ROLLING STOCK | PERWAY | INFRASTRUCTURE | SIGNALLING | OPERATORS | COMMENT ISSU E 1 // 2013 WWW.RAILWAYSAFRICA.COM Transformation in the Rail Environment has shifted attention from Quality to Quantity. Sheltam remains focused on Quality and Service Excellence. Tel: +27 (041) 581 4400 Fax: +27 (041) 581 4474 E-mail:
[email protected] Website: www.sheltam.com 127 Villiers Rd Walmer 6070 PO Box 15148 Emerald Hill 6011 Port Elizabeth South Africa G M 88 2 S H E LT A M _P R E S S LI N K RAILWAYS AFRICA / FOREWORD Foreword The copyright on all material in this magazine is expressly reserved and vested in Rail Link Communications cc, unless otherwise stated. No material may be reproduced in any form, in part or in whole, without the permission of the publishers. Please note that the opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers of Rail Link Communications cc unless otherwise stated. While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information, neither the Editor, Publisher or Contributor can be held liable for any inaccuracies or damages that may arise. 3Issue 1 // 2013 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com BARBARA SHEAT Publisher / Railways Africa PUBLISHER Barbara Sheat EDITOR Rollo Dickson DESIGN & LAYOUT Grazia Muto WEBSITE Shaun Loureiro ADVERTISING Kim Bevan SUBSCRIPTIONS Kim Bevan CONTRIBUTORS Anton van Schalkwyk Bruno Martin Col André Kritzinger Dawie Kuyler Eugene Armer Geoff Cooke Jacque Wepener John Batwell Trevor Staats ISSN 1029 - 2756 Rail Link Communications cc PO Box 4794 Randburg 2125 Tel: +27 72 340 5621 E-mail:
[email protected] Twitter: railwaysafrica Website: www.railwaysafrica.com ROLLING STOCK | PERWAY | INFRASTRUCTURE | SIGNALLING | OPERATORS | COMMENT ISSU E 1 // 2013 WWW.RAILWAYSAFRICA.COM THE NEVER-ENDING STORY The idea of a Mchinji-Chipata railway was conceived in 1982 - 30 years ago last year - as part of a bilateral project between Zambia and Malawi. With assistance from Canada, the Malawian government completed the line on their side of the border in 1984, within the stipulated time. The Zambian part of the scheme (24km) stalled however for lack of funds. The project marked time - for some 24 years - and was not revived until 2006 when then president Levy Mwanawasa rekindled interest at an estimated cost of $US10 million. The railway was completed and offi cially opened in August 2010 but has not functioned due to the lack of facilities at Chipata (formerly Fort Jameson, in the east of Zambia). Kabwata Member of Parliament Given Lubinda was quoted three years ago pointing out that If the line remains dormant, it risks being vandalised by “unscrupulous people”. In January 2011, according to Communication and Transport Minister Geoffrey Lungwangwa, the government signed a $US1.5 million memorandum of understanding with the China Civil Engineering Construction Company for feasibility studies on extending the line about 250km from Chipata via Petauke to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) at Mpika. In February 2011, the government fl oated a tender for the construction of a dry port and goods shed at Chipata station. According to Zambia Railways Limited acting Managing Director Regina Mwale, lack of funds has delayed the erecting of a dry port. Chipata-Mchinji railway line project engineer Ernest Silwamba says the Zambian Government engaged a Chinese fi rm to do a feasibility study on construction of a dry port. The feasibility study was completed but design work has still to be undertaken. Until the proposed facility is built, says Central East African Railways (Cear), which is to work the line, there is no point in running trains. Cear made it clear at the same time that it will not be running passenger services unless the operating cost of these is subsidised. Agriculture, which employs about 80% of the country’s workforce, is the main activity in Zambia’s eastern province. According to Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) export promotion offi cer Charles Mulombwa, the province contributed 531,810 tonnes of maize - about 21% of the national output during the 2008/9 agricultural season - and 73% of sunfl ower cultivation in the country. The main railway through Zambia, some 500km to the west, runs north-south and provides routes to the ports of Beira, Dar es Salaam and Durban. It is more than 1,000km from the capital Lusaka to Beira, nearly 2,000km to Dar and even more than that to Durban. The unused line from Chipata would - if it were running - provide access to northern Mozambique’s port of Nacala, about 1,150km by rail through Malawi. The economic survival of Zambia, being landlocked, is highly dependent on good transport for the movement of exports and imports. Recently, citing “non-performance”, the government threw out the company concessioned to work the main-line. But what about Chipata? 1 – 3 OCTOBER 2013 | TSHWANE EVENTS CENTRE | HALL J W W W. R A I LWAYS A N D H A R B O U R S . CO M RAILWAYS | HARBOURS | MINING | INTERMODAL | COMMUTER Don’t miss the biggest Rail and Harbours Event on the African Continent from 1 to 3 October 2013 at the Tshwane Events Centre in Pretoria, South Africa – the ideal opportunity to network and connect with industry peers, see the latest technology first-hand, engage with suppliers and glean the latest trends from financing to infrastructure development. Floorplan NOW OPEN! Call for Speakers To book your space or for more information contact Barbara Sheat Tel: +27 72 340 5621 Email:
[email protected] GM 87 7_ Pr es sli nk Regular Menongue Trains Begin 12 Lagos-Kano Open 15 Africa Update RAILWAYS AFRICA / CONTENTS ContentsContents UK TRAVEL EXPERIENCE Letter From Britain 6 Features 6 19 33 www.railwaysafrica.com Always Something New For Africa From TE 18 Barloworld / EMD Joint Venture 19 SA Rail News London Underground Celebrates 150 Years 28 Railway Heritage Jacob Daniël du Toit 30 End of The Line Soweto Derailment 24 Train Kills Five Elephants 26 Mishaps & Blunders Issue 1 // 2013 Railways Africa 5 Photo: Shaun Loureiro,Railways Africa. Our journey started on Easter Sunday aboard Singapore Airlines fl ight 236 from Brisbane. After a three-hour stopover 8½ hours later at Changi International Airport, we continued on a Singapore Airlines’ A380 Airbus long-haul to London-Heathrow. Arrival was on-time at 06:00, and by 07:00 – thanks to no delay with immigration or baggage collection - we had validated our BritRail passes and boarded a waiting Heathrow Express for the 15-minute, non- stop, trip to Paddington. Being Easter Monday, London’s streets were almost deserted and the taxi to Waterloo took no time at all. A South West Trains’ eight-car diesel- multiple-unit (dmu) took an hour and 20 minutes - with eight intermediate stops - for the 127km to Salisbury. There we hired a car, clocking up 2,400km in 22 days, mostly using minor roads and lanes, to Land’s End. There we turned north along the coast of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset back to Salisbury, overnighting in B&Bs, guesthouses or hotels. At the beginning of April, about 50% of England reported drought conditions, but by the third week many places were having fl oods! Still, we had sunny spells in between the squally showers, hail and biting cold wind - and only on one occasion were we confi ned to the hotel all day, because of hazardous roads. The closest we came to fl ooding was at Cheddar Gorge near Bristol. Here we suddenly confronted a raging torrent and beat a hasty retreat back down into Cheddar town. There is so much to see in the area: the picturesque villages with their quaint thatched-roof cottages in Dorset, numerous castles and castle ruins, sites such as Stonehenge, the bleak landscape of Dartmoor and Exmoor, the spectacular cliffs of the Jurassic Coast and the rugged coastline of Cornwall and Devon. Driving on the narrow country lanes certainly takes a bit of getting used to: at times only 2.28m wide with hedgerows nearly 2m high on either side makes for some interesting passing manoeuvres when meeting up with another car from the opposite direction! Lynmouth Cliff Railway On the North Devon coast facing the Bristol Channel, the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway - 262.7m in total length, with the top station 152.4m higher than the bottom - has been in operation since it opened on 7 April 1890. Powered only by the weight of water, the two cars are connected by four cables to counter-balance each other: two are for hauling and carrying the weight of both cars, while the other two are for tail-balance, counteracting the weight of the hauling cables. Each car has a tank fi lled with 3,182 litres of water mounted between the wheels, with a smaller tank containing 45.46 litres Heathrow Express Paddington Station. Stonehenge near Salisbury. 6 www.railwaysafrica.comRailways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 UK TRAVEL EXPERIENCE LETTER FROM BRITAIN By Bruno Martin “To see the wild fl owers in spring” was a good excuse for a two-month holiday in Britain. We timed our trip for April/ May, when the weather is supposedly settled and before the crowds arrived for the Olympic Games. instantaneously drop back in place, clamping the shoes fi rmly onto the rails. To London and The North After dropping off our hire car in Salisbury, we boarded a train to London and there - from Euston at 13:30 - one of Virgin Train’s Alstom class 390 Pendolino 11-car sets took us 648km along the West Coast main- line to Glasgow, arriving at 18:05. Brief stops were made at Warrington Bank Quay; Wigan North West; Preston; Oxenholme and Penrith. Although capable of 225km/h, the Pendolinos operate at a top speed of 200km/h – so fast that it’s near impossible to read station nameboards as they fl ash by. Catering in fi rst class offers free hot and cold beverages (including alcohol), snacks, sandwiches and hot meals on some services. WiFi is free of charge. In Scotland we experienced everything from gale force winds in Fort William to snow and ice on Cairngorm Mountain, daytime temperatures between 2-5° at times, and a week with a balmy 28°. Despite the weather, we got to see all the places we had planned to visit. The scenery was spectacular with the mountain peaks under a generous dusting of snow. as reservoir for the braking system. On a pre-arranged signal, the drivers release the safety locking device and the cars’ brakes. As water is discharged from the tank of the lower car, the now heavier top car descends, pulling the lower car up. The water discharged by the lower car is pumped back into the reservoir at the top station to fi ll the top car’s tank and the whole procedure is ready to start over again. A secondary braking system, patented in 1888, and the forerunner of the railway “deadman’s handle”, activates calliper- type brake shoes clamped to each side of the crown of the rail and held fast by 54.4kg lead weights. When the driver turns a hand-wheel operated by a large water accumulator, the brakes are released, but should the driver at any time release the wheel, the lead weights would Durdle Door and Chalk Cliffs, Jurassic Coast, Dorset. Lynmouth Cliff Railway. 