Banana Express
| 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 | |
| 3 December 1987 | Transnet and PS&ACR sign lease agreement |
| April 1988 | PS&ACR freight services start |
| 15 June 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 |
| 18 June 2008 | Storm wrecks bridges along Hibicus Coast |
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Alfred County Railway is an abandoned 2 ft (610 mm) 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.
South Africa, rich in natural resources and fertile lands, has many areas that are ideal for agricultural production. However, the steep mountainous terrain between the resource rich areas in the high velt and the coastal ports presented a transport challenge.
Before well maintained and reliable access roads had been developed, narrow gauge railways were used extensively by South African farmers to move produce from their large farms to central sorting and packing points on their own land. As a result, entrepreneurial business people created linking railways to transport the produce from the sorting and packing points to the coastal ports. Their choice of gauge was determined by the gauge that was being used in each local area 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' (NGR) project to transport sugar cane and bananas grown 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.
The route of the Alfred County Railway had some curves of 45 metres (147.6 ft), but with gradients of up to 3 in 100 / 3% (ruling grade of 1 in 37 / 2.7% for 20 miles or 32 kilometres after leaving the coast ), the NG4s and their replacements were often double-headed to haul the diverse freight traffic of wood, sugar cane and bananas to Port Shepstone. The line's management decided against purchasing more powerful articulated Garratt locomotives, because their longer wheelbase would make access to the sugar cane fields more difficult.
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Wikipedia