User:Trident13/ACR

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Alfred County Railway

Narrow Gauge line (610 mm gauge) Port Shepstone - Izotsha - Paddock, Museum trains and freight, steam

Contents 1 Input 1.1 Input1 1.2 Input2 1.3 Input3 1.4 Input4 1.5 Input5 2 References 3 External links

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South Africa has started an ambitious privatization program with the stock flotation of a railway company that includes the Banana Express, a line carrying tourists on a scenic stretch of the Indian Ocean coast.

South Africa has started an ambitious privatization program with the stock flotation of a railway company that includes the Banana Express, a line carrying tourists on a scenic stretch of the Indian Ocean coast.

The Port Shepstone and Alfred County Railway Company in mid-March offered 1.8 million shares for sale at 1 rand, or 47 cents, each.

Investors are buying into 76 miles of two-foot narrow-gauge line winding through lush sugar cane and banana plantations.

The company has 25 steam locomotives plus rolling stock. It expects to win lucrative business from farmers and timber growers in Natal, on South Africa's east coast.

Last month, South Africa announced it would gradually put into private hands its huge state-owned corporations, including the state electricity corporation, Eskom, and South African Transport Services, which runs the nation's main rail network.

Government and big business are watching the flotation of the Alfred County company to see how South Africans take to privatization. Railway enthusiasts see in it hope for reviving other branch lines that have colorful histories.

The line operated for 69 years before it was closed as uneconomic in 1986.^[1]

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Sadly the ACR was placed into provisional liquidation in June last year. It seems the last Banana Express ran in July, I think behind either NGG 127 or 151.

There are attempts being made to preserve and restart the tourist steam operations, but I have no latest news as to whether any progress has been made on that.

Very sad. This was a superb 2 ft gauge railway, which I visited and filmed not long after it restarted operations following the SAR closure. I feel a lot for those who put so much into it, including Charlie Lewis who so badly wanted it to succeed but had so many people against him. Especially it seems the local road lobby who would rather see the roads destroyed than the freight carried on the railway.

In happier times I do remember a lovely evening meal at Charlie's home with my family in, I think 1988 or 1989. Of note were the vervet monkeys that kept coming into his garden to try and get some of the action! Made you realise you are in Africa^[2]

close down letter^[3]

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The news from the Alfred County Railway could not be worse despite the optimism expressed below. Trevor Heath tells me (15th June 2004) that Spoornet have forced closure of the railway over the non-payment of debts. I have since heard that the whole railway including the locomotives was being put up for auction in mid-September 2005 (16th September 2005), very sad.... Since writing this, things took a definite change for the better when (as Paul Ash reports, 6th April 2006) "Julian Perreira (of Paton Country Narrow Gauge Railway) has been granted a temporary 'permit' (I don't know what else to call it) to operate the Banana Express from Port Shepstone to Izotsha (Km14). Anyway Julian has grand plans including operating trains with a tank loco in the spectacular Wilsons Cutting section near the top of the line.But, they had a rollover with NGG16 151 two weekends back when the train ploughed into a landslip, resulting in serious dents to the loco. No injuries, thankfully, but not the kind of incident one needs at this fragile time in private SA steam operations. Right now two locos (151 and 127) are in service, plus a UVE 2 (ex-sugar estate 0-4-0T)."

Earlier it was reported that the Alfred County Railway was about to completely return to steam according to Charlie Lewis via Trevor Heath (29th September 2003) "We are proud to report that steam in the shape of NGG16 #127 returned to service on ACR today. As soon as cosmetic work on #127 has been completed we shall turn our attention to #156. As this has been an emotional time for us perhaps we can be forgiven a little hyperbole. We shall soon be sending Spoornet's diesel back to them, whereupon - as far as we know - ACR and the Harding line will once again be Africa's only all-steam common carrier railway" Further news comes from the same sources (5th May 2004) - "With joy we announce that the ACR is once again a multiple steam-engine company. For the first time in more than six years we now have two engines in steam - #127 and #151 - the latter running under her own power for the first time in 13 years. Roelf van Wyngaardt, our Master Mechanic in every sense, says she is in excellent condition mechanically. After completion of running-in adjustments and cosmetic work (among which is a new cab roof) she will go into revenue service within the next two weeks. After record-breaking Summer and Easter holiday seasons for the Banana Express we shall need a third engine soon. It has already been decided that this will be #116, one of the 1939 series NGG16s, as we have permission from her owners."^[4]

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While the merits of privatization and deregulation are being debated in South Africa’s political corridors, the future of the first true railway privatization is being tested in Southern Natal. Two and a half years ago, on 3 December 1987, SA Transport Services (now Transnet) and representatives of Alfred County Railway (ACR) signed an agreement formalizing the creation of the first public but privately operated railway in South Africa since the 1920’s, when the New Cape Central Railway operated the [line] from Riversdale to Mossel Bay in the Cape.

As the ACR enters its third year of operation, the future prospects have never seemed more promising, although the long-term survival of this narrow-gauge railway is not yet guaranteed. Nevertheless, if experience gained during the first two difficult years ca be built on, and if the timber-growing and process industry continues its present healthy growth and the ACR can provide a competitive reliable service, the future seems secure.

