Railways Africa May and June 2012 by Presslink ZA

ISSUE 3 // 2012

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/ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů >ĞǀĞů ƌŽƐƐŝŶŐ ǁĂƌĞŶĞƐƐ ĂǇ

dŚĞ h/ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ƌĂŝůǁĂǇ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚǇ͕ ŝŶ ĐŽŶũƵŶĐƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƌŝƐŝŶŐ ŶƵŵďĞƌ ŽĨ ƌŽĂĚ ƐĞĐƚŽƌ ŽƌŐĂŶŝǌĂƟŽŶƐ͕ ƚŚĞ ƵƌŽƉĞĂŶ ŽŵŵŝƐƐŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ hŶŝƚĞĚ EĂƟŽŶƐ ĐŽŶŽŵŝĐ ŽŵŵŝƐƐŝŽŶ ĨŽƌ ƵƌŽƉĞ ;hE Ϳ ŚĂǀĞ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚĞĚ ƚŚĞ /> ;/ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů >ĞǀĞů ƌŽƐƐŝŶŐ ǁĂƌĞŶĞƐƐ ĂǇͿ ĐĂŵƉĂŝŐŶ ƚŽ ƌĂŝƐĞ ĂǁĂƌĞŶĞƐƐ ĂŵŽŶŐ ƌŽĂĚ ƵƐĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƉĞĚĞƐƚƌŝĂŶƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƌŝƐŬƐ Ăƚ ůĞǀĞů ĐƌŽƐƐŝŶŐƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŽ ĐŚĂŶŐĞ ƚŚĞŝƌ ďĞŚĂǀŝŽƌ͘ ĞƐƉŝƚĞ Ăůů ƚŚĞ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞƐ ƚĂŬĞŶ ƚŽ ŝŶĚŝĐĂƚĞ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞƐĞŶĐĞ ŽĨ ůĞǀĞů ĐƌŽƐƐŝŶŐƐ ĂŶĚ ŵĂŬĞ ƚŚĞŵ ƐĂĨĞ͕ ƚŽŽ ŵĂŶǇ ƌŽĂĚ ƵƐĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƉĞĚĞƐƚƌŝĂŶƐ ĂƌĞ ŬŝůůĞĚ Žƌ ŝŶũƵƌĞĚ Ăƚ ƐƵĐŚ ĐƌŽƐƐŝŶŐƐ ĞĂĐŚ ǇĞĂƌ ƌŝŐŚƚ ĂƌŽƵŶĚ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ͘ ůŵŽƐƚ Ăůů ĂĐĐŝĚĞŶƚƐ Ăƚ ůĞǀĞů ĐƌŽƐƐŝŶŐ ĂƌĞ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƌŽĂĚ ƵƐĞƌƐ ĨĂŝůŝŶŐ ƚŽ ŽďƐĞƌǀĞ ŵĂŶĚĂƚŽƌǇ ƐƚŽƉ ůŝŐŚƚƐ͕ ƐŝŐŶĂůƐ ĂŶĚ ďĂƐŝĐ ƚƌĂĸĐ ƐĂĨĞƚǇ ƌƵůĞƐ͘ ŽŶƚƌĂƌǇ ƚŽ ǁŚĂƚ ŝƐ ŐĞŶĞƌĂůůǇ ƚŚŽƵŐŚƚ ŵŽƐƚ ĂĐĐŝĚĞŶƚƐ ŝŶǀŽůǀĞ ͞ƌĞŐƵůĂƌƐ͕͟ ŝŶ ƉĂƌƟĐƵůĂƌ ƚŚŽƐĞ ůŝǀŝŶŐ ŶĞĂƌ ĂŶĚͬŽƌ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ ƌĞŐƵůĂƌ ƵƐĞ ŽĨ Ă ůĞǀĞůͲĐƌŽƐƐŝŶŐ͕ ĂƐ ĨĂŵŝůŝĂƌŝƚǇ ŚĂďŝƚ ŵĂŬĞƐ ƚŚĞŵ ůĞƐƐ ĐĂƌĞĨƵů Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ ƌĞĐŬůĞƐƐ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŵĂǇ ƉƌŽǀĞ ĨĂƚĂů͘ /> ƐƚĂƌƚĞĚ ŽŶ Ă ƵƌŽƉĞĂŶ ůĞǀĞů ;Ϯϱ ĐŽƵŶƚƌŝĞƐͿ ĂĐŚŝĞǀŝŶŐ Ă ǁŽƌůĚǁŝĚĞ ůĞǀĞů͗ ϰϮ ĐŽƵŶƚƌŝĞƐ ĂƌŽƵŶĚ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϮ͘ tŚĂƚ ĂďŽƵƚ ǇŽƵ͍

WůĞĂƐĞ ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ͗ ĨŽŶǀĞƌŶĞΛƵŝĐ͘ŽƌŐ sŝƐŝƚ͗ ǁǁǁ͘ƵŝĐ͘ŽƌŐ &ŽůůŽǁ ƵƐ ŽŶ ƚǁŝƩĞƌ͗ ŚƩƉ͗ͬͬƚǁŝƩĞƌ͘ĐŽŵͬη͊ͬŝůĐĂĚ ĂŶĚ ŽŶ ĨĂĐĞďŽŽŬ͗ ŚƩƉƐ͗ͬͬǁǁǁ͘ĨĂĐĞďŽŽŬ͘ĐŽŵͬŝůĐĂĚ

RAILWAYS AFRICA / FOREWORD

Foreword 10 wagons, but a great many more than that carry the company’s reporting marks, belonging in fact to a huge leasing entity called Greenbrier, with many thousands of wagons on its books. According to AOK, its relationship with Greenbrier is what helped it through lean years.

One hasn’t heard much about these options in local railway terms – certainly as far as national carriers are concerned. One or two private specialist ﬁrms lease out locomotives, certainly – mostly to other countries on the sub-continent. But what about wagons? For decades there’ve been stories of South African rolling stock visiting neighbouring countries and not being over-keen, always, about coming home. This is rolling stock owned by South Africa’s national railway, which hasn’t been in the habit of leasing what it needs.

Not infrequently, one hears South African customers complaining that the railway can’t supply sufﬁcient wagons for their needs. Would leasing make business sense in this context? Is there scope for a Greenbrier-like operation in Southern Africa? Newly established Thelo Rolling Stock Leasing of Benmore, Johannesburg, clearly thinks there is. It’s putting its money where its mouth is. Backed by the Industrial Development Corporation, its investing in the concept – in a big way. Good luck to them.

This is in contrast to practice on other continents. Take the Arkansas and Oklahoma Railway (AOR) in the United States for example. It isn’t the biggest railway in America, not by a long way. Still, this privately owned operation runs on a fraction under 200km of route and wagonloads moved annually run into some impressive ﬁgures. AOK itself owns a mere

Oh and by the way, the AOK doesn’t own any track, either. The line is owned by the state of Oklahoma – and leased.

ISSUE 3 // 2012

Lease or buy? Depending on the nature of the undertaking, it’s a fundamental business decision. The answers are usually pretty straightforward: like how much money is available for spending, will it cost less to borrow than lease, and what will the end costs be?

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Issue 3 // 2012 Railways Africa

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RAILWAYS AFRICA / CONTENTS

Contents

Features LINE OPTIMISING Evaluating High Production Mechanised Track Maintenance Machinery in Terms of Line Optimisation Productivity and EfďŹ ciency PLASSER SOUTH AFRICA Ballast Cleaning

6 6 10

Africa Update Mine Lines in Cameroon

Sena Capacity to Quadruple

SA Rail News TFR Service to Agriculture

Plaque at Salt River

Railway Heritage Reefsteamers, Germiston

Umgeni Steam Railway, KwaZulu Natal

Obituary Ted Hamer

Book Review Locos of Namaqualand www.railwaysafrica.com

32 Issue 3 // 2012 Railways Africa

LINE OPTIMISING

Evaluating High Production Mechanised Track Maintenance Machinery in Terms of Line Optimisation Productivity and Efﬁciency A few very important recent announcements and publications are bound to shape the future of the railway. Firstly, during his state-of-the-nation address in parliament on 9 February 2012, President Jacob Zuma conﬁrmed that Transnet is to spend R300 billion in its capital-expansion programme.

by introducing shorter or fewer maintenance windows - in order to complete the required maintenance cycle - by employing highproduction mechanised maintenance machinery.

As a result: • coal exports will increase from 68 to 97.5mtpa; • iron ore exports will increase from 53 to 82.5mtpa; • container volumes handled through the ports will increase from 4.3 million to 7.6 million twenty-foot equivalent unit containers (TEUs); and • rail volumes will increase from approximately 200 to 350 million tons per annum.

The focus of this article is to show how the use of high-production machinery can achieve this objective, at the same time saving costs and resources.

