Railways Africa Issue 2

Ultra versatile track-laying & maintenance

ISSUE 2

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WWW.RAILWAYSAFRICA.COM

You do not have to be the biggest to be THE BEST...

Tel: +27 (041) 581 4400 Fax: +27 (041) 581 4474 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.sheltam.com127 Villiers Rd Walmer 6070 PO Box 15148 Emerald Hill 6011 Port Elizabeth South Africa

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Africa doesn’t lack experts, notably where railway gauges are concerned. It’s a field wide open to bright-sounding schemes though these tend to have three things in common – difficulty grasping the lessons of history, problems sorting reality from wishful thinking and proneness to repeating expensive mistakes other people have already made. And we’re a great continent for re-inventing wheels.

Also, we fall for myths. According to these, it‘s misguided - unsafe in fact - running trains on 1,067mm gauge at 160km/h (that’s 100 miles an hour). It’s a myth all right, even if people who spent billions building to wider gauge on the strength of it assert otherwise.

The Queenslanders – see Bruno Martin’s instructive article on page 13 – have been running trains at 160km/h on 1,067mm for the past fifteen years. It’s widely known as Cape gauge, though the name originated in Norway (I think), not in Table Bay.

The Australians have hundreds of kilometres of 1,435mm gauge but ironically Queensland seems to make bigger - and apparently faster - headlines.

Kenya’s spending billions of dollars borrowed from China (and even China is going to want that money back one day), building a new 1,435mm gauge line right next to the existing metre gauge railway – much like Gautrain duplicating Metrorail’s double track through Pretoria. The reason? There’re several, but one of them is to get Kenyan passenger trains running at 160km/h. Ditto Nigeria.

South African’s present trains don’t compare with Queensland’s. A few decades ago however, things were the other way round. Thirty years ago as a matter of fact, commuter trains were running between Pretoria and Johannesburg – perfectly safely - at 160km/h.

Nobody said they shouldn’t be doing this on so-called Cape gauge - and they didn’t fall off. The big problem was the lack of a dedicated track. This meant delaying all the other trains, to keep the line clear.

You do not have to be the biggest to be THE BEST...

Tel: +27 (041) 581 4400 Fax: +27 (041) 581 4474 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.sheltam.com127 Villiers Rd Walmer 6070 PO Box 15148 Emerald Hill 6011 Port Elizabeth South Africa

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Photo: Jacque Wepener.In 1978, locomotive no. E1525 was modified for experiments in high speed traction by re-gearing the traction motors, installing Scheffel bogies and a streamlined nose cone.

RAILWAYS AFRICA / COMMENT

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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 2 // 2014 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com

BARBARA SHEATPublisher / Railways Africa

PUBLISHERBarbara Sheat

EDITOR Rollo Dickson

DESIGN & LAYOUTEddy Rodrigues Sedibelo Phetoe

WEBSITEKieran Druzynski

ADVERTISINGAndrew Lanham

SUBSCRIPTIONS Ophelia Naidoo

CONTRIBUTORSJohn BatwellNathan BerelowitzB HintonAndrew LanhamBruno Martin Chas RickwoodAnton van SchalkwykJacque Wepener

ISSN 1029 - 2756

Rail Link Communications ccPO Box 4794 Randburg 2125Tel: +27 72 340 5621E-mail: [email protected]: @railwaysafricaWebsite: www.railwaysafrica.com

Ultra versatile track-laying & maintenance

ISSUE 2

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Contents

SIGNALLING FEATURE

Features

Wagonloads 34

End of the Line

8

13

21

4 Railways AfricaIssue1//2014

COVER STORYManitou’sroad-railvehiclesbringnewlevelsofefficiencytobothrailconstructionandrailwaymaintenance.

6

31

InfrastructuredevelopmentinAfrica 17

ChinesetramsforAddisAbaba 18

ZambianRailwayRehabilitation 22

Africa Update

SorinBaltaconPrasa’sR17-billionre-signallingproject. 8

LucioLefebvreexplainsSiemens’involvementinPrasa’sre-signallingproject. 10

ACTOMSignalling’sR200-myardupgrades. 12

AUSTRALIAN RECORD-BREAKERS: QUEENSLAND’S TILT-TRAINS 13

Senalinedisruptedagain 31

DerailmentnearReebok 32

Mishaps

SA Rail NewsDCDrollingstockrecapitalisation:Thefirststep 23

FreeStateround-up 24

Where the world turns for Power.

Barloworld Power has one fundamental purpose: To deliver the fi nest, cleanest, most reliable and cost effective power for any railway application. Active in the industry for decades, Barloworld Power supplies power packages to the most respected railway companies and equipment manufacturers.

For more information on Barloworld Power, visit us at www.barloworldpower.com or contact our sales experts on 011 898 0450 or email [email protected]

Power Railway 2013.indd 1 2013/03/22 10:29 AM

6

maNItou

Constructing a new railway track, or even maintaining an existing one, is a very expensive business. From the moment the financing is arranged, it is a race to get the track operational and earning a return.

Underground railway track construction faces the same pressures. The track is urgently needed to bring ore from the face to the shaft on to surface for processing.

However, building railway track is not only extremely costly, it is also fraught with risk. In the past, manual labour was used to wrestle sleepers and the rails into place, and early railway constructors suffered high injury rates among their workers.

Progressively, mechanisation has come to dominate the rail construction and maintenance business. However, the conventional

track laying equipment used on surface is also hugely expensive and takes time to deploy. Underground, because of space constraints, manual labour still predominates.However, materials handling equipment manufacturer Manitou is set to change this state of affairs for the better.

To step back in time: in 1957 Manitou began manufacturing off-road forklifts and rapidly went on to diversify into all areas of material handling. Today, various models of these red machines can be seen in service in nearly every type of business. If you can think of an application, Manitou most probably has a machine suited for the purpose.

Manitou’s excellent reputation has been built on their machines’ rugged reliability, their unmatched after-sales service, the low life-cycle cost and their phenomenal utility. It was these qualities, along with ease of operation and maintenance that prompted a leading Australian track maintenance contractor, John Holland Rail, to adapt a Manitou 160AT elevating work platform to work on Hi Rail, this machine now being called the Manirail. Although hi-rail equipment (a contraction of highway and rail), has been around for decades, the Manirail brings to rail construction and maintenance a number of notable new advantages.

ROUGH TERRAIN NO PROBLEMFirstly, the Manirail is equipped with mechanical axles, which have limited slip differentials and differential lock. The machine’s road-going tyres bear on the Hi-Rail wheels operating though a friction-drive hub and, the Manirail’s four-wheel drive capability delivers

ULTRA vERSATiLE TRACk-LAyiNg ANd MAiNTENANCE

6 Railways Africa Issue 2 // 2014 www.railwaysafrica.com

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7

excellent traction. With its rough terrain capability, the Manirail can climb up the ballast, over the rails and onto the track with ease.

SPEEDThe Manirail can not only be used with its elevating work platform to carry out work on overhead electrical rail infrastructure, but when deployed in rail construction and maintenance it can be used to bring rails and sleepers from a more distant location, and speedily place them in position.

It can even be used to transport and place preassembled rail-track sections with great accuracy, speed and safety.

With the Manirail’s exceptionally rugged construction, it is well suited for handling the rigours of underground mine rail work, as well as surface rail-track construction.

THE SAFE OPTION As in Australia, safety is a major concern of any responsible South African contractor. The Hi-Rail device is connected to the Manirail’s CanBus system, which automatically prevents the machine from exceeding its capabilities in terms of safe operation. The Manirail complies fully with the all the requirements of Standards Australia’s AS/NZS 1418.10:2011, an updated version which relates to safety standards for cranes, hoists and winches.

MORE VERSATILITYAn major advantage of the Manirail is that when it is not being used for rail track work, it can be quickly converted back to a purely

rubber-tyred vehicle which can they be used for jobs such as scaling hanging walls, and for the installation of meshing and lacing support.

With the exceptionally wide range of tools that can be fitted to the end of the Manirail/Maniaccess boom, the uses for this versatile workhorse are almost infinite.

Manitou service offering does not stop with its material handling equipment. In 2008, Manitou bought the US company Gehl, which manufactures articulated loaders and skid steers. These machines match Manitou’s versatility in the number of attachments such as buckets, scrapers and clamps that can be fitted to them.

A crucial part of Manitou’s offering is its after sales support. The MD of Manitou South Africa, Lindsay Shankland, explains: “It is a point of pride with Manitou, that we have never left a customer without first-class support. If there is part that we don’t have available in South Africa, on the same day, we will fly it out from Europe. Allowing time for customs clearance, our customers will always been operational again in the shortest possible time.”He points out that Manitou South Africa carries a spares and machine inventory valued at about R100-million. “That is another part of Manitou’s commitment to its customers,” concludes Shankland.

For further information, contactManitou South Africa – tel: +27 11 975 7770

Now fitted with retractable rail wheels, the Manitou MRT 2540 Privilege rotating telehandler has been described as three-in-one machine as it combines comfort, performance and versatility. As a telehandler, it is great for lifting and placing materials. However, there is more to the MRT 2540. Add a platform and it becomes a personnel lift. Or fit a winch and it becomes a three-ton hoist. Ten types of work platforms are available, and with a 4.87 x 4.87 metre base of support, there is more ‘up in the air’ capacity. As with the Manirail, set-up is quick and easy with individually con-trolled stabilizers.

A 150-horsepower Mercedes-Benz Tier III engine powers the telehandler, which has a maximum 18.5 metre forward reach with a four-metre turning radius.

THREE-iN-ONE vERSATiLiTy

Handling completely preassembled underground rail sections.

This machine can operate on both wheels and rail.

7Issue 2 // 2014 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com

As is the case with the rolling stock, much of the signalling equipment is obsolete and incompatible with the operation of modern commuter rolling stock. The R17-billion re-signalling project, due for completion in 2018, has been divided into three.Siemens has been awarded the R1-billion contract for the Gauteng Phase 1 signalling programme and for Gauteng Phase 2 signalling programme valued at R2.762-billion.

The KwaZulu-Natal signalling contract is estimated at R1.4-billion and has been awarded to a consortium led by Bombardier. The Thales-Maziya consortium has been awarded the R1.87-billion contract to supply a new signalling solution to the Western Cape.Speaking the Fleming Gulf Africa Railway summit held in Johannesburg in November 2013, Prasa signalling and telecommunications GM, Sorin Baltac mapped out the future for signalling on the country’s passenger rail networks.

“Unlike Gautrain which has few physical restrictions, our rail network has been designed for freight and, as these were not designed for passenger services, the speed of commuter trains is often restricted.” As an aside, Baltac points out that Prasa is possibly the only rail operator in the world which has its track controlled by another company. Much of Prasa’s existing signalling

equipment and rolling stock dates back to the sixties and would not look out of place in a museum,” he comments.

