Steam on the EAR, 2011

This reply to account of the events in and around Nairobi in May 2011 was originally posted on the East Africa Yahoo newsgroup by Geoff Warren who was part of the support group behind the scenes. See also James Waite's report and Thomas Kautzor's report on the same trip.

Here are my observations, looking at the operational aspects with some inside knowledge of what happened. Regarding the condition of the steam locos and problems with fuel, water etc., please wait a bit. Sorry: this posting is a bit long, but it aims to inform non-participants as well as the supporters.

First, about the coaches and wagons used. All were built before 1980, so we should be happy that the trains were all historically correct train formations for the steam age. This does include the "notorious" (as you describe it!) water tank 92155, built in 1973. I have come to realise that Germanic photographers in particular don't like a tank wagon directly behind a steam loco! However, it has been a general rule in Kenya that heavier wagons should be marshalled towards the front of a train to reduce the chance of derailments. If this had been 1977 to 1980 (when 3020 was active in Kenya), and 92155 loaded with water, that's exactly where 92155 should have been. Even if the train is not as aesthetically pleasing as some would like, it is historically correct so we cannot complain too much!

I had asked for two of the nice old MVBR wagons. So far as I know, they are the only ones remaining in the brown livery and three remain. However, I understood that the others had been allocated to the breakdown train in Mombasa and they were not released. For Friday and Saturday, we had asked for extra CLBR wagons (the typical covered wagons) but not URC or RVR painted ones. You can see that the RVR operational staff on the ground fully understood this unprecedented request, because of the perfect appearance of the one that we did get. Just before the tour, they had started to put aside suitable empty wagons, but were over-ruled by higher management. All empty wagons except one were then sent on to Mombasa for loading so the wagons we had were few in number. I am sorry, but nothing could be done about this. As a partial compensation on Saturday afternoon, two extra caboose were added, taken from the commuter rakes.

As for the coaches, an early problem was that the Restaurant car 4901 became trapped behind a derailment in the Workshops on Wednesday 18th morning. To avoid delay to the Up ecs to Naivasha, an extra commuter TCB was provided instead. Although not as comfortable, I think that everyone was happy with this substitution, except, no doubt, those commuters literally left standing for their journeys in the next two and a half days. If anyone did not like the two TCBs used (3323 and 3244), then I admit responsibility: I chose them solely for visual reasons. They were 1950's British origin and lacking graffiti or the painted RVR safety notice that adorns most TCBs.

I think that this is the first attempt at a tour for railfans to recreate historic and photogenic trains. Hopefully, the Group will agree that progress has been made towards satisfying that objective.

Turning to operations, the outbound ecs to Naivasha made it easily in six hours, so the problems with 3020's steaming next morning were a surprise. The consequent delays were unwanted. But I must point out that it is not a foregone conclusion that if we had reached Longonot earlier, then we would have been on the climb from Longonot to Kijabe before crossing the Up freight that you mentioned. Nairobi Control were well aware that we wanted to spend a long time in section between Longonot and Kijabe. Furthermore, a reconnaissance visit that Isaac and I made in the previous week found that the loop at Kijabe was out
of use because of a points defect. Our train might have been held at Longonot anyway! As you have pointed out, the delays at Suswa and between Suswa and Longonot were converted into photo stops. They substituted for the downhill run-pasts that I had planned at Muguga and Kikuyu. We did, of course, get three uphill runpast locations between Longonot and Kijabe, a great achievement. I don't think we were too late because the sunshine was still on the side of the train. This was May, so the sun moves anticlockwise to the north and would not have been on the front of the loco at the first two locations even if we were
there much earlier. With the Up freight out of the way, we had time to wait for a gap in the clouds and sunshine at every stop. Can steam specials do that on SBB's main lines? !!!

Unfortunately, operations on Day 2 were very much ad-hoc because of 5918's condition and fuelling delays. We are in debt to Yardmaster Willy Chesbol, who agreed that we could take over the Nairobi freight marshalling yard for photo runpasts after the passenger station had filled with the commuter trains. On Day 3, the appearance of 2409 was late. In my view and in this case, it did not matter because the morning weather was grey and overcast. However, and looking to the future, it is important for photographers that a prompt start is made for a February or September tour, when the sunrise is often under clear skies. I feel that the leisurely trip to Makadara and back worked out well in the circumstances. At Makadara, the shunting to put the BKB at the rear was a typical manoeuvre. We had two photo-runpast locations on the return, including two run-pasts at the splendid Nairobi East Junction semaphore signal gantry.

In the afternoon, 5918 was delayed again but it was possible to position 2409 and 5918 near each other in way that didn't cause delay. Meanwhile, and unfortunately, the team of carriage and wagon examiners (CXR) had been sent to check a freight waiting in the Up yard. This was one cause of the very long delay before our train was cleared for dispatch. If I had known that the CXR people were not available, then we could have had more time photgraphing 2409 and 5918 together. You suggested the possibility of turning back at Makadara instead of pressing on. This seems a fair comment but at the time, we did not
realise that 5918 was in bad trouble. With almost two hours to go before sunset it seemed possible to reach Embakasi or even Athi River. However, it was not to be.

As a railfan photographer friend of mine says: "Hindsight is an exact science"! If we knew exactly what would happen, we may have done it differently!