There were also various media reports of rail expansions, new lines, upgrades etc. These reports include: • consideration of a number of potential high-speed lines across the country; • the doubling of the eastern corridor from Pretoria beyond Mamelodi and the introduction of bi-directional signalling; • a new 146km line into Swaziland from South Africa; • plans for upgrading the Eastern Cape’s Kei Rail network to allow trains to travel between Durban and Cape Town; but • one of the more detailed publications is the Transnet Infrastructure Plan (TIP) 2011 which forecasts a growth in the national total freight for all modes of transport from the current 750 million tons per annum (mtpa) to around 1,800mtpa in 2040. In terms of the Rail Development Plan section of the TIP, Transnet is putting in place strategies to move commodities better suited to rail but currently transported by road, back to the railway. All these expansion programmes and plans, if implemented, would make Transnet Freight Rail the world’s fifth biggest rail-freight company. However, this would result in an increase in traffic beyond the current rail infrastructure traffic limit, leading to system failure on a large percentage of South Africa’s main-lines as illustrated in the TIP. To cope with the increase in traffic, new infrastructure would be required by means of doubling lines or building new railways. Noticeable from the TIP is not only the number of lines where system failure has already started but the many others that are expected to fail within the next few years – failures that are already too late to be prevented, if one considers the time required for feasibility studies, design and construction. The only remedy in the short term would be improvements to optimise the usefulness of such lines, to achieve higher traffic volumes. In Zuma’s state-of-the-nation address he actually said that “significant productivity and efficiency improvements will be expected in rail and port operations”. This is a very important statement for those of us in the railway supply chain and maintenance environment since we will be playing a very large part in achieving this objective. As infrastructure maintainers we can improve optimisation, productivity and efficiency of a particular line

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

What is the Real Effect of Maintenance on Train Operations? Any increase in traffic on a railway line requires an exponential increase in the preventative track maintenance intervention frequency; in other words, shorter maintenance cycles or time between maintenance interventions, to ensure that the line remains reliable, available, maintainable and safe. However, the more trains there are in the system the less time will be available for mechanised machinery to occupy the track for maintenance purposes. The Sishen to Saldanha iron ore line is used here as an example due to its financial importance to Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) and its unique characteristics in terms of: • it being a single line of 861km; • with high traffic density; • heavy axle loads (30 ton); • 20 crossing loops at approximately 40km intervals; • high-value trains; and • 342 wagons per consist. With the current targeted 90 million gross tons of traffic on the ore line, the tamping cycle can be calculated at approximately five months using empirical formulas. In other words, the 861km line must be tamped from one end to the other within five months before the next cycle starts again. With a 650mm sleeper spacing, 1,325,000 sleepers must be tamped over this five-month period. This of course excludes the loop lines, turnouts and yards which will be disregarded for purposes of simplicity in this analysis, which will use time-based maintenance for its linear maintenance cycle (and not condition-based, for the same reasons).

Figure 1: 08-16 Low-production tamping machine.

If for example one tamping machine with a nominal tamping rate of approximately 19 sleepers per minute is used, working for four

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LINE OPTIMISING hours per day - for which an occupation of approximately six hours would be required during a 20-workingday-month - an average of 91,200 sleepers per month will be tamped1. One machine will therefore take 14.5 months to tamp the entire line2. At a required ďŹ ve- month tamping cycle, three of these machines will be required with three occupations along the line.

In the case of an 861km line, three machines along its length may not sound like a problem. However, the train-free slots they require have a major effect on train operations. This can best be explained using a typical train grid for the Sishen to Saldanha line (Figure 1). At the top is the time of day and day of the week and down the side are the 20 loops on the line where opposing trains are crossed.

Therefore, for every window of at least six hours per day required to carry out maintenance, three slots must be train-free in both directions as illustrated by the blue diamonds (A, B and C) in Figure 3. This will allow approximately four hoursâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; working time per window per day. From the ďŹ gure it will be seen that the chosen maintenance window covers an extended distance, basically from loop 12 to Sishen, but the maximum time available would be in the middle of the window, diminishing in time in both directions. As a result of the crossing-train-free slots, default windows (AB, BC and CD) will appear, though only at night. There is however only one window per day and one at night and if the tamping machine described earlier is used, at least three of these windows will be required - or all three machines will have to work in the one window. This is possible but has its own set of complications and strategic disadvantages.

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Figure 3: Train grid with train slots occupied for maintenance.

Further, the reducing of maintenance would only bring relief for a short while. Eventually, an accumulated shortfall in maintenance would have a knock-on effect, reducing the availability and life of the track to the point where the line would have to be closed completely, so that extensive rehabilitation work could be carried out in order to guarantee the safety of trafďŹ c.

Figure 4: Train grid with two maintenance windows and resultant default windows.

In practice it is not realistically possible to have so many train slots, due to inefďŹ ciencies, unavoidable and unplanned occurrences (such as the occasional breakdown), and of course maintenance. As is clear from the grid, there would be very little time available for maintenance between trains due to the long distances between loops (the only places where machines can be moved out of the way) and regulations that permit only one train at a time in any one section â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and maintenance machines are classiďŹ ed as trains.

That means that at least one more window per day (green diamonds E, F and G) would be required somewhere else on the line, to achieve an additional three train slots in both directions per day. The result is many default windows that appear all over the network as can be seen from the train grid in Figure 4, more than would be required for effective maintenance. The effect on train operations would be severe - to the extent that the targeted trafďŹ c throughput would be virtually impossible to realise.

The blue lines on the grid represent full trains leaving Sishen for the harbour in Saldanha. At current trafďŹ c volumes, trains may leave at intervals of nearly four hours, giving some degree of ďŹ&#x201A;exibility. However, in a scenario where trafďŹ c is expected to increase substantially, the intervals may reduce to around two-and-a-half hours (rounded off to two hours for the sake of simplicity in this explanation) and arriving in Saldanha approximately seventeen hours later. The red lines represent the empty trains returning from Saldanha - also at just over two-hour intervals - but they take twenty hours to reach Sishen because of the need to enter and wait in loops so that full consists may cross without stopping.

Figure 2: Typical train grid - iron ore line.

It must be remembered that tamping is not the only maintenance activity on the line. Other activities that cannot be performed between trains, for which purpose occupations would also be required, are rail replacement, ballast ofďŹ&#x201A;oading, ballast regulating, rail de-stressing, overhead track equipment maintenance, etc. In addition, these may make it difďŹ cult for maintenance equipment such as tamping machines to work in the same occupation, even more so if more than one tamping machine is required to work in the same window.

This explains why an increase in trafďŹ c will ultimately exceed the lineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trafďŹ c limit if the infrastructure remains the same; and/or maintenance methods, machinery and strategies are not adapted to accommodate the increase.

Issue 3 // 2012 Railways Africa

LINE OPTIMISING The problem of many maintenance windows can be alleviated with the use of high-production machines. To increase the required maintenance cycle to match the increased traffic without uneconomically and impractically increasing the number of maintenance windows and machines working on the line, the performance, production and durability produced by mechanised maintenance machines must increase too. Mechanised machinery is available today for nearly every track maintenance activity including ballast-cleaning, ballast regulating and dynamic stabilising machines, rail-carrying trains, turnout placement, formation rehabilitation and rail-welding machines, material-conveying wagons, overhead electrification maintenance machines and many more. Over the years the technology employed on all this machinery has improved vastly, increasing productivity and durability, and so keeping up with the demands of ever increasing traffic volumes, high speeds and high axle loading. Lifting, levelling, lining and tamping of the track is the most frequent of mechanised maintenance activities and it is therefore not surprising that the advances made in this technology have been substantial. In 1953, Plasser & Theurer developed the VKR01 tamping machine (Figure 5) which revolutionised mechanised tamping. It was capable of tamping approximately four to eight sleepers per minute.

before. In 1996 Plasser & Theurer raised the bar, being the first to introduce a three-sleeper continuous action tamping machine, the 09-3X (Figure 6) of which there are two in South Africa, these achieve a maximum of 60 sleepers per minute. In 2005, the 09-4X continuous-action four-sleeper tamping machine was introduced. This is still the fastest machine of its sort in the world, producing in excess of 70 sleepers per minute. Table 1 explains why the use of higher production machines will alleviate the need for many maintenance windows by comparing three typical machines of three typical production capabilities. The table continues with the example that was used above in terms of traffic and maintenance requirements on the Sishen to Saldanha iron ore line. Thus, if the tamping cycle is five months, the line must be tamped 2.4 times per annum which means that the 1,325,000 sleepers must be tamped 2.4 times which is a total of 3,180,000 sleepers that must be tamped per annum (the required production per annum). Machine A

Machine B

Machine C

Production in 4 Hours/Day3 (Sleepers)

4,800 slp

9,600 slp

14, 400 slp

Production in 230 Days/Year4 (Sleepers)

1,104,000 slp

2,208,000 slp

3,312,000 slp

No. of Occupations Required5

663

331

221

No. of Machines Required

2.9

1.5

Production (Sleepers/Minute)

Table 1.

Figure 5: Plasser & Theurer VKR01, 1953.

As can be seen from the comparison, and as would be expected, if higher production machines are used, it will be possible to complete the annual maintenance cycle with far fewer occupations since these will be able to tamp so much more in a four-hour working period. This means that only one machine will be required as opposed to three lower production machines, if the number of available working days is considered, and therefore also one maintenance window per day as opposed to three maintenance windows. Referring back to Figure 3 and Figure 4 above, the impact on train operations would be severe if more than one maintenance window per day were created, reducing the trafﬁc limit of the line beyond its trafﬁc targets. Undoubtedly, the problem of many maintenance windows can therefore be alleviated through the use of high-production machines. On high-capacity lines, high production track maintenance machines save money in terms of direct and indirect maintenance costs.

Figure 6: 09-3X continuous-action, three-sleeper tamping machine, 1996.

Following a succession of technological advances, Plasser & Theurer introduced the world’s ﬁrst continuous action tamping machine in 1983. This separated the continuous moving mainframe from a satellite to which the tamping units were mounted, thereby permitting much higher production rates than was possible

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

The direct costs of mechanised track maintenance include: • The contract costs of the machine. • The cost of Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) personnel for every occupation consisting of: • A permanent way Inspector • Trackmaster • Flagmen • Overhead track equipment linesmen • A signalling technician

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LINE OPTIMISING • Labour, vehicles and tools for each occupation • A diesel locomotive, a train driver, his assistant and a shunter: The combined cost of this can be conservatively estimated at R30,000 per day. For some types of maintenance activities, more than one locomotive and other rolling stock may also be required. There are also indirect costs that should be considered such as opportunity costs, ie the loss of revenue due to the occupation for every train not running. Especially in the future, with higher traffic volumes envisaged, lost train slots will never be recovered, due to the congestion on busy lines. A quick internet search reveals that the commodity value on the international market of each ore train can be as high as R40 million (based on figures used in http:// www.indexmundi.com/commodities). Conservatively estimating that the income for the railway is 10% of the commodity value, each train slot that is used for maintenance therefore has the opportunity cost of R4 million! If three train slots are required for every occupation, the loss of income to the mines and the South African economy would be approximately R120 million per occupation, and the loss of income to the railway R12 million. If three maintenance windows are required for lower production maintenance machines, all of these figures must be multiplied by three - and the cost of maintenance soars. Machine A

Machine B

Machine C

2.9

1.5

Contract Price/Annum

R11,5 million

R14 million

R18,5 million

Machine Contract Costs7

R33,3 million

R21 million

R18,5 million

663

331

221

R8 billion

R4 billion

R2,7 billion

No. of Machines Required

No. of Occupations Required Opportunity Cost of Maintenance8 Table 2.

