| Alfred County Railway | |
|---|---|
| Locale | South Africa |
| Terminus | Port Shepstone to Harding, KwaZulu-Natal |
| Commercial operations | |
| Original gauge | 2 ft (610 mm) |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Transnet |
| Length | 122 kilometres (76 mi) |
| Preserved gauge | 2 ft (610 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1917 |
| Closed | 1986 |
| Preservation history | |
| December 3, 1987 | Transnet and PS&ACR sign lease agreement |
| June 15, 2004 | Transnet terminates PS&ACR lease |
| 14 December 2004 | PCNGR contracted to run Banana Express |
| September 2005 | Transnet auctions excess stock, including NGG16's to WHR |
| December 2005 | Last running of Banana Express |
| 20 April 2006 | Transnet terminates PCNGR lease |
| June 18, 2008 | Storm wrecks bridges along Hibicus Coast |
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Alfred County Railway is an abandoned narrow gauge railway in South Africa, which runs from the southern transport hub of Port Shepstone on the Indian Ocean, via Izotsha and Paddock for 122 kilometres (76 mi) to Harding, KwaZulu-Natal.
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South Africa, rich in natural resources and high soil richness, provides an ideal location in which to grow agricultural produce. The problem of this and the steep mountainous terrain, is how to ship the produce from the high velt to the coastal ports?
When well maintained and reliable-access roads did not exist narrow gauge railways were hence extensively used by South African farmers to extract produce from their large farms to central sorting and packing points on their own land. It hence became easy for entrepreneurial business people to create linking railways to transport the produce to the coastal ports, there by reducing costs and increasing competitiveness. Their choice of gauge was determined by that which dominated the local, and varied between the early 1 ft 11 1⁄2 in (597 mm) to the later Cape gauge of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in).
Designed as part of the Natal Government Railways project to bring the sugar cane and bananas produced in the agricultural Harding district to Port Shepstone, the NGR commissioned Stoke-on-Trent based Kerr Stuart to build seven Class NG4 4-6-2T tank locomotives, based on the 1907 Class NG3 4-6-2T.[1]
The route had some curves of 45 metres, but with gradients of up to 3 in 100/3% (ruling grade of 1 in 37 for 20 miles after leaving the coast [2]), the NG4's and their replacements were often double-headed to haul the diverse freight traffic of wood, sugar cane and banana's to Port Shepstone. The line's management dismissed the opportunity to purchase more powerful articulated Garratt locomotives, as due to their longer wheelbase access to the sugar cane fields would become more difficult.
From the mid-1970s, steam was replaced by Class 91-000 diesel-electric locomotives on the SAR's longer routes, which were both more powerful and being shorter in chassis length more able to access the growers farms. The SAR hence decided to transfer the NG G13 and NG G16 Garratts to the Alfred County Railway in Natal.
Under invested and hence unreliable, the ACR was closed to operations by the SAR in 1986.
As South Africa's farmer re-entered the global markets, the quality of produce became essential. As handling is a key issue in the retail quality of bananas in particular, the farmers were positive about a revival of the ACR, which would reduce the amount of handling from tree to port.
To raise funds and reduce government expenditure, the Government of South Africa announced it would gradually put into private hands its huge state-owned corporations, including the state electricity corporation, Eskom, and SA Transport Services which owned SAR. The ACR was hence chosen as the pilot railway privatisation project.