South Africa’s commuter rail network has suffered from a lack of capital. “We only we were patch it here and there, without being able to review the entire system.” Now, at the start of the Prasa renewal programme, the foundation is to provide an efficient safety system, says Baltac. Also, the objective in replacing the current signalling technology is to permit bi-directional traffic between the control centres and the trains. The next step is wireless signalling, which must be linked to the introduction of the new Prasa fleet, he explains.

Regarding its signalling technology, Prasa is moving from electro-mechanical and electrical interlockings operated by heavy-duty relays to a more modern and safe technology similar to that used in the nuclear power, chemical and medical industries. The basis of the new signalling system will be an optical fibre network. Prasa is currently finalising the installation of the ring. “To maximise its communications potential, we are asking all our suppliers to maximise the number of cores in the fibre cables that they install for us. Importantly, the use of fibre optics will eliminate the use of theft-prone copper cable.”

Prasa has appointed Hauwei to implement its radio-digital rail-signalling network. The installation of this system began in 2012 and is scheduled for completion in 2018. At the moment, to speak to the traffic control officer, the train driver has a trunk radio. In addition, the driver also has two cell phones, one with Vodacom and another with MTN. “We want to replace this system with a digital one that will give 100% communication on our network, wherever our trains are servicing our commuters,” says Baltac. “And we don’t want only voice but data as well for existing as well as new rolling stock in all three regions. This data will be used for Prasa In-Cab

Taking signalling into a new era.

Sorin Baltac

8 Railways AfricaIssue2//2014 www.railwaysafrica.com

PRASA SigNALS A NEW FUTUREWhilemuchhasbeensaidandwrittenaboutthePrasarollingstockfleetrenewalprogramme,lesshasbeenpublishedabouttheverymajorre-signallingprogramme,whichwillbetakingplaceduringthesameperiod.

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driver to only assist and intervene when there is a problem with the signalling system. While the new system will not increase the frequency of trains, it will improve the levels of safety to a marked degree.

Baltac is hoping to see a variable (virtual) block installed in the future, as this is the only way to increase carrying capacity. Whereas, now, Prasa operates with a headway of one and a half to three minutes between trains, with a variable block, at peak hour, Prasa will probably be able to send train packages with a 30 second interval between them.

“In 2025, when all the new rolling stock will be deployed, we will be able to switch to a variable block system and will have full benefit of the combination of new rolling stock and technologically advanced signalling,” he concludes.

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]

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Signalling (PICS) system, the next stage in Prasa’s development, the installation of which will be complete in 2020. The Gibela consortium is going to provide new train sets and, in these there will be the signalling installations as it is Prasa’s intention to move as much line-side signalling either into the cab of the train or into the traffic control centres and stations.Automatic Train Protection will be one feature of the Prasa signalling. The company has appointed inaudible to advise on the way forward on the feasibility study to establish how Prasa will manage to operate its new rolling stock alongside both its older commuter rolling stock and existing TFR rolling stock.

Prasa would like to have semi-automatic train operating in service by 2022. “In our signalling system, the driver is the weakest link,” asserts Baltac. Recent major accidents in Spain and in Switzerland attest to this. Especially in South Africa, Baltac would like the

HIGH-SPEED RAIL A FUTURE DREAM?DrawingonhisexperiencewithChineseandEuropeanrailnetworks,Baltacexplainsisthattheonlywaytodevelopthecountry'smasscommutertransportistostartinvestingintheveryhigh-speedtrainsnow."OneofmydreamsistotravelfromJohannesburgtoCapeTownintwohours,headds.TodothisdistanceintwohourswouldmeanexceedingthespeedsachievedbytrainsinChinaandJapan.AnotheritemonBaltac'swishlististoseeinteroperability,notonlybetweenPrasaandtheTFR,butalsobetweenPrasa,TFRandotherrailnetworksfromtherestofAfrica.

"I stillbelieve thatarailway link fromCape toCairo isnotadistantdream,"heconcludes.

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9Issue2//2014Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com

Lucio Lefebvre

Siemens project manager Monique Coffee examines part of the Prasa test rig.


The Prasa fleet renewal project will be a massive undertaking. However, to get the maximum benefit from these new trains Prasa will need a completely new signalling system. Speaking in late 2013, Group CEO of Prasa Lucky Montana explained that ‘the need for more effective train control was as important as the number, speed, mass and length of the (new) trains in Gauteng’.

Railways Africa spoke to Siemens SA senior project manager Lucio Lefebvre about progress with the new signalling project on Gauteng’s rail network, which covers a densely populated area from the north of Pretoria to the south of Soweto, and from Springs to Randfontein.

Siemens was awarded two contracts, one that was placed in April 2011 and the second was signed in October 2013. The first contract was for R1-billion and this was to re-signal a quarter of Prasa’s Gauteng railway network by 2016. The decision by Prasa to split Gauteng region was that they had a certain budget at the time, and they wanted to address the re-signalling of the stations that needed the new technology most urgently, he explains.

The first contract involved some 18 stations. It also involved the construction of a new centralised control centre – the Gauteng Nerve Centre (GNC) – that is currently being completed at a site near Kaalfontein. The GNC will be complete in 2015.

The second contract involved the re-signalling of the remaining 74 stations. All Gauteng’s 92 stations will be controlled from the GNC. As an indication of the track length being re-signalled, Lefebvre explains that there is about 550 km of trenching to be done, the equivalent of trenching from Johannesburg to Durban.

The Siemens system being installed on Gauteng’s rail network is fully electronic. This provide a major improvement in the efficiency of the existing railway network which is still operating with mostly relay based signalling some of which are hybrid systems as well as some very obsolete mechanical signalling interlocking equipment.

The base technology makes use of specialised Fail Safe programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which will always fail to a safe mode. These PLCs work in conjunction with element control computer (ECC) to provide a hardware and software solution to ensure that failsafe operation is guaranteed.

This technology will open the door for in-cab signalling, an advance that is planned for the new trains. This development would not have been possible with the old signalling system.

“We are replacing both the indoor and outdoor equipment in total,” says Lefebvre. “Modern electronics are more cost effective to operate and are cheaper than the relays based systems installed in the past.”

He adds that the new LED wayside signals will be more maintenance friendly as they have been designed to have maintenance intervals of years instead of months. All the electric points machines are being replaced, as are all the train detection devices.

The train detection system will be based on axle counters instead of track circuits. An axle counter is a failsafe system that proves the absence of a train in a section of track before it allows the following train to enter that section. Information from the axle counter system is also used to show the TCO where the trains are located within the rail network. When the GNC is completed, there will be a schematic representation of the whole of Prasa’s Gauteng network on a very large screen two metres tall and 52 metres wide on which the position of the rolling stock can be plotted. It is envisaged that

SiEMENS UPgRAdES gAUTENg SigNALS

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Siemens engineering technician Stanford Mashanzhe configures the signalling electronics to match the station where the unit will be installed.

UJ_T&SCM_OnTrack_AD_297hx105w.indd 1 2014/04/23 12:02 PM

www.railwaysafrica.com

the GNC will have some 35 operators staffing it.With the new system, it will be possible to manage traffic flows much better, as traffic control operators will have a lot more real-time information at their disposal. “This will enable the operators to make informed decisions and give them the flexibility needed to manage a network of this size,” adds Lefebvre.

What it will also give is better statistical information on aspects of Prasa’s operation such as train reliability and punctuality. With the new signalling system, it will be possible to reduce the headway (the distance between trains) from between 10 and 15 minutes down to 2.5 and 3 minutes. As a result, it will be possible to put more trains on the network and thus carry more people. This is important as Prasa is planning to almost double its fleet size and will need to accommodate more trains on certain routes. The new system will enable full bi-directional signalling. With the existing signalling systems, if a train should break down on a particular route, all other traffic, which has to use that track, is then delayed. With the new system, the TCO on duty will be able to re-route other trains to the adjoining track to minimise train delays

The three key commuter rail areas of the Cape, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal are being re-signalled by different companies. However, as the trains are not limited to any specific signalling system Prasa will retain the flexibility to move trains within their national network,” explains Lefebvre.

“Obviously all Prasa’s commuter rail routes have the same gauge and voltage, allowing a Prasa commuter train to operate in any area in South Africa,” he says. There are uniform rules that are being applied to all three areas. However, drivers that have to drive on new lines will still need to qualify to work trains on certain tracks.

“When Prasa goes to tender for the in-cab signalling system in the next three years, this technology will be based on a European standard, allowing for smooth interoperability of trains if need be,” he concludes.

Some of the yard control equipment installed at Foreshore, Port Elizabeth.

12

In mid-2012, railway signalling systems specialist company ACTOM Signalling was awarded one of the most challenging projects it has undertaken for many years – five contracts valued at R200-million to upgrade yard controls at 10 yards around South Africa.

The contracts were awarded by Transnet Capital Projects on behalf of Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), following tenders issued at the end of 2011. The 10 yards are Elandsfontein and Capital Park in Gauteng, Richards Bay, Nsezi and Fynnlands in Kwazulu-Natal, Bellville in the Western Cape, Postmasburg in the Northern Cape, and Coega, Green Street and Foreshore in the Eastern Cape.

“The new yard control system is a semi-automated system that replaces the existing manually-operated mechanical system, in which points sets are thrown by a yard operator on the tracks,” says Peter Colborne, ACTOM Signalling’s General Manager. The new yard automation system consists of a number of local control areas, each of which incorporates a local control panel (LCP) and a number of object controllers housed in equipment enclosures. Each object controller controls a points machine, points indicator and the axle-counter evaluators which provide vacancy detection across each points set.Each object controller provides a Safety Integrity Level 2 (SIL2) electronic interlocking system for the points set, indicator and vacancy detector it controls, including communication with the LCP.

Yard operators are provided with two levels of control, either with a push-button on the side of the points indicator or remotely from the LCP. When controlling from the LCP, the yard operator is provided with a display of the track layout and the status of each points set.

The operator can select and throw points machines with either a mouse command on the VDU or a keypad and push-button selection. The track layout and status indications are duplicated in the Yard Master’s office.“In our bid, we offered two solutions – one consisting of a mix of existing equipment and purpose-designed equipment that we would have to develop, while the alternative solution involved developing all the key equipment from scratch,” Colborne explained.

“TFR selected the lower-cost alternative option, a decision which we view as a major vote of confidence in ACTOM’s product development team.

“An additional complication was that the execution of the contracts overlapped with the development of the new equipment, resulting in us having to start manufacturing some of the products before the development work had been completed. Consequently we had to modify early points machines and points indicators,” he commented.