7Issue 1 // 2013 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com Another exhibit of interest is Highland Railway locomotive no 103, designed by engineer David Jones with the assistance of DA Hendrie in 1894. It was the most powerful locomotive in Britain at the time, and the fi rst to use the 4-6-0 wheel arrangement. The South African connection is that David Anderson Hendrie took up the position of Locomotive Superintendent with the Natal Government Railways early in January 1903. At the museum’s shop I purchased a DVD entitled North British - Locomotives for the world’s railways. It features old newsreel footage depicting the manufacturing of steam locomotives from start to fi nish at the North British Locomotive Company Ltd, Queens Park Works in Glasgow. One of the locomotives, class 24 no 3675, the 2,000th to come off the assembly line ordered by South African Railways, receives a brief mention. The locomotive was named Bartholomew Diaz, and special nameplates were cast to mark the occasion. In January 1950, transport minister Paul Sauer unveiled the nameplates at a formal handing-over ceremony in Cape Town attended by Sir Andrew Duncan and Mr W D Lorrimer, director and managing director of NBL respectively; as well as the Portuguese ambassador to South Africa, members of parliament and senior railway offi cials. The newly named locomotive worked a special train over Sir Lowry’s Pass during which the guests were treated to lunch. The North of Scotland While in Fort William I saw The Jacobite on 14 May (loco 62005 with eight coaches in tow) on its inaugural run to Mallaig for the Museum of Transport: Glasgow In Glasgow I visited the Riverside Museum of Transport which spreads over two fl oors and houses over 3,000 exhibits grouped into 150 separate, themed displays. Entry is free, but cash donations are gladly accepted. There is a splendid collection of railway locomotives, trams, models of ships and cars – the centrepiece being SAR class 15F no 3007, which was rescued from the cutter’s torch in Bloemfontein and shipped to Glasgow in 2007. It represents one of 20,000 locomotives built in Scotland and shipped out overseas and one of a few that have been brought back “home” again. The 15F is by far the largest object on display, its great size best appreciated close up and seeing the colossus sitting on rails only 1,067mm apart. After its return to Glasgow, 3007 was exhibited in the city’s George Square, marking the launch of the museum’s fund-raising campaign. Thereafter it was moved to the museum’s resource centre. Though in overall good condition, there were missing components such as copper pipes to be replicated and it took two years’ painstaking restoration work to meet the requirements of the museum’s guidelines. Rather than applying shiny new paint, it was decided to retain a matt fi nish, refl ecting 40 years of heavy duty in South Africa. On the evening of 21 September 2010, the loco was transported by road to take her place as one of the star attractions when the museum opened on 21 June 2011. There is a fi lm clip on YouTube about the Train from Bloemfontein featuring 15F #3007 at: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=hlTISVynSbA The Jacobite crossing River Lochy bridge. Connel bridge over the Falls of Lora. Riverside Museum Glasgow: SAR 15F no 3007. Riverside Museum Highland Railway loco 103. Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com8 UK TRAVEL EXPERIENCE Cairngorm Mountain Railway A railway with a difference operates in the Cairngorm ski area, a short drive south of Aviemore. Ranking as the United Kingdom’s highest railway, the Cairngorm Railway is Scotland’s only truly mountain line. The Swiss-built funicular opened on 23 December 2001. The track length is 1,970m (gauge 2m) with a 130m passing loop midway. The cars start from the base station in the Coirre Cas area, 637m above sea level and terminate at Ptarmigan, altitude 1,097m. This lies some 150m below the summit of An Càrn Gorm (Cairngorm Mountain), 1,245m, Britain’s sixth highest mountain. The maximum gradient is 23.14º (1 in 2.34 or 42.8% inclination). Famous Bridges No tour of Scotland would be complete without visiting the two great structures spanning the wide estuaries of the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, the latter arguably the most famous of all British railway bridges. The original Tay bridge, designed by Thomas Bouch, was a 3,552m single line affair comprising 89 iron girders in spans ranging from 8.23 to 60.9m, perched on twin circular brick column piers ”tied together in the middle like stacks of brick opera glasses”. It climbed from the south bank to a section of high girders 26.8m above the shipping lanes, comprising thirteen 24.6m spans seated on ungainly cast-iron columns. From the high girders, the line dropped gradually to a lower level and fi nally curved east to the north bank at Dundee. summer season. The operators of The Jacobite provided the steam locomotive and carriages for Hogwart’s Express in the Harry Potter movies. Judging by the large crowd that morning, the train would have been fully booked, confi rming its immense popularity. Two days earlier, on our outing to Mallaig, we stopped at Glenfi nnan to see the impressive railway viaduct also made famous in the Harry Potter fi lms, comprising 21 arched spans of 15.5m, some 381m long and towering up to 30.5m above the valley fl oor. North of Oban the main road crosses the impressive structure at Connel Ferry - one of Britain’s few steel cantilever rail bridges. When opened in 1903, it carried the branch line to Ballachulish (Glen Coe) across the Falls of Lora where Loch Etive enters the Firth of Lorne. The 213.4m crossing comprises a centre span of 167.6m and two 32.3 m anchor arms extending from three-arched masonry approaches on either side. In 1914 the bridge was adapted for use by road vehicles and since closing of the line in 1966, it has carried road vehicles only. Our stay at Boat of Garten placed us beside the station of the Strathspey Steam Railway. From March to October, this operates three journeys daily between Aviemore and Broomhill. In winter, a twice-daily diesel railcar runs during December and February. Some 15.3km of the original Highland Railway of 1865 has been restored and the line is being restored a further 5.3km towards Grantown-on-Spey. On the day we travelled, Caledonian Railways 0-6-0 no 828 (built by McIntosh in 1899), resplendent in its original striking blue livery, was rostered. Cairngorm mountain railway passing loop. Glenfi nnan viaduct on Fort William-Mallaig line. Cairngorm mountain railway en route to the top station. Strathspey Railway arriving at Boat of Garten. Issue 1 // 2013 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com 9 UK TRAVEL EXPERIENCE The structure was neither symmetrical, balanced nor picturesque in appearance. When it opened to traffi c on 31 May 1878, it ranked as the longest railway bridge in the world. Disaster struck on 28 December 1879, when the high spans collapsed as a northbound mail train from Edinburgh was crossing at about 19:15 in the midst of a fi erce storm and the entire consist plunged into the icy water of the Tay, drowning all 75 passengers and crew on board. An enquiry into the cause of the accident concluded that poor design, inferior quality materials and slipshod work, amongst other inherent defects, and the gross underestimation of the force of the winds in the estuary, had doomed the bridge from the outset. No risks were taken by civil engineer William H Barlow and his son Crawford, when the new 3208.6m long, double-line Tay bridge was built 18.2m upstream of the old one. Work on this started in 1882 and trains began running on 20 June 1887. It crosses the estuary on 74 spans, eleven of them 74.6m long over the shipping lanes at the centre, 23.5m above high tide. The visually reassuring, monolithic structure is supported by twin cylindrical piers 9.75m apart, their foundations sunk 6 to 9m below the river bed and rising to just above the high tide mark. They are bound together by a 2.4m base-plate composed of iron, brick and concrete. Towering above each base plate is a hollow structure composed of three-quarter-inch-thick wrought-iron, plated octagonal “legs” curving inward at the top to form an arch supporting the bridge girders. Between the piers of the current bridge, the stumps of its predecessor are still visible. Our journey continued to Edinburgh – fi rst crossing the Firth of Tay on a 2,250m long road bridge and followed some while later on the other, equally impressive engineering feat, the 2,512m long suspension bridge over the Firth of Forth. Within sight of the suspension bridge is the crown jewel of 19th century engineering and arguably Scotland’s most distinctive landmark, the magnifi cent Forth railway bridge. This is a structure of gigantic proportions spanning the Firth at its narrowest point between North and South Queensferry. Three huge cantilever towers rise 104.5m into the air, spanning 521.2m across, with the middle tower anchored on the strategically located Island of Inchgarvie. From the middle tower, arms stretch out on each side to grasp the ends of two 106.7m long connecting ISLE OF MAN B R I T A I N G R E A T RIVERSIDE MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT FORT WILLIAM - MALLAIG Margate Northampton Wolverhampton Wymouth Norwich Ipswich FRANCE Dover Wick Aviemore Inverness Berwick Perth Carlisle EDINBURGH Dundee Fort William Kyle of Lochalsh Mallaig Oban BELFASTIRELAND NORTHERN 100 S C O T L A N D GLASGOW 0 miles Virgin Trains GREAT BRITAIN 2012 ROUTES TRAVELLED BY TRAIN South West Trains East Coast Main Line Co. Darlington Sheffield York Crewe Manchester Leeds Leicester Coventry Salisbury Bristol Oxford E N G L A N D Holyhead DUBLIN WALES Lynton Cardiff Swansea Aberystwyth Lancaster Liverpool Blackpool Birmingham Chester Brighton Southampton Plymouth Padstowe Exeter c BRUNO MARTIN 7/2012 REPUBLIC Penzance IRELAND OF Newcastle Peterborough Hull Aberdeen LONDON B R I T A I N G R E A T ISLE OF MAN Margate Northampton Wolverhampton Wymouth Main Line Co. GREAT BRITAIN 2012 BY TRAIN South West Trains East Coast ROUTES TRAVELLED Virgin Trains BELFAST DUBLIN Holyhead Chester Aberystwyth IRELAND NORTHERN OF IRELAND REPUBLIC Lynton Padstowe Wick Inverness Aberdeen Aviemore Perth Oxford Coventry Hull Ipswich Norwich Leicester Dover Brighton Southampton Penzance Plymouth Exeter Bristol Swansea Cardiff Birmingham Blackpool Sheffield Liverpool Manchester Leeds Crewe Lancaster E N G L A N D WALES Peterborough Salisbury LONDON York Darlington Carlisle Berwick Newcastle Dundee EDINBURGHGLASGOW Oban Mallaig Fort William Kyle of Lochalsh 1000 miles S C O T L A N D FRANCEc BRUNO MARTIN 7/2012 GLENFINNAN VIADUCT FORT WILLIAM - MALLAIG CONNEL FERRY BRIDGE RIVERSIDE MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT LYNTON & LYNMOUTH CLIFF RAILWAY SAR CLASS 15F #3007 "THE JACOBITE" FORTH BRIDGE STRATHSPEY STEAM RAILWAY TAY BRIDGE Railway bridge across the Firth of Forth. 