south africa railroad gauge

Metre gauge is also common, as in the case of the Uganda Railway. It is common for South Africans to consider anything less than 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in, Cape gauge) as a narrow-gauge railway and are accustomed referring to "standard gauge" when they actually mean "Cape gauge". Metre gauge survive in Egypt: in the countryside around Luxor, narrow-gauge railways are used for the transportation of sugar cane. 1000 mm and 1067 mm gauges can be combined as a 4 rail dual gauge with bonus 1435 mm gauge. Railway specialists and suppliers of high quality equipment, we have a global presence all over the world where there are conventional, urban and high-speed transport networks. In fact, in 1989 the Sishen-Saldanha line set a world record by carrying the biggest train in history, 7.2 km long containing 660 wagons pulled by 15 locomotives and weighing 71,232 tonnes (70,107 long tons; 78,520 short tons), though most trains on this line routinely run with lower tonnage. Paton's Country Railway operates the second oldest narrow gauge Beyer-Garratt locomotive in service in the world, 2-6-0 0-6-2 #55. [22][7]:160 The line was regauged to cape gauge during 1939 and 1940. The gauge difference is explained by the metric system used by the Germans who built the Otavi Line contrary to the South Africans who used imperial units. Morocco had from 1912 – 1935 one of the largest 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) gauge networks in Africa with total length of more than 1700 kilometres. The rebuild started in 1990 and the locomotive went back to service in 1997. Since its establishment in 1989, Rovos Rail has earned an international reputation for its truly world-class travel experiences. East - 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in) (but Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and isolated Ethiopia are 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 3⁄8 in )). [3], January 1901 – 1944, 8 miles (13 km) from Kearsney to Stanger, built and put into service at a total cost of £18,500. Railway Corporate Strategy CC responded as follows on 28 July 2006: “The Department of Transport is to be complimented on, and encouraged in, its quest to resolve South Africa ’s gnawing railway gauge issue. Gautrain, South Africa's first standard-gauge railway, has confounded many of its critics by cutting journey times in the Pretoria and Johannesburg area and attracting a loyal ridership. The dominant narrow gauge (NG) countries are South Africa, Japan, Australia (all on 1 067mm) and Brazil (1 000mm). The map is intended for overland journeys around the region by train, so some minor train routes aren't shown, nor are all bus routes as there are many more, some duplicating the train routes. During the period of British colonisation of Africa, Cecil Rhodes advocated the construction of a Cape to Cairo railway, linking all British possessions along the eastern side of Africa between South Africa and Egypt. South Africa - Class 91 - UM6B - 2 foot gauge. Australia: While there are several sizes used in Australia, the majority of tracks are 9mm gauge.Some collectors have used Z gauge tracks for Queensland Railways’ Nn3 models. [32] Platinum ore railway. USA / Europe / South Africa: Most products are manufactured and supplied to the 1:160 scale.This is the most common size available. The line linked the port of Walvis Bay to Rooikop. Some also survive in Egypt: in the countryside around Luxor, narrow-gauge railways are used for the transportation of sugar cane. In Krugersdorp, using a CGR Type C 0-4-0T. China’s construction of Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway and the Addis Ababa to Djibouti railroad are exemplary of crucial infrastructure projects for Africa. 20 kilometres (12 mi) Cape Cross Mine Railway, 610 mm (2 ft) gauge. [10] Converted to cape gauge. Narrow-gauge railways are common in Africa, where great distances, challenging terrain and low cost have made the narrow gauges attractive. During the First World War when Cameroon was a German possession, a network of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge Feldbahn railways were built. For the purpose of major overhauls and interchangeability, rolling stock could be transported piggyback on Cape gauge rolling stock by means of a special access ramp on the break of gauge at Cape gauge junctions available on most of the two-foot lines. Dreamtrains is one of the biggest online suppliers of model trains, accessories and scenery for all scale models in South Africa. In 1973, it was wrecked after a runaway accident,[33][34] and after years of idleness it was shipped to the Brecon Mountain Railway in Wales. Shop by scale / gauge, brand and colour. The Avontuur Railway operated between Port Elizabeth and Avontuur in South Africa. In South Africa , as elsewhere in the world, the railways played a huge part in development and growth on nearly all terrains in the country. North - 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) South - 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in) mostly connected and quite strong. Michelle Gavin in her December 3 post, The United States and Europe Should Work Together to Promote a Prosperous Africa, expresses the dilemma for U.S.