Continuing with the above example, Table 2 compares the use of lower production to high-production machines in monetary terms. The annual contract price of a low-production tamping machine with a production rate of around 20 sleepers per minute would be approximately R11,5 million per annum, whereas a high-production

machine with a rate of around 60 sleepers per minute will cost approximately R18,5 million. The higher production machine may be R7 million more expensive than the lower production model, but if one considers that three lower production machines would be required to produce the same result as one high-production unit, it is clear that – in contract price terms - the high-production model would cost half as much as the lower production machine. However, this is insignificant compared to the opportunity cost of maintenance. If one considers that three train slots are required per day at R4 million potential income per train, one can see that despite Machine C being R7 million more expensive per year on the contract cost than Machine A, the high-production machine would bring about over R5 billion more in income and that even excludes other direct costs such as TFR personnel costs per occupation. Even were the number of practical train slots to be halved, the figures would remain significant. It is therefore clear that on high-capacity lines, high-production track maintenance machines save money in terms of direct and indirect maintenance costs. One recognises that not all lines have a traffic density where production might make such a large difference in terms of opportunity costs and that the doubling of lines might alleviate the situation to some extent. But even if the figure of R4 million in income per train has been overestimated, the saving brought about by employing higher production machines will still be significant if other direct expenses such as TFR staff, equipment and locomotives are taken into account.

FOOTNOTES: 1 19 slp/m x 60 min x 4 hrs/day x 20 days = 91,200 sleepers tamped per month. 2 1.325,000 sleepers ÷ 91,200 slp/mth = 14.5 months. 3 Production in 4 hours/day per machine = Sleepers/min x 60 x 4 hrs/day. 4 Production in 230 days/year = Sleepers/min x 60 x 4 hrs/day x 230 days. 5 No of days/occupations req = required production/annum ÷ production in 4 hours/day. 6 No of machines required = no of occupations required ÷ 230 working days 7 Total machine contract costs = no of machines required x contract price/annum. 8 Opportunity cost of maintenance = no of occupations required x 3 train slots x R4mil/train.

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Issue 3 // 2012 Railways Africa

PLASSER SOUTH AFRICA

BALLAST CLEANING 1. INTRODUCTION In the previous article the focus was on the ballast bed cross-sectional proﬁle and the importance and methods of maintaining this. The focus now shifts to the ballast stones themselves in terms of their size, grading and the importance and methods of maintaining the ballast grading. 2.

REQUIRED BALLAST STONE CHARACTERISTICS

The ability of the ballast to perform its function (as detailed in the previous article) is controlled by the stone characteristics. Good ballast material is considered to consist of stones which are angular, broadly graded, abrasion and wear-resistant. The ballast bed should also be free of ﬁne material, that is, the ballast should not be fouled. Ballast fouling is caused by: •

Internal degradation of the ballast bed caused by ballast fracture and abrasion due to – – traffic induced loading, especially dynamic loading caused by flat rolling stock wheels with flat spots and rail surface defects such as skid marks; – tamping; and – chemical weathering.

•

External inﬁltration of alien ﬁnes – – from the surface (wind-blown or washed in during heavy rain); and – dropped from trains.

•

Inﬁltration from underlying granular layers – – Sub-ballast particle migration from inadequate gradation; and – Sub-grade inﬁltration.

This finer material will start to fill the void spaces between the ballast stones from the bottom of the ballast bed (on top of the formation) and gradually build up to the bottom of the sleeper. The height to which the ballast bed is filled with fine material is a direct measurement of ballast fouling. As a rule of thumb and the easiest and very effective method of measuring ballast fouling would be to create a template as seen in Figure 1. The template can be marked where 0% fouling would be at the bottom of the ballast

Figure 2: 120% fouling.

bed and 100% fouling would be approximately 70mm from the bottom of the sleeper. For example, the ballast bed in Figure 1 is approximately 20% fouled and the ballast bed in Figure 2 is approximately 120% fouled. The ballast bed in Figure 2 will clearly have no resilience and no drainage ability. It is noteworthy that the ballast looks clean in the upper levels and in the cribs of Figure 2. If the area below the sleeper, the load-bearing area, is not inspected, the illusion can be given that the ballast is clean.

Figure 3 : Ballast grading envelope (general freight lines).

The ballast grading envelope (Figure 3) is a more scientific measurement of ballast fouling. New ballast of which the grading follows the blue curve would be classified as 0% fouled whereas the red curve represents ballast which is 100% fouled. Using this grading envelope in practice is however very difficult due to irregular results that will be obtained in trying to take a representative sample. Should some of the larger stones in Figure 3 roll down when the sample is taken, a skewed ballast fouling figure will be obtained. Figure 1: 20% fouling.

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

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PLASSER SOUTH AFRICA To ensure that the ballast bed performs in accordance with requirements, it must be cleaned (screened to remove the fine material) before it loses its functionality. This point is called the critical fouling point. The critical fouling point (as described by Esveld) is at the point which the fines in the ballast are likely to cause an unacceptable loss of geometry retention, an inability to tamp effectively, or, due to water retention by the fines, damage to the ballast and formation. Very often, fouled ballast goes hand-in-hand with other deviations from the required design criteria of ballast, such as too little ballast depth, rounded and smooth stones etc. The result is that damage will be caused and geometry retention lost long before the ballast has reached 100% fouling. The critical fouling point is therefore a unique value for each of the different track standards: S1 ==> 70 - 75% N1 ==> 75 - 80% N2 ==> 80 - 85%

(S1 lines are the coal line and the iron ore line) (N1 lines are main lines on 57kg rails) (N2 lines are lines on 48kg rails)

When ballast fouling has reached these measures for a speciﬁc track standard, ballast screening must be a high priority to guarantee the integrity of the ballast bed and the whole track structure.

is mud pumping, also called a mudhole. These mudholes usually extend 300 to 400mm under the ballast and cover a distance of maximum 120 metres. If the mud pumping is visible for more than 120 metres, this can be regarded as continuous formation failure rather than a mudhole. The pumping mud usually consists of a clayey soil. It is due to the presence of the clayey soil that maintenance becomes ineffective on mudholes and total rehabilitation becomes necessary. In Figure 4 the mud pumping has reached an advanced stage. Total rehabilitation of the formation now becomes necessary. Rehabilitation is a very extensive and expensive process. It is also a great contributor to speed restrictions on the South African rail network.

3.3 Fouled ballast inhibits the resiliency of the track Fine material in the void spaces reduces the elasticity of the ballast. In addition, if the fine material becomes wet and is allowed to dry again, the ballast bed can be cemented into a rock-hard layer. The resultant lack of resiliency will cause reflected shock waves which are likely to cause rail corrugations and traffic noise. These shock waves will also cause damage to sleepers, fastenings and rolling stock.

THE EFFECTS OF FOULED BALLAST

3.1 Fouled ballast prevents effective drainage and the movement of particles through the ballast As the void spaces between the ballast stones start to fill with fine material, the drainage capacity of the ballast bed decreases. The fine material will retain the moisture which will lead to a wet ballast bed and ultimately a wet formation. Research by Professor Selig showed that clean ballast to full depth can drain rain water at a rate of 150mm per hour, whereas if the entire ballast bed is uniformly fouled, it would only be able to drain 1.5mm per hour. After a hard spell of rain the ballast bed will therefore remain wet for a very long time.

3.2 Fouled ballast leads to the formation of mud spots If the ballast bed remains wet due to the absorbed moisture by the ﬁne material in the void spaces, the formation will also become saturated. This will cause failure of the formation. When the formation fails, slurry from the sub grade, together with the ﬁne material inside the ballast, will start pumping through the ballast and will be visible on the surface of the ballast bed. The result

Figure 5: Broken sleepers due to centre binding.

In Figure 5, the effect of centre binding due to the cementing of the ballast can be clearly seen. The weight of trafﬁc will force the sleeper to bend over a hard centre. The concrete will crack in the middle due to the stress and expose the reinforcing which will corrode and weaken the steel as well as cause further cracking of the sleeper. These sleepers will not be able to hold the gauge for very long and could cause a derailment.

3.4 Fouled ballast reduces resistance against vertical, lateral and longitudinal forces If the ﬁne material in the ballast becomes saturated, it will have a decreased resistance to shear deformation due to the clayey or silty particles and water present at the ballast contact points. The ﬁne material will act as a lubricating agent which leads to a decrease in track support and geometry.

3.5 Poor durability after maintenance inputs The lack of void spaces due to ballast fouling will restrict the effective rearrangement of the ballast stones during tamping. The track will revert to its original geometry in a very short time. This Figure 4: Typical example of a mudhole.

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Issue 3 // 2012 Railways Africa

PLASSER SOUTH AFRICA would require the tamping machine or gang to return to the same spot repeatedly, thus negatively affecting train operations.

cycle will reduce, resulting in another occupation for the ballast cleaner to return only a few years later.

Even if the ballast can be sufďŹ ciently rearranged to remove the track memory, the ďŹ ne material clinging to the ballast surfaces will still act as a lubricant, thereby reducing the friction between the stones, resulting in poor durability of tamping input.

