TAZARA GE DE1021 Makambako shunting M3 200908
The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority Cape Gauge (1067mm/3' 6") line from Dar-es-Salam to Kapiri Mposhi was built with Chinese investment in the early-to-mid 1970s. The intention was to reduce land-locked and mineral rich Zambia's dependence on minority white ruled Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South Africa for its economic activity. Known as 'The Great Uhuru Railway' - uhuru being Swahili for freedom. Unfortunately TAZARA has failed to live up to expectations and been dogged by problems; suffering financial crises, bad labour relations, poor loco reliability, frequent derailments, very low tonnages shipped and close to collapse more than once.
The line has a fleet of 12-cylinder, 3000hp General Electric U30Cs (an uprated U26C - not to be confused with the 16-cylinder U30C of 1970's USA) built under licence by Krupp of Essen, Germany in three batches (of 9, 5 and 17* respectively) between 1982 and 1991. * - possibly built in North America. They replaced/supplemented the original, but aging and underpowered, Chinese locos from 1976 of the DFH2 type. Incidentally TAZARA has acquired more Chinese locos over the years: six CKD Co-Co DEs in 1997 and six CSR Qishuyan Locomotive Company 3000hp SDD20s in 2013, with a further four expected in late 2014. Apparently only 10 of the GEs remain in operable condition these days.
Here DE1021 runs through Makambako at km post 657. It had been detached from our 15:50 Dar to Kapiri train to shunt vans and coaches before continuing. We were running about seven hours late at this point. Saturday 20th September 2008.
TAZARA GE DE1021 Makambako shunting M3 200908
The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority Cape Gauge (1067mm/3' 6") line from Dar-es-Salam to Kapiri Mposhi was built with Chinese investment in the early-to-mid 1970s. The intention was to reduce land-locked and mineral rich Zambia's dependence on minority white ruled Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South Africa for its economic activity. Known as 'The Great Uhuru Railway' - uhuru being Swahili for freedom. Unfortunately TAZARA has failed to live up to expectations and been dogged by problems; suffering financial crises, bad labour relations, poor loco reliability, frequent derailments, very low tonnages shipped and close to collapse more than once.
The line has a fleet of 12-cylinder, 3000hp General Electric U30Cs (an uprated U26C - not to be confused with the 16-cylinder U30C of 1970's USA) built under licence by Krupp of Essen, Germany in three batches (of 9, 5 and 17* respectively) between 1982 and 1991. * - possibly built in North America. They replaced/supplemented the original, but aging and underpowered, Chinese locos from 1976 of the DFH2 type. Incidentally TAZARA has acquired more Chinese locos over the years: six CKD Co-Co DEs in 1997 and six CSR Qishuyan Locomotive Company 3000hp SDD20s in 2013, with a further four expected in late 2014. Apparently only 10 of the GEs remain in operable condition these days.
Here DE1021 runs through Makambako at km post 657. It had been detached from our 15:50 Dar to Kapiri train to shunt vans and coaches before continuing. We were running about seven hours late at this point. Saturday 20th September 2008.