-Africa policy: Cape Province: 580 km government, 60 km private lines. 1903–1961, 567 kilometres (352 mi) in German South-West Africa (today's Namibia). The system was built during the 1910s by the authorities in Italian Somaliland. [31] Locomotives included a 33-ton 4-6-2 built by Baldwin Locomotive Works with a separate 23-ton tender carrying 5 tons of coal and 2,040 US gal (7,700 l) of water. Neighbouring railways are 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) in Sudan and 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) in Ethiopia. First, a 25-mile stretch of narrow-gauge line was authorised at a cost of R130,000 between Fort Beaufort and Seymour. While most countries through which such a line would run have cape gauge lines, Tanzania and Kenya have metre gauge lines, although the TAZARA line in Tanzania is cape gauge. In a series of bespoke train journeys lasting from 48 hours to 15 days, Rovos Rail links some of the continent’s greatest destinations with a variety of off-train excursions. More than 85% of the railways in Africa operate on narrow gauge. [2] Extension to Patensie completed in 1914. However, with the development of a strong economy, with heavy export coal and iron ore traffic, and electrification of most main lines, South Africa, like Queensland, operates several narrow gauge trains that outdo most standard and broad gauge trains across the world. South Africa’s current rail network is the eleventh-largest in the world at 22,387 route-km or 30,400 track-km. Metre gauge is also common, as in the case of the Uganda Railway. The Apple Express, a tourist train, ceased operations in December 2010. Regauged to cape gauge. 1906–1923, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi), later extended. The Banana Express continued under Patons Country Narrow Gauge Railway operations having a temporary permit from Transnet and ceased operations in 2005. Geismar is the world leading supplier of solution dedicated to installation, maintenance and control of railway and OHL systems. We design and manufacture all our equipment. Operated between Knysna and Diepwalle in the Southern Cape by The South Western Railway Co. Ltd.[12], Between 1907 and 1983 a narrow gauge railway connected Weenen with Estcourt, 47 kilometres (29 mi) to the west, and provided an outlet for its agricultural produce and was thus called the "Cabbage Express". Kenya, Uganda and others use 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge lines. They facilitated the transport of various agricultural and mineral produce from locations hardly accessible by road. They therefore enabled many communities to become prosperous. At Sezela. The map shows principal passenger train routes & bus links in southern Africa. Approximately 10 miles. Railway lines with rails (partially) intact, operationally closed, Stations are still displayed on Google maps, Umzinto - Donnybrook narrow gauge railway, List of abandoned railway lines in South Africa, Old steam locomotives in South Africa: Kearsney-Stanger Light Railway 1901-c.1944, 2ft Narrow Gauge Forest Railroad in Knysna - South Western Railway Co, Geoffs Trains - The South African NGG11 Garratt steam locomotive, "Locomotives and Buildings Used on the Country Railway", Map Durban to Pietermaritzburg - Covering the railway alignments between Durban-Pietermaritzburg and lots of other interesting information - Bruno Martin, South Africa (Transvaal) Railways–SL 213 - Passenger stations and stops, Syd gets all steamed up about trains - Adam Brand - 8 August 1964, The Sandstone Steam Railroad – The first ten years, Old steam locomotives in South Africa: SEZELA Sugar Mill: Sezela No 1 - Avonside 1719/1915, Developments in sugar manufacture in South Africa from 1959 to 1984: The Sezela factory, Old steam locomotives in South Africa: Umzinto, Indian Quran Study School, Hunslet 3385/1946, The PE-Avontuur Narrow Gauge Line– A brief history, Baldwin De-railed - Evening Post Monday 20 August 1973, Narrow gauge World Magazine - No. A 125-mile cane sugar rail network. At Sandstone Estates a 26 km line runs from Grootdraai in the south, northwards to the main farm, loco depot and marshalling and storage sidings at Hoekfontein and onwards via Mooihoek to a large loop at Vailima sidings/Ficksburg and the village at Vailima. This was selected in the 19th century to reduce the cost of building track across and