3.7 Line speed restrictions

Where gangs are used to tamp by hand, using pick-axes and hand-held vibratory tampers, the repeated tamping will damage the sleepers as can be seen in Figure 6. These sleepers will have to be replaced since they will have very little resistance against displacement. Replacing these sleepers would require a full occupation, once again negatively affecting train operations.

Fouled ballast with the results that have been discussed above will cause line speed restrictions resulting in: â&#x20AC;˘

Late deliveries or arrival of goods or passengers which damages the image of the railway. Customers lost to the roads are difďŹ cult to recover. This is an indirect cost which is very difďŹ cult to measure.

â&#x20AC;˘

Lower rates â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Customers use slow deliveries as a bargaining tool for lower freight rates, further reducing the income of the railways.

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Opportunity cost of volumes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Slower moving volumes have an opportunity cost of higher volumes on busy lines.

SCREENING OF BALLAST USING BALLAST CLEANING MACHINES

To avoid the negative effects of fouled ballast, the ďŹ ne material in the ballast bed must be removed. Ballast screening is one of the track maintenance activities that cannot be effectively done by hand.

Figure 6: Damaged sleepers due to repeated hand tamping.

3.6 Saturated fouled ballast dramatically reduces the production rate of the ballast cleaning machine Experience with the RM74 ballast cleaning machine has shown that at low moisture contents (below 18%), the ballast cleaner achieves high production rates in excess of 350m3/hour. This relates to approximately 200 to 300 metres per hour or 800 to 1,200 metres per day screened. However, when the moisture content increases, the production rate dramatically decreases to as little as 50m3/hour. This relates to only 36 metres per hour. See Figure 7.

Mechanised ballast cleaning started in South Africa in 1973 when Plasser South Africa introduced the RM62 ballast cleaning machine. Ballast cleaning machines are able to clean under the sleepers (where this is most important) while reinstating the required formation cross-fall at very high production rates compared to hand screening and at a quality of production which is impossible to equal with any other method. In 1979, Plasser South Africa introduced the more advanced RM74 ballast cleaning machine (Figure 8), which, due to its reliability and quality of work is still used today. These machines were kept up to date with technology and innovative modiďŹ cations and are capable of high production rates of 350m3 per hour or more. The production rate refers to the volume of ballast material that can be excavated and screened per hour, in order to remove ďŹ ne material from the reusable stone.

Figure 8: The RM74 ballast cleaning machine.

Figure 7: Ballast cleaner production.

Not only does it become expensive to clean ballast at such low production rates, but the effectiveness of the process also decreases dramatically. This would mean that the ballast cleaning

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

In 2006 Plasser South Africa introduced the RM900 ballast cleaning machine (Figure 9) with its high screening production of 750m3 per hour. This is still the highest production ballast cleaning machine available on the 1,067mm track gauge.

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WAGON BUSINESS Specialists in refurbishment, repair and upgrade of wagons and major supplier of new wagons to the heavy haul coal and iron-ore ďŹ&#x201A;eets with tare ratios as high as 5:1, as well as wagons for cement, car carriers, intermodal

GM515_TRE Presslink

and fuel tankers.

Tel: +27 (0)12 391 1304

Fax: +27 (0)12 391 1371

Email: sales@transnet.net

PLASSER SOUTH AFRICA When the occupation starts, an endless excavating chain, consisting of scraper plates with ﬁngers, is connected inside the cutter bar. The chain breaks up the encrusted ballast down to formation level and transports it to the vibrating screens via the up-chute for separation. A lifting unit lifts the track to ensure there is adequate space for the height of the chain, so as not to cut into the formation.

Figure 9: The RM900 ballast cleaning machine.

Both machines work on the same principles, with a few differences that bring about their difference in production capabilities. Before the occupation starts and before the ballast cleaning machine arrives on site. The cutter bar is inserted under the track. The cutter bar width can be changed for ballast cleaning under turnouts or for restricted width of tunnels, platforms etc. The cutter bar is a casting which guides the excavating chain underneath the track, electronically controls the cutting depth and provides a smooth longitudinal formation surface at the required cross-fall. This is an important feature that prevents water from ponding on an uneven formation and the rails from copying the uneven formation during settlement.

Figure 10: A level formation visible behind the cutter bar.

The vibrating screen box (the RM900 has two screen boxes) is fitted with screens of different mesh sizes. The screens will separate the fine material from the reusable ballast stones. The fine material will be spoilt either to the side of the track or into MFS material conveyor wagons in front of the ballast cleaner, for removal to suitable spoil sites.

Figure 11: Ballast cleaning package.

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

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PLASSER SOUTH AFRICA The reusable ballast will be returned to the track and spread evenly by the distributor conveyor and a plough.

•

Stabilising machines – The track behind ballast cleaning is not consolidated and will show reduced resistance to lateral displacement. Stabilising machines are used to consolidate the ballast which allows the track to be opened at normal section speeds directly behind the ballast cleaning operation.

CONCLUSION

Due to excessive dust generated by the process in dry areas, dust suppression systems may be used which consist of a water spray system located at the cutter bar.

THE BALLAST CLEANING PACKAGE

The ballast cleaning machine does not work on its own. It needs a number of other machines to support it and collectively they are referred to as the ballast cleaning package. These machines are: •

•

MFS material conveying wagons – These wagons are used where spoiling of the fine material next to the track is not allowed or possible. Ballast wagons – Due to the removal of the fine material, which to a large extent consists of crushed ballast, the ballast bed must be replenished with additional stone to ensure the required ballast depth and volume. Ballast regulating machines – The returned ballast behind the ballast cleaning machine and the new ballast offloaded by ballast wagons must be profiled to the required ballast bed cross-sectional profile. For this purpose, ballast regulating machines are used. Tamping machines – These machines lift, align and tamp the track to the required geometry.

The ballast is a very important component of the track structure with various functions that are critical to sustain safe passage of trafﬁc. It is most important that the ballast be maintained in an acceptable condition before deterioration starts to damage other track components. This means that the ballast must be inspected for fouling and ballast cleaning undertaken timeously. Neglecting this will cause damage to the track which will result in unnecessary maintenance occupations and high maintenance cost. REFERENCES: 1. SELIG Professor Ernie & WATERS John. Track geotechnology and substructure management. 2. PRETORIUS F J: The state of the art of ballast fouling and screening maintenance systems – Section A - Technical report on the concept of ballast fouling, Jan 1993. Section B - Manual on practical evaluation techniques for measuring and classifying in-track ballast layer conditions, Feb 1993. Section C - Screening maintenance systems, May 1993.

In the next article in this series on track maintenance we will look at methods of removing the ﬁne material that was spoiled by the ballast cleaning machine from the ballast cleaning site. In the past the ﬁne material was spoiled right next to the track but this had various disadvantages. Today material conveying systems are used to remove the contaminated spoil material to environmentally approved spoil sites.

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Issue 3 // 2012 Railways Africa

AFRICA UPDATE

AFRICA UPDATE AFRICAN RAIL SUMMIT The inaugural African Railways Summit is to take place in Johannesburg on 18 and 19 September. According to the organisers, it “will concentrate on rail strategies for the African continent. Case studies, panel discussions and networking opportunities with experts and industry leaders will give delegates a platform to interact, learn and collect business intelligence and strategic insight… The African Rail Summit has engaging sessions designed to provide a holistic purview on the rail developments in the region”.

ANGOLA PRIVATE INVOLVEMENT IN ANGOLA’S RLYS The Angolan government intends to merge the country’s railway companies - Caminhos de ferro de Benguela (CFB), Caminhos de ferro de Moçamedes (CFM) and Caminhos de ferro de Luanda (CFL – into one authority and to concession their operation to private initiative. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the Luanda government, “plans to sell off commercial and operational aspects of the railways to private companies, whilst keeping a controlling stake“ in a new company called Caminhos de Ferro de Angola. The state is to retain ownership of the infrastructure; operating companies will manage the actual services.

CFB LUENA STATION READY BY JUNE The new Caminhos de ferro de Benguela (CFB) station at Luena in Moxico province, 990km from Lobito, was expected to be ﬁnished by June. When Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos visited the town in April, minister of transport Augusto da Silva Tomás said the line would be complete as far as Luau, 334km from Luena, by December. He expected the ﬁrst train to arrive in Luena by August.

from a point east of Luacano in Moxico province to connect with Zambia’s Lumwana line, currently under construction. This will provide a direct connection with the Zambian rail system, bypassing the present route through the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Caminhos de ferro de Moçamedes is to be linked with the Namibian rail system at Oshikango by way of an extension to be built from Cuvango south of Cassinga, on the existing branch from Dongo junction, 500km east of the port of Namibe. Caminhos de ferro de Luanda (CFL) is to have a northern branch serving the provinces of Bengo, Uíge and Zaire, extending to a link with the Congo-Ocean Railway and Cabinda (which would require a lengthy bridge across the Congo River). No detailed intentions concerning this line have been revealed.

CAMEROON MINE LINES IN CAMEROON Afferro Mining has been talking to the Cameroon government over its possible participation in the financing of the special purpose vehicle being set up to develop the railway being built to serve Sundance Resources’ Mbalam iron ore project. According to Afferro, the Cameroon authorities have said third party access to the line will be allowed. Afferro, which is negotiating with potential strategic partners in the development of its flagship Nkout project, is to revise the preliminary economic assessment to take account of the “potential infrastructure enhancement”. Affero CEO Luis da Silva is quoted saying: “This represents a significant step in the development of the rapidly emerging iron ore district that covers the south of Cameroon and the north of the Republic of Congo.”

CFB’s impressive new station at Huambo. Photo: Anton van Schalkwyk.