Small as it is, the 122 km ACR provides a vital transport link for a growing timber-producing and manufacturing area. It serves the Harding, Weza and Eastern Transkei area and feeds traffic to the standard-gauge (1 067mm) Spoornet at Port Shepstone. ACR has become Spoornet’s second largest customer at Port Shepstone, being the combine operation of Kulu Lime and the Natal Portland Cement operation. In addition to pulpwood, poplar logs (for matchwood) and creosote pole traffic, it carries manufactured wooden items from Harding.

On the inland direction general cargo is carried. This includes bulk commodities such as bagged maize, fertilizer, salt and cement, together with farm implements, water tanks and small parcels. Finally, the Banana Express tourist train, which operates along the coast from Port Shepstone to Izotsha and Paddock, is an important source of revenue and provides an attraction to the tourist industry. It secures and maintains a national monument (Paddock station) and gives the general public an insight into the workings of South Africa’s first privatized railway… (article condensed)

SA Transport, July 1990

Postscript:

ACR started its freight operations in April 1988 and for the first three years traffic showed healthy increases. By the mid-1990’s, however, the effect of transport deregulation began to show in a negative way. Larger road-rigs hauling timber, and often overloaded, became ever more competitive. Spoornet began to lose general freight traffic, including cement, fertilizer, maize, and containerized traffic. This affected ACR most negatively.

It is important to understand that the ACR project was not one of privatization. In reality, it was a concession, since the state (represented by SA Transport Services, later Transnet) retained ownership of the line and ACR were required to maintain the infrastructure. ACR supplied locomotive power, or leased it from Spoornet, but controlled operations and marketed the services. The future looked very promising and in 1991 Spoornet acquired one-million shares – 28% of the shareholding. A closer and more positive working arrangement developed between ACR and its big brother and this gave users greater confidence in the service.

The introduction of the “Narrow Arrow” piggyback train, for traffic to a nearby pulp mill, was a successful effort which streamlined the flow of pulpwood traffic. An entire narrow gauge train of 26 wagons was ramped onto a Spoornet train consisting of 13 wagons, having flexible connecting bridges. This eliminated the transshipping of timber at Port Shepstone and reduced transfer time from 14 hours to two. A further endeavour was the “Timbertainer,” an intermodal system where pulpwood could be loaded into an open container in the plantation and taken through to the mill. Sugar cane was another promising traffic prospect, particularly since this commodity is successfully hauled on similar narrow gauge railways in Australia.

As the 1990’s progressed, the competitive position of ACR deteriorated. Representations to government, pointing out the fact that damage to road pavements by overloaded heavy vehicles could be reduced by supporting ACR’s operations went unanswered. Instead, government further relaxed restrictions of heavy road vehicles by allowing a higher gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 56 000 kg and a higher axleload from 8,2 to 9,0 tons, together with a 5% overload tolerance. It is important to realize that this is the highest heavy vehicle mass with unlimited access to the roads of any country in the world.

Unfortunately, during 2001, after incurring continuing losses and increasing problems with Spoornet service reliability, which led to the loss of a major customer, ACR was forced to suspend freight operations. However, it continued to operate its tourist train, the Banana Express as a stop-gap measure, in the hope that the freight service could be resuscitated. But the company’s accumulated debt led to it being liquidated in August 2004. This was a very sad end to what could have been a successful project supporting concessions of light traffic density railway services.

It is ironic, that government has finally waken-up to the plight of South Africa’s railways and in particular, the branch lines. By 2004, over 25 branch lines had closed or were inactive, while several others had been uplifted. As the year 2005 dawned, government announced a “pilot project” to concession the Empangeni – Nkwalini branch in northern KwaZulu Natal in a “public-private sector partnership.” But unless government policy with respect to the cost of railway infrastructure becomes more enlightened, and rail is put on a more competitive footing with road transport, it is unlikely that further endeavours will be successful. ^[5]

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I've been scanning some of my prints onto the computer, and thought this set might be worth sharing with the group in the light of the recent discussions on Garratts.

In July 2004 I was priviledged to be the guest of Charlie Lewis then General Manager of the Alfred County Railway Co., which operated the 'Banana Express' steam train between Port Shepstone, Izotsha and Paddock on the 2ft gauge line, which runs from Port Shepstone to Harding in KwuZulu Natal Province South Africa. This proved to be some of the final days of operation of the Alfred County Railway Co. as it was forced into liquidation by a court action instigated by the South African Rail operator Spoornet shortly after these photos were taken.

For a time the Banana Express continued operating between Port Shepstone and Izotsha, being operated by the Patons County Railway. However, earlier this year the service was again suspended due to the intervention of Spoornet. Happily though the most recent news I have is that there is a possibility of the service being resumed at some point in the not too distant future. For the moment, though, I am one of the last people to have ridden the Banana Express from Port Shepstone to Paddock.^[6]

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[edit] External links

• Press Release re closure of Banana Express