10 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com UK TRAVEL EXPERIENCE London in Jubilee Year London was busier than usual with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in full swing, the streets decked out with fl ags and preparations under way for the long weekend events for 3 – 6 June. “The Tube” (the London Underground) is certainly a very effi cient way of getting around but the fare for a one-day travelcard had almost doubled since our previous visit in 2007: from £4.00 to £7.00. Our departure from Heathrow on the return journey was delayed due to a “technical problem” on the A380. Fortunately, this was quickly resolved and we made up most of the 1½ hours lost by arriving just 10 minutes late in Singapore. We had visions of a repeat of our previous journey fi ve years previously when British Airways left four hours late and we missed our connecting fl ight to Brisbane in Sydney. This time we made sure we were on a direct fl ight back to Brisbane. And yes, the spectacle of the Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) and the huge variety of wild fl owers blooming in the lush green meadows and in the woods all over Britain is truly a magnifi cent sight – well worth the trip just to see that! girders some 47.5m above high water. The superstructure of each tower comprises 3.65m diameter riveted tubes of 31.75mm steel. At the outer ends, the shoreward cantilever towers are balanced by 1,000 tonne counterweights. Including the north and south approach viaducts, carried on 39.8m granite columns, the Forth bridge measures 2,528.6m from end to end. Work on the bridge commenced in April 1883 and took seven years to complete. During construction, 63 lives were lost and 461 men injured in a workforce totalling 4,000 at times. The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) performed the opening ceremony on 4 March 1890. Trams for Edinburgh In Edinburgh, traffi c diversions due to construction work on the new tramway made driving to the city centre an absolute nightmare. The project - under construction since 2008 - has been nothing short of a fi nancial disaster. Bungled decisions and setbacks saw the offi cial cost jump from £520 million to £776 and it seems a fi nal fi gure exceeding £1 billion would not be surprising. The three lines originally planned have been scaled down to one of 13km running from the airport to the city centre, scheduled for opening by summer 2014. Apart from the fi nancial blow- out, the tramlines along Princes Street, completed some while back, have already needed repairs, due to damage caused by conventional motor traffi c. From Edinburgh we travelled on the East Coast main-line to Kings Cross (632.3km) but the ride was not as smooth as on Virgin Train’s Pendolino. The train departed on time from Waverley station at 10:30, but when we reached Newcastle an announcement over the PA system advised that the service would be delayed due to an “incident” at Darlington earlier in the day which had resulted in a backlog of trains on the line. This incident got us to Kings Cross in London at 15:22 - about half an hour late. Tay Railway bridge Dundee. Edinburgh Waverley Station East Coast Train. Edinburgh tramrails in Princes Street. According to a tourist brochure, the clock at the Balmoral Hotel, situated above Edinburgh’s Waverley station, is set two minutes fast so that travellers running for a train have two minutes to spare. The only time the clock runs to the correct time is on Hogmanay when Princes Street is the scene of a huge party, and the clock counts down the minutes to midnight. Bruno Martin, who also took the photos, was born in Switzerland but lived for many years in South Africa. A noted cartographer, today he is based near Brisbane in Australia’s Queensland. 11Issue 1 // 2013 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com UK TRAVEL EXPERIENCE of Beira, Mozambique, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in the Indian Ocean. [It] Is also connected indirectly to the rail system in South Africa Thus, the CFB [is] part of a railway continental.” ANGOLA REGULAR MENONGUE TRAINS BEGIN Regular scheduled passenger trains began running between Menongue and the Atlantic coast at Namibe (756kn) on 7 January. Rehabilitation of the line (Caminhos de ferro de Moçamedes - CFM), closed for many years since the start of the civil war, was completed recently. Freight service has also commenced. At a launching ceremony at Humbia station, 162km east of Namibe, CFM Chief Executive Daniel Quipaxe explained that the introduction of regular trains followed a series of test runs that began in September 2012. The track and other infrastructure underwent thorough technical assessment. It is expected that more than a million passengers will travel on CFM during 2013. Quipaxe expressed concern at the extent of vandalism which is being experienced, mainly comprising track components. ANGOLA’S BENGUELA LINE According to Jornal de Angola (30 December 2012), “the completion of the rehabilitation, upgrading and construction of Caminhos de ferro de Benguela (CFB), scheduled for the fi rst quarter of 2013, when the train arrives at Luau (at the end of the line), will cost the state coffers about 180 billion Kwanza. It is estimated that the CFB operation will accelerate the process of regional integration, connecting Angola to the DRC and Zambia. The CFB has a total length of 1,344km and beyond Luau is connected to the railway systems of the two countries. After Zambia, you can reach the city A station at Chamutete, south of Dongo junction (500km from the Atlantic at Namibe), on the CFM branch which is to be extended to connect with TransNamib at Oshikango. Photo: Anton van Schalkwyk. New Chinese rolling stock in Angola. Photo: Anton van Schalkwyk. ZenzaLuanda Dondo Malanje Lobito Benguela Camacupa Caaia Kuito HuamboCubal Luena Namibe Lubango Dongo Menongue Chiange Oshikango Ondangwa Tsumeb Chamutete Luau Dilolo DRC ATLANTIC ZAMBIA BOTSWANA ANGOLA NAMIBIA Km 300 CFB’s Benguela station. Photo: Anton van Schalkwyk. Anton van Schalkwyk photographed this explicit-looking bilingual sign between Luena and Luau on the Benguela line, not far from the DRC border. Station at Caala, about 250km from Benguela on CFB. Photo: Anton van Schalkwyk. 12 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com AFRICA UPDATEAFRICA UPDATE AFRICA UPDATE freight operations nationally. It is hoped to increase the volume of freight conveyed annually to 400 million tonnes after 10 years. About E£27 billion is to be spent on rolling stock, some of which is to be air-conditioned. ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIAN LIGHT RAIL Construction of the 37km Addis Ababa light rail system has been resumed, following interruption due to the rainy season. The route extends from Meskel Square to Kaliti. The Chinese CREEC contractors have been assembling a cylindrical structure in front of St Josephs school, some 30 metres deep in the ground. This will support the south-north corridor overpass running from Ras Birru Street to Piazza. GHANA RAILWAY HISTORY LESSONS FROM GHANA In a recent working paper, Rémi Jedwab and Alexander Moradi explore the importance of transport infrastructure to a country’s development. The specifi c subject of their research was Ghana, where two railways were built in the early twentieth-century to extract minerals, as well as a means of moving soldiers in times of war. The railways brought with them reduced transport costs. This resulted in many subsistence farmers switching production to a more lucrative crop – cocoa. Detailed GIS census data used by Jedwab and Moradi confi rmed the obvious - farms closest to the railway benefi ted the most. Within a decade most farmers in Ghana had become successful cocoa producers, “making Ghana an example of the positive impact of colonial policies.” CFB SERVICE RESUMPTION: 2012 HIGHLIGHT The resumption of passenger and freight train services along the eastern portion of Angola’s Caminhos de ferro de Benguela (CFB) was a highlight of 2012, linking the cities of Kuito, Huambo, Lobito and Luena. The reopening of the railway, the Angolan press reports, has made a signifi cant contribution to the socioeconomic development of the regions, notably the central Bie Province, where thirteen stations have been rehabilitated - Chinguar, Cutato, Capeio, Cunhinga, Cunje, Chipeta, Catabola, Camacupa, Kwanza, Cueli, Cuiva, Cuemba and Munhango. BOTSWANA EGYPT EGYPT REORGANISES Egypt Railways (ER) has created three new companies aimed at improving both passenger and freight service. Vice-president of the Railway’s Bureau for Financial and Economic Affairs Yehia Ibrahim is quoted saying that a loan of E£320 million has been requested from the National Investment Bank to fund new developments. One of the new entities is to oversee long-distance passenger service, the second, commuter traffi c. The third will be responsible for rail TE DELIVERS HUNDREDTH SALT WAGON Botswana Rail ordered a total of 562 wagons from Transnet Engineering (TE). The vehicles are designed, engineered and manufactured at the Uitenhage plant in the Eastern Cape. Early in December, the hundredth wagon for the transport of salt was handed over. This forms part of an initial order for 240 specialised wagons to convey bulk chemical-grade salt from Sua Pan in Botswana to Sasol’s factories in South Africa. SAUDI ARABIA ASWAN DAM JORDAN IS R A E L EGYPT C AIRO Abu Tarlour El Kharga