INTERNATIONAL LINKS FOR ANGOLAN RAILWAYS The Angolan government has approved a plan entitled Development of the Integrated Railroad System, which envisages the construction of new international links from each of the country’s three main railways. Caminhos de ferro de Benguela (CFB) is to have a new branch

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

The metre-gauge national railways of Cameroon are entirely separate from the mining lines currently under construction. Pierre-Noël Rietsch photographed CC 2213, a Bombardier-built MLW MX 620, at Yaounde some years ago.

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AFRICA UPDATE GHANA GHANA CROSSING SYSTEMS The WEGH group is to supply complete systems for level crossing protection on the recently rehabilitated line between Accra and Tema in Ghana, including components such as barrier arms, trackside and road signals and control boards. The contract with WEGH was signed on 23 December 2011.

KENYA

increases dramatically, which in turn depends on a sustained period of economic recovery and growth in Zimbabwe.”

WAGES UP 6% IN MOZAMBIQUE Speaking on behalf of the government of Mozambique, deputy ﬁsheries minister Gabriel Muthisse says all state employees (including those on the railways) are to receive a 6% ﬂat-rate wage increase in 2012. This will apply across the board to all categories. State pensions will also increase by 6%.

KENYA PENSION ASSETS QUERIED The board of trustees at the Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Beneﬁts Scheme insists that property sold was transparently managed and represented value for money. The trustees caretake assets valued at more than Sh20 billion. According to the Retirements Beneﬁts Authority (RBA), quoted by The Nation, disposal of estates by the scheme to pay retirees is “shrouded in controversy” and “threatens to halt their monthly payments that amount to about Sh56 million. Scheme Chair Ms Beryl Odinga says due process was followed throughout. She claims that RBA inspectors did not give trustees adequate time to prepare for the inspection or produce documents in response to issues raised, and complains that the inspectors took only two days drawing up their report. All the necessary documentation is now available, she says.

Caminhos de ferro do Moçambique (CFM – the state railway & ports): Diesel-multiple-unit photographed at Maputo by Roderick Smith in August 2011.

KENYA RAILWAYS DENIES MAKONGENI ESTATE PLANS Media reports suggesting residents are to be evicted from the Makongeni estate in Nairobi have been strongly refuted by Kenya Railways staff retirement benefits scheme (Krsrbs) Chief Executive Officer Nicholas Kikuvi. The scheme owns the property in question. Kikuvi denied rumours that architects had been appointed to redevelop plot number 209/6823 in the Makongeni estate, prior to demolishing buildings and redeveloping. “We read mischief, propaganda and intentional malice in the media reports since no contact was made to our media liaisons or offices to clarify the matter,” Kikuvi told the press. He conceded that his predecessor CEO had asked for a Makongeni redevelopment feasibility study in 2010, but pointed out this in no way constituted any firm intentions, nor was any contract discussed.

MOZAMBIQUE SENA CAPACITY TO QUADRUPLE According to Mozambique Deputy Fisheries Minister Gabriel Muthisse, the government intends to lift capacity significantly on the Sena line from Moatize to Beira. At present the route cannot carry much beyond 3 million tonnes of coal per annum. Once current work between Beira and Dondo is finished in July or August 2012, it is expected that capacity of six million tonnes a year will be achieved. Muthisse is quoted saying this figure is to rise to 12mta by the end of 2012. This seems optimistic, to say the least.

BEIRA-ZIMBABWE LINE Speaking on behalf of the government of Mozambique, deputy ﬁsheries minister Gabriel Muthisse says rehabilitation of the railway from Beira to Machipanda, on the border with Zimbabwe, is well advanced. The aim is to double the present capacity of three million tonnes per annum to six. He added that the transport ministry is looking into the possibility of raising the capacity of the Machipanda line to 25 million tonnes a year in the longer term. “This however will only make economic sense if Zimbabwean use of the line

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BEACON HILL PROSPECTIVE USER OF SENA LINE Beacon Hill Resources started mining coking coal at Moatize in Mozambique during the last week of March 2012, and expects to despatch its first shipments by mid-year. The cargo will have to go by road to Beira but Beacon Hill is confident it will be allocated a slot on the Sena railway when upgrading work is finally complete. The company previously started production of thermal coal at Moatize, but coking coal is of higher quality and commands a better price.

MOZAMBIQUE WILL NEED 3,000 COAL WAGONS Peter Cona, General Manager Wagon Business at Transnet Rail Engineering (TRE), told FTW that the Mozambican coal lines are going to need some 3.000 wagons. He was speaking at a media conference to mark the loading of the last of a 200-wagon order for use on the Moatize-Beira line. Designed and made in TRE’s Uitenhage works, the wagons were delivered in eight months from order through design, prototyping and testing, according to Cona. TFR has set itself a production target of 50 wagons a month. TRE has also delivered wagons to Botswana, Tanzania and Ghana, with further orders on hand.

NAMIBIA TRANSMANIB PARTS WAYS WITH CEO AND COO According to a press release from TransNamib Holdings, the group “parted ways” with its two most senior employees - Chief Executive Officer Titus Haimbili, and Chief Operations Officer Charles Funda. “The Chairman, on behalf of the board explained that the action taken was in the best interest of the company.” General Manager Finance Noel Mouton was appointed acting CEO. Haimbili and Funda applied subsequently to the Labour Court in Windhoek, asking that their former employer be forced to reinstate them. According to their advocate, they were dismissed without fair hearing. Haimbili claims that under his management TransNamib’s finances improved dramatically but the company says its finances deteriorated sharply during the year ending

Issue 3 // 2012 Railways Africa

AFRICA UPDATE March 2011. By the end of that month, TransNamib’s accumulated losses amounted to almost N$578 million, the court was told.

partnership with the private sector is indispensable for the new NRC to develop.

STUDIES NEEDED IN NAMIBIA

NIGERIA TO TRANSFER TWO LINES TO LAGOS STATE

A proposal in parliament for new rail lines linking Windhoek to Rehoboth and Okahandja, in order to reduce the death rate on the roads, could not be followed up without a comprehensive feasibility study to determine ﬁnancial and economic viability, says the Namibian ministry of works and transport, which points out there are existing lines along these routes.

The federal government of Nigeria is considering the transfer of two of its five rail tracks in Lagos State to the state government, for use in the current light rail project. President Goodluck Jonathan announced this at the sixth Lagos Economic Summit. Keynote speaker Ms Razia Khan (vice-president, Africa Region, Standard Chartered Bank, London) said Africa’s transformation was largely dependent on Lagos State, due to the growth recorded in the past few years. She was quoted saying: “If Nigeria sustains its growth rate, it is going to overtake South Africa as sub-Saharan Africa’s largest economy by 2018. It is clear that Nigeria is on course to emerge as Africa’s largest economy.” [Nothing like a spot of optimism to keep the flag flying. Check this page in 2018 to see how things work out. – Editor Railways Africa.]

NIGERIAN TRAIN WELL FILLED

TransNamib GE U20C (previously South African class 33). Note characteristic SA-design points indicator. Photo: John Batwell.

NIGERIA

Two additional coaches had to be added to a train on the newly rehabilitated line from Lagos to Ilorin on 6 April as the seven originally provided could not accommodate all the thousand travellers that turned up. This surprised the management, as fares were charged (by contrast, the inaugural train on 5 April had been free). The fares asked for train travel are considerably lower than those applying on buses.

ONITSHA METROPOLITAN MONORAIL, NIGERIA At a ceremony at Government House in Awka, Anambra State Governor Peter Obi recently signed an agreement with Globim Corporation chairman Dr Jude Igwemezie for the construction of the Onitsha metropolitan monorail in Nigeria. The project is to be a public-private partnership (PPP). The planned monorail is to run from Onitsha to Nkpor and Obosi. Governor Obi was quoted saying that the monorail would solve the problem of road trafﬁc congestion and enhance the movement of people in the area. Commissioner for special duties and transport Robort Okonkwo said the feasible study (carried out by Globim) conﬁrmed that the project was feasible and viable.

MORE ROLLING STOCK FOR NIGERIA According to Nigerian Railways Corporation Managing Director Adeseyi Sijuwade, the recently acquired tank wagons are only part of the rolling stock that is needed. It is intending to order more passenger coaches and container wagons, at the same time rehabilitating existing coaches and wagons. Sijuwade speaks of substantial demand for freight rail service from potential customers, such as the Nigeria Flour Mills, Dangote Group and Lafarge Wapco. Lafarge Wapco is already moving products from Lagos to Ilorin and plans to establish a large depot in Minna, to be the hub of its distribution network in the north. “It’s not just tank wagons,” Sijuwade says. “We are talking about procurement of more passenger coaches, more container wagons, and the rehabilitation of more coaches and wagons. There is quite a lot that is required to enhance the level of service.” Stressing the importance of the railway amendment bill currently before the National Assembly, Sijuwade says government

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

PRIVATE PARTICIPATION IN NIGERIAN RAIL The Nigerian government is considering repealing the Nigeria Railway Act of 1955. Transport minister Senator Idris Umar explains that this would make it possible for individual states and the private sector to participate in rail-related business. It would mean that private sector investors would be able to build and operate railways in Nigeria. This is prohibited in terms of the existing Act. “Nigeria used to take pride in its railways network”, says the Nigerian Tribune, commenting on the proposal. “Comatose for the last three decades [It was] the largest on the continent at independence. “ [Oh come on. The Nigerian railways measured a fraction over 3,500km at independence. The South African rail network exceeded 20,000km. – Editor Railways Africa.]

TANZANIA TAZARA TOP BRASS SUSPENDED According to the Tanzania Daily News (published in Dar es Salaam), five departmental heads in the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) have been suspended. They are the chief mechanical engineer, the managers of marketing, traffic, finance and information/communication. They stand accused of “occasioning loss to Tazara and administrative irregularities that perpetuate protracted animosity between the management and workers”. The decision was taken after minister for transport Omar Nundu visited Tazara headquarters where he convened an emergency meeting with the administration and later addressed workers on measures taken by the government to address their problems. Chairman of the Tazara board Omary Chambo was quoted saying that Managing Director Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika and his deputy Damas Ndumbaro remain “untouched” until further notice, pending consultation with relevant authorities. The suspension of two more officials has been ordered – the commercial head and the senior freight officer.