“However, TFR later extended the completion dates of all the contracts by three months to allow us more time to develop and test the new equipment. The individual contracts are now scheduled for commissioning by early December this year.

“The contracts required the design and development of a new points machine, points indicator and axle-counter with features specifically applicable to yard control. This was the most challenging part of the whole project, because all of these new items of equipment had to be developed, tested and proven within a very short time-span,” Colborne stressed.

ACTOM Signalling arranged with sister company ACTOM Mechanical Equipment to provide assistance by undertaking the assembly under its supervision of the points machines, points indicators and equipment enclosures on spare factory floor space it had available for the purpose.

“This has been a great help towards enabling us to keep pace with the contract requirements and tight deadlines of the project,” said Colborne.

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ACTOM SigNALLiNg TACkLES CHALLENgiNg R200-MiLLiON RAiL yARdS UPgRAdE PROJECT

Raymond Kleynhans (right), ACTOM Mechanical Equipment’s Foreman in charge of the assembly of points machines for ACTOM Signalling’s yard control contracts, monitors work on the assembly line.

Railways AfricaIssue1//2014 www.railwaysafrica.com

The launch attracted nation-wide publicity, being not only an outstanding engineering achievement for Queensland Rail (QR), but also an event of great significance in Australian railway history1. Its 1,067mm gauge had not hampered Queensland in taking the lead in Australia, and joining the world club’s state-of-the-art, high-tech, tilt-trains. The feat was much envied by neighbouring Commonwealth states, whose railways boast the considerably wider 1,435mm and 1,600mm gauges. Even before the official launch, the second tilt-train set 303/304 had been named City of Maryborough. This city’s long-established railway manufacturer built both trains2. In revenue service the tilt-trains operate up to a maximum of 160km/h on straight track and around wide-tangent curves. They are unable to maintain this for any great distance because the mostly single-track line is shared with slower passenger services, general freight and, in one part, heavy coal trains.

JOURNEY TIMESInitially the 622km from Brisbane to Rockhampton took seven hours, shaving two hours and 25 minutes off the schedule of the InterCity Express (ICE) Spirit of Capricorn3. With 11 intermediate stops, the average speed was 88.8km/h, but it proved too ambitious; 15 minutes were added in 20034.

Australia’s rail speed record of 210km/h was set on 23 May 1999 by a tilt-train set running without passengers between Meadowvale and Avondale, north of Bundaberg5. It eclipsed the previous record of 193km/h held by the New South Wales Countrylink XPT (on 1,435mm gauge) since 1992.

An additional tilt-train introduced between Bundaberg and Brisbane from 26 July 1999 met public demand for a same-day return service, albeit setting out very early and returning late. During electrification in the 1980s, infrastructure upgrading and extensive track realignment between Brisbane and Rockhampton saw crossing loops lengthened (to provide longer braking distance), swing-nose turnouts installed, boom gates at most level crossings, track circuits and signalling modified, and high chain-wire fencing in suburban areas.

SUGAR CANE CROSSINGSNarrow-gauge “sugar cane railway” crossings are a unique feature of this unorthodox “high-speed” line. Each of the former at-

grade “diamonds” have been replaced with a “drawbridge”. This temporarily lifts the 610mm track, carrying it over the main-line rails. When the cane train has crossed, the drawbridge is retracted.

Tilting technology adopted for QR’s tilt-trains is based on a Hitachi design using computer-controlled rollers above each bogie, activated by compressed air cylinders located between the bogies. Pneumatic rams assist the train body to lean smoothly to a maximum angle of five degrees, allowing curves to be negotiated 25% faster than conventional trains. The low centre of gravity ensures that coaches regain an upright position when entering a straight segment of track, should the tilt mechanism fail.

Each electric multiple-unit tilt-train set is made up in the order: motor cab-car + trailer car + motor car + motor car + trailer car + motor cab-car. A business-class coach with 27 spacious 2 by 1 seating is included. Five economy-class cars provide a total of 280 2x2 seats. Each 287 tonne six-car set, 136 metres in overall length, is powered by sixteen 170kW AC traction motors.

Baby-change tables are provided and space is allocated for wheelchairs. A trolley service offers refreshments at all seats. Micro-waved meals and snacks are available in the Car E galley. The sets are uni-directional, so seats (fitted with drop-down tables and footrest) always face the direction of travel.

The inaugural Spirit of Queensland diesel tilt-train headed by power unit DTD 5404 leaves Roma Street for Cairns on 28 October 2013. Photo: Bruno Martin.

Diesel tilt-train headed by power unit DTD 5404 departs Cairns for Brisbane, 15 September 2013. Photo: Bruno Martin.

CAPE-gAUgE AUSTRALiAN RECORd-BREAkERS: QUEENSLANd’S TiLT-TRAiNSBy BRUNO MARTiN

lESSoNS FRom auStRalIa

QueenslandRailenteredaneweraoflong-distancetraintravelon6November1998whenelectrictilt-trainset301/302carryingthenameCityofRockhamptonwastakenintorevenueservicefromRockhampton,atthenorthernextentoftheNorthCoastLine’s25kV/50HzACcatenary,toBrisbane’sRomaStreetstation.


Interior of first class car DTFS 7409 on the inaugural Brisbane-Cairns Spirit of Queensland at Roma Street, 28 October 2013. The seats convert at night to RailBeds. Photo: John Hoyle.

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An instant success when introduced, the tilt-trains carried their millionth passenger in March 2002. Each set underwent a makeover in 2006 with new on-board entertainment systems and furnishings following eight years’ service carrying 1.5 million passengers. A locomotive-hauled train – dubbed The Tiltlander by railway staff – deputised temporarily for the tilting sets.

COMPETITIONQR’s tilt-trains offer no serious competition to air travel between Brisbane and Rockhampton, but they are some four hours faster than road coaches (which make more intermediate stops).

WALKERS/MTU/HITACHI DIESEL TILT-TRAINFollowing an A$590 million upgrade of the North Coast Line to Cairns (1,681km), QR launched two sets of diesel-powered tilt-trains from Brisbane in mid-2003. The first was named City of Cairns, the second City of Townsville. The journey takes 24 hours 55 minutes in both directions (including 15 stops) - 6 hours 35 minutes faster than the Sunlander service6. The seven-car, stainless-steel bodied sets (ten envisaged originally including three sleepers but discarded for reasons of cost) are flanked by high-performance, 60-tonne diesel power units, 20.35m long7. The coaches are 21.5m long, 2.97m wide and 3.89m high; mass 42 tonnes. In 2003, the 2,700kW gross power output of each driving unit set a new power-to-weight ratio record in Australia. Two German MTU 12V396 1350kW engines power all four axles of each unit through axle-mounted gearboxes via two-speed Voith hydraulic automatic transmission. A 150kW auxiliary diesel engine powers accessories such as air-conditioning and lighting.

Despite QR’s strenuous efforts with track alignment, a number of speed-restricting curves remain. On one near Berajondo, 74km

north of Bundaberg, reportedly running at 112km/h through curves restricted to 60km/h, all seven cars and one motive unit of Cairns-bound diesel tilt-train City of Townsville derailed on 15 November 2004. Of 156 passengers and seven crew, 123 were injured – twelve seriously.A temporary speed limit of 100km/h was imposed on all tilt-trains until further track upgrades and Automatic Train Protection (ATP) was completed by June 2007.

In November 2008, the same set collided with a loaded B-double truck at a crossing 20km north of Ingham, damaging its leading power unit beyond repair. Fortunately all passenger coaches and rear power unit remained on the rails, unscathed8. Tragically, the two train drivers aboard died: nine of the 86 passengers and crew

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(and the truck driver) were injured. Only two weekly Brisbane-Cairns tilt-trains ran until a new power unit was delivered in September 2011. Meanwhile, a bridge has replaced the crossing.

THE SPIRIT OF QUEENSLANDOn 28 October 2013, the first of QR’s refurbished diesel-powered tilt-train sets rebranded The Spirit of Queensland departed Brisbane for Cairns on an unchanged schedule: 24 hours, 55 minutes including 15 stops. The set features “RailBeds”, an Australian first. First class passengers in two coaches enjoy comfortable, cocoon-shaped seats by day, which recline at night, becoming flat beds. Sheets, duvet, pillow, towel and personal amenity pack are provided. Five 2x1 rows of 515mm wide RailBeds (each 1,900m long at the window, 1,700m aisle) fill a coach, flanked with a row of single beds at each end. Three 51-seat (2x2 plus a single) “Premium Economy” coaches have “very generous” leg room, two toilets and a shower. On-demand movies, music and audio books are available in both classes. Arrangements regarding hand and stowed luggage are similar to checking in at an airport.

The club car, placed between first class and premium economy, sells snacks and beverages including alcohol. First class fares include meals, passengers being served at their seats.

FARESThe lowest fare option is “B Quick”, requiring payment against booking confirmation; changes to this are restricted. The standard adult fare has flexible booking conditions.

THE NEW TILT-TRAIN SPIRIT OF QUEENSLAND VS THE SUNLANDER: A PERSONAL VIEWMimicking air travel on a long-distance train journey puts me off travelling overnight. Being confined to a seat for 25 hours on a train (airplane, bus or car for that matter) is a l-o-n-g time, even for an avid train traveller! The charm - romance if you like - of long-distance train travel was typified by full dining-car service and traditional compartment cars with sleeping berths. Pre-cooked meals heated in microwave ovens, served airline-style in containers may be acceptable in economy class seating, but not when paying a first class fare.

Once three tilt-trains are in service in late 2014, the air-conditioned Brisbane-Cairns Sunlander - a Queensland icon since 1952 – is to be withdrawn, marking the end of traditional long-distance sleeper and dining car service.

Introduction of the refurbished tilt-trains between Brisbane and Cairns means discontinuing the hitherto luxurious Queenslander class, with its superior accommodation, fine dining in exclusive restaurant cars and personalised service. The Society of International Railway Travellers rated the Sunlander’s Queenslander class one of the world’s top 25 rail journeys, Rovos Rail’s The Pride of Africa being another9.

At the other end of the market, the new tilt-trains no longer provide economy class sleepers and sitters for the budget-conscious, like pensioners. The Sunlander withdrawal also ends the motorail service – no more taking your own vehicle instead of hiring a car. QR seems to be running against other long-distance rail passenger trends in Australia, where compartments with private amenities are still favoured. The Great Southern Railway’s Indian Pacific and Ghan have been refurbished with two-berth, en-suite compartments. Whether QR’s heavy investment in state-of-the-art, high-tech tilt-

trains with RailBeds will compete effectively with A$119 one-way Brisbane-Cairns airfares remains to be seen.