through the mountains found in several parts of the country. [2] However, the Gautrain between Johannesburg and Pretoria operates on standard gauge, and thus is not capable of using any of the country's existing rail network. The Eritrean Railway's 950 mm (3 ft 1 3⁄8 in) narrow-gauge railway was abandoned and heavily damaged during Eritrea's war of independence. General map of narrow gauge railways in South Africa, initial source for this article. Before the gauge conversion many locomotives were interchanged with the South African two foot railway systems depending on various operational considerations. The first railway line in South West Africa, built in 1895/96. It was built by a farmer [9] who bought the locomotives and rolling stock from army surplus stock of the Bezuidenhout Light Railway. A limited diesel locomotive hauled service has also operated between Paddock and Plains stations more recently. Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway Revolutionizing Transportation. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Narrow-gauge railways in former French Morocco, Narrow-gauge railways in former Spanish Morocco, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Narrow-gauge_railways_in_Africa&oldid=998144078, Articles needing additional references from September 2014, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2009, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 January 2021, at 01:09. This line was later extended from Balfour 12 miles to Seymour. The line carried sugar and tea, passenger trains were operated until about 1930.[6]. Whether your trainsets are modeled on the North American, South American, or European train systems, we have the right model kits for you. [17], The Umzinto–Donnybrook narrow-gauge railway was in existence from 1908 to 1987 and was 93 miles long. It was operated by the South African railway company Spoornet and more recently by railway enthusiasts. These eventually extended to around 150 km of track serving rubber and palm oil plantations.[1]. In Tanzania former East African Railways lines are metre gauge while the TAZARA line is 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm). [14] This line was the Natal Government Railway's first venture into narrow gauge operation. South Africa dominates the railway scene in Africa and ranks about 14th in the world They therefore enabled many communities to become prosperous. Many defunct locomotives are plinthed at various former railway station sites or work on the Welsh Highland Railway and other heritage railways in and outside South Africa. South Africa: N/A: 1,435 mm: 1,065 mm: South Korea: N/A: 1,435 mm: N/A: Spain: 1,668 … Step aboard the vintage wood-panelled coaches and sit […] Present day Southern Africa has inherited its railway gauge from a bygone era of 142 years ago, when in 1873 the decision was made to reduce the gauge from 4’-8½” to 3’-6”, when the Cape Government Railways (CGR) planned its extension from Wellington to Worcester for the reasons why see “Ox Wagon to Iron Horse” - click here to view. 46 miles long. Ruling gradient 1-in-30 compensated for 45,7 m (150 ft) minimum radius curves.[20]. 49 jan-feb 2007 Limestone to Port Elizabeth - by David Payling - Page 12, second column, Ex West Rand Consolidated Mines 0-4-0WT Orenstein & Koppel 4102/1910, Narrow gauge steam locomotives of South Africa. Its track gauge was 950 mm (3 ft 1 3⁄8 in), a gauge favoured by the Italians in their colonies in the Horn of Africa and North Africa. These lines featured the largest and most powerful locomotives ever in existence on two-foot-gauge railways worldwide. The railway was dismantled in the 1940s by the British during their military occupation of Italian Somaliland, and was subsequently never rehabilitated. This merger took place on the 1st0ctober 2000. Many nations, particularly in Southern Africa, including the extensive South African Railway network (Spoornet), use a 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge. This locomotive, numbered 2, had a 43-inch (1.1 m) diameter boiler producing 160 psi (1,100 kPa) steam to 13.5-inch (34.4 cm) diameter cylinders through an 18-inch (46 cm) stroke powering 36-inch (92 cm) diameter drivers. SAR’s Bellville quarry in the Tygerberg hill, employing Zwillinge locomotives. Aug. 8, 2018– Kenya’s new, up-and-running Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from the Port of Mombasa to the capital, Nairobi, built with major Chinese participation, is already revolutionizing the country’s transportation according to the {Daily Nation} of Kenya. The Patons Country Narrow Gauge Railway runs from Allwoodburn station Ixopo to Umzinkulu (Madonela). All two-foot railways were operated isolated from each other. The Hobby Shop supplies model trains, trainsets, landscaping materials, all to scale, for the ultimate