Nag’Hammadi El Korma Isna Aswan Luxor Oena Sadd el Ali Bu r S ata ga Asyut Beni Suef El Wasta Suez El Shatt Ismailia Ferdan RafahPor t Sa id EL’Alamein To Tobruk Me rsa Ma tru h Sim ila Sal um Alexandria El Faiyum Railway out of use Helw an Baharia Oasis A Y BI L N 0 250 km MEDITERRANEAN RED SEA BURKINA FASO CO TE D ’IV O IR E TO G O Volta Lake Techiman Mampong Nkoranza Bole Sawila Wa Bolgatanga Hamale Paga Sheini Yendi Tamale Kumasi Ejisu Anyinam Kade Shai Hills Accra Tema Humi Valley Awaso Dunkwa Prestea Tarkwa Takoradi Secondi Nsawam Akosombo GHANA N AFRICA UPDATE 13Issue 1 // 2013 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com Commenting on the research, Finweek points out that transport infrastructure is often the fi rst item slashed from a government’s budget in times of economic crisis: “There are few consumer, labour or other electoral groups that feel strong enough about an unbuilt railway, and we only notice the decline of the infrastructure over an extended period of time (and when it’s already too late): small potholes don’t attract the anguish of protesters, but wait a few years and those same potholes might double or triple the time and cost of travelling. Any politician trying to cut government expenditure on education or health would face the (election) gallows, but cut transport infrastructure investment and few will notice. One of the reasons economic historians investigate the past is because they believe that history has valuable lessons that can inform the tough decisions policy makers face.” MOROCCO CASABLANCA TRAMWAY OPENED On 12 December 2012, King Mohammed VI of Morocco inaugurated Casablanca’s new tramway. The 31km line links the east and south- west districts via the city centre, and calls at 48 stations. The Alstom Citadis trams are 65 metre double units accommodating up to 606 passengers. They are to carry up to 250,000 passengers daily. The service is to run at intervals of 4 minutes 45 seconds during peak hours and 8 minutes 30 seconds during the off-peak. The average speed attained is expected to be 18.8km/h. The signalling system supplied and installed by Alstom will ensure safety and is to give a 75% priority rate at street intersections. Accompanied by French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, the King travelled by tram between the United Nations and Mohammed V squares. He decorated executives from the Casa Transports company for their distinguished contribution to the project. NAMIBIA NORTHERN NAMIBIA RAIL HICCUP There are still no passenger trains on the 392km line to Tsumeb from Kranzberg junction, 210km west of Windhoek on the main-line to Walvis Bay. The condition of the track is said to be such that safety would be at risk. On the other hand, TransNamib is running trains northwards from Tsumeb over the new line to Oshikango. For the past two years buses were arranged between Tsumeb and Kranzberg. This facility was not provided over the 2012-2013 Christmas and New Year season, however, stranding “hundreds” of travellers according to press reports. TransNamib’s Elaine Claasen explained to the press that the company is “facing fi nancial challenges” and that hiring buses is very costly. TRANSNAMIB’S DEAD DUCKS In a “controversial deal worth more than N$44 million clinched nearly 10 years ago”, writes New Era (published in Windhoek), TransNamib acquired Chinese-built locomotives and a diesel-multiple-unit (DMU) passenger train, which was specifi cally intended for use on the new Northern Extension railway from Tsumeb. According to New Era, the DMU, named Omugulu Gwombashe Star, is currently confi ned to Windhoek, “after Chinese engineers repaired the damages caused by long-distance travelling about two years ago, at great cost.” The paper quotes TransNamib’s Christina Kharigus saying the train “has not been fi xed since it became unfi t for passenger transport.” New Era adds: “The other locomotives that TransNamib bought along with the DMU were also found unsuitable for local conditions, and TransNamib does not know what to do with them.” TRANSNAMIB FACT SHEET Prior to 1988, the railways and associated road motor services in Namibia were operated by the South African Railways administration. On 1 July 1988, the responsibility was handed over to the newly formed Namibian National Transport Corporation. Ten years later, TransNamib Holdings Limited was established. Today the country’s railways cover some 2,628km. The line to Luderitz has been out of use for a number of years but the 140km west of Aus is currently being reconstructed for return to service in 2014. The 389km section from Kranzberg (210km from Windhoek on the main-line to Walvis Bay) to Tsumeb requires substantial “ One of the reasons economic historians investigate the past is because they believe that history has valuable lessons that can inform the tough decisions policy makers face.” Back in 2009, Namibian works and Transport Minister Helmut Angula told parliament that four Chinese locomotives costing about N$36 million which arrived in Namibia in 2004 suffered 265 failures between October 2004 and June 2007, and were then withdrawn from service. “The decision to buy them,” the Minister said, “was economically justifi ed, but due to a lack of a proper technical analysis of the Chinese manufacturer’s design and a lack of quality control, these locomotives were not suitable for the Namibian environment.” TransNamib’s diesel-multiple-unit passenger train - the Omugulu GwoMbashe Star – cost $US2.3 million, works and transport minister Helmut Angula told parliament in 2009. ”From July 2006 it ran once a week between Windhoek and Ondangwa. In March 2007 it broke down with a broken gearbox casing. As this was a one-off unit manufactured for TransNamib, a replacement part had to be manufactured in China. This arrived in September 2007.” During the test run however: “the complete gearbox disintegrated”. More replacement parts arrived 15 months later, at the end of 2008, but the unit was deemed unsuited to lengthy journeys. 14 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com AFRICA UPDATE rehabilitation, as do the branches to Outjo (72km) and Grootfontein (91km). Passenger service on these lines - constructed when the narrow gauge was replaced in the early sixties - has been suspended temporarily for safety reasons. Conveyance of containers throughout the territory is served by terminal facilities at key points, Windhoek, Ondangwa, Oshikango, Keetmanshoop, Aus, Otjiwarongo, Tsumeb and Grootfontein, all of which have 45-ton reach-stackers and gantry cranes. NIGERIA LAGOS-KANO OPEN Following many years with no train service, Nigeria’s 1,106km Lagos-Kano main-line reopened in December 2012. One passenger train and one freight are currently running every week. Applauding this, an editorial in Leadership (published in Abuja) points out that one of the advantages is the haulage of petroleum products by rail, using newly acquired pressurised tank wagons. “The haulage of petroleum products and other heavy duty materials such as SOUTH AFRICA N A M I B I A A N G O L A WINDHOEK To Cassinga Oshakati Oshikango Ondangwa Tsumeb Oshivelo Otavi Outjo Grootfontein Otjiwarongo Okahandja Kranzberg Usakos Rehoboth Mariental Keetmanshoop SeeheimKolmanskop Bogenfels Karasburg Oranjemund N 0 250 km Nakop To Upington Gobabis A T L A N T I C O C E A N Luderitz Swakopmund Walvis Bay To Katima Mulilo B O T S W A N A www.railwaysafrica.com were caught red-handed when police in Ndola swooped on them as they vandalised the Ndola-Luanshya railway line.” ZIMBABWE NRZ TO MOVE 6M TONNES IN 2013 The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) aimed to move 6.4 million tonnes of freight in 2012 but – blaming economic circumstances- was unable to reach the target. Undaunted, the stated objective for 2013 is 6 million tons, despite a fl eet strength of only 65 locomotives against a requirement for 83. There are 3,271 operable wagons, a thousand short of what is needed. There is a six-month backlog in salary arrears for the railway’s 7,000 employees, Public Relations Manager Fanuel Masakati told Newsday. The posts of those retiring are not being fi lled. LOCOS FROM CHINA FOR NRZ According to a note from John Batwell based on a National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) release, “the government announced early in 2012 that it had secured funds to purchase 14 locomotives from China, hopefully for delivery during 2013. The NRZ deposited $US2.9 million some time ago, but the manufacturers insisted on full payment of $29 million. The locos are believed to be CSR type SDD6 (Co Co) as used in Angola and Namibia. Diesels most recently acquired by NRZ were of classes DE10A and 11A in 1982.“ A subsequent note from Peter Bagshawe advises: “A contact in Australia tells me that CSR is trying to sell six of these locos for under $US1.5 million each to commercial interests in Australia and Latin America, so far without results. Reading between the lines, it seems that NRZ has not come up with the rest of the money, and the Chinese stopped production after six had been built and are trying to recoup their costs by selling them off cheap.” cement, iron rods etc usually shorten the life span of these roads. Besides the wear and tear, the carnage these trucks cause on the highways is monumental. For the safety of the road users, we want to propose a total ban on the haulage of these products, especially petroleum products, by road, when rail lines become operational.” The article adds pertinently: “It now behoves the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to ensure that the rehabilitated rail tracks are not only maintained, but are secured.” NIGERIAN TRAIN PASSENGERS’ SAFETY EMPHASISED In an end-of-2012 editorial, Leadership (published in Abuja) comments on the recent reopening of the 1,128km Lagos-Kano main-line. “As a matter of urgency,” it suggests, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) “should work out a formula that would guarantee the safety of its passengers. Providing passengers with insurance cover while in transit is also a necessity.” The paper adds: “The Corporation should also redouble efforts at ensure that the engines and wagons are maintained in optimal condition to meet passengers’ expectations.” COLONIALIST MONO RAILS An editorial in Leadership (published in Abuja), writing about the recently reopened Lagos-Kano main-line, observes: “If our government is abreast with development in the rail system the world over, we should not be rehabilitating the mono rail system, which the colonial administration bequeathed us. The vogue now is the electric train or the dual rail system.” [Naughty colonialists, building monorails in Nigeria (of all places). Actually, we believe the writer has his terminology confused. His “mono rail” apparently means single track as opposed to double (which we think he intended when he spoke of “dual rail”). But we’re not at all sure double track is the world “vogue”. Vast lengths of single line cross Canada, the USA and elsewhere. Doubling takes place not to comply with fashion but only when traffi c volumes (hardly trains running once a week), justify the expense... – Editor: Railways Africa.] ZAMBIA RAILWAY VANDANLISED IN ZAMBIA According to the Times of Zambia, following a “spot-check”, the Luanshya-Ndola branch in the copperbelt has been badly vandalised with “the line uprooted in many portions and sold to scrap metal dealers who have over the years been targeting the lucrative export market.” The paper reported recently: “Most of the railway slippers [sleepers] have been shipped out of the country for sale to some furniture companies as confessed by suspects who ZAMBIA NDOLA LUBUMBASHI COPPER BELT Katanga Province Chingola Nkana/Kitwe Mufulira Mokambo Sakania Luanshya To Kabwe ZAMBIA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO N 0 km 80 km 160 km An NRZ DE10A at Victoria Falls in 2010. Photo: Geoff Cooke. 