Sugar Railways of Antigua October 2013

Thomas Kautzor has been to several Caribbean islands to check out what is left of their railways and industrial heritage.

For the full general index, see Railway Relics (and more) in the Caribbean, Other report for the eastern islands in this series comprise:

Sugar cultivation was introduced to Antigua in 1674, when Christopher Codrington came from Barbados and settled at Betty’s Hope Estate, bringing the latest sugar technology with him. In 1901 it was decided that two large central sugar factories should be built to replace the numerous small sugar estates.

Antigua Sugar Factory (ASF) at Gunthorpe’s Estate:

Construction of the factory started in 1903 and in 1905 the first crop was processed. The 30-in. (762mm) gauge railway network, which reached out into five directions with numerous branches (including one to the Sugar Terminal in St. John’s) eventually reached 40 miles and after the 1939 take-over of BSF trackage 50.8 miles. By 1953 the mill at ASF had a crushing capacity of 80 tons/hour. The cutting season lasted six months of the year.

In 1971 a political decision was made for Antigua’s economy to concentrate on tourism and abandon sugar production and ASF was closed in 1972/73. An attempt to operate a tourist service dubbed “The Sunshine Shu Shu” using steam loco No. 5 GEORGE and five converted cane cars in 1968/69 and again in 1972/73 failed.

After closure, ASF and its assets were handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture and the factory fell into ruins. 

However, a few buildings are still in use today: the Mechanical Workshops, where the machinery was driven by a Ruston engine via a series of overhead belts and drive shafts, were taken over by a former ASF apprentice, while the Sugar Store is in use as a car repair shop (TK 2013).

In St. John’s, there are some track remains between the former Sugar Terminal and the pier. Elsewhere most of the track was stolen and is now used as fence posts, telephone poles, etc… all over the island (TK 2013).

Bendals Sugar Factory (BSF) at Belvedere Estate:

It is thought that the 24-in. (610mm) gauge railway started operating in 1903/04. In 1913 assets showed 5 miles of track and 65 wagons, but no locos. Until then, animal traction was probably used. Later the network, which consisted of lines into three directions plus branches, was extended to 8 miles. In September 1939 BSF was taken over by ASF and a 30-in. (762mm) gauge connection built between the two mills, with all of the cane being processed at ASF. Later the remaining BSF lines were either converted to 30-in. (762mm) gauge or abandoned, as were the BSF petrol locos. Today, nothing of the mill remains; the milling equipment was sold and is suspected to have ended up Mt. Bentinck Sugar Estate in St. Vincent.

Locomotives:

A total of 26 steam, petrol and diesel locos are known to have worked in Antigua, of which 19 survive today, including five on the island. Some of the steam locos have been renumbered over the years, so they are listed here in the order in which they were delivered.

In the 1950s, six Ruston & Hornsby 100DL diesel locos were acquired in an effort to modernize the rail operations. The first of these were originally 24-in.(610mm) gauge for working on the ex-Bendals section and later regauged. All six were sold to the St. Kitts Sugar Manufacturing Corp. (SSMC) after closure.

Some photos of the abandoned locos at ASF in 02/1979 (2) and in 04/1991 (6) can be found at https://www.flickr.com/photos/colinchurcher/sets/72157607342775956

Back to Life – Antigua Sugar Locomotives Project:

This project, started in 2011, is an attempt to restore some of the ASF locomotives for public display before nothing is left of them (scrap theft has been an increasing problem on the island). It is a common project of the Museum of Antigua & Barbuda, The Betty’s Hope Trust (now an historical site with a restored windmill), Lawrence Gameson of T. Gameson & Sons Ltd. (England), the Ministries of Tourism and Agriculture, and the Public Works Department, and with the assistance of local resident Douglas Luery as locomotive consultant.

Since then, L. Gameson has repeatedly spent time in Antigua restoring four of the locos, one of each of the types left on the island, for display. The locos are KS 0-4-2ST No. 4 MARION, MR 4wPM No. 8 BESSIE, Plymouth 4wPM No. 13 and Hudson-Hunslet 4wDM No.15. In exchange he was allowed to acquire the remaining locos for resale in the U.K. (four steam, two diesel and one petrol). Work is now coming to an end on the locos and the plan is to eventually put them on display at Betty’s Hope Plantation (now an historical site with a restored windmill and a small museum) in Pares, near the eastern end of the island, in two open-sided buildings. These structures are to be built by the Ministry of Tourism. A 500 metre long working narrow gauge railway between a parking lot on the main road and the site is also projected.

L. Gameson and D. Luery have also approached the St. Kitts National Trust in view of returning one of the three not rebuilt Ruston 100DL to Antigua, but the proposal was turned down.

Meanwhile, on 11th November 2014 restored loco No. 15 was put on temporary display in front of the Museum of Antigua & Barbuda, Long Street, St. John’s. The museum already has a small display on the island’s sugar industry as well as three wagon axles (two 30-in. (762mm) and one 24-in. (mm) gauge). It is open Mo-Fr 08.30 am-4 pm and Sa 10 am-2 pm. Progress with the project can followed on the Museum's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Museum-of-Antigua-and-Barbuda/107508883031.

As of September 2015, all four (green) restored locomotives are on display outside the Museum, pending completion of the Betty's Hope project which is currently stalled.

Rolling Stock:

Before closure, rolling stock comprised:

300 high-sided cane cars (mainly Robert Hudson & Gregg);
30 flat trucks for farmer’s cane;
6 molasses tank wagons;
12 mid trucks;
3 bogie trucks;
5 workers’ cars (converted from cane cars).

Most of the rolling stock was scrapped over the years, but at least seven cane cars as well as two workers’ car have been preserved and one of each type will go on display with the restored locos. The base of a Bedford Engineering Co. rail crane has also been preserved.

Sources:

• Robert R. Darsley, “Caribbean Cane Tramways – (1) The Lesser Antilles”, in Industrial Railway Record No. 93 (June 1982), pp. 421-430;
• David Rollinson, “Railways of the Caribbean”, Oxford: MacMillan Caribbean, 2001, pp. 79-81;
• Douglas Luery, “An Introduction to Antigua Narrow Gauge Railways”, October 2001.

The photos of the locos in Antigua were provided by TGS Ltd and those of the locos in the U.K. by FMB Engineering Ltd. Persons interested in purchasing a loco can contact Brian Gent at:

FMB Engineering Co. Ltd., 34 East Street, Fareham, Hampshire, PO16 0BY, UK

Tel. 01329 483023, Mobile: 07850-001186, Email: briangent57@gmail.com

Museum of Antigua and Barbuda (TK 2013)

ASF 7 Joan on the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway, UK (TK, 27th May 2013)

The following pictures from Antigua are courtesy of TGS Ltd

The initial pictures show the newly restored locos, firstly KS 0-4-2ST 4 Marion:

Plymouth 4wPM 13

MR 4wPM 8 Bessie and Hudson-Hunslet 4wDM No.15, the latter outside the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda

The following pictures from the UK are courtesy of  FMB Engineering Ltd and show locos in the UK and now for sale.

Hudson-Hunslet 4wDM ASF 10 and Plymouth 4wPM ASF 11.

One of the two Kerr Stuart Brazils