Kenya Steam Safari Update

Steam motive power and operations in the rest of Africa
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John Ashworth
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Kenya Steam Safari Update

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End of the first day and things are going fine. Yesterday (18 May) we had a superb run from Nairobi to position the train in Naivasha. We had another great day today (19 May) on the return trip, this time with the tour group aboard. We picked up a delay this morning due to cold and viscous fuel oil, necessitating several stops to brew up (which became unscheduled photo-opportunities), but after a couple of hours the fuel oil was warm enough to flow freely and 3020 performed flawlessly for the rest of the day. The weather was great and the views of the Great Rift Valley, with 3020 in the foreground and Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha in the background, are truly awesome. No photos from me this time round as there was a whole trainload of serious photographers doing the business. I hope we'll see some of their work online soon.
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John Ashworth
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Re: Kenya Steam Safari Update

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From Kevin Patience on the East_African_Steam Yahoo group:
Kevin wrote:Its been a busy day today with 5918 running in the yard with a train comprising of the 1950s restaraunt car which we used in all the previous safaris and some TCBs and a 50s caboose. Seeing 59 alongside the platform today with the sun going down reminded me of the boat train specials in the 50s when the 59s still hauled the pax trains to the coast. . A splendid meal was prepared for the party with a vast choice on your plate. 59 returned to the shed and in the gloom looked magnificent as the moon came up and life was breathed into 2409 for its debut in the morning. Its been an extremely interesting ten days getting the locos running with early 5.30am starts and 01.00 finishes, but the experiences are well worth while... Kevin
Since I dropped Kevin off at his hotel on my way home, he managed to get online a few minutes before me and so he gets to write today's report!
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Nathan Berelowitz
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Re: Kenya Steam Safari Update

Post by Nathan Berelowitz »

Wonderfull John, wish we were there as backup crew. Keep it going and photos please.
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John Ashworth
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Re: Kenya Steam Safari Update

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A mixed day today, the last day of the steam safari.

It started well with 2409 spending the morning shunting around Nairobi Station and then at Makadara, a few kilometres away. A flawless performance from this little locomotive, now almost 90 years old.

We'd been having a few steaming problems with 5918 so we were late off shed for her afternoon trip towards Konza. In Nairobi Station we did some great posed shots of 5918 and 2409 together with the semaphore signals. I wonder when was the last time that two locos were in steam together there? 5918 then coupled on to her train where we picked up a further delay as RVR did the brake test, leading to a bit of remedial action. Off we went, but the Garratt obviously wasn't steaming well. Finally the loco failed just before Embakasi, possibly with a leaking superheater element although we still need to confirm that.

And thus, by pure chance, the group got what several called the best photo of the whole tour: 5918 standing with her train in lush green corn fields just as the sun dipped below the clouds, low on the horizon, with a golden pre-sunset glint. Passengers were bussed back to their hotel ready for their flight southwards tomorrow morning, while loco and train were rescued by a diesel and towed home.

The planned ceremony inaugurating a plaque in memory of Kirpal Singh was thus curtailed, but his daughter was on the train and an impromptu ceremony did take place on the lineside with 5918 as a backdrop.
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Nathan Berelowitz
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Re: Kenya Steam Safari Update

Post by Nathan Berelowitz »

Such a great pity to finish up that way. Weel John, you know how we test for elements and I see there are plenty in stock at their depot.
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John Ashworth
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Re: Kenya Steam Safari Update

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From the German group which participated in the Steam Safari:
Railways: Kenya: tour completed, all available 3 steam locomotives in service

The first part of the African 5-country-tour has been completed and the party is on the way to Zimbabwe, Sambia, Botswana and South Africa now.

Kenya was a huge success during the diesel-pre-tour, where we could photograph all class 87 currently in service (8720, 8723, 8740 and 8741), plus a lot of class 9x diese locomotives. Only the sole class 71, normally assigned for shunting duties at Eldoret, was at the Nairobi workshops during our visit and could not be seen in service. Shunting in Nairobi was done by two Hunslet diesels, while the Henschel built class 62 is still busy hauling freight and passenger trains around Nairobi.

The steam scene looked pretty different, though. There are a lot of things to report which we will discuss in more details in one of our next newsletters. In brief: we saw all three steam locomotives in action( 2409, 3020, 5918), some even on the mainline but a number of operational reasons, paired with management issues and maybe the local way of doing things let to many delays and poor performance of the steam locomotives. The base is there but it needs more consultancy and advice how to get better and more positive results out of it.
http://www.tanago.de/erlebnisreisen/pos ... ce-106.php
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John Ashworth
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Re: Kenya Steam Safari Update

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From a participant:
James wrote:I only took part in the steam trips and not the diesel days which preceded them. I thought that the steam days were triumphantly successful and I'm really glad that I took part. While it's true that there were delays on some of the days we all knew that the advertised programme was both ambitious and experimental and might not be achieved in its entirety. The run in the Rift Valley was excellent by any standards and to see all three locos in steam on successive days was a huge credit to all concerned - and produced a wealth of interesting photos. I hope it's not too long before there's another similar event.
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/E ... ssage/2538
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John Ashworth
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Re: Kenya Steam Safari Update

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Report from another participant, this one anonymous:
"Wed.18.5: 3020 hauled the train empty to Navasha to be ready for the next day.

We got the other two dead in the steam shed.

Thurs.19: We went by 5.30 bus to Navasha, then spent all day on the train and in
after dark.

Fri.20: We looked at the morning peak (including two sets using 87-class English
Electric diesels). The Garratt didn't appear until after 11.00, and had yet to
be fuelled: and the fuel truck didn't arrive. I can't recall when we abandoned
the day.

Sat.21: We had a leisurely morning with 2409 to Makadara and return: 7.50 dep;
11.20 back.

The day was already late, as the aim had been to scrap the museum visit, and
leave at 11.00 with 5918 to at least Athi River.

The Garratt didn't appear until after lunch, then posed with 2409, then sat for
another hour before leaving at 16.19, with the light turned grubby.

It has several stops to raise steam: it had blown a superheater tube. The trip
was aborted at 18.00. We went back by bus, and a diesel was sent to tow the
train back in."
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/E ... ssage/2540

Incidentally, on Friday 20th, we didn't "abandon the day". The participants got an afternoon of 5918 shunting in the yard, which had been scheduled for the next day but was brought forward.
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