It looks like China is becoming the rairoad builder to the world. New road is being built from Mombasa to Nairobi in Kenya. I was surprised to see that it appears to be jointed rail.
http://english.cntv.cn/2015/01/24/VIDE1422048361826679.shtml
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"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Don't they already have a railroad Between those places? I was there with the navy in 1975 and there was a railroad there. An officer on my ship, a fellow rail buff said he saw a Garratt moving boxcars around. I kicked myself ever since for missing that. But, anyway, didn't the Chinese build the Tan-Zam railway many years ago between Tanzania and Zambia?
I don't know, but the video mentioned that this is standard gauge and showed the old rail as meter gauge. Kenya must figure that it's worthwhile to replace it.
Paul of Covington I don't know, but the video mentioned that this is standard gauge and showed the old rail as meter gauge. Kenya must figure that it's worthwhile to replace it.
Jointed rail on precast concrete ties. Definitey, jointed rail. Probably, done to facilitate ocean shipping(?)
Notice the double stacked containers on the apparently conventional flat car (Clearance to the verticle must not be an issue?) Double Stacked loading would surely prevent non-paying passengers riding on the top of THAT loading.
As to the speeds mentioned; 100KPH for Freights, and 120KPH for Passenger Trains would certainly be an improvement. Based on observations of the current equipment displayed in the video, will be a new set of operational concepts in Kenya.
Just my thoughts, but the new line might be an overly, optimistic 'World Class' Thrill Ride? I wish them luck, and safety.
Paul of Covington It looks like China is becoming the rairoad builder to the world. New road is being built from Mombasa to Nairobi in Kenya. I was surprised to see that it appears to be jointed rail. http://english.cntv.cn/2015/01/24/VIDE1422048361826679.shtml
I liked the visual comparison between the old 1000-mm gauge and the new 1435-mm gauge tracks, each with an appropriately labeled sign (although crudely lettered) on a bar spanning the track. I seem to remember a poster here who went by the screen name of "1435 mm" . . .
Re: the jointed rail - the projected traffic volume and/ or the local infrastructure may not yet be enough to justify CWR. It would not come off the ship that way anyhow; it would still be in pieces of some length between roughly 40 and 100 ft.
The logistics of the construction may be such that the only practical way is to get the track built first; then come along with a rail-mounted rail welder to eliminate those joints. Imagine trying to weld the rail in a central plant, and then having to import and set-up a specialized CWR train to haul it to the temporary end of track, next pull it off out onto the subgrade ahead for a ways - and then get the ties there and properly spaced out, too - before it could be assembled into a track. The lack of modern heavy-duty specialized track machinery would make that a daunting proposition, even if a lot of cheap manual labor was available.
- Paul North.
Most railroads in East Africa are Cape gauge (3' 6"), not meter gauge.
At about 0:56 is when it shows the sign on the segment of the old track:
"METRE GAUGE - 1000MM" (note their spelling of "gauge")
At about 1:26 is when it shows the sign on the new track:
"STANDARD GAUGE - 1435MM"
Both signs are mounted on what looks to be a fairly robust and heavy steel track construction gauge, which is strong enough to withstand the abuse of heavy rails being shoved against it, or a curving rail being compressed against it, etc. That's in contrast to an inspector's gauge, which is often a much lighter weight (mine is an aluminum tube) to facilitate being carried for a long time and being set down and lifted lifted many times during a typical working day - but could never stand up to the kind of use that a construction gauge has to endure.
David P. Morgan wrote about the Kenyan railroad as one article in his "Jet Search for Steam" series, which ran from January - August (inclusive) in 1966:
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