In reality, SAR/Transnet still owned the line, infrastructure and the stock as a nationally strategic asset; while the new Port Shepstone and Alfred County Railway (PSACR) was granted an operational and maintenance lease for a period of 199 years. The company inherited 25 steam locomotives - of which only one, an NG G16, was operational - plus rolling stock. The company announced a business plan expected to win back lucrative business from farmers and timber growers. In March 1988, the PSACR raised funds by offering 1.8 million shares for sale at one rand each.[3]
As part of their development to keep the railway competitive, the ACR developed two of their existing Class NG G16 locomotives. The engineers incorporated developments outlined by L.D. Porta, including GPCS, Lempor exhaust, an improved spark arrestor, lightweight multi-ring articulated piston valves, improved valve events and improved mechanical lubrication. Two locomotives were treated, No. 141 in 1989 and No. 155 in 1990, and reclassified to Class NG G16A. In comparative testing 141 gave a fuel saving of 25% compared to a standard SAR Class NG G16 Garratt, easily maintained in regular service.[4]
The venture lost money heavily initially, but after making profits from year three decided to try to return to an all-steam powered railway. The Banana Express had always been steam powered, while the advantages of power and a short wheelbase meant that PSACR had taken advantage of leasing SAR 91 Class diesels to provide it commercial freight services.[5]
The revived PSACR became Spoornet’s second largest customer at Port Shepstone. This was driven by the operations of Kulu Lime and the Natal Portland Cement, plus pulpwood, poplar logs (for matchwood), creosoted telegraph poles, and manufactured wooden items from Harding. North bound inland traffic was general cargo to serve the farmers, such as maize, fertilizer, salt, cement, farm implements and water tanks and small parcels. The company also revived the tourist driven passenger train, the Banana Express.[6]
In 1991 Spoornet acquired one-million shares in PSACR, equivalent to a 28% shareholding, which gave users greater confidence in the PSACR service. The “Narrow Arrow” piggyback train was introduced for supply to the Port Shepstone pulp mill, where an entire train of 26 narrow gauge 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. Plans were in place for a similar initiative in sugar cane shipment.[6]
However, by the mid-1990s the effects of transport deregulation began to show, with larger often overloaded trucks becoming ever more competitive. Although Spoornet made representations to the government, transport regulations were further relaxed to allow a higher gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 56,000 kilograms (55 long tons), a higher axle load from 8.2 and 9.0 long tons (8,300 and 9,100 kg), together with a 5% overload tolerance: the highest heavy vehicle mass with unlimited access to the roads of any country in the world.
Resultantly, Spoornet began to lose general freight traffic, and PSACR's reliance on trans-shipment increased transport times and costs.[6] The railway began a gradual decline, eventually failing in 2001 when it lost the key Port Shepstone "Narrow Arrow" wood pulping contract, due to national unreliability problems resulting from labour relation issues at Spoornet.[6]
Suspending freight operations, the line continued to operate the Banana Express, but accumulated huge debts to Spoornet. In light of lease debts, Transnet decided to legally force the venture into bankruptcy in 2004.[7][8][9]
After termination of the PSACR lease, Patons Country Narrow Gauge Railway (PCNGR) was granted a temporary permit to continue running the Banana Express, from Port Shepstone to Paddock. The company had three locomotives available to it (NGG16's No.151 and 127; plus an ex-sugar estate 0-4-0T, SAR NG UVE2.[5]
With a 6 hour journey totally devoted to tourism and enabling access to locally based attractions and businesses,[10] it again became very popular with tourists because of both the scenery and the access to local businesses.
Before reaching Shelley Beach the railway traversed several river bridges along the Hibiscus Coast. The train then veered inland and chugged up through banana plantations and cane fields towards Izotsha (stopping for 1.5hrs), passed through lush sub-tropical indigenous forests and rondavel-dotted hillsides, before stopping over in Paddock for lunch (1.25hours), and then the direct return journey.
Although PCNGR had proposals to reopened the line to Harding,[11] in December 2005 Transnet shut the Banana Express, after they decreed a lease did not exist between SAR and PCNGR.[12]
On June 18, 2008 a huge storm hit the coast, which resulted in large amounts of flash flooding. This damaged many of the railways bridges along the Hibiscus Coast beyond economic repair, and washed most of the Izotsha rail bridge away.[13]
This extensive damage means that both the Banana Express and ACR are unlikely to return in the near future, if at all.