandhlovu, competently hauled by class 15 no. 395. The train has been made up exactly as it would have been in steam’s heyday; a water tanker for the loco, ten goods wagons and the passenger carriages, with a caboose at the rear. At Hwange, we are to visit the colliery, where steam power is still the standard for coal trains. The mine has a number of steam locomotives, but only a couple of them are servicable. Surprisingly, the weather has not been kind to us photographers; most days it has been overcast, with only a few patches of sunshine.
Hwange’s no. 11 hauls a rake of empty coal wagons and makes a fine clag
A former Rhodesian Railways Garratt, now renumbered as no. 11, belongs to Hwange Colliery
11 shunts between the buildings at Hwange Colliery
No. 11 pushes a train of empties up to the mine complex
The colliery’s gradients are quite challenging even for a healthy 15A
No. 11 crossing the main road into the mine
Entering the colliery yard, no. 11 passes a Garratt that has been stripped for spares
Late afternoon surprise; no. 395 has thrown a part of its right front motion, which is now disconnected and centered. It appears in Hwange’s shed for watering, where this unique view results
Side by side, a view unlikely to be repeated. Note the missing motion on no. 395’s RH cylinder
Back on the main line, 395 creates a huge clag, hauling the train away from Hwange, towards Thomson Junction on 29 July
15 no. 395 at the road crossing near Zanguja
15 no. 395 pulls into Hwange and meets stablemate 16A no. 611 which has arrived from Bulawayo
Another picture unlikely to be repeated; 395 and 611 prepare to double head our train from Thomson Junction to Lukosi Siding
611 awaits the RA from Thompson Junction in the late afternoon sun
Posing for the camera; nos. 395 and 611
Double headed Garratts and the Moon rise over Thomson Junction on 30 July
395 leads its train out of Baobab Tunnel
15 no. 395 with 16A no. 611 pass a lone baobab
395 from trackside
no. 395 at Sambawizi – the disabled motion can clearly be seen
no. 395 arrives at Zanguja crossing – the end of this part of our journey
We leave our Zimbabwe Railways train at Zanguja and board a bus which will take us to the nearby Victoria Falls. From here, we will travel tomorrow in the privately owned train of the Victoria Falls and Livingstone Steam Train Co. and be hauled by their own Garratt, former Zambian Railways 2–8–2 + 2–8–2 16A no. 512.
Journey’s end – headed by Former Zambian Railways 2–8–2 + 2–8–2 16A no. 512, the VF&LSTC train crosses overthe Victoria Falls gorge en route to Livingstone
16A no. 512 and train between Victoria Falls and Livingstone
16A no. 512 alongside 4–8–2 no. 204
This book was photographed between 25 July and 1 August in Zimbabwe and Zambia. My thanks go to Geoff Cooke of Geoff’s Trains for organising and facilitating such a extraordinarily well planned, entertaining and executed tour. Thanks also to Len, Ian (S), Ian (B) and Robin for their company, levity, perspective and a great deal of No. 17 (Lion Lager). This book has been designed, written and compiled by Paul Perton. Prints of photographs are available – please contact me for sizes and associated pricing. These images are my property, protected by copyright and may not be used for any purpose without my written permission. Rooi Els Western Cape South Africa August 2010