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AFRICA UPDATE According to Chambo, all ofﬁcials implicated in allegations of misuse of funds are to be disciplined.

TUNISIA

According to Zambian communications and Transport Minister Yamfwa Mukanga, the government has allocated $US8 million from this year’s budget to help Tazara, as it is anxious to have the line fully operational.

NEW ELECTRIFIED SERVICE IN TUNISIA Electric trains have started running from the southern suburbs of Borj Sedria and Riadh into the Tunisian capital Tunis. The new sets, which will work 158 trips daily, replace 30-year-old diesel rolling stock. They can attain 120km/h and the new schedules reduce commuting times by 26%. Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens (SNCFT - the Tunisian National Railways) initiated the project as a step towards reducing the fuel dependence of Tunisia’s trains and at the same time help preserve the environment. It is estimated that maintenance costs will be cut by 75% and outlay on energy by 45%.

ZIMBABWE NRZ STATS According to the Zimbabwe Financial Gazette, wagons of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) “have long gone beyond their economic lifespan of 40 years. Only 13 of the 168 locomotives are within the lifespan, with six years remaining. The state firm owns a fleet of 309 coaches but only 130 were said to be in service but are in a deplorable and unsafe state. The railway firm owns 8,682 wagons of which only 3,427 are operational, transporting over six million tonnes of goods per year. The tonnage moved by NRZ in 1992 was 12 million.” The country’s parliamentary portfolio committee on transport and infrastructural development “has noted that NRZ management has no clear strategy on how it is going to turnaround the parastatal in the event that government decides to inject fresh capital. MPs fear that if funds are availed without ‘visionary’ management, the resources may go to waste.”

Tunisian passenger train at Bir Bou Regba. Photo: Rikard Ågren.

ZAMBIA ZAMBIA ALLOCATES FUNDS TO TAZARA Chinese consultants are studying the operational problems at the Tanzania-Zambia Authority (Tazara) which reportedly include low staff morale, reluctance among some staff to work with colleagues on the other side of the border, and a shortage of serviceable wagons.

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Station scene on the Tazara line. Photo: Paul Ash.

Issue 3 // 2012 Railways Africa

SA RAIL NEWS

SOUTH AFRICAN

RAIL NEWS TFR SERVICE TO AGRICULTURE To rebuild rail infrastructure to meet the needs of the South African agricultural sector, Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has created a new business unit with this special focus. In the early nineties, the railway was moving nine million tons of produce annually. In twenty years this ﬁgure has dropped to a dismal two million. Addressing

an agribusiness indaba in Johannesburg, Transnet CEO Brian Molefe said studies show “ huge potential” to increase this trafﬁc over the next twenty years.

have been abandoned are among avenues being explored in meeting the needs of agriculture, particularly in the sugar, maize, wheat and fruit-growing regions.

Molefe conceded that old rolling stock, underinvestment and lack of maintenance had made the railway unreliable and unsuited to agricultural requirements. In assessing what could be done, lines that

Transnet Freight Rail train at Ancona in the farmlands of the OFS. Photo: Jacque Wepener.

NGCURA MANGANESE TERMINAL GOES AHEAD

NEW BLUE TRAIN COMMERCIALS

Transnet has conﬁrmed that plans to relocate its manganese terminal from the harbour at Port Elizabeth to Ngqura are going ahead. All manganese export trafﬁc is to be routed through the new deep-water port.

On 5 May, two new commercials advertising the Blue Train were screened for the ﬁrst time on SABCTV channel 2 between 20:04 and 20:16. Each segment lasts 30 seconds and depicts dramatic shots both inside and outside the express.

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

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PRASA ROLLING STOCK TENDER Prospective bidders from Europe and Asia were prominent among over 60 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who took away tender documents for the R120bn rolling stock ﬂeet renewal programme by the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) which welcomed the response. According to Prasa CEO Lucky Montana, quoted by Business Day, “That is at least 70% of the manufacturers that participated in our earlier market engagements, which means that companies are showing real interest and paying attention to our programme.”

The future of mobility

In evaluating bids, Prasa is applying a 15% weighting to local content development and 85% to price competitiveness. This has been criticised by France’s Alstom, which is quoted saying: “It’s more expensive to build here than to import (the coaches), so it would be better if they had given a higher weighting to the economic development component, We think we shouldn’t be penalised twice because of the local content requirements and then still have to compete on price.”

PRASA ROLLING STOCK & BEE The Black Business Council (BBC) says the rolling stock acquisition programme of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) estimated to be worth R123 billion, must involve black business as empowerment partners in preparing tender submissions and not only at the end of the process. BBC says it has “serious reservations” about the way Prasa is going about things.

A recent photo by Jacque Wepener of the Blue Train south of Klerksdorp, behind two class 14E dual-voltage locos.

SPECIAL SA PASSENGER TRAINS Special passenger trains were scheduled to and from Durban from 10 May in connection with the tourism “indaba”.

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The Rovos Rail “Indaba Special” was scheduled from Pretoria at 11:00 on Thursday 10 May, overnighting at Elandslaagte and getting to Durban at 17:30 on Friday. Lunch and dinner trips operated to the South Coast on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The train left Durban on Tuesday 15 May at 09:00, arriving back in Pretoria at 14:00 on Wednesday 16 May. A special Premier Classe train was timed to leave Johannesburg on Friday 11 May at 20:12, arriving in Durban on Saturday at 08:30. The set was planned to do a side trip to Umkomaas on Sunday 13 May, then return from Durban to Gauteng at 17:30, arriving back in Johannesburg at 06:30 on Monday morning.

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Messe Berlin GmbH Messedamm 22 · 14055 Berlin · Germany Tel. +49(0)30/3038-2376 · Fax +49(0)30/3038-2190 innotrans@messe-berlin.com

SA RAIL NEWS

PLAQUE AT SALT RIVER Transnet Rail Engineering’s (TRE) workshops at Salt River, Cape Town are celebrating 150 years of service. They are believed to be the oldest in the Southern Hemisphere. On 15 May 2012, public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba unveiled a commemorative plaque. “Salt River’s history,” Gigaba said, “mirrors that of South Africa, with periods of rapid growth and expansion slowed by economic depressions and political developments, which required it to adapt to new circumstances and ﬁnd ways to meet new challenges. And to its credit, it always succeeded emerging stronger and better equipped to fulﬁl its obligations. With TRE Salt River currently going through another rebuilding phase, it is a good time to take inspiration from those that came before and to build on their proud legacy.” The facility’s main purpose currently is to support the Sishen-Saldanha iron ore heavy-haul export corridor – operating trains 7km long - and Transnet Freight Rail’s general freight business division (GFB) in the Western Cape.

Celebrating 150 years from left to right: Transnet Rail Engineering’s Chief Executive, Richard Vallihu; Transnet’s Group Chief Executive, Brian Molefe; The Department of Public Enterprises Minister, Malusi Gigaba and Chairman of the Transnet Board, Maﬁka Mkwanazi. Photo: Transnet Rail Engineering.

PRASA PLANS FOR MOTHERWELL

COAL LINE SHUTDOWN

In terms of government’s Strategic Integrated Infrastructure Project 7 (SIP7), the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) plans to provide commuter train services between Port Elizabeth and the vast Motherwell residential complex north of Swartkops. According to CEO Lucky Montana, this would be extended to the Coega Industrial Development Zone in the second phase of the project.

The annual Witbank to Richards Bay coal line planned shutdown for concentrated maintenance procedures took place between 17 and 25 May 2012. Emergency personnel remained on standby and maximum safety precautions were in place throughout the operation. Activities undertaken included ballast tamping and screening, rail and sleeper replacement, overhead electriﬁcation refurbishment and many others. Transnet Freight Rail’s Sandile Simelane told the press: “This shutdown was planned way in advance with our customer base. We run a heavy-haul service on this line and huge tonnages are transported on an hourly basis. Therefore maintenance on the line is paramount.”

[Commuter trains to Motherwell have been promised now for almost 30 years. The project involves building a branch off the main-line to the north, which is currently only single track across the Swartkops River and beyond. – Editor.]

HEADACHES FOR RAILTOUR OPERATORS

Main-line to Johannesburg

In their April 2012 Newsletter, JB Tours referred to many service improvements promised by Shosholoza Meyl, to take effect from 1 April 2012 - but none eventuated. Also, JB Tours were only informed in the ﬁrst week of May that certain trains were to be cancelled from 1 June. The running times and days of the Johannesburg to Cape Town “tourist class” train were affected as well. This service now runs only twice a week. JB Tours had to re-schedule many of their 2012 tours and all booked passengers had to be informed accordingly.

Uitenhage Coega

Swartkops River

Despatch

Ngqura Motherwell

Redhouse

Swartkops

N 0

2Km 1 : 200 000

Port Elizabeth

5Km

Undaunted, the operator assures customers: “JB Train Tours are still committed to rail tourism.” The success of the enterprise is clearly demonstrated in the bookings. For instance, train-based tours to the rugby tests between the Springboks and England in Durban and Port Elizabeth respectively during June 2012 were fully booked. The annual train tour with runners and supporters from Gauteng to Durban to attend the Comrades Marathon on 3 June 2012 was also fully booked.