Footnotes[1] In Feb 1995, three Swedish Railways X2000 tilt cars were evaluated by the State Rail Authority of New South Wales with trial runs on routes including the 1,435mm gauge link to Brisbane. [2] In Oct 1994, the A$62.5 million contract to build two six-car tilt-train sets was awarded to Evans Deakin Industries’ subsidiary Walkers Ltd of Maryborough, builders of locos for Queensland’s railways since 1867.[3] From 3 July 1989, following track improvements, the ‘emu’ InterCity Brisbane-Rockhampton Express (ICE) Spirit of Capricorn ran at a top speed of 140km/h. (Replaced in May 2003 by diesel tilt-trains.)[4] Timetable adjustments have increased the running time by up to an additional 20 minutes. [5] A standard South African class 6E1 electric locomotive with modified gear ratios set a world speed record of 245km/h on 1,067mm gauge between Midway and Bank on 31 October 1978. [6] A new 20 April 2008 timetable shaved an hour off the schedule but later reverted to 24 hours, 55 minutes.[7] In August 1998, the Queensland State Government signed a preliminary agreement with Walkers Ltd (EDI Rail) to construct two 10-car diesel tilt-trains for A$122 million. The proposed inclusion of sleepers was dropped to stay within a revised budget limited to A$139 million. [8] The 56-tonne truck was travelling at about 75/km/h; the train 57km/h. All tilt-train services were suspended until 1 Dec 2008 due to concerns about the crashworthiness of the drivers’ cab, which “lozenged”, severely compromising survival space. [9] The up-market Queenslander was introduced as a separate train in 1986, but since 2003 the cars (sleepers, dining & lounge car and motorail carrier) were attached to the Sunlander service twice a week. The current timetable has the Queenslander cars attached only once weekly.

References:1. http://www.qrig.org/motive-power/self-propelled-passenger-stock/

walkersmtu-diesel-tilt-train (accessed 15 Dec 2013)2. http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/queensland/

(accessed 15 Dec 2013)3. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/new-tilt-train-

shaves-six-hours-off-brisbane-to-cairns-trip-20131028-2wc8l.html (accessed 15 Dec 2013)

4. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/passenger/single-view/view/queensland-orders-next-generation-diesel-tilt-train.html (accessed 15 Dec 2013)

5. http://www railexpress.com.au/archive/2013/august-2013/august-21/other-top-stories/queenslands-famed-sunlander-gets-makeover (accessed 16 Dec 2013)

6. CLARK P. An Inter City interlude. Queensland’s diesel tilt-trains. Railway Digest. Nov 2004, pp22-25.

7. GILL R & GILL J. Rails to the Tropics: A new for old comparison. Railway Digest, Aug 2011, pp22-27.

8. HANLON P & WEBER B. Rail Motors, emus and tilt-trains of Queensland. ARHS Queensland Division, 2011, pp.97-101.

9. HOYLE J. Australia enters the tilt-train era. Railway Digest, Dec 1998, pp22-25, 40.

10. HOYLE J. QR’s diesel tilt-train – a technical snapshot. Railway Digest. August 2003, pp17-20.

11. HOYLE J. Spirit of Queensland tilt-train service commences. Railway Digest, Dec 2013, pp.16-17.

12. JAMES M. Ten years of tilt-trains in Queensland. Railway Digest, April 2009, pp34-37.

13. KERR J. From Cairns to Brisbane. Railway Digest, Sep 2003, pp22-24.14. News: Rungoo tilt-train/truck collision report released. Railway

Digest, Jan 2010, p6.15. News: Trucks hit diesel tilt-train and Sunlander. Railway Digest, Feb

2009, pp8-9.16. OBERG L. Locomotives of Australia 1850s-2007. Rosenberg

Publishing Pty Ltd, 2007, p388.


It is no secret that many African rail companies are facing tough economic conditions. With this in mind, the Timken Company is always looking for ways to assist railroad operations to become more cost effective and efficient. Railways Africa spoke to Vivashan Muthan, manager: rail Southern Africa for Timken at Timken’s recent ‘Big Move’ conference about the company’s mission to help railroads meet the challenge of moving more for less.

Timken technology has constantly and consistently advanced since the company’s inception in 1898. In 1954, the company introduced the Timken® AP™ roller bearing which became the industry standard while Timken continued to innovate, developing the AP-2™ design in 1994, the SureFit™ universal backing ring in 2007 and the virtually zero-torque EcoTurn™ seal in 2008.

Engineers at Timken technology centres around the world collaborate with customers to design, engineer and test a continuous stream of new and next generation products and solutions in response to customers’ needs.

In fact, many of its products are solutions to problems, which the railroads themselves approached Timken to solve.

The AP-2 bearing is one such product. To meet the growing challenges of increased loads and speeds, Timken engineered the AP-2 bearing with a shorter distance between the inboard cone back face and the axle dust guard. This reduces the amount of micro movement and the resultant wear on the inboard cone back face. Also, by eliminating the seal wear ring, axle grooving and the resulting scrapping or expensive repairs of the axle was eliminated.

The newest AP-2 bearing for use on 7” axle journals is designed for axle loads up to 45 tons. When used in conjunction with the EcoTurn seal, it provides lower and more consistent bearing operating temperatures, which reduce the probability of costly false hotbox set-outs.

“Freight operators will also appreciate that the lighter AP-2 bearing design reduces the weight of an average wagon by about 100kg without compromising the load characteristics,” explains Muthan.

In its continuous innovation path, Timken also sought to address the railroad’s problem of scrapping entire axles due to under-size dust guard diameters. The company’s SureFit™ universal backing ring features an integral compression ring, which provides positive clamping, even when the dust-guard diameter is undersized by up to 1.25mm.

“When one considers that the cost of this backing ring is a fraction of a percent of the cost of a new axle, fitting bearings with the SureFit™ universal backing ring design provides a significant return on investment from the wheel set life cycle cost perspective,” explains Muthan.

To meet the challenge of moving more for less, Timken also focuses on the maintenance of rail bearings. It pioneered the AAR approved reconditioning procedure, which is now a global practice.

“Our confidence in Timken reconditioned product is so strong that we supply users the same warranty as new bearings,” adds Muthan. To add to its customer-centricity, Timken operates out of its local production and remanufacturing facility in Benoni.

“In fact, we are the only in-country bearing manufacturer,” says Muthan proudly, adding that this is important considering the current emphasis on significant local content being incorporated into new rolling stock products. Apart from this facility, Timken has set up on-site mobile reconditioning services operated out of a purpose-designed 40-foot cargo container dedicated to bearing reconditioning.The reconditioning process incorporates remanufacturing component parts, raceway regrinding, injection of new components

as necessary as well as an option of plating marginally oversized cone bores to restore these to OEM specification.

Data relating to new or reconditioned bearings is logged into a centralised database, so that if information related to the product is required later in life, it can be rapidly accessed.

“Embedding these stackable Timken technologies as an optimized bearing solution into rail applications helps improve productivity, safety and efficiency,” says Muthan. “This creates the potential for a dramatic reduction in the total cost of ownership,” he concludes.

Viv Muthan

The Timken AP-2 – the answer to keeping rolling stock rolling.

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tEchNology

CAPTURiNg THE AFRiCAN RAiL MARkET WiTH TiMkEN iNNOvATiON


ANGOLATRANS-kALAHARi RAiLWAyA memorandum of understanding to begin planning the Trans-Kalahari railway across Botswana and Namibia has been signed by officials of the two countries in Walvis Bay. “A developer-arranged investment model,” TransNamib Holdings chief corporate communications officer Ailly Hangula-Paulino is quoted saying, “has to be set up to guide financing, construction, and operation of the new line.”A ministerial committee representative of both governments needs to be created, and a joint venture established as a public-private partnership.

The new railway is to begin at Botswana’s Mmamabula coalfields, where it will connect with existing railways. The route is envisaged following the Trans-Kalahari Corridor (TKC) to the Namibian border at Mamuno. It will continue along the TKC across Namibia, passing Gobabis and Okahandja to Walvis Bay. Financing details have not been worked out yet but a figure between $US10 and 15 billion has been mentioned, with each country contributing half. No date has been set for the start of construction.

It is anticipated that the line of about 1,500km, which could be finished in five years, would carry some 90 million tonnes of coal annually, for export to mainly India and China.

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICAThe competitiveness of African countries in international and local markets Is severely hampered by transport costs, said to be 63% higher than in developed countries. According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), transport costs on the continent represent between 30% and 50% of total export value. The costs are higher in landlocked countries such as South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Uganda, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, ,where the cost of moving goods can constitute three-quarters of total export value.

Intra-African trade is said to be about 11% of total trade, compared with nearly 40% among the countries of south-east Asia.

To deal with this situation, the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) was established in July 2010. An initiative of the AfDB, New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), and the African Union, PIDA aims to “bridge Africa’s massive infrastructure gap” by uplifting rail and road throughout the continent.

CHiNESE iNvOLvEMENT iN AFRiCA’S RAiLWAySAccording to Germany’s Der Spiegel, about 2,000 Chinese companies are currently operating in Africa. Many of these are concerned with railways.

Angola, whose war-devastated rail systems have been completely rebuilt by Chinese endeavour, is a prime example. It is no coincidence that Angola is one of China’s primary sources of oil, featuring prominently in the current trade agreement between the two countries. Chinese concerns are rebuilding railways in Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Nigeria, worth billions of dollars.

Construction companies owned by the Chinese government have a $US9 billion contract to build railways and roads in the copper-rich Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). South Africa has ordered large numbers of new locomotives from China, which has already supplied motive power to countries such as Nigeria and Namibia. The African Development Bank (AfDB) intends launching a “pan-African infrastructure bond” totalling about $22 billion. Much of this will go towards rail and road projects, mainly in East and Central Africa.


AFRICA UPDATE

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EGYPTUPgRAdiNg THE RAiLWAyOn 27 March 2014 the Egyptian cabinet reviewed a new plan presented by transport minister Ibrahim el-Demeiry to upgrade the country’s railways. The scheme aims to bring the system in line with international standards and meet a growing demand for both passenger and freight service. The cabinet instructed el-Demeiry to accelerate economic studies of the project.

411a1 14 03 24€125 MILLION LOAN FOR NEW ROLLING STOCKThe European Bank for Restructuration and Development (EBRD) is to lend the Egyptian government €125 million. The money is to be used in acquiring six new “energy-efficient” passenger trainsets for the Egyptian National Railways (ENR). These 10-coach loco-hauled sets will assist in addressing overcrowding problems, notably on the 208km Cairo-Alexandria route.

