Thanks for taking me back home, I used to travel every holiday using these trains from harare to Bulawayo and vice Versa and I used to be one crazy fan of the engine sounds, still crazy though
Great video, it's a sort of update for me, as I visited Zimbabwe 22 years ago. Main difference; all the steam around Bulawayo has gone, back then virtualy all the shunting and pick up work was done by garratts, such as the move of coal into the power station. But there's a larger variety of diesels now, then it was just the NRZ DE10 (EMD GT22C) and ZR or Botswana rail GE U20C that operated around Bulawayo and the line to Vic Falls. Love the sound of these old GE's, the U15C model has a FDL7 V8!
I love the video especially from 27:19. It features the largest locomotive we are operating in Zambia. The GT36CU-MP is just fabulous, that 16-645F3B makes some wonderful diesel music.....Thumbs up and post more of those.
Lovely on-train footage in the dusk. There's some hefty cowcatchers on those locos, I suppose to guard against the local wildlife. Is that still RR (Rhodesia Railways) lettering on that car @ 11:00?
Only a few spots in Bulawayo and perhaps Harare. The CTC system was once extensive but lack of maintenance, theft and vandalism have taken their toll. You can see in the video at several spots the power switches were being hand cranked account all circuitry was removed.
Twenty years ago it was the otherway round the zim locomotives use to shine like polished now its the zambian ones but I still like them not to be missunderstood
Jacques Blaque nope, the trucks are similar but not identical to Alcos. They never had Alcos to trade in either. All their early power was English Electric and European makes.
Don't you just love the lack of maintenance of both the diesels and rolling stock. I guess that part of the annual budget is in someone's pocket. See how both the private company's inventory as well as Zambia Railways is in the main pristine. Makes me want to cry how a once great business, even with International sanctions and a war, was allowed to fall into such a state of disrepair...
Yes. The railway also had a complete CTC system installed during the colonial period, which as since been almost totally deactivated. Every time we had to do a switching move over a main track switch, a signalman had to manually crank the switches using the former power switch machines. The signal heads and wayside lines were stripped by the locals for copper and other salvagables. I guess that's full employment and recycling taken to extremes.
@@fmnut Yep....went straight over the top 🤣🤣 Quotation Marks would have helped as the reference " Colonial Period" threw me!! Being born at Vic Falls in the 1950's the railways in Rhodesia as it was then, were an important part of my life. Since independence in 1965 the railways grew and despite the 6 year war in the 1970's maintained a high standard of both efficiency and overall product. Granted though that the original infrastructure was made during the British Colonial rule. Keep well and thanks for the clarification....🤣👍👍
@@pamberinehondo9447 my bad for the colonial reference. I realize Rhodesia was independent. I was thinking economic colonialism as the primary investments in railway improvements came from Britain.
Not really, just looks that way. Half the railway was on strike while we were there. Maintenence is a joke. We were stranded for 8 hours account somebody forgot a switch key (long story and a bit oversimplified). Reminded me of Mexico in the days of FNM.
Thanks for taking me back home, I used to travel every holiday using these trains from harare to Bulawayo and vice Versa and I used to be one crazy fan of the engine sounds, still crazy though
Im a simple man i see Trains i press like . Thank , nice upload.
My home town .komthwakazi Bulawayo .Zimbabwe imic my home .
I love the sound of those old ancient locos
Awesome video fmnut, love seeing the rails in other countries, lesser known ones especially! Thanks for sharing!
Great video, enjoyable trip, didn't realise you were filming at c 16.00 minutes as you can hear me talking! Cheers.
I live in finland and those trains looks so different from ours. Those trains are cool
RR R.I.P. don't open your eyes you will forever cry !!!
Hello. Beautiful trains in Africa, a Garratt locomotive was seen.
at 0:40 the blue AR & TS is an ex Queensland rail locomotive, don't know the number or class sorry
Diesels in Rhodesia.
RR.
nice video.........lots of love from india
Great video, it's a sort of update for me, as I visited Zimbabwe 22 years ago.
Main difference; all the steam around Bulawayo has gone, back then virtualy all the shunting and pick up work was done by garratts, such as the move of coal into the power station.
But there's a larger variety of diesels now, then it was just the NRZ DE10 (EMD GT22C) and ZR or Botswana rail GE U20C that operated around Bulawayo and the line to Vic Falls.
Love the sound of these old GE's, the U15C model has a FDL7 V8!
dieselmupke I used to go crazy and I still go crazy whenever I go back home to Bulawayo and happen to hear these diesel train sounds
Man, those coupling speeds are back-breaking.
Thank God! At least SOME trains in Zimbabwe are still rolling....
This was 4 years ago. Not sure what's going on now.
@@fmnut Oh! Right! I didn't realize the upload timing.
