Mulobezi Railway
Encyclopedia
The Mulobezi Railway was constructed to carry timber
from Mulobezi
to Livingstone
in the Southern Province
of Zambia
, when the country was Northern Rhodesia