ETHIOPIACHiNESE TRAMS FOR AddiS ABABATo operate the new light rail system being built in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, 41 low-floor tramcars are to be supplied by the CNR Corporation (CNR) in China, starting late in 2014. The vehicles will be customised for the altitude of 2,400 metres and conditions such as strong ultraviolet light. Special constituents are to be used in the glass, rubber, paint and cable components.

diESELS FOR ETHiOPiAN CONSTRUCTiON

The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), currently working on the the new 1,435mm gauge railway from Ethiopia to Djibouti, is importing three 100km/h diesel-electric locomotives from CNR Dalian for construction duties. The 2,940kW units are to be specially fitted for the dusty conditions in which they will work, as well as temperatures as high as 50°C at altitudes in excess of 2,000 metres. Railway reconstruction will focus mainly on the lines serving the eastern and western corridors. The eastern line is to tie in with the Boankra Inland Port, to serve the middle and northern parts of the country, as well as landlocked Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.

KENYATHE gAUgE CONTROvERSy TThe new 1,435mm gauge railway being built from Mombasa continues to be controversial. The main aspect raised by critics is that there was no public bidding for the contract awarded to the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). Reportedly this was signed in terms of a 2011 memorandum of understanding between the Kenyan and Chinese governments.

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Member of parliament Alfred Kiptoo Keter alleges the contract is heavily overpriced by international norms – the consequence of not going to tender. Because there were no tenders, there is no means by which anyone can compare the price meaningfully with anything else, he says. The African Development Bank (AfDB) is among several who argue that the billions involved would be better spent on improving the existing railway. According to the AfDB, railways in East Africa currently operate at between 20 and 30% of what they should be carrying due to poor maintenance and mismanagement. Another concern is the difficulty there is going to be in interworking between railways of different gauges.

The second of two high-level investigations into the matter is being conducted by parliament’s public investment committee. “Various irregularities” uncovered to date reportedly suggest that the public procurement oversight authority (PPOA) approved the project but ignored warnings from attorney-general Githu Mugai in doing so.

Anti-corruption activists maintain that work on the project should be halted until all questions have been resolved. Other representations contend the contract should be cancelled, followed by a proper and open tender process.

MALAWIAddiTiONAL ROLLiNg STOCk Central East African Railways (CEAR), which operates the Malawi state rail system, has purchased five locomotives from South Africa. Currently undergoing extensive refurbishment by Transnet Engineering (TE), they are retired Transnet Freight Rail class 33

units - GE U20C models new in the nineteen-sixties. It is expected that all five will be in service by June 2014. In due course, existing CEAR locomotives are to be sent to TE for overhaul.

According to CEAR’s Chisomo Mwamadi quoted by the Nyasa Times, the railway carried 228,000 tonnes of freight in 2013, substantially short of its 331,000 tonne target. The shortfall was largely attributed to insufficiency of motive power, the existing roster totalling seven locos.

The railway acquired six passenger coaches in 2013 and is to be supplied with a further batch in the third quarter of 2014. These will be used to augment passenger service in Malawi.

NAMIBIAPARTNERSHiP WiTH TRANSNET

According to TransNamib chief executive officer Sara Naanda, a partnership with South Africa’s Transnet – embodied in a recently signed memorandum of understanding – “will go a long way towards smoothing operations, at the same time providing an opportunity for skills transfer.” Information is to be shared on matters such as development and the acquisition of rolling stock. No financial assistance is mentioned in the MoU, however. TransNamib’s financial situation has been described in the press as precarious. It recently asked the government for funds (a sum of R2 billion was mentioned) to purchase rolling stock.

Windhoek newspapers point out that TransNamib has been “a perennial loss-maker in the past five years”, and suggest that about 50% of the route length is dilapidated and inoperable.

NIGERIAALL STATE CAPiTALS TO gET RAiLOn 13 March, in the course of a two-day state visit, Nigerian

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President Goodluck Jonathan promised Katsina state Emir Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir Usman that the railway would be extended beyond Kano to his city. Providing railways to all the country’s sate capitals, the president said, would help reduce fuel costs and enhance the nation’s socio-economic development. It was the government’s duty to provide reliable transport to all 170 million Nigerians, he added.

ZTE COMMUNiCATiONS FOR NigERiA’S RAiLWAyThe China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) is currently constructing a 1,435mm gauge, double track railway from Lagos to Kano. ZTE (Zhongxing Telecommunication Equipment Corporation) has been assigned to provide an advanced communications system for the 1,315km line. The scope of the project includes the transmission, telephone and wireless systems, as well as scheduling and optical communications, power supply and related instruments. Information systems to be supplied include passenger guidance, public address, clocks and power supply devices.

The contract represents a breakthough for ZTE into the African rail market. The firm has a 16-year history in China, where it has supplied more than 40 rail systems in cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Harbin, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Wuhan. The company’s international expertise has backed projects in countries such as Russia, Georgia and Vietnam.

NRC viSiON

Newly appointed Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) chairman Alhaji Bamanga Tukur is quoted saying he wants to “divide Africa into two with the Nigerian railway system.” He spoke when visiting the corporation’s workshops at Ebute Meta in Lagos. Tukur went on: “I want the Nigerian railway to go beyond the country to Tanzania and many other countries,” adding: “I will use my wealth of experience to promote the transformation agenda of the president through a reliable, effective and efficient railway transport sub-sector.”

• Tukur had a similar dream when he was minister of transport some years ago, visualising the Nigerian railway reaching Chad, Sudan and Uganda.

RAiL iNFRASTRUCTURE UPdATEOlumide Israel, a public affairs commentator resident in Ilorin, Nigeria, quotes the following data attributed to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) during March 2014:

- About 90% of the existing 1,067mm gauge lines are currently being rehabilitated across Nigeria.

- Construction of the Abuja-Kaduna & Ajaokuta-Warri 1.435mm gauge lines is nearing completion.

- The 1,124km Lagos-Kano 1,067mm gauge Western Line rehabilitation is complete.

- The 1,657km Port Harcourt-Maiduguri 1,067mm gauge Eastern Line rehabilitation is nearing completion.

- Rehabilitation of the main-line from Ebute Metta Junction to Apapa station has been completed.

- Passenger train service between Lagos and Kano was restored in December 2013.

- 40 new tankcars have been acquired and are in service conveying fuel.

- Passenger and freight services between Port Harcourt and Maiduguri will be restored soon.

Construction of a double-track 1,435mm gauge line has commenced between Lagos and Ibadan (180km).

• Altogether 366 coaches and wagons have been rehabilitated and 25 new locomotives acquired from General Electric. NRC has also taken delivery of four new locomotives from CNR. Two 540-passenger diesel multiple unit sets (DMUs) have been ordered as well as well as six air-conditioned 68-seat coaches.

• An investment Incentive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between General Electric and the Federal Government which envisages a multi-modal locomotive assembly facility being established in Nigeria. The initial target is to assemble 200 locomotives over 10 years in terms of a special country-to-country relationship.

NigERiAN RAiL TRAFFiC UPdATEOlumide Israel, a public affairs commentator resident in Ilorin, Nigeria, quotes the following data attributed to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) during March 2014:

FREIght tRaFFIc

- Wheat owned by Flour Mills Ltd is being moved from Apapa to Kaduna and Kano.

- Freight for Connect Rail Limited (a freight logistics company) is being hauled by rail.

- About 1,500 tons of cement (equivalent to 50 road trailer loads) is being transported everyweek for Lafarge Cement Plc from Ewekoro to Ibadan, Oshogbo, Ilorin, Minna and Kano.

- Some 100,000 tons (equivalent to 3,333 road trailer loads) of laterite is being moved from Otukpo toMakurdi for SCC Nigeria Limited.

- Petroleum products equivalent to 30 tankers are being transported every week from Lagos to points north as far as Kano.

In all, about 561,883 metric tons of freight have been conveyed by rail from 2011 to date.

PaSSENgER tRaFFIc

- Lagos-Ibadan-Ilori-Lagos three times a week, moving an average of 6,188 passengers weekly.

- Minna-Kaduna-Minna three times a week, moving an average of 3,450 passengers weekly.

- Kano-Nguru-Kano twice per week, moving an average of 850 passengers weekly.

- Lagos-Kano weekly.

- Offa-Kano, weekly

- Lagos mass transit - 16 trains daily on weekdays, average 16,000 passengers per day.

- Kaduna mass transit – 10 trains daily on weekdays, average 10,000 passengers per day.

SIERRA LEONERRL gRiNdROd: SERviNg AFRiCA RRL Grindrod’s rail services include operations, leasing of locomotives,

NIAMEY

Dosso

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track construction and maintenance, also signalling. In addition, the group makes finance available to clients through the Pembani Remgro Infrastructure Fund, facilitating the leasing of RRL Grindrod locomotives by state and private railway entities, including mining companies.

The concern has a presence currently in the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and Kenya. It was awarded a contract recently to build, operate and maintain a new 600km railway from the copperbelt across North-Western Zambia and into Angola, to connect with the Benguela Railway running to the Atlantic.

Taking one example of the firm’s activities on the continent, RRL Grindrod presently achieves 95% availability of rolling stock in Sierra Leone, despite the remoteness of the country and obstacles like heavy rainfall for much of the year.

TAZARATRANSNET MAy HELP TAZARA

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) conveyed only 230,000 tonnes of freight in the whole of 2013 – a record low. The line’s joint owners – the governments of Tanzania and Zambia – are looking for investors to help revive the railway. SMH Rail of Malaysia and Transnet of South Africa are both mentioned as possible financial partners for Tazara. The system receives periodic help from China, whose workforce built the line in the seventies, but not enough to put the company back on its feet.

TAZARA EXTENSiON TO BURUNdi?The Times of Zambia quotes minister of foreign affairs Wilbur Simuusa

on a proposed connection from the 1,067mm gauge Tanzania-Zambia Railway (Tazara) to Bujumbura in Burundi. According to the minister, bilateral talks are taking place between the governments of Zambia and Tanzania, each of which would fund 50% of the cost.

It is not clear how earlier proposals to build a line to Burundi and Rwanda off the existing Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL) branch to Mwanza (on Lake Victoria) are affected. These envisaged the use of 1,435mm gauge, and conversion of the present metre-gauge from Dar es Salaam to this figure.

• The 1,067mm gauge line now proposed would need to run along the entire length of Lake Tanganyika (676km), roughly parallel to the eastern shore. It would have to cross the TRL metre-gauge line from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma.

TANZANIAUPgRAdiNg TANgA-ARUSHA RAiLWAy

The Tanzanian government’s Reli Assets Holding Company (Rahco) has briefed consultants COWI Tanzania Limited to undertake full environmental and social impact assessments for upgrading the dormant railway linking Arusha in the north of the country to the port of Tanga. A link from the line to the port of Mwambani is to form part of the study.