16 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com AFRICA UPDATE CORRIDOR CONTROL CENTRE FOR BULAWAYO A joint international railway operations control centre is to be established in Bulawayo, to direct traffi c on the South Africa- Zimbabwe-Zambia-DRC corridor. South African Transport Minister Ben Martins announced this in parliament, explaining that the fi ve affected administrations are in talks to streamline workings on the line. In addition to the state railways of the four countries, the privately-run Bulawayo-Beitbridge line in Zimbabwe is a key component. GOEFF’S TRAINS’ YEAR REVIEW & A LOOK AT 2013 Geoff Cooke sums up 2012: “I ran two successful Geoff’s Trains tours to Zimbabwe in 2012. The fi rst was our steam charter that ran from Bulawayo to Cement (14A Garratt), Bulawayo to Plumtree (16A Garratt) and then to Victoria Falls 15A Garratt). The 2011 tour had been affected with boiler foaming problems that concerned both NRZ and ourselves, and it was decided to operate this year with diesel assistance. This was a success, with NRZ willing to explore the operation of the tour in a way that benefi ted them with greater reliability and reduced fi re risk, and our clients with some of the best photography in years. “The second tour was a South Africa/Zimbabwe combined trip that explored the heritage left by Cecil John Rhodes. The only steam charter was a trip with class 14A 512 from Victoria Falls station to the bridge and back, but we also fi tted in a visit to the Hwange Colliery locomotives and the Bulawayo steam shed. And for 2013? We will return in May with a tour that focuses on photography around Thomson Junction and Victoria Falls. It is planned to base a class 15 and a class 16A Garratt at Thomson Junction and run a series of day trips from there. The Garratts, and Hwange and Victoria Falls, KEEPING AIR FLOWING EFFICIENTLY 105 Theuns Street, Hennopspark, Centurion, 0157 PO Box 51063, Wierda Park, 0149, South Africa www.vanrail.co.za Tel: +27 (0)12 653 4595 Fax: +27 (0)12 653 6841 Email:
[email protected] GM 84 8 P RE SS LIN K_ TR E will also feature. A pleasing development is that the Baobab Hotel has new owners. It is being refurbished and we will use it, something that has not been possible recently. There will be a post-tour option to travel to Bulawayo for a few days. So many enthusiasts booking these tours have travelled to Zimbabwe with us before that it is now better to offer this as an option (a second option is a few days in the Chobe National Park). Both of these groups come together again for a visit to Selebe Phikwe. For some years now these enthusiast tours have supported the KGVI Rehabilitation Centre in Bulawayo with both funds and book donations. This year we have supported two pupils through the centre and fi lled some library shelves, and hope to do the same next year. Hwange Colliery charges us for admission but they donate our money to their own charity that helps local people affected by HIV. The result - our Zimbabwe tours help two local charities each year. “Encouraging news is the start of the tram service between Vic Falls and the Bridge. An identical tram has started running in South Africa’s Cape Winelands. Both trams were built by Prof Engineering, based in Johannesburg but presumably the same company that manufactured railway locomotives in Harare for many years. There must be a story there worth reporting?” Class 14A Garratt no 512 in October 2012. Photo: Geoff Cooke. The new tram at Victoria Falls. Photo: Geoff Cooke. 17Issue 1 // 2013 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com AFRICA UPDATE Transnet Engineering’s (TE) recent completion of 100 salt carrier wagons for Botswana Rail – part of an order totalling 562 vehicles - followed the successful execution of an order for 200 wagons for mining giant Rio Tinto’s operations in Mozambique, both projects being carried out at the Uitenhage plant. A recent specialised project involved the development of two prototype car-transport wagons with adjustable hydraulic top decks in line with specifi c requirements from a customer. TE was awarded this contract In open tendering, confi rming that the Uitenhage plant has the capacity and ability to compete with the best rolling stock manufacturers internationally. In addition to Uitenhage, Transnet has manufacturing plants at Koedoespoort, Pretoria (for locomotives, in partnership with original-equipment manufacturers); at Salt River in the Western Cape (for coaches, wheels and other rolling stock components); and in Bloemfontein, among others. ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW FOR AFRICA FROM TE RAIL NEWS SOUTH AFRICAN 18 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com SA RAIL NEWS R100 MILLION FOR METRORAIL SECURITY Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) management met representatives of the Utatu-Sarhwu union on 3 January to discuss safety measures for Metrorail employees and commuters. This followed the Christmas Day murder of driver J P du Plessis in the control cabin of a commuter set at Hercules in Pretoria. Prasa has announced an allocation of R100 million to complement current security measures through the introducing of technology such as CCTV surveillance, Metrorail’s Lillian Mofokeng told the press. Mobile armed guards are to be deployed in “identifi ed hotspot areas”. Helicopter services would be contracted to enable rapid response to emergency situations. It was agreed at the meeting that the measures discussed will be reviewed after three months to assess the impact. RAIL “MORE SUSTAINABLE” Both international and local research has proved that rail is environmentally more sustainable than road transport, says David King of Stellenbosch University. In a project for Transnet Group Planning completed in September 2012, the university’s Growth and Intelligence Network (Gain) - part of its Centre for Supply Chain Management - measured congestion, accidents, policing and regulation as well as noise and land use. These factors, all inherent in transport, are classifi ed as “externalities”. PROPOSED GAUTENG-DURBAN TRUCK HIGHWAY Hard on the heels of research supporting government’s repeated commitment to getting freight off South African roads and back onto rail, comes news of a proposed six-lane Gauteng-Durban “dedicated truck highway”. Ironically, the proponents reportedly expect fi nancial support for the project from Transnet which, they say “will be the main benefi ciary” of such a road. Details of the scheme were released to FTW by eThekwini municipality transport economist Paul Sessions who is quoted saying: “we’ve got government funding for the environmental impact study early in 2013, and we are also going ahead with the planning – working out the route and actual costing of the fi rst phases of the dedicated truck highway and we are also talking to the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) and the government about their possible involvement.” BARLOWORLD / EMD JOINT VENTURE Speaking at the group’s annual fi nancial results presentation in December, Barloworld Chief Executive Clive Thomson said “big things” are foreseen from the rail joint venture recently established with Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), a subsidiary of Caterpillar group company Progress Rail Services Corporation. He has hopes of winning part of Transnet’s intended order for 1,064 locomotives, budgeted at R35 billion over seven years. EMD Africa, Thomson reported, had submitted a bid for the latest Transnet locomotive tender and expected to hear the outcome by February 2013. However, he acknowledged that there is competition for Transnet’s business; 15 entities paid for and collected tender documents. He said he was aware that China South Rail Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive (CSR) had been announced as the successful bidder for a recent Transnet Freight Rail contract for 95 electric locomotives worth about R2.6bn. The winning bid was awarded to joint venture company CSR E-loco Supply, in which CSR has a 70% stake and black economic empowerment partner Matsete Basadi holds the balance. The joint venture, Thomson explained, enables Barloworld to bid competitively through using long-established EMD locomotive technology. Although EMD locomotives have been operating in South Africa for many years, the manufacturer sees a better chance of success in current tendering by having a locally-based partner. Thomson also referred to opportunities for EMD Africa elsewhere on the continent, notably in respect of mining projects requiring railway equipment. Transnet Freight Rail 34 652, one of many EMD locos in service. Photo: Col André Kritzinger. The train consisted of empty fl atcars, as well as diesel 33.019 being hauled dead behind the electric locos. Photos: Jacque Wepener. Jacque Wepener photographed this Transnet Freight Rail train heading north at Holfontein in the Free State on 3 January. The class 33, sold recently at a TFR auction in East London, was on its way to the purchaser in Gauteng. Sister loco 33.120, sold at the same auction, was seen later going north in another train (TFR regulations prohibit the hauling of more than one dead unit in the same consist). Both these GE type U20C locos, partially stripped but including bogies, realised R220,000 each (R2,657 per ton). 