I love the video especially from 27:19. It features the largest locomotive we are operating in Zambia. The GT36CU-MP is just fabulous, that 16-645F3B makes some wonderful diesel music.....Thumbs up and post more of those.
Thanks for the upload
The RRL 22 diesels are ex DQ class locomotives owned by toll rail
Started off in QLD as their 1460 and 1502 classes
Good music @ background
Video is beautiful.
Railwais of Zimbabve is living history.
NRZ it is a sad parody of RR.
the emd coupled to an u-20c, is a gt-36, I suppouse, is newer than the gt-22-cu, had a 16, 710 engine and has 3500 hp
They actually have the same 16-645F3B as the SD50. Awesome piece of kit.
Had a ride on it from Lusaka to Chisanga here in Zambia, pretty awesome machine.
Cool thanks mate
GE Clunker Junker sound is unmistakable...
What’s the music you used at the start of the slideshow?
Love the video 😁
From the Age of Empires video game soundtrack. Track 5.
Cannot believe that vacuum brake is still the common use in Africa
Look at that old starring loco in action
Lovely on-train footage in the dusk. There's some hefty cowcatchers on those locos, I suppose to guard against the local wildlife. Is that still RR (Rhodesia Railways) lettering on that car @ 11:00?
Yes, it is museum stock.
Is this GE class(?) Engine sound like GE U18C in my country
Yes, the ones with the long noses are U18C.
Are the train signals for the railways still working?
Only a few spots in Bulawayo and perhaps Harare. The CTC system was once extensive but lack of maintenance, theft and vandalism have taken their toll. You can see in the video at several spots the power switches were being hand cranked account all circuitry was removed.
@@fmnut Sir thanks for the answer and its the same here in Zambia
Twenty years ago it was the otherway round the zim locomotives use to shine like polished now its the zambian ones but I still like them not to be missunderstood
When is your next trip to Zimbabwe
Moses Juma haven't decided yet
Hope the restructuring and south african partnership restores nrz to its former glory
I think you will find that the Former Glory you speak of was RR (Rhodesia Railways) and not NRZ!!!
Does Zimbabwe even have diesel to run its trains?
No.
Those yellow flat faced diesels what make and model are they?
GrumpyTinashe EMD GT22C.
They could fool me- those U20s sure sounded like they had 539 Alcos chugging away inside. Some artful scavenging?
Are all these tracks meter-gauge?
If you ever heard an old GE U boat they sound similar.
The tracks are Cape gauge, 3 foot 6 inches, same as most of southern Africa.
The trucks look a bit like Alcos as well. Maybe they traded Alcos in and used some of the parts? They used to do that in America.
Jacques Blaque nope, the trucks are similar but not identical to Alcos. They never had Alcos to trade in either. All their early power was English Electric and European makes.
We have a GE U-boat with the same engine in New Zealand it’s definitely the same sound lol
Don't you just love the lack of maintenance of both the diesels and rolling stock. I guess that part of the annual budget is in someone's pocket. See how both the private company's inventory as well as Zambia Railways is in the main pristine. Makes me want to cry how a once great business, even with International sanctions and a war, was allowed to fall into such a state of disrepair...
Yes. The railway also had a complete CTC system installed during the colonial period, which as since been almost totally deactivated. Every time we had to do a switching move over a main track switch, a signalman had to manually crank the switches using the former power switch machines. The signal heads and wayside lines were stripped by the locals for copper and other salvagables. I guess that's full employment and recycling taken to extremes.
@@fmnut That’s is true, you could call it full employment and recycling but mis-management and theft hold be better descriptions 👍. Stay safe
@@pamberinehondo9447 I guess my sarcasm was too subtle. I should have used quotation marks on those words.
@@fmnut Yep....went straight over the top 🤣🤣 Quotation Marks would have helped as the reference " Colonial Period" threw me!! Being born at Vic Falls in the 1950's the railways in Rhodesia as it was then, were an important part of my life. Since independence in 1965 the railways grew and despite the 6 year war in the 1970's maintained a high standard of both efficiency and overall product. Granted though that the original infrastructure was made during the British Colonial rule. Keep well and thanks for the clarification....🤣👍👍
@@pamberinehondo9447 my bad for the colonial reference. I realize Rhodesia was independent. I was thinking economic colonialism as the primary investments in railway improvements came from Britain.
Better organized than India lmfao.
Not really, just looks that way. Half the railway was on strike while we were there. Maintenence is a joke. We were stranded for 8 hours account somebody forgot a switch key (long story and a bit oversimplified). Reminded me of Mexico in the days of FNM.
@@fmnut Holy shit. Still at least there aren't people clinging on for dear life like a bunch of metallic flakes stuck to a magnet.