NEW ARUSHA-MUSOMA RAiLWAyThe Tanzanian government’s Reli Assets Holding Company (Rahco), according to managing director Benhadard Tito quoted by East African Business Week, intends to construct a new 1,435mm gauge railway from Arusha to Musoma on Lake Victoria (about 664km). There are to be two branches, one to the existing fertiliser plant at Minjingu, the other to a proposed soda ash plant at Wosiwosi near Lake Natron. Rahco is empowered by Section 11 of Tanzania’s Railways Act of 2002 to develop, manage and maintain rail infrastructure and to provide rail transport services by means of joint venture, concession and similar arrangements.

RRL Grindrod diesel-electric locomotive for operation in Sierra Leone.Photo: John Batwell

Withdrawn New Zealand electric multiple-unit stock en route to South Africa for refitting as loco-hauled coaches in Tanzania. Photo: B Hinton

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ZAMBIA$US51M SigNALLiNg CONTRACT

According to Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) chief executive Muyenga Atanga, a $US51 million agreement signed recently will result in a “first-in-Africa” signalling system along the 980km Chingola-Livingstone main-line. In addition to Canada’s Bombardier, the contracted consortium comprises Huawei Technologies Limited and GMC Technologies Zambia Limited. Bombardier says Zambia will be the first African country to instal their latest Interflow signalling equipment: “The technology is so advanced that the train brakes if the driver doesn’t.” GSM-R and microwave technology will supplement computer-based interlockings. The deal includes telecommunication equipment and it is said that 3,200 jobs will be created.

gRiNdROd TO BUiLd NORTH-WESTERN RAiLWAySouth Africa’s Grindrod is to build, operate and maintain Zambia’s new North-Western Railway from Chingola to the Angolan border. “Subject to the conclusion of the Phase One bankable feasibility study, construction of the $US989 million project is expected to start this year. The railway will be built in two phases with an estimated capital of US$489m for Phase I and $500m for Phase 2.” Phase I (about 290km) will extend from Chingola to the Kansanshi, Lumwana and Kalumbila mines. In terms of Phase 2, the line is to be extended to the border with Angola, and thereafter to a connection with Caminhos de ferro de Benguela (CFB) near Luau.

ZAMBiAN RAiLWAy REHABiLiTATiONZambia Railways Limited (ZRL) has begun its rehabilitation programme by awarding tenders to 32 local companies which are to work on the section from Chililabombwe to Livingstone. The work is being funded by a $US120 million government disbursement from the $750 million Eurobond obtained in 2012. When complete in 2015, it will be possible to raise train speeds to 80km/h, ZRL chief executive Muyenga Atanga says. The target, he explained at a function in Lusaka, is to upgrade 500 kilometres of line before the end of 2014. Professor Atanga urged the contractors to engage women in the rehabilitation works as was done on the Chipata-Mchinji line in the Eastern Province.

ZRL has procured 95,941 new concrete sleepers for track rehabilitation.

ZRL AiMS TO dOUBLE REvENUEAccording to Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) chief executive officer Muyenga Atanga, the company’s freight and passenger trains earned about K213 million (nearly $US36,000) in 2013.Once the current track rehabilitation is complete, he says, this figure can be expected to double. Professor Atanga recently inspected the workshops where passenger coaches are being overhauled.

ZIMBABWE$100 MiLLiON LOSSThe Zimbabwe press reported and commented recently on the financial performance of the national railway. Specifically, it dealt with a report by auditor-general Mildred Chiri – but it was by no means up to date, covering the two-year period to 2011. The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) lost in excess of $US100 million between 2009 and 2011.

In her report, Chiri wrote: “The company’s current liabilities exceeded the current assets by $16,933,762 as at 31 December 2011. In the year ended 41 December 2010 it incurred a net loss of $24,403,787 and in the year to 31 December 2011 the loss was $46,027,306.”

“The company incurred net losses of US$46 027 at 31 December 2011, NRZ had accumulated losses of $105,591.222 since adopting the multi-currency system in 2009.” Chiri expressed “significant doubt” over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern - let alone attain viability.

NRZ management, reacting to the auditor-general’s report, said it anticipated improved business levels would “significantly improve in the foreseeable future”. It had been engaging the private sector through private public partnership programmes for the refurbishment of locomotives and rolling stock. Government meanwhile had advanced “some funds” for the rehabilitation of infrastructure.” In addition, “some financial assistance” for the recapitalisation programme is expected from [unspecified] “international lenders”.

ZAMBIA

ANGOLA

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

BOTSWANA

ZIMBABWE

MOZAMBIQUE

MA

LAW

I

MonzeChoma

Kwekwe

Gweru

Mutare

to Beira

Marondera

Tete

Chipata Mchinji

Odzi

Hwange

ChingolaKitwe

KolweziDiloloLuau

Luanshya

Mazabuka

Ndola

Kabwe

LUSAKA

LILONGWE

HARARE

Kapiri Mposhi

LivingstoneCAPRIVI STRIP

OkavangoDelta

Lake Kariba

Kariba Dam

Proposed North-Western Railway

Cabora Bassa

Mulobezi

Senanga

Kazungula

Kafue

NAMIBIA

Lubumbashi

Chas Rickwood visited Zeco’s Leamington Road premises in Bulawayo recently. Seven ex-South African class 35 diesels were in the shops, three already painted in the new Beitbridge-Bulawayo Railway (BBR) Grindrod livery. Loco R01 had performed well on a test trip to Colleen Bawn, returning with a load of clinker. If a planned second test (to Beitbridge and Victoria Falls) is successful, the diesel will be handed over for line service.

Sa RaIl NEWS


It was a significant day for DCD Rolling Stock (DCD RS) when it unveiled its new suite of robotic welding equipment on 28 November 2013. The event followed closely on the recent launch of the company’s advanced passive hydraulic steering (Jika) bogie. (Railways Africa 5-2013, p 6). The latest purchase became necessary after DCD RS sister company, DCD Protected Mobility, moved to new premises, taking its welding equipment with it. The new robotic welding equipment was installed in DCD RS’s Boksburg East factory early in October and was commissioned later that month.

After the move, DCD RS general manager Petrus Mulaudzi explained at the launch, the company invested R80 million on refurbishing its facility. R10 million of this was spent on the welding equipment.

Mulaudzi added that although the railway industry has been in the doldrums for a number of years, its immediate future both in South Africa as well as the rest of the continent is set for a marked increase in activity. For this reason, DCD RS has embarked on a R240 million recapitalisation programme to entrench its reputation as a manufacturer supplying locomotives, wagons and bogies to railways, mining and industry. DCD group managing director Rob

King added that DCD RS will be supplying new locomotives to Tanzania. It was the winning of this contract that prompted the decision to invest in the new robotic welding cells. DCD RS has the advantage of being a division of the much larger DCD Group. “If the level of work picks up considerably,” King explained, “and DCD RS receives a large contract, it will call on the other DCD businesses in the group such as Heavy Engineering, Venco and Protected Mobility, which have similar manufacturing capability.”

DCD RS has invested in four Swedish-built Motoman welding cells, two larger and two smaller units, a combination that will give versatility to the production processes. As the cells are modular, their length can be increased to cope with the larger assignments that may be undertaken. Five DCD RS welding technicians have been trained in robotic welding under the leadership of a highly experienced expert. Automated welding will be used to carry out straightforward fabrication, allowing the company’s experienced welders to finish more complex tasks such as welding curves and corners. Automation does not mean any jobs will be lost. “Robotic welding,” King explains, “will almost quadruple bogie production capacity at DCD RS”. This level of productivity is essential if the company is to cope with the anticipated demand.

dCd ROLLiNg STOCk RECAPiTALiSATiON: THE FiRST STEP

Cutting the ribbon at the launch of DCD Rolling Stock’s new robotic welding facility, group MD Rob King (left) assists minister of public enterprises Malusi Gigaba.

RAiL NEWSSOUTH AFRiCAN

Sa RaIl NEWS


Harmony’s loco heading from the depot to the exchange yard to pick up an ore load brought by a Sheltam diesel.

Loco 34 069 on the petrol shunt at Gunhill yard, Kroonstad.

Latest additions to the RRL fleet, seen at Welkom.

Sad remains: Karee station, 34km north of Bloemfonetin on the OFSmain-line.

Photos: Jacque Wepener

North British-built 4-8-2T loco plinthed at the Allanridge mine club.

RRL 22-03 returning from Odendaalsrus, Freddies 5 shaft, seen here at the Stateway road crossing in Friedesheim.

Sa RaIl NEWS

24

FREE STATE ROUNd-UP


AiRCON FOR THE CLASS 34Based on the success of the GE HVAC system supplied for Transnet Freight Rail’s class 43 locomotives, Booyco Engineering was awarded a contract to design and manufacture similar air-conditioning for fitting to the class 34. The tried and tested inverter-driven system design, specially engineered for the class 43 diesel-electrics, has been incorporated in fitting out the class 34s.

“All components for our air-conditioning systems are selected to deliver high levels of reliability under extremes of shock and vibration, dust burden, temperature and humidity,” Booyco Engineering managing director Pieter de Koning explains. Five units will be engineered and supplied over a nine-month period in strict accordance with the requirements of ISO 9001:2008. Performance testing will be undertaken in Booyco Engineering’s in-house climate chamber to verify that all the required operating parameters are met. Each unit will then be certified to ensure compliance with the relevant specifications.

“In addition to the type-testing the first unit of each new design undergoes,” De Koning emphasises, “each subsequent unit is run and key parameters are recorded in the course of routine testing. In this way we are able to ensure each is commissioned to the same specification as the test unit. A further test on the first installed unit will verify the performance of the air conditioner in situ.

“It is critical that Transnet’s class 34 loco drivers operate in an environment conducive to safe working practice and comfort. Long-haul routes and high external ambient temperatures mean that the absence of a reliable and robust air-conditioning system can result in driver fatigue and distress. Air-conditioning will increase productivity levels and the wellbeing of drivers.”

www.booyco.co.za

MORE CLASS 20E LOCOS ARRivEThree more class 20E locomotives from China were offloaded at the port of Durban in mid-December. The reported running numbers were 20-001; 20-004 and 20-005.They are at Pyramid, north of Pretoria, for testing - having joined locos 20-002 and 20-003 which arrived previously. Two class 18E units hauled the new arrivals to Pretoria

TFR dual voltage (25kV AC/3kV DC) class 20E loco undergoing factory inspection in China

R50 BiLLiON ORdER FOR NEW LOCOSR50 billion order for 1,064 new locomotives – the biggest for motive power ever placed. For various reasons – but principally to ensure delivery in three years – four different manufacturers are to undertake manufacture and supply.

• Diesel-electrics: GE is to supply 233 ES40Aci Evolution series for R7.1 billion, and CNR 232 3.3MW models for R7.8 billion.