19Issue 1 // 2013 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com SA RAIL NEWS BLOCK LOADS AT ERMELO Charlie Lewis, writing on sar-L at Christmas: “Peter Stow told me he had recently been to Durban on holiday and on the way home he called in at Ermelo. Every few minutes, huge block loads and corresponding mt workings were moving in and out of the yard – very impressive. Alistair Christisson has written that freight traffi c is on the increase and record tonnages are being handled. Eugene Armer and Peter Rogers have sent magnifi cent photos of modern traction in beautiful locations.” FILTHY METRORAIL TRAIN Charlie Lewis, writing on sar-L at Christmas: “A few days ago, I caught a train from Newlands to Kalk Bay. It ran to time, as did the return working, but the carriages were fi lthy, graffi ti despoiled almost every surface and the windows were opaque (what’s wrong with old-fashioned windows that open?).” [If we recall correctly, the offi cial explanation is that stones get thrown through open windows, injuring passengers and involving Metrorail in formidable damage claims. – Editor: Railways Africa.] POSSIBLE TFR SPLIT DELAYS RAIL GREEN PAPER The South African Rail Green paper on rail transport is apparently “on hold” and the “round-table meeting of stakeholders” planned for late October 2012 did not take place. It is understood that a proposal to split Transnet Freight Rail operations from infrastructure is favoured by the Department of Transport (DoT) but not by Transnet. DoT apparently bases its case on overseas precedent which allows private operators to run trains on state-owned lines. [The splitting of rail operations from infrastructure has indeed been implemented overseas – but by no means with universally reported success. Very careful assessment of the concept needs to done and all known examples meticulously evaluated. – Editor: Railways Africa.] CONTROVERSIAL PRASA CEO The recapitalisation of South Africa’s Passenger Rail Agency (Prasa) amounts to one of the biggest, if not the biggest, deals in the country’s history – and that includes the notorious “arms deal”. The Financial Mail (FM) speculates that it may put CEO Lucky Montana at the top of many party guest lists for some time to come. Certainly, says the magazine, he’s no stranger to controversy. Montana’s previous position was deputy director-general at the Department of Transport, from which he resigned following death threats from minibus-taxi interests opposed to the government’s “taxi recapitalisation” policy, which he was administering. Minister Jeff Radebe then appointed Montana to head the SA Rail Commuter Corporation, which was effectively renamed Prasa in 2009. Here he has weathered accusations of corruption by the SA Transport & Allied Workers Union (threatening an action for defamation that appears to have frightened them off). Subsequently he exchanged blows with the Black Business Council over his interpretation of broad-based black economic empowerment. Montana shrugs his seemingly broad shoulders. “When implementing something new and different,” he explained to the FM, “you are bound to face challenges”. Lucky Montana, Prasa CEO. Class 19E locos on block coal train at Ermelo. Photo: Eugene Armer. GAUTRAIN ALLOCATED R861 MILLION During presentation of the 2012/2013 adjustment budget and the medium term budget policy statement in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, Finance MEC Mandla Nkomfe announced that R861 million had been granted for the Gautrain Rapid Link. These funds were to be transferred to the Gautrain Management Agency “to continue with ensuring effi cient management and implementation of the Gautrain project.” Improving fi nancial management in the “tight fi scal environment” was vital and the MEC called on all employees of the province to exercise prudent fi nancial management, adding that this is “non-negotiable.” The Gauteng Provincial Treasury is working with all departments to improve fi nancial management: “Special attention is being given towards clearing all accruals in the province; I should however hasten to state that this is a process not an event,” he was quoted saying. GAUTRAIN’S SECRETS SHARED Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane is quoted saying that representatives from Tanzania, Ghana and Mozambique have requested that Gautrain Management Agency CEO Jack van der Merwe “share the Gautrain’s secrets”. According to Moneyweb, “she said central government, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal are [collaborating] on the construction of a freight train between eThekwini and Gauteng, with those who were involved in the Gautrain being able to share their expertise.” Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Ishmael Vadi was reported saying “the train is a benchmark of how public transport should be designed, constructed and managed.” Moneyweb added: “Van der Merwe said the project had been worthwhile and it would undertake it again, if Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan were to ‘spread some money to our side’”. 20 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com SA RAIL NEWS PRASA EMPOWERMENT MODEL In implementing its multi-million-Rand rolling stock renewal programme, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has set aside 33% for the benefi t of empowerment companies. Entities interested in participating were invited to a “compulsory” meeting on 1 November. Failure to attend disqualifi ed any further potential participants. National Empowerment Fund (NEF) General Counsel Mzi Dayimani told The Sowetan that the fund would most likely provide about 30% of each empowerment company’s equity contribution. Dayimani was quoted saying “We are willing to assist companies that prioritise the empowerment of women and black people, and the creation of capacity.” With a solid track record spanning over half a century, GIBB has established itself as a partner of choice. Backed by a Level 2 BBBEE rating, GIBB provides engineering solutions to a diverse range of markets across the African continent. The Intelligent Choice
[email protected] | www.gibb.co.za | +27 11 519 4600 1FPQMF�t�&YQFSUJTF�t�&YDFMMFODF 21Issue 1 // 2013 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com SA RAIL NEWS Transnet group employees are being offered an “unbelievable offer” at “prices from as low as R7,397 per person sharing” which includes: * Two days and one night’s accommodation on The Blue Train (in a De Luxe Suite) from Pretoria to Cape Town or vice-versa – including snacks, all meals, all drinks (alcoholic & non- alcoholic), high-tea, off-the-train excursion and personal butler service * Two days’ car hire with 200km free per day, limited waivers, airport surcharge & tourism levy * Two nights’ accommodation at the 5-star African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa Cape Town in a superior room with breakfast daily * One-way fl ight from Cape Town to Johannesburg or vice-versa (airport taxes included) or return fl ights from Durban to either Cape Town or Johannesburg * Value Add Cape Town Hotel: Complimentary use of the steam room and sauna as well as early check in and late check out (subject to availability) * Complimentary parking, WI-FI, drink voucher, 20% dinner discount voucher, one complimentary return transfer into town Employees based in Durban (who presumably use a Premier Classe train to reach Johannesburg), pay an add-on charge of: R8,223 per person sharing, i.e a fi gure exceeding that of the basic special Blue Train offer. [Recent press reports of Blue Train happenings lead one to believe that average loadings seldom exceed 20 or so passengers on the entire train. Bargain-price handouts to the staff therefore represent income that would otherwise not be realised. The extent of the sizable annual operating loss is not in the public domain – Editor: Railways Africa.] BLUE TRAIN BARGAIN (TRANSNET STAFF ONLY) The Blue Train negotiating the S-bend at Braamfontein in 1992. Today the express bypasses Johannesburg. Photo: Editor. W W W. R A I LWAYS A N D H A R B O U R S . CO M For more information contact Barbara Sheat Tel: +27 72 340 5621 Email:
[email protected] Floorplan NOW OPEN! Call for Speakers 22 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com SA RAIL NEWS Local Partner of Plasser & Theurer for: Consulting and new machine sales Technical support Training Spare parts Major component overhaul and machine refurbishment Operating and maintenance agreements Contracting Plasser South Africa (Pty) Ltd | PO Box103, Maraisburg, 1700 | Tel: 011-761-2400 |
[email protected] G M 90 4_ PL AS SE R SA _P re ss lin k METRORAIL DRIVER MURDERED AT CHRISTMAS Metrorail driver J P du Plessis, 58, was found dead in the cab of an empty commuter set near Hercules station, Pretoria, on Christmas Day. He had multiple stab wounds and is thought to have been killed for his cellphone. Appalled Metrorail management announced that no trains would operate in Gauteng on New Year’s Day as a mark of respect to an exemplary and dedicated employee. For safety reasons, it was decided to cancel all trains scheduled after 18:00 until 4 January. TFR DRIVER KILLED IN ATM ROBBERY Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) Locomotive Driver Bongiwe Nkosi (31) was in the wrong place at 02:30 on 5 December when gunmen opened fi re on a railway combi in Utrecht, mistaking it for a police vehicle. She died of her injuries. Service driver Sizwe Gule (29) was hospitalised in critical condition. The combi had stopped at a service station to offl oad shift workers while robbers were busy bombing the facility’s auto teller. FATAL CRASH IN EGYPT In the early hours of 15 January, a military train carrying young recruits to an army camp derailed in the Giza neighbourhood of Badrashinthe, a suburb of Cairo. At least 19 people were reported dead and 107 injured, according to the health ministry. The train was travelling from Upper Egypt to Cairo. SOWETO DERAILMENT A Metrorail commuter train derailed between the New Canada and Crown stations south of Johannesburg on 8 January. Details in press reports were sketchy and contradictory. Johannesburg emergency services were quoted saying eight people sustained injuries and were taken to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. It was suggested they jumped off the train when they saw smoke and thought