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

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SA RAIL NEWS “REVIVING” THE QUEENSTOWN-MTHATHA LINE

TRANSNET’S “OWN COAL TERMINAL” CONCEPT

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has announced plans to “revitalise” rail passenger connections between Mthatha and Queenstown. CEO Lucky Montana is quoted by The New Age saying: “There used to be a line that travelled from Mthatha to Queenstown, so we want to revitalise that line and build a number of stations so that people from the villages will be able to connect at these various stations. The second part is to ﬁnd a better connection for people to travel from Mthatha to Queenstown and East London. We think the route will be quicker than Kei Rail.” Umtata

Speaking at the Coaltrans conference in Johannesburg, Transnet’s Diveysh Kalan said the group is pursuing the idea of creating its own coal terminal. The concept is being explored parallel to negotiations with Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT), Grindrod - which manages the Navitrade Richards Bay terminal - and the Matola terminal in Mozambique, regarding export allocations for black economic empowerment (BEE) companies. Among possible sites identiﬁed, Kalan said, was the old venue for the South Dunes Coal Terminal. Known in the coal industry as the “ANC Terminal”, the envisaged new facility might be located adjacent to Navitrade at Richards Bay.

Viedgesville

BONNIEVALE DEMOLISHED

Springfontein & Johannesburg

Die Burger on 14 May reported that the Bonnievale station building was being demolished. The article stated that 300 more South African stations are to be broken down. A commentator reminded those responsible that buildings more than 60 years old may not be demolished legally without a government permit, but another pointed out that if the building were left vacant, it would be a ruin anyway within a matter of months.

Bityi Queenstown

Munyu Idutywa

Mbashee River

Mpuluse Great Kei River

Cookhoue & Port Elizabeth

Ndabakazi Butterworth

INDIAN OCEAN

Spiral Komga Amabele

TRE EYES AUSTRALIAN MARKET

Kei Mouth Bianey

King Williams Town

EAST LONDON 0

One or two inaccuracies in this story. The only line north of East London into the Transkei is the one shown here. There never was a line from Queenstown to Mthatha.

A long succession of negative sentiments towards South Africa’s “narrow gauge” heritage (with Gautrain and DoT “experts” prominent among the doomsayers) is undergoing a dramatic wake-up. Queensland Rail National (QR), Australia’s largest freight rail company, happens to use the same 1,067mm gauge and hasn’t let this cramp its style. QR is in heavy-haul coal in a very big way, its “narrow” gauge notwithstanding. In 2011 it moved 10

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Issue 3 // 2012 Railways Africa

SA RAIL NEWS million tons, a figure it aims to quadruple by 2014. Officials from QR have been looking at Koedoespoort in South Africa (which is currently turning out diesel-electric locomotives that meet 80% of QR specifications), and the viability of Transnet Rail Engineering building locomotives for Australia.

CTC BETWEEN KROONSTAD AND BLOEMFONTEIN It is understood that centralised trafﬁc control (CTC) is to be installed between Kroonstad and Bloemfontein. Current work between Leeuhof (to the south of Vereeniging) and Kroonstad is scheduled for completion in October. It is understood that the new equipment is not compatible with that put in originally between Bloemfontein and Springfontein in 1963.

GLEN HARMONY BRANCH

The 9km branch line to Glen Harmony, opened in 1954 from Virginia, 133km north of Bloemfontein on the main-line to Kroonstad and Johannesburg, has been closed and much of the track lifted. Sheltam, which operates interchange trafﬁc from Glen Harmony, now has to use mine-owned lines by way of Welkom, a substantial detour. Photos: Jacque Wepener, May 2012.

VIERFONTEIN-ORKNEY

About seven years ago, part of the 18km section between Orkney and Vierfontein, on the cross-country link from Kroonstad to the Cape Town-Johannesburg main-line, was washed away during heavy rains. The line was closed and the remaining track lifted. In early 2012, work on reinstating the line commenced, with work expected to ﬁnish by September at an estimated cost believed to be about R32 million. The ﬁrst consignment of rails was despatched on 12 April. Photos: Jacque Wepener.

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

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SA RAIL NEWS

GAUTRAIN NEWS GAUTRAIN AIRPORT SERVICE The Bombela concession company, which operates the Gautrain system, recently improved service on Sunday afternoons. Trains now run every 20 minutes until 20:30. Commenting on criticism about weekday starting and ﬁnishing service times, which do not provide for early and late ﬂights at the airport, the management says extended schedules would be costly to implement.

GAUTRAIN MAY BE EXTENDED IN PRETORIA The provincial government might announce plans to extend Gautrain lines in Pretoria “as early as April 2013”, Gautrain Management Agency CEO Jack van der Merwe told reporters on 30 May. A “loop” through suburbs around the Pretoria central business district is envisaged. In this general area, two universities, 48 government departments, six hospitals and 30 schools are located. A route extension to the Menlyn area is also a possibility. [The existing Gautrain line to Hatﬁeld passes right by the University of South Africa, which is served by Mears Street halt on Metrorail’s parallel line. However, no Gautrain station was provided. Similarly, both Gautrain and Metrorail lines run right past four prominent high schools yet again – curiously - there is no Gautrain station. The schools, as well as the campus of Pretoria University, are served

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by Metrorail at a halt called Loftusversfeld Park (formerly known as Colleges), which adjoins the stadium – Editor Railways Africa.]

GAUTRAIN FARES RISE Gautrain single-journey fares rose by R2 to R49 during June 2012. Seven-day passes now cost R438 and 35-day tickets R1,712. Parking charges at Gautrain stations went up from R10 to R12. Spokesperson Dr Barbara Jensen says the increases were made “in full consultation with the provincial government”.

TAXPAYERS MEET GAUTRAIN ANNUAL OPERATING LOSS During construction, there were strong hints that Gautrain revenue would cover operating costs. Some 110,000 daily passengers were conﬁdently expected. Barely a third of these has eventuated so far unfortunately, so taxpayers have to meet the deﬁcit, currently running at around R280 million annually. This represents a “patronage guarantee” in terms of the Bombela concession contract. The customer shortfall is blamed partly on the highway e-tolls that didn’t happen and the line to Park station that couldn’t open because of tunnel leaks. Well, the line to Park station opened on 7 June and road tolls it seems will come sooner or later. Hopefully pessimism about

train ridership reaching 100,000 daily users will be proved wrong eventually. Anyway, the Gautrain Management Agency says the 110,000 was never expected immediately – not maybe for ﬁve years.

WATER IN THE GAUTRAIN TUNNEL The dispute over water leaking into the Gautrain tunnel has been set down for arbitration in September. Gautrain Management Agency CEO Jack van der Merwe says the rate of water running in still exceeds specification and he wants that corrected. Apparently the extent of leakage beneath the track has been dealt with but he says the walls remain a problem. While the work done has been sufficient to allow train operation to start, he points out that the tunnel has to last 100 years and he doesn’t see this happening unless leakage is brought within the specified limits. In one place, ingress is said to exceed this four times. Van der Merwe is also concerned about the demands placed on the pumps that have to deal with the water, which could shorten their lifeexpectancy. Apart from that, permanently damp conditions cannot be good for sophisticated electronic equipment. There are other potential concerns - the water table could drop, prejudicing the environment and vegetation above the tunnel. Clay conditions might cause instability. If, for instance, golf courses

Issue 3 // 2012 Railways Africa

SA RAIL NEWS were detrimentally affected, the provincial government could be exposed to claims.

GAUTRAIN BUSES STILL CURTAILED Bombela spokeswoman Kelebogile Machaka is quoted saying about 11,000 passengers are carried on Gautrain feeder busses daily, but the service is only running between 06:00 and 18:00. [This curtailment follows a long-running dispute with bus drivers, who complained they were not provided with transport for early starting and late ﬁnishing. The situation is difﬁcult to understand. For decades, it has been the practice for major bus operators to provide out-of-hours transport for their drivers. Lawyer Kevin van Huyssteen, who represents their interests, is quoted saying that the Basic Conditions of Employment Act forbid the employment of people before 06:30 and after 18:00 if no transport is provided. - Editor: Railways Africa.] Footnote: Gautrain bus drivers are employed by Megabus, a subcontractor to the Bombela consortium.

ADVERTISERS MAKING BOODLE According to The New Age newspaper, there are concerns that while taxpayers have to subsidise Gautrain operations, a private company is “raking in advertising revenue” from billboards and posters at Gautrain stations. Kelebogile Machaka, spokesperson for Bombela, was quoted explaining that Strategic Partners Group (SPG), a 25% shareholder in the Bombela Concession Company, holds the advertising rights to the Gautrain system. [Not to be confused with Super Group (also SPG) which posted a 63% increase in headline earnings for the six months ended December 2011. Bombela’s SPG is its black empowerment component - Editor: Railways Africa]

S A deputy minister of transport, he had to be more circumspect with his words, though Gautrain was still far from being his favourite endeavour. Meanwhile (1), the Mail and Guardian, which has been digging again, finds that the Sacp’s investment vehicle, Masincazelane, has shares in the J & J Group and that J & J bought 8% of Bombela in 2008. So the Sacp doesn’t have a direct financial interest in Gautrain. However, assuming that it doesn’t bracket itself with the wealthy, Gautrain seems to be benefiting at least some of the poor – albeit indirectly. Meanwhile (2), Cronin has been sidelined from the transport ministry. His perceptive words will be missed at conferences.

GAUTRAIN PATRONAGE SACP HATES (& LOVES) GAUTRAIN The South African Communist Party (Sacp) repeatedly reminds us that Gautrain is an “elitist” project which beneﬁts the wealthy but does absolutely nothing for the poor. Sacp deputy general secretary Jeremy Cronin was anything but enthusiastic about the project when he chaired parliament’s select committee on transport. Later, as

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Gautrain Management Agency CEO Jack van der Merwe was quoted in early June saying that between 32,000 and 35,000 people were use thing system daily, including 8,000 travelling to and from the airport, which “exceeds forecasts”. This was prior to the opening of the line from Rosebank to Park station.