• Dual-voltage (3kV DC and 25kV AC) electrics: Bombardier to deliver 240 Traxx Africa units for R10.4 billion, and CSR Zhuzhou 359 locos for R14.5 billion.

Except for 70, all the locos – mainly for use on general freight - are to be assembled at Transnet Engineering plants in Pretoria and Durban.

CNR 232 3.3MW diesel-electric

Bombardier dual-voltage Traxx Africa electric loco

Sa RaIl NEWS


Sa RaIl NEWS

OFS MAiN-LiNE SigNALLiNgWhites, 47km south of Kroonstad on the electrified double track Free State main-line to Bloemfontein, is the junction for Welkom. The branch continues to Rooiblom/Ancona, where it joins the Vierfontein-Bothaville-Wesselsbron line. Whites is now under CTC, being remotely controlled from Kroonstad.

We are informed that Virginia (where temporary white crosses were

A “luxrailer” inspection trolley photographed recently by Jacque Wepener.

The single use crucibleRail Welding

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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.

CD323_therm_adv.indd 1 2007/10/24 09:52:34 AM

displayed on the signals in early April) is the next station to switch to CTC. Welgelee is to follow after Virginia, then Theunissen. These will be controlled from Kroonstad. Brandfort as also on the agenda but in this case control will be from Bloemfontein.

It is understood that the mechanical semaphore signals at stations north of Kroonstad are expected to last some time longer – possibly several years. These are interesting in that electric motors power the points because female TCOs (train control operators) had difficulty with the mechanical lever frames.

• TCOs are the people we used to know as station foremen (or just plain signalmen).

dAyLigHT SiTTER WiTHdRAWNThe short-lived, once-weekly “Daylight Sitter” Johannesburg-Durban-Johannesburg intercity train has been withdrawn, the final return journey taking place in the last weekend of March. Only 14 passengers were aboard the final journey. No official reason for discontinuation was given. It is surmised that low patronage combined with poor timekeeping were the main contributory factors. Maintenance work on the line during daylight in recent months saw the express arriving in the middle of the night rather than the early evening.

WATERBERg COAL LiNESIn the recent past, Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) increased annual capacity on the Waterberg coalfield line from 4 million tons to 6.5. The Grootegeluk mine is currently supplied with four trains every week, double the previous allocation. Annual export capacity of 4.5 million tons is foreseen for 2014. Additional track facilities planned during 2014 will make it possible to operate 200-wagon trains from the Waterberg through to Richards Bay. The parastatal’s published plans speak of 28 million ton annual capacity eventually.


LONgER HOURS FOR gAUTRAiNGautrain’s present start-up time (05:30) is to be brought forward by 30 minutes. And the last train (20:30) will run 35 minutes later. These service adjustments, which apply to the airport branch as well as the Johannesburg-Pretoria main-line, were announced by Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Dr Ismail Vadi.

At the same time, the current tally (6) for morning-peak eight-coach trains will go up by one. For the benefit of late arriving air travellers, the Sandton station carpark is to stay open until midnight.

•Come again? That’s three hours after the last train from the airport.

AiRPORT PLATFORMS TO BE LENgTHENEdConstruction is to go ahead shortly on lengthening Gautrain platforms at the airport station, which can only accommodate two-and-a-half coaches.

•How on earth did that happen in a project costing R32 billion?

LOAd SHEddiNg HALTS gAUTRAiN

It was announced on the morning of 6 March that Gautrain rail services had been suspended south of Marlboro due to electricity load shedding. Bus shuttles were provided between Marlboro and Sandton and south of Sandton to Rosebank. There was no clarity on the situation south of Rosebank and whether one trainset continued shuttling on the single track to Park station. This would not have been possible however if there were no power at Rosebank. Train services north of Marlboro and on the airport branch were said to be running, but subject to delay. It is understood that Metrorail was not affected.

• Like at Sandton (platforms 45 metres below ground) where load shedding woul

knock out the lifts.

Gautrain airport station: only room for 2-coach trains

gAUTRAiN NEWSgAUTRAiN FEASiBiLiTy STUdiES TO BEgiNAccording to Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Dr Ismail Vadi, consultants are soon to begin studies into the feasibility of extending the present R32 billion, 80km standard gauge Gautrain network by some 150km. This will determine, Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) Chief Executive Jack van der Merwe explained recently, whether the scheme represents “value for money”. Work on the study is expected to cost around R20 million. Van der Merwe was quoted saying the new lines could be operational within five years provided the necessary funds are made available but declined to suggest what the extent of these would need to be.

The proposed new lines – linking Mamelodi east of Pretoria to Soweto south of Johannesburg - form part of the 25-year integrated transport master plan for Gauteng. Branches are included in the plan – from Johannesburg’s Park station to Westgate (underground), Sandton to Randburg (underground) and Rhodesfield to the East Rand.

The feasibility study will look at possible sources for additional rolling stock. The existing 1,435mm gauge fleet was supplied by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier but an alternative might be someone like France’s Alstom, which is to deliver a large number of new coaches to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). Vehicles for Gautrain could not be identical, however, as Prasa uses 1,067mm gauge, and its rolling stock loading-gauge is different.

Environmental impact assessments in respect of the proposed new lines will follow the feasibility studies.

• GMA’s van der Merwe was quoted recently saying (as a “cost illustration”) that a train

travelling on the ground costs R1, a train in the air R10, and a train underground R100.

Mamelodi

Hat�eldPretoria

Centurion

Irene

Tshwane East

Samrand

Midrand

Blue Hills

Fourways

Sunninghill

Randburg

Cosmo

Ruimsig

Naledi

Westgate

Park

Honeydew

Roodepoort Rosebank

Boksburg

Rhodes�eld

Sandton OR Tambo

LakesideModderfontein

Marlboro

East Rand Mall

Sa RaIl NEWS


SUSTAINED GLOBAL DEMAND FOR S A BRAKE BLOCKS

DCD Metpro is set to achieve substantial future growth as a result of continued global demand for its locally manufactured products. Pretoria-based DCD Metpro boasts the capacity to manufacture up to 720,000 on-tread railway brake blocks and 1,4 million brake block backing plates per annum.

DCD Metpro general manager Hlayisani Matelakengisa explains that the company’s most recent breakthrough was installation of the Gautrain brake pad rig onto its existing dynamometer facility. A dynamometer simulates the brake characteristics of a train and is able to record data which can be reproduced to assist in analysis and comparison of brake blocks and disc pads.

“By adding Gautrain’s brake pad rig to our dyno, we are in a position

to undertake comparative tests for brake pad development on this project as well as being able to serve international brake pad markets,” Matelakengisa continues.

DCD Metpro is able to recommend suitable brake blocks for customers operating in both conventional and more demanding conditions. “A complement of highly experienced experts operating from a world-class facility ensures that quality assurance, environmental responsibility and safety are built into every facet of the manufacturing process, regardless of application.”

Matelakengisa is confident that DCD Metpro is well positioned to double its output in the short-term. “The continued rise in rail infrastructure focus in Africa will greatly increase the demand for our products,” he concludes.

DCD Metpro’s upgraded dynamometer.

DCD Metpro general manager Hlayisani Matelakengisa

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BRaKE BlocKS

EVERYTHING NEEDED FOR RAIL MAINTENANCE

Versatility and reliability are the key words when talking about rail maintenance. Railways Africa spoke to Permatool managing director Sandile Gwamanda about Geismar equipment and its 40 years of service to the Southern African rail industry. In the past ten years, Permatool has been working hard to further the business.

Today, the Geismar Group is among the world’s leading companies in the design, manufacture and supply of machinery dedicated to track and overhead catenary installation, maintenance and renewal. Permatool is a subsidiary of Geismar, though it has a significant South African shareholding. Geismar has a number of subsidiary manufacturing companies, Permatool distributing all of these ranges.

In South Africa, while Permatool is well known for smaller items such as rail cutters and benders, Geismar also manufactures all the very large equipment needed for track and overhead catenary installation and maintenance.

LARGEST MACHINES AVAILABLE“This is a local anomaly. Internationally, our large tracklaying equipment has the lion’s share of the market, largely as a result

of Geismar’s aggressive investment in research and design,” Sandile explains.

Many of the larger Geismar units are popular with South African rail maintenance contractors. The Pem-Lem turnout relaying machines are an example, two sets being recently sold to local companies. One of the many advantages of Pem-Lem machines is that they can be transported by either road or rail, says Sandile, who has an excellent understanding of rail contracting, having worked for many years in this environment

Permatool has avoided involvement in contracting, as it doesn’t want to compete with its customers. However, if a customer were to be overloaded with work, Permatool would consider leasing.

SOUTH AFRICAN MANUFACTURENot everything that Permatool sells is imported as it manufactures a substantial portion locally. It is responsible for most of the Stumec range, and also the hydraulic equipment used with it.

The company ensures that whatever it manufactures has a high local content, which means that Geismar spares and support are invariably available with minimal delay.

During the past four years, Permatool has established an in-house maintenance team and is in the process of introducing a system of maintenance packages, each being designed to suit particular customers’ needs, Sandile explains. As part of this, Permatool is looking for new premises with its own rail siding, so that it can maintain its larger rail maintenance equipment.

LOCAL CALIBRATIONA recent success for Permatool has been Geismar’s Amber rail measurement machine. It has sold 17 of these to Transnet and, very recently, a first unit to Botswana Railways.

In order to service both the Amber machines and other electronic measurement equipment, Permatool is constructing an electronic calibration centre, which will be complete with all measuring tables and associated needs towards the middle of 2014. This facility will eliminate the need for customers to send their rail machines to Europe for calibration. “This will shorten service times dramatically,” Sandile points out.

Sandile Gwamanda shows the extensive range of Geismar equipment.

The Geismar VMB 2214 IC catenary inspection vehicle features a glass dome in the roof, which gives the driver and operator an improved view of the overhead equipment while operating from an additional central driving position.

tRacK maINtENaNcE


30

EXPaNSIoN

CEO of RRL Grindrod Locomotives, Robert Spoon, CEO of RRL Grindrod Ted Zulu, Rob Davies, chairperson of Grindrod Ivan Clark and executive of corporate services: Grindrod Limited, Bongiwe Ntuli applaud the opening of the new facility

For a comparatively minor outlay of R40 million, RRL Grindrod Locomotives, a 50% black owned joint venture between Solethu Investments and logistics company Grindrod, has doubled its capacity to produce new locomotives.

The company’s customers, representatives of foreign governments, and South African ministers, including Minister of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies, who was also the keynote speaker, attended the opening function.

Davies explained that the global economic crisis cost the South African economy a million jobs, 200,000 of these being in manufacturing. The government had identified infrastructure development in South Africa as a major driver of industrialisation.