it was on fi re. Sapa quoted Metrorail Provincial Manager Thembela Khulu saying no one jumped from the train and there had been no injuries. The only smoke was from a grass fi re next to the track. HEAT CANCELS OZ TRAIN On 13 January, a record 48.5C was measured in Thargomindah, Queensland. Passengers travelling west to Longreach on the Spirit of the Outback train were transferred to buses on 14 January, when Queensland Rail took the precautionary measure of stopping rail travel at Emerald, fearing the track might buckle. When the train started its return trip, passengers were taken by bus to Rockhampton to commence their journey south. MAN ON LINE A 27-year-old man who had been walking on the line near Marietta Square in Atlanta was hit from behind by a CSX train on 7 January. He was taken to hospital but died of his injuries. Police were unable to establish any reason for his actions, notably that he made no attempt to leave the track when the driver sounded the horn. CROSSING PRECAUTIONS DISPUTED The Union Pacifi c Railroad (UP) has disputed arguments suggesting that insuffi cient warning was provided at a crossing in Midland, Texas, where four war veterans and 16 others were killed in a bizarre accident on 15 November. All were in a parade on a fl oat which was hit by a UP freight train. UP says the 20-second warning provided by lights and bells at the crossing complies with federal requirements. The company questions the actions of the 50-year-old driver of the fl atbed trailer, which entered the crossing after warning lights started fl ashing and was hit by the descending barrier. A Federal Safety Board investigation, which included interviews with eyewitnesses - one of whom took video evidence - confi rmed this version of what happened. FATAL SHORTCUT FOR SCHOLAR A 16-year-old from Tongaat in KwaZulu-Natal who took a shortcut home across the railway on 6 December died after he was hit by a train. Landing under a train, he was taken to hospital by paramedics, but tragically died soon after admission. RAILWAY BLOCKADED IN ONTARIO An Aamijiwnaag First Nation blockade of a Canadian National (CN) St Clair spur line near Sarnia, Ontario, that lasted nearly two weeks over Christmas ended on 2 January. According to press reports, “ 30% is a matric pass; what is it for train drivers?” 24 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com Mishaps & BlundersMishaps & Blunders One objective of our regular feature reporting and commenting on rail mishaps is to provide information and object lessons from Africa and abroad, in the hope that – in some cases at least - this might help avoid recurrences. MISHAPS & BLUNDERS A third clip, according to the Telegraph, “shows the dangers of ‘pole dancing’ with revellers twirling around a pillar on a station concourse ending up on the fl oor.” The paper quotes offi cial fi gures revealing that more than 3,000 people were involved in “slips, trips or falls” in British railway stations in the last 12 months. DRAMA ABOARD TRAIN 2 Via Train 2, The Canadian, left Vancouver right time at 20:30 on 25 December, bound for Toronto with 200 passengers and a crew of 13. At about 05:00 on 29 December, the train was halted near Parry Sound, Ontario, with four passengers reportedly showing fl u- “provincial police gave the blockaders space to hold a victory feast and a closing ceremony for the Sacred Fire burning at the site. An elder smoked his pipe for a group of supporters in the early evening before people departed.” The blocked line carries chemicals such as propane to Eastern Canada. The propane industry and others succeeded eventually in obtaining a judge’s order that the blockade be “dismantled at the discretion of the police” by 2 January. An Aamijiwnaag First Nation spokesman claimed the blockade had been a success and “set the tone about the power and potential of action within the heart of First Nations communities across Canada.” TWO “ESCORTED” OFF AMTRAK TRAIN On 7 January, police escorted two men off an Amtrak passenger train at the station in Marks, Missouri. Apparently the conductor requested assistance after fi nding a female passenger “crying in a toilet” following something she alleged happened between her and the men. She declined to provide details, according to press reports, and refused to see a doctor. An Amtrak spokesman was quoted saying that some 300 trains operate daily and that it is not unusual for at least one person to be asked to leave. UK “EMBARRASSING MOMENTS” RAIL VIDEO To encourage travellers to take care during the festive season, the UK railway infrastructure administration Network Rail released an “embarrassing moments” video. In one scene, a woman’s stiletto heel catches in an escalator step at Euston in London and she is dragged up on her back. Another female passenger is shown falling in a last-minute dash for her train at Leeds in Yorkshire. The single use crucible Rail Welding Thermitrex (Pty) Ltd Tel: +27 (0)11 914 2540 Fax: +27 (0)11 914 2547 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.thermitrex.co.za PO Box 6070, Dunswart, Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa 1508 The single-use crucible reduces the risk of human error. It is made from a bonded refractory material inserted in an easy-to-handle five-litre container. Welds are more consistent. As there is no drying or pre-heating, weld times are much shorter. And the single use crucible is safer and minimises environmental impacts. Photo: Jamie Gabbay. MISHAPS & BLUNDERS like symptoms. Local emergency services confi rmed on reaching the train that an elderly woman had died. The other three sick passengers were transported to hospital. Train 2 was delayed some six hours and eventually arrived in Toronto at 15:53 on 29 December. According to Via Rail, about 100,000 passengers travel on The Canadian annually. “As Canada’s national passenger rail service, VIA Rail Canada (www.viarail.ca) has a mandate to provide Canadian travellers with safe, effi cient, and cost-effective passenger transportation services in the country’s two offi cial languages. VIA operates intercity, regional and transcontinental train services linking 450 communities through its 12,500km network, safely transporting more than four million passengers annually.” TRAIN KILLS FIVE ELEPHANTS On 30 December, a passenger train killed fi ve elephants when it ran into a herd in the Rambha forest area, about 180km south of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa state in eastern India. Conservation authorities said they had warned the railway of elephant movements and complained that trains run too fast through national parks and forests. They estimate India’s wild elephant population at about 26,000. SHOSHOZA MEYL WOES Hennie Heymans on sar-L, 31 December 2012: “My friend Oom Gert (87) recently went down to Cape Town in the Orange Express from Bloemfontein to Cape Town. On the way down to Cape Town the train broke down and they arrived in Cape Town at 23:00 by bus. On Christmas Day he went down from Bloemfontein to East London. You won’t believe it: The train did not complete this journey either. They again completed the journey by bus to East London! “He is an old man who prefers travelling by train and hates the bus. He likes the train because of the privacy and there is a toilet etc. Today he is a retired professor and the poor chap is ill because of the late-night transfer from the train to the bus. “During his student days he worked for pocket money on the SAR as a dining-car steward during holidays. “On the fi rst trip to Cape Town he lost his ID with wallet etc when they transferred from the train to the bus but fortunately somebody picked it up and he received it again whilst in Cape Town. “One does not know what to say. He could not book a place on the train from Bloemfontein as nobody answered the phone. Thanks to a friend on this list he made his bookings. “Usually an ‘old’ person likes travelling by train because its safe and one can eat ‘padkos’ and enjoy a drink or two in the compartment as the country rolls by! [Padkos (literally ‘road food’ is a South African word for food one takes along on a journey.) There is no English word for ‘padkos’ I know of. Padkos is usually in a square basket and usually consists of boiled eggs, frikkadelle (patties), cold sausage, sandwiches, cold chicken, tomatoes, fl ask coffee, hip fl ask with XXX for ‘snake bite’ and other ‘boerekos’ like biltong (jerky) with salt and pepper!)”. UP DERAILS 20 IN THE BUNDU On 5 January, 20 vehicles in a westbound, 105-wagon Union Pacifi c grain train came off the track in an isolated location about 75km west of Winnemucca, near Sulfur, Nevada. The consist was headed to Roseville, California. No injuries were reported. TRAINS RUN NON-STOP THROUGH PORT SAID Unprecedented violence on 26 January in Port Said, Egypt’s fi fth largest city, was so extreme that long-distance trains ran through without stopping, to avoid being caught in the trouble. More than 350 people were reported hurt, including 150 police. The demonstrations followed the imposing of 21 death sentences in the aftermath of 74 people dying in the course of chaos that erupted at a soccer stadium in the city during February 2012. In Cairo, police teargas penetrated into the underground railway, causing great discomfort to travellers. CANADIAN TRACKS BLOCKADED Via Rail passenger trains between Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal were disrupted on three occasions between 30 December and mid- January by demonstrators who blockaded the tracks, sometimes for as long as six hours. Participants in Canada’s “Idle No More” grassroots movement at one point staged almost daily protests against the government’s Bill C-45, which they say violates treaty rights and weakens environmental laws. FOLLOW US ON @RailwaysAfrica 26 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com MISHAPS & BLUNDERS Act safely at level crossings London Underground Celebrates 150 Years No doubt many Railways Africa readers have had fi rst-hand experience of London’s famous underground railway at some stage. The world’s fi rst, it launched a year-long celebration of its 150th anniversary in early January. The Metropolitan Railway ushered in a global revolution in urban transport when it started running public passenger trains on a 6km route between Paddington and Farringdon on 10 January 1863. Metropolitan locomotive no 1, a restored steam engine, is to operate special commemorative services, giving present-day passengers a taste of 19th century travel before