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It was 2012 (more than 10 years ago when I posted Thomas
Kautzor's major report although David Gillis confrirmed few major changes
in March 2022.
Chris Grimes reports
In November/December 2024, my wife and I spent a week in Mauritius prior to boarding a Cruise. The following gives details of the items we investigated, using information from the International Steam website as a guide. It is by no means a comprehensive report on surviving railway artifacts in Mauritius.
27th November 2024
Casela Nature and Leisure Park, Cascavelle near Flic en Flac.
The continued existence of 800mm gauge 0-6-0T OK 12791 of 1936, ex Medine Sugar Estate (S.E.) was confirmed at the gate. It sits in the children’s playground but is not visible without paying admission.
Ebène Cybercity, Quatre Borne.
762 mm gauge OK 0-6-0WT 11717/1928 ex. Highland S.E., together with two cane wagons, remains plinthed as previously described next to a roundabout. Both loco and wagons are severely corroded; I doubt the loco would survive being moved. The wagons are of the 4-wheel end-loading type, as were all the survivors that I saw. One carries a plate detailing the builder (Allens of Tipton), exporter (Railway Mine
and Plantation Equipment Ltd., London, and Importer (Ireland Frazer and Co.)
Marine and Tar Products, Port Louis
3’ gauge 0-4-2T Lowca 207L/1890 ex Beau Champ S.E. still stands on the N.E. corner of the factory site. Unfortunately, the gateman refused us entry, although he did point out that the
locomotive can be seen from outside the chain link fence alongside the M1 road. The fence prevented me from taking a presentable photo.
28th November 2024
St Felix S.E., Chemin Grenier.
The unidentified 750mm gauge OK 0-6-0T, numbered 606 and with a fake boiler remains plinthed, together with an Allens cane wagon. It has lost its fake chimney, is fitted with incorrect cylinders and is in a sorry state; only the frames
and wheels remain of the original loco. Several items of heavy mill equipment are on display at the same site.
Bel Ombre S.E., Bel Ombre.
The Sugar Estate had stopped using its rail system by 1974, and the mill closed in 1999. Some sort of museum setup seems to have followed, but even this has now been abandoned. Parts of the former mill and machinery can still be inspected, together with very faded information boards. However, on the seaward side of the coast road, the formation of the cane railway reception yard is still obvious.
30th November 2024
L’Aventure du Sucre, Pamplemousses.
2’ gauge 0-6-0T OK 12388 of 1932, ex Mon Loisir S.E., is preserved inside the museum. It is quite surprisingly complete and in good ‘industrial’ condition. The arrangement for rotating the wheels if you answer questions correctly was not operational. 3 foot gauge 0-6-0T “Sir William” (OK 12183 of 1930) ex. Beau Champ S.E. is displayed outside, but has been moved from its previous location. The original but corroded cab sides/bunkers/side tanks have been replaced with a simplified design, disguising the fact that it was a side-and-well tank. The Allens cane wagon with it (ex. Mon Loisir S.E.) has been converted to a ‘passenger’ vehicle, a strange thing for a museum to have done. A third ‘passenger’ vehicle makes up a ‘train’, it’s actually on road wheels! The museum is well worth a visit, having a lot of British-built heavy machinery on display and explaining the history of Mauritius very well.
2nd December 2024
Beau Sejour S.E., Piton. 750mm gauge Kerr Stuart 0-4-2T and cane wagon; unfortunately the security guard refused me permission enter the site, but photography through the fence was possible.
The old railway station at Mapou is still the village post office. The loco water tank still stands, next to a roundabout on the B17 road. The sign proclaiming that the (station) site is earmarked for a railway museum project is still there.
Labourdonais S.E., Mapou; The former plantation house has been restored and is open as the ‘Château de Labourdonnais’. The site of the adjacent mill is now a trading estate. Two 760mm gauge diesel locos, Ruhrtaler 0-6-0DM No. 3 and a Plymouth 4wDM, stand on the truncated remains of three sidings in what was once the cane reception yard. An information board identifies one of the repurposed buildings as having been the loco shed.
3rd December 2024
Port Louis, Musée de la Photographie. I called at the Museum in the hope of purchasing a copy of Le Dernier Train: un romantèque (Bréville, Tristan, 2005). Unfortunately it is both out of print and out of stock. Apparently, another print run is being considered, but no date has been set.
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