Also speaking at the function, the CEO of RRL Grindrod Locomotives, Robert Spoon said that the start of the business had been the supply of EMD parts to South African companies, a service that had evolved into the repair of rolling stock.

Apart from operating in South Africa, RRL did business in a number of African countries, gaining valuable experience of a business environment, which is very, different to those found in South Africa.

In 2009, Grindrod acquired RRL and, at that time, the company manufactured four EMD class 39 locomotives for Transnet, an event that marked the company’s transition into manufacturing. Also at that time, RRL Grindrod decided to build a new platform for the manufacture of new locomotives in collaboration with RRL Grindrod’s partners in the US, National Railway Equipment Co.

To date, the company has manufactured 70 of these 120-ton 3000hp mainline locomotives that are now operating in the field and has orders for many more.

At the end of 2013, RRL Grindrod’s landlord, ArcelorMittal made more space available at the Pretoria premises. This expansion termed Phase 1 is now essentially complete.

RRL Grindrod Locomotives has 30,000 m2 of production facilities

BUSiNESS SUCCESS LEAdS TO EXPANSiON

under roof, the expansion comprising 12,000 m2 of these. The expansion has also allowed the company to optimise its workspace. In the new area, the two major capital items have been installed, a new spray booth for R2 million and an overhead crane costing about R1.5 million.

“We have also engaged with our local partners to enhance the local content of our products. It is anticipated that this content will increase from 65% to 80%. When Phase 1 is fully operational, RRL Grindrod will be producing 100 locomotives a year with an 80% local content,” said Spoon.

“The expanded facility will be able to produce a local product that is the lowest cost diesel-electric locomotive in the world,” he added adding that the product is built for African conditions, RRL Grindrod being able to guarantee the customer availabilities in excess of 90%.

Chief Executive Officer of Grindrod (South Africa) Dave Rennie said that the success of RRL Grindrod Locomotives puts company in a unique position to support African railways as well as being involved in larger projects such as the new North West Rail, a new development in north-west Zambia.

The new RRL Grindrod Locomotives spray booth will be able to accommodate the largest locomotives.


mIShaPS

Oneobjectiveofourregular featurereportingandcommentingonrailmishaps is toprovide informationandobjectlessonsfromAfricaandabroad,inthehopethat–insomecasesatleast-thismighthelpavoidrecurrences.

Mishap sSENA LINE DISRUPTED AGAINFollowing incidents of gunfire apparently directed at trains, coal transport on Mozambique’s Sena Line (from Moatize to Beira) was suspended again on 1 April. The main mining groups Vale and Rio Tinto, which reportedly invested more than $US10 billion in mining coal at Moatize, have faced continuing difficulty in getting the commodity to the sea. Security problems were among the reasons for Vale tabling a loss of $480 million on its coal business in 2013, mostly from Mozambique.

NACALA LINE RUNAWAY & FATAL COLLISON On 23 January, the brakes failed on a freight train from Cuamba headed to Nampula. It ran away downgrade out of control and at Iapala station (in the Ribaue district) slammed into the rear of the preceding goods. One crew member died in the collision, the paper Noticias reported; another lost both legs. He and two others who were on board were taken to hospital in critical condition.

NACALA PASSENGER SERVICE HICCUPEarly in March, Corredor de Desenvolvimento do Nortes (CDN), the consortium which operates the railway from the northern Mozambican port of Nacala to Malawi, announced the indefinite suspension of passenger trains between Nampula city and Cuamba. It was explained that people were hurling stones at trains, breaking windows and injuring passengers, and placing obstacles on the track, mainly at night. The main trouble spot was pinpointed at Tui, in the Nampula district of Malema.

The suspension caused an outcry, the loudest noisemakers being people stranded without means of getting home, or money to pay for food or accommodation. CDN gave no advance warning of its action but had sold tickets to people who were now unable to use them. A week later, after discussions between the company and a government representative, police security measures were introduced and the trains started running again.

409a2 14 03 10WOMEN ON NIGERIAN TRAIN ROOFSA Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) taskforce in Lagos is charged with discouraging the dangerous habit of passengers travelling on the roofs of commuter trains. Their efforts had to be aborted on 5 March when a train derailed at Ikeja, leaving only three sets available instead of the scheduled four. Aggravated by a persisting fuel shortage, which sent many more people than usual to the trains, the situation was so acute that women joined men on the coach roofs. According to the Nigerian News Agency, there were twice as many travellers on the roof as there were inside the coaches.

PAKISTANI RAILWAY BOMB KILLS 7

On 16 February, a bomb blast killed five passengers in Pakistan’s Khushhal Khan Khattak express (Karachi to Peshawar), injuring more than 30 – of whom two died in hospital - and damaging 800 metres of track. The incident occurred near the station at Unar, about 450km north-west of Karachi. A number of coaches were said to be extensively damaged.

• A poliomyelitis immunisation campaign is thought to be linked

to a number of violent occurrences in the country. Militant groups believe

vaccination to be a cover for espionage. One rumour blames infertility on the

campaign. More than 40 health workers and police guards have been killed in

Pakistan in the last 14 months.

Polio remains endemic in only three countries in the world – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

413m1 14 04 07FATAL INDONESIAN LANDSLIDE DERAILMENT Five out of 250 people on a Bandung-Malang train in Java island, Indonesia, died on 4 April when three of the eight coaches were derailed by a landslide at Tasikmalaya, caused by heavy rain.

413m2 14 04 07CHICAGO FIRES ESCALATOR CRASH DRIVER The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has fired the driver of a train that overshot the end of the line at O’Hare Airport at 03:00 on 24 March and climbed halfway up a platform escalator. She reportedly admitted falling asleep at the controls – the second time this happened in only two months’ service. Had the accident not occurred in the middle of the night, the consequences could have been catastrophic, with hundreds of people on the platforms and stairways, beneath one of the world’s busiest airports. Train service resumed on 30 March.


ATLANTIC RAIL TESTS 16DA 879To test recently overhauled 4-6-2 class 16DA 879, Atlantic Rail took the loco on a successful run to Stellenbosch in fine weather on Sunday 5 April 2014. By arrangement with Metrorail, 879 hauled an empty rake of commuter coaches. A week later the 84-year-old Henschel-built loco took a charter to Spier, hauling Atlantic’s historic rolling stock. • In May 2012, a boiler breakdown at Nampak in Epping was

solved by 879 standing in as a stationary boiler for many months.

VALENTINE’S DAY BEHIND STEAM IN ZIMBABWEOne of the runs laid on by the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) was from Harare to Ruwa – on the Mutare section – using a class 15 Garratt 395. Brian Duly recalls enthusiastically, “We were contacted by the History Society of Zimbabwe and advised that NRZ was offering a trip on a steam train to Ruwa and that the society was promoting it. I emailed people and we got a group together. The train was scheduled to depart at 16:00 and would stop at Ruwa’s country club. There we’d disembark for dinner. We decided to dress up in evening dress and as it was close to St Valentine’s we would have a touch of red. There was a choice of either being in a compartment or in the dining cars. We chose a diner. We arrived at the station where we parked our vehicles free of charge and made our way down the platform to the waiting train. There were about eight carriages and the two aged dining cars, Zambezi and Chimanimani. They were beautifully adorned and decorated in recognition of St Valentine’s Day. Not knowing whether the dining cars were going to be fully operational we had brought our own drinks, just in case.

The participants were in joyous and festive mood. It was wonderful. Our party was made up of friends from Rotary, our church, the Irish and Welsh Associations and sports clubs.

The whistle blew and the train pulled out, promptly on time. The jubilation increased. The public took up 163 of the 200 seats available and the joyous party continued down line. The dining cars and carriages were full of marungus (pale faces) and the RR insignia - of the former Rhodesia Railways - was everywhere to be seen. Pedestrians beamed and waved at us. It was not difficult to recall train trips of years gone by. The train got a move on but then perhaps because of crew inexperience or a mechanical fault, it stopped at intervals for water.

When we arrived near the 8th hole at the Ruwa golf course, the train pulled up and we disembarked.

Most of us walked to the clubhouse, about 1.5km from the stop. Others took a bus supplied by the railways. Tables at the club had been set both indoors and outdoors and our parties re-assembled there. It was now evening and we enjoyed a hot buffet meal followed by sweets.

After dinner, we went looking for the bus but I never did find it so walked under the full moon in the direction of the train. When we got there, the train had been moved to allow a goods to pass on the single line to Mutare. We were told that our defective steam locomotive was to be replaced by a diesel but it took a long time to come. We sat on the tracks and the temperature dropped. I had worked up a sweat from the walk and the cooling breeze started to make it chilly.

However, class DE10A traction eventually did arrive and the party continued aboard the train homebound. The return trip was generally uneventful but the delay had made for a late return and arrival at Harare station.

What was the consensus of those who went on the trip? I cannot answer for everyone but I think it was an outstanding success and our group cannot wait for the next one. “

In the south of the country, another successful run organised by NRZ operated from Bulawayo to Figtree on the Plumtree section. Class 14A Garratt 519 performed admirably. The evening meal was served in the railway museum at Bulawayo following the short up and down run, the coaches being shunted into the Raylton grounds.

Class 16DA 879 at Stellenbosch. Photo: Peter Rogers

NRZ 4-6-4 + 4-6-4 class 15 Garratt no 395 atHarare, prior to the run to Ruwa. Photo: R Taylor

RaIlWay hERItagE

PRESERVATION IS A VITAL PART OF THE PICTUREBy John Batwell


WAgONLOAdS

Metrorail at Krugersdorp from distant JeppeRumbling past the mine dumps to RandfonteinWith standing loads of office staff,Secretaries, receptionistsAnd umpteen hundred cellphones in the train.

Upper bracket Gautrain scurrying in from TamboZipping past gridlock on the R24With plush-seated executives,Cosseted accountants,Everyone who’s anyone and really in the know.

Grimy Transnet diesel with smog-belching waste-stackRumbling through Benoni at a quarter past fourWith a cargo of used wheels,worn-down brake blocksUnclaimed umbrellas - and an awful lot more.- - LRD

“Getting anything decided is like mating elephants. It’s done at a very high level, accompanied by a tremendous amount of noise and it takes 18 months to get results.”

Harmony’s loco heading from the depot to the exchange yard to pick up an ore load brought by a Sheltam diesel.

Sad remains: Karee station, 34km north of Bloemfonetin on the OFS Main-line. Photos: Jacque Wepener

- Seen in On Track, Reef Newsletter of the Railway Society of South Africa.

MANAgEMENT dECiSiON-MAkiNg

NEW METHOdS OF LOAdiNg PASSENgERSSameasthemedicalreseachers-

wealwaystestwithanimalsfirst

END oF thE lINE

34

With apologies to John Masefield.



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