electrifi cation. The network has expanded systematically over the years and currently serves 270 stations. A record 1.17 billion people used the “Tube” in 2012. According to London executive mayor Boris Johnson, “the engineering ingenuity of our Victorian forefathers” laid the groundwork for what remains a vital economic tool in the capital. “It annihilates distance, liquidates traffi c and is the throbbing cardiovascular system of the greatest city on Earth.” November 2012 – Umgeni Steam Railways’ restored class 19D no 2685 at Inchanga on a ballast train, in preparation for the busy holiday season. Photo: John Batwell collection. Preservation Groups Enjoy Good Holiday Loadings Friends of The Rail and Reefsteamers in Gauteng, also Atlantic Rail in Cape Town and Umgeni Steam Railway in KwaZulu Natal all enjoyed excellent public support for their steam-hauled services over the recent holiday period. In some cases, tickets were completely sold out. Engines out of action was a problem in most areas during 2012 and a general aim in 2013 will be to get additional motive power in service. The reliability of advertised excursions is at risk when only one loco is available and there is no backup in the event of unforeseen problems. Friends of The Rail were fortunate in having alternative power in hand, following the recent repeat derailment near Cullinan due to sleeper theft. Reefsteamers has received the boiler tubes needed for its class 12AR no 1535, Friends of The Rail is busy restoring class 15CA no 2850 and Atlantic Rail is working on class 16DA Pacifi c no 879. Reefsteamers have been heavily occupied with a major fencing project to improve security at its depot in Germiston. Visits to Reefsteamers For several years, Attie de Necker has been the contact person for visits to Reefsteamers’ Germiston depot, as well as functioning as site manager. “Attie is retiring from depot visits and station pilot duties,” Lee Gates writes, “but will continue to assist as train manager and senior driver. A new lower-mileage depot manager will be starting in the near future. As soon as we have run him in, put the fi rst dent in the tender and tightened all the loose bolts, we will announce new contact details for visitors to use when they need assistance round the depot.” Until then, Reefsteamers appeals to the public to email depot- related queries to:
[email protected] or
[email protected]. As little local preservation news has come in since the previous edition of Railways Africa, we look this month at two most interesting highlights from the United Kingdom. Metropolitan Railway no 1 is being used in the London Underground 150 celebrations. Photo: John Batwell collection. In central London citizens could travel beneath the city’s increasingly congested streets on the world’s fi rst underground railway. The Metropolitan Railway, which opened in 1863, was at fi rst steam operated. RAILWAY HERITAGE 28 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com Preservation is A Preservation is A Vital Part of The Picture Vital Part of The Picture By John BatwellBy John Batwell Those who built the original Underground had to overcome suspicions of the new subterranean transport system, characterised in one newspaper leader as “suggestive of dank, noisome tunnels... passages inhabited by rats, soaked with sewer drippings and poisoned by the escape of gas mains”.Their solution – bright, gas- lit trains and airy, vaulted platforms (that are still in use) – had the desired effect. On the fi rst day, 30,000 people tried out the new system, producing revenue of £850. By the 1880s, a network of lines extended across central London, relieving pressure on roads jammed with horse-drawn buses, carts and cabs. Its construction was highly innovative. Engineers pioneered the technique of “cut and cover”, where a trench was dug from above and roofed over. Open sections at intervals enabled fumes to escape. A second era of expansion around the turn of the 20th century necessitated new deep tunnelling techniques – for which London’s clay underpinnings were an ideal medium – in constructing the Piccadilly, Northern and Bakerloo lines. Today, the London Underground generates £2.18 billion in revenue, just over half of Transport for London’s annual income, and a long-term programme of upgrade work has been spared from the government’s public spending cull. With the city’s population expected to rise from 8.2m to 9m by 2020, pressure to expand capacity and service frequency is unrelenting. The Underground lays claim to the creation of the London commuter, liberating workers from the city slums in the 1920s and 1930s by sparking construction of suburban estates that fanned out from stations along the new lines. As well as steam rail trips, a string of activities and events is planned for the 150th celebration, including two new two-pound coins issued by the Royal Mint, special postage stamps from Royal Mail and 12 short stories commissioned by Penguin Books. Aldwych station, closed in 1994, will stage theatrical events to mark the event. Gresley Class A4 Pacifi cs All Back in UK In 1964, one of designer Sir Nigel Gresley’s streamlined 4-6-2 class A4 steam locomotives – no 60008 - was donated to the American National Railroad Museum in Wisconsin. Two years later, another – no 60010 - went to the Canadian National Railway Museum in Montreal. In October 2012, both were brought back to home ground to join their four preserved counterparts. The reason – to have all six remaining class A4s on English soil for the National Railway Museum’s 2013 celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of 60022 Mallard’s 126mph (203km/h) world speed record in 1938. One of the four preserved in working order in the UK is no 60009, which carries the name Union of South Africa. Nos 60008 and 60010 are to return to North America next year. Sales and rentals of locomotives, trackmobiles and other rolling stock. Repair/reconditioning of locomotives, trackmobiles and other rolling stock in our Pretoria West based workshop and on site. Repair/reconditioning of all locomotive and other rolling stock equipment (engines, bogies, turbo chargers, air and vacuum brake valves and auxiliaries, compressors and exhausters, couplers and draft gears etc.) Service exchange components for most major items on present day locomotives, which include traction motors, bogies, power packs, expressors and main generators etc. A full range of spare parts for locomotives and rail wagons, most of which are available off the shelf. Sales and rentals of electrical, mechanical and air jacking systems for the lifting of locomotives and rail wagons etc, on site. Operation and control of entire rail systems ranging from the maintenance of customers own locomotives and rolling stock to the control and transport of their products and the maintenance of their railway tracks and switch/signalling systems. SPECIALIZING IN THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY OPERATIONS & WORKSHOP No1 Frikkie Meyer Road Pretoria West Gauteng Republic of South Africa Tel: +27 12 380-0540 Fax: +27 12 380-0556
[email protected] HEAD OFFICE P.O Box 40178 Cleveland 2022 Republic of South Africa 93 Whitworth Road Heriotdale, Johannesburg Gauteng Republic of South Africa Tel: +27 11 626-3516 Fax: +27 11 626-1171/28
[email protected] www.africanrail.co.za >> >> >> >> >> >> >> SURTEES RAIL GROUP Class A4 locomotive Union of South Africa is one of six surviving members lined up for the Mallard celebrations arranged by the National Railway Museum in York. Photo: John Batwell collection. RAILWAY HERITAGE THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE Remember the race between the tortoise and the hare? Dawie Kuyler offers a new slant. He writes on sar-L: “Please allow me to share with you some useless info - A 24 class engine leaving Alicedale at 03:00 going to Grahamstown went uphill at the speed of a running rabbit. I know this, because the rabbit was running full speed next to the line just in front of the train, in the engine light for quite a distance before it went into the bush.” In the lonely veld Stands a small tent And alongside in the twilight Moves the shining train; I see in the tent Through the open curtain A table with plates And fi ne glasses That softly shine In the candle’s light And I think, “Were I only In that small tent, I would be so lucky.” By the lonely tent Stands a small girl In mute wonder Of the shining train. She sees me enjoy My sparkling wine And expensive meal By electric light And I guess the thoughts Of the small girl: “Oh, if I were just In that cheerful train, I would be so lucky”. In die eensame veld staan ‘n tentjie klein, en daarnaas in die skemering skuif die ligtende trein; ek sien in die tentjie, deur die oop gordyn, ‘n tafel met bordjies en glasies fyn, wat sag in die lig van die kersie skyn, en ek dag: ‘Was ek net in die tentjie klein, ek sou tog so gelukkig syn. Naas die eensame tent staan ‘n meisie klein, in stomme bewond’ring van die ligtende trein; sy sien my geniet my glansende wyn en kost’like maal by elektriese skyn; en ek raai die gedagte van die meisie klein: ‘Ag, was ek maar net in die vrolike trein, ek sou tog o so gelukkig syn’. JACOB DANIËL DU TOIT Jacob Daniël du Toit (1877-1953), better known by his pen name Totius, was a military chaplain with the Boer commandos. After the war, he studied for a doctorate in theology in Amsterdam. From 1911 a professor of theology in Potchefstroom, he is credited for translating much of the Bible into Afrikaans. Tragic family events are refl ected in much of his poetry. His small son died early of an infection; the young daughter was killed by lightning. The typically literal Google translation, predicably characterless, does not even attempt words like “bewond’ring” and “syn”. Trevor Staats (an Australian nogal) – puts forward a decidedly better version: END OF THE LINE 30 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2013 www.railwaysafrica.com TREIN IN DIE VELD WWW.RAILWAYSAFRICA.COM ROLLING STOCK | PERWAY | INFRASTRUCTURE | SIGNALLING | OPERATORS | COMMENT Please complete all the blocks below - Incomplete forms will not be accepted. Once we have received your completed subscription form an invoice with payment details will be sent in return. On confirmation of payment, your details will be added to the mailing list and the magazines will be posted to the specified postal address. Please Fax/Email the completed form to us at: Fax: +27 86 665 5330 Email:
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