RAILWAY HERITAGE

Preservation is A Vital Part of The Picture

By John Batwell

Reefsteamers, Germiston As mentioned in the previous Railways Africa, a donations’ drive for the repair of class 15F no 2914 is in place. By early July over R65,600 of a projected target of R70,000 had been pledged. To pledge please contact Lee Gates on: leeg@institutex.co.za . The work necessary on this 15F – • Firebox needs plating repairs (work has been under way since April). On completion the boiler must undergo mandatory recertification; • Smoke-box requires seating repair, also bad leaks at the front door to be fixed; • Repainting. As the boiler and firebox comprise a fire-encasing pressure vessel that runs up to 1,450kPa, the repairs can only be done using the finest quality boilerplate. The work demands a high standard of workmanship, with the repair patches installed by a certified welder. The tender needs some plate work as well, to stop leaks.

Pass has been ﬁnished, no 15001 has been completely repainted and a start made on repainting kitchen car no 282. The eventual relocation of salvageable motive power to other preservation sites is being planned. Progress with fund-raising comprised running revenue trains to Magaliesburg in April and May, in conjunction with the Reefsteamers’ club. These trips were described as “reasonably successful” and feedback from passengers was generally good.

Friends of The Rail, Pretoria During the week-end of 9/10 June, North British class 24 no 3664 was used out of Cullinan for a photographic shoot organised by local photographer David Benn. The cold conditions made for some very pleasing photography. The Fathers’ Day run the following week-end saw the use of the class 19D no 2650. An Open Day took place on 24 June. Two further private drivers have completed their practical time on the footplate – they are Tony Attwell and Gabor Kovacs.

The class 12AR 4-8-2 no 1535 has been out of service again – eight tubes need to be replaced – so class 15F no 3046 has been the club’s only operational locomotive. The group has initiated an “Around Johannesburg” pie-and-chips ramble similar to the Pretoria club Friends of the Rail’s long-standing Sunday afternoon “Xplorer” operations. A winter Open Day was held on 28 July.

Friends of The Rail’s class 19D domeless 4-8-2 no 2650 has returned to service out of Pretoria. Photo: D Knott.

Ingwe Council, KwaZulu Natal

Class 15F 4-8-2 no 2914 is being restored to working order by the Reefsteamers’ club in Germiston depot. Photo: P Braithwaite.

Sanrasm, Krugersdorp Clearance of the North Site is virtually complete. It was proposed that the track on site would be moved to Friends of the Rail and the machinery to Reefsteamers during June. After that, Sanrasm only had to have the site detoxed and restored. There is an upside in terms of costs-saving, since security on the site is no longer necessary. On the South Site, good progress has been made with repairing and repainting rolling stock. Type A-18 dining car no 161 Phantom

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

Winter passenger workings have been operated out of CreightonRiverside. In early May, Ingwe Council’s class 19D 4-8-2 no 2669 - from Creighton - undertook a special trip for the Pietermaritzburg Council when it hosted the visiting Indian prime minister on a “Gandhi Experience” working. (Gandhi, a London-trained barrister, made news when he was thrown off a “whites-only” ﬁrst-class coach at Pietermaritzburg, in 1893). After the event, on 10 June, the 19D was relocated to Creighton from Mason’s Mill, hauling two coaches to provide braking assistance (the loco has steam brakes only). Tickets were sold for the one-way trip to Creighton. It is reported that the Sisonke-Stimele luxury train used out of Creighton has been taken over by a third company with German connections and experience in rail operations. Hopefully this will bring stability to the project. It seems that the previous operator tried to run things more on the lines of a hotel than as a train.

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Umgeni Steam Railway, KwaZulu Natal This group has adopted a “sponsor-a-sleeper” fund-raising campaign to help ﬁnance current projects. At R100 a sleeper, purchasers get a “sleeper number” which goes into a draw. The grand prize is a cruise next April on the MSC Sinfonia from Durban to Cape Town and a trip from there on Rovos Rail to Pretoria. Any applicable air fares in order to take advantage of the prize are included. Work needed on the group’s class 19D no 2685 has proved more extensive than anticipated. In June, the boiler stays had all been removed and were being replaced, new super-heater elements installed and the wheel and motion bushes serviced and replaced. It is hoped to return the loco to service during September or October.

Ingwe Council’s class 19D 4-8-2 no 2669 - from Creighton - undertook a special trip for the Pietermaritzburg Council in early May when it hosted the visiting Indian prime minister on a “Gandhi Experience”. Photo: C Baker.

Atlantic Rail, Cape Town In May, a boiler breakdown at Nampak in Epping left the plant facing potential “millions” in working losses. An approach was made to the Atlantic Rail operation, requesting the loan of class 24 no 3655 for use as a temporary stationary boiler. This was not practicable as the engine was needed for scheduled passenger trips out of Cape Town. Ian Pretorius was able to negotiate a mutually satisfactory arrangement in terms of which the group’s class 16DA no 879 stood in as the stationary boiler, and Nampak’s agreed to sponsor the loco’s subsequent return to service. The engine was relocated to Nampak on 9 May and quickly acquired a three-year boiler certiﬁcate.

Class 16DA Paciﬁc no 879, used as a temporary stationary boiler since 9 May at Nampak in the Western Cape. Photo: Atlantic Rail.

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OBITUARY

TED HAMER Ted Hamer, who died at 69 on 16 May 2012, was well known for documenting and publishing definitive works – as well as much uch other writing - on the motive power of the Rhodesia Railways, ays, later the National Railways of Zimbabwe. Born in Lichfield, England, and educated in Croydon, Ted was an enthusiastic visitor to local engine sheds as a boy. Initially he thought of a career in the medical world but in 1964 went to work in the district engineer’s drawing office at Taunton, in British Rail’s Western Region. From 1972 he spent six years in the Rhodesia Railways chief civil engineer’s drawing office in Bulawayo. He then took up biblical studies in England. In 1981, his Steam Locomotives of Rhodesia Railways was published. Nearly twenty years later, Locomotives of Zimbabwe & Botswana appeared. In the years between, Hamer documented a variety of Rhodesia Railways anecdotal material in a small soft cover entitled Sidelines. More recently, he was the editor of the Permanent Way Institution Journal in Britain. As well as a church minister, Ted Hamer was a Science and English schoolmaster. It was during his ministering and teaching period back in the new Zimbabwe in the small rural Midlands town of Kadoma that he became a serious collector of railway memorabilia and turned his hand to preservation. Two Rhodesia Railways’ Garratts – a class 14 and the initial class 15 (significant for its haulage of the Royal Tour of Southern Africa in 1947) – were rescued from Bulawayo and plinthed in the town. A narrow gauge 0-4-2T Peckett from the Selukwe Peak Light Railway, east of Gweru, was added to the static exhibition as well as a wooden, balcony 3rd class saloon from the Rhodesia Railways.

The he late Ted Hamer – rail author who documented in great detail the former Rhodesia Railways’ operational days days.

Former Selukwe Peak Light Railway 1914-built Orenstein & Koppel 0-6-0T named Elsa (at one time or another in industrial use in both Zimbabwe and South Africa), was a feature in Ted Hamer’s school-house garden at Jameson High School in Kadoma during the early eighties. The loco accompanied the Hamer family when they went back to the United Kingdom and is to be returned to steam according to Ted’s hands-on son David. Ted Hamer is survived by his wife Diane and four children – and there is another manuscript, still to be published. - Based on notes by John Batwell

Saved for long-term preservation in England – a 1914-built Orenstein & Koppel narrow gauge 0-6-0T which saw industrial service in both South Africa and the former Rhodesia.

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

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BOOK REVIEW

LOCOS OF NAMAQUALAND Quite a few people - including well-known authors like Jose Burman (To the end of the line, 1969) – have written about Namaqualand’s unique little railway - mainly in the form of magazine articles. Now, in attractive hard-cover format, Peter Bagshawe has produced a profusely illustrated and beautifully printed book. As spelled out in the title, it concentrates on the locomotives – like the unbelievable 1886 condensing engines - but this could only make sense in the context of the line itself, whose history is recounted in fascinating detail. In his foreword, Charlie Lewis writes: “Having closely observed Peter’s diligence with the books of Alfred County Railway for nearly thirteen years, I can say with confidence that he is not only the ideal railway accountant, but also a really reliable railway historian; for he would never let a single fact, no matter how trivial, go astray. Neither would he let it be published without being cross-checked and verified from several sources. “This is an extraordinary book about the locomotives of a littleknown but quite romantic railway that last saw activity throughout its length about seventy years ago (although a tiny fragment of it remained in use at Port Nolloth until recently). The text is enriched by detailed accounts of incidents that happened throughout the working life of the railway, such as the attempted blowing up of O’okiep by Boer Commandos in May 1902 (with the aid of a stolen Namaqua Copper Company locomotive and a wagonload of dynamite!). The unearthing of particulars of some of the rarest of locomotive builders, such as Lilleshall of Shropshire and Dick, Kerr of Kilmarnock, has lent fascinating body to what could have been bland locomotive lists. It is thanks to Peter’s tenacious research that we not only know the critical dimensions of most of these engines, but what loads they handled and the operating problems encountered as a result of brackish water, desert sand and extreme heat that prevented the condensing apparatus of the early Kitsons from functioning effectively, as well as how all of these problems were overcome. “Without doubt, Locomotives of the Namaqualand Railway and Copper Mines is destined to be the definitive work on the subject and an essential component of our railway literature.”

Locomotives of the Namaqualand Railway & Copper Mines ISBN 978-91-7266-179-0 Obtainable from the author at: P O Box 12128, Sunwich Port, 4230, banexacct@futurenet.co.za R165 plus R29-50 Postage & Packing (RSA)

In 2000, the late D R Bell photographed Kitson 0-6-2 loco no 4 Clara (dating from 1890) preserved at Nababeep.

The incredible Kitson condensing loco of 1886, with side shields to keep sand out of the motion. The copper condensing coils look like an overall roof.

Railways Africa Issue 3 // 2012

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