layout of your modeling requirements. Railway transport in Somalia consisted of the erstwhile Mogadishu-Villabruzzi Railway and secondary tracks. The NG G11 number 55 remained plinthed at Weenen[16] and was later refurbished and is now used on the Paton's County Railway. After the treaty of Algeciras where the representatives of Great Powers agreed not to build any standard-gauge railway in Morocco until the standard gauge Tangier - Fez Railway being completed, the French had begun to build military 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) gauge lines in their part of Morocco. During 1900 these two 0-4-0T locomotives were used by the 47th Field Company Royal Engineers during the construction of the Bezuidenhout Light Railway, a light narrow gauge railway line from Simmer and Jack’s siding near Germiston in the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek to a siege camp 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) away along the Bezuidenhout Valley. The 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge is now in use. 18 kilometres (11 mi) Walvis Bay Railway, 610 mm (2 ft) gauge, completed in 1899. 1926–1949, 55 miles,[7]:166 regauged to cape gauge. Plans are now being drawn up to extend the network to cope with Johannesburg's rapidly … South African Railways Rolling Stock Photographic Roster: Reporting Marks: SAS : Click on a item to view pictures All two-foot railways were operated isolated from each other. We have a large variety of stock to choose from. After the gauge conversion the remaining stock was transferred to the two-foot lines. The railways of South Africa and many other African countries, including Angola, Botswana, Congo, Ghana, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe, use 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge, sometimes referred to as Cape gauge. In the early 1900s, 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge railway lines started playing a significant role in South Africa. Many nations, particularly in Southern Africa, including the extensive South African Railway network (Spoornet), use a 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge. The line is commonly known as the Apple Express.[3]. [4][5] The track was laid with 30 lb rails and had a ruling gradient of 1 in 30. After metrication in the 1960s, the gauge was referred to in official South African Railways … The line was used to haul firewood. Their decline started in the 1980s, the last commercial line ceased operations in the 1990s. The remaining 16% are narrow gauge (914 to 1 067mm). Originally standard gauge, the railways of the then Cape Colony changed to narrow gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm), sometimes known as Cape gauge, for cost-cutting reasons. [15] Its rails were lifted. [11], Also known as Knysna forest railway. Conversely, events in South Africa and its neighbours over the years had a huge influence on the development of railways. It comprises 12,801km of national network, 7,278km of branch lines and 2,228km of narrow gauge urban network, as well as 80km of standard gauge regional rapid transit network. Ran a private Branch from Chelsea junction at the Avontuur Railway to its cement factory at New Brighton in Port Elizabeth. A third diesel, a three axle hunslet, survived in South Africa [36], ????–1981. South African two foot gauge railways - RMWeb, South African narrow gauge rolling stock - RMWeb, Vanishing Steam; Article by the South African Tourist Corporation, Forum with Photographs of SA NG lines, Page 1, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Two-foot-gauge_railways_in_South_Africa&oldid=986242887, Use South African English from April 2015, All Wikipedia articles written in South African English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The Port Shepstone–Harding line was operated from 1911 to 2006 and is 122 kilometres (76 mi) long. 500 km sugar lines. The railway forms part of the so-called EAC Rail Sector Enhancement Project, also called the East African Railway Masterplan, managed by the East Africa Community (EAC) which plans to … 1907–1949, 22 miles, now closed. Only a few tourist, agricultural and/or heritage railways survive. It is now closed and its tracks were lifted however the Ixopo to Madonela branch has been rebuilt from Allwoodburn to Madonela and is use by Patons Country Railway, Umlaas Road to Mid Illovo, 27 miles[19] opened in 1911 and was closed 1985 and its rails were lifted. 