International Railroad Discussion > Zimbabwe: Bulawayo to Cement

Not all is doom and gloom however, three locomotives remain in operating condition. Nevermind that when we want to run a different engine, the one working turbogenerator, headlight and other accessories are pulled off and placed on the other engine.

nevertheless, we had a 14A, 15A and 16A at our disposal.

Our first run consisted of 14A #519, with #525's plates because that was the only complete set of plates they had for the 14A class.

The 14A is a 2-6-2+2-6-2 configuration, so two prairie chassis, one of the smaller configurations. As a matter of familiarization, I am posting a side-on elevation first to give you a clear picture for those not familiar with Garratts. The two water tanks have a sump line for equalization and you can see the split between coal space and water on the rear tank by following the diagonal line of rivets. Both chassis on a garratt are articulated with flexible steam and exhaust lines. When looking at a Garratt engine set, they are quite densely packed with plumbing. Given the symmetrical wheel configuration, they are equally at home running in reverse and the shunting engine between the Hwange Colliary and Thomson junction does not turn when making the trip, running tender-first from the mine.

Much like the DHR, they are able to perform basic repairs to keep the engines running, although any fine tuning and improvement is pretty much off the table. There are only a few people left who know how to work on them and operate them.

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

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Here is a shot of one of our hard working crew members (who we gladly tipped well at the end!) and the rear end of the 14A.

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

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From the Steam Sheds we walked about a mile down to the station for a sunrise shot that didn't quite get the glint but still interesting. Next it was on to Westgate, where unfortunately the section building now has its windows broken out.

Today's train was an authentic mixed freight that was the same as what would have run from Bulawayo to Cement, and we ran it on its original route. On this run we were able to ride behind the Garratt itself at high speeds. The tracks are still in very good condition and the ride was very smooth. Cape gauge is almost as wide as standard gauge so there is little difference in ride quality.

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

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One more from the station at Bulawayo, and another approaching westgate with the gantry signals in the background and block signal in the foreground. The third photo is near Mpopoma.

The only working signals I saw were at Bulawayo station. All of the other lines we traveled on the signals were defunct and all wires pulled from between the power lines.

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

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In the first photo the mixed train consist is evident. The blue tarps were apparently prototypical for covered freight, but I found the color rather distracting for photos. Later we discarded them in the name of aesthetics. :)

Here again at Mpopoma and a little farther down on a nice superelevated curve. I was continually impressed by the quality of the track. The concrete sleepers and excellent drainage / ballast no doubt helps to keep maintenance to a minimum.

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

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At Cement there is an actual, modern working cement plant. Nice to see after so many abandoned factories in Bulawayo who's business had been run off to Zambia and other places. It was here that the engine was serviced and a water car coupled on. A gasoline powered pump was used to pump water from the car to the engine's tanks.

It was here that we bid our train goodbye and returned to Bulawayo by minibus.

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

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As a last picture for this section, here is a close up of the cab side plate for 525. (actually 519!)

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

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Nice pix, Mike.
You plan to show any of these at Plane Crazy Saturday August 19 at 11 a.m. at the Mojave Air & Spaceport?
(Reservations suggested!)

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> Nice pix, Mike.
> You plan to show any of these at Plane Crazy
> Saturday August 19 at 11 a.m. at the Mojave Air &
> Spaceport?
> (Reservations suggested!)

Nope, that will be dedicated completely to the SPNG / Duke slideshow. But I will arrange with cathy for a separate presentation later this year dedicated to Zimbawbe, along with video.

Best,

-Mike

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

Thanks again for some great shots of the train and sharing them with us that will never be able to see in person.

Stanley Jackowski
Valrico, FL

Nice shots!!