16. Natal: 393 km government plus approx. Its collection consists of narrow gauge stock collected from other closed 2 ft narrow gauge lines in Kwazulu Natal, elsewhere in South Africa, and from neighboring countries.. Buy and sell model train track online. It was later rebuilt between Asmara and Massawa. It was opened in 2000 on a branch of the former Umzinto - Donnybrook narrow gauge railway line. South Africa’s rail network is entirely narrow gauge – all 30 400 track kilometres – except for the Gautrain’s 80 km standard gauge network in Gauteng. The Gautrain rapid transit railway uses 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) (standard gauge). Incompatible gauges are therefore not obvious. They facilitated the transport of various agricultural and mineral produce from locations hardly accessible by road. 1926–1940, 35 miles. On 18 June 2008 a storm ruined the railway in the coastal area. The daily Humansdorp passenger departing from Station St. 1903–1926, regauged to cape gauge. Built at the gauge of 600 mm, which did not prevent exchanging locomotives with the two foot (610 mm) lines in South Africa when it was taken over by South Africa (as part of the British Empire) in 1915. The following railways were closed or converted to Cape gauge. 1 Whereas “broad” in Britain meant 7’-0”, in South Africa after standard gauge disappeared in the 1880s it meant 3’-6” gauge! There is also a short line, known as Seb's Railway, branching to the west at Hoekfontein and running to a balloon loop around a farm dam and suitable only for small locomotives. These lines featured the largest and most powerful locomotives ever in existence on two-foot-gauge railways worldwide. Closed by South African Railways in 1986 and then leased to the Alfred County Railway which went bankrupt in 2004. [7]:139 Originally built from Kalbaskraal to Hopefield, in 1913 the line was extended to Saldanha passing Vredenburg. There used to be extensive 2 ft (610 mm) and 600 mm (1 ft 11 ⁄8 in) gauge networks in countries such as Morocco, Congo, Angola, Namibiaand South Afric… The Avontuur Railway was built from 1890 to 1905 and is 285 kilometres (177 mi) long. Built in 1920, the locomotive worked most of it's life in the area. For example, a link from Nigeria to Cameroon would join 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in). Because Africa is divided into many countries, railways built by different governments tend not to link up with each other, each country's lines connecting its outlands with its own port. In Tunisia, the railway network in the central and southern part of the country is a metre gauge network, including the main lines Tunis-Sfax (Ligne de la Côte) and Tunis-Kasserine, and also the local Ligne du Cap Bon from Bir Bou Rekba to Nabeul. [26] Built in 1914 and closed in the 1970s.[27]. based in Roodepoort, SOUTH AFRICA AMS HADEN Instrument & Mining Services is the product of a merger between R.Haden Instrument Services (Pty) Ltd and Agrimine Services CC. Nearly all railways in South Africa use a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge track. Narrow-gauge railways are common in Africa, where great distances, challenging terrain and low cost have made the narrow gauges attractive. Discussion about railroad topics everywhere outside of North America. [35], The EPCC also operated a South African Class NG8 4-6-0 and two 300 HP funkey diesel-mechanical B-B locomotives[34] which were also shipped to Wales to be used on the Welsh Highland Railway (unaltered) and the Ffestiniog Railway, the latter implying the construction of a new body to be able to negotiate the strict loading gauge of that railway. However, this did not prevent standardization and interchangeability of rolling stock and locomotives. The larger railway lines operated their own workshops performing minor to major maintenance and/or repairs. There used to be extensive 2 ft (610 mm) and 600 mm (1 ft 11.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px;white-space:nowrap} 5⁄8 in) gauge networks in countries such as Morocco, Congo, Angola, Namibia and South Africa, but these have mostly been dismantled or converted. Converted to Cape gauge.[1]. In the early 1900s, 2 ft narrow-gauge railway lines started playing a significant role in South Africa. However, this did not prevent standa The Sandstone Steam Railway first opened in 1998.[23]. Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana and Nigeria recently completed construction of standard gauge railway lines. This page was last edited on 30 October 2020, at 17:22. It was the longest 610 mm (2 ft) gauge route in the world[citation needed] at a length of 285 km. Third diesel, a three axle hunslet, survived in South Africa Italian.. Of south africa railroad gauge former Umzinto - Donnybrook narrow gauge railway lines operated between Port Elizabeth and Avontuur South. From Transnet and ceased operations in December 2010 an international reputation for its truly world-class travel.! Gauge while the TAZARA line is 3 ft 3 3⁄8 in ) ( south africa railroad gauge. Challenging terrain and low cost have made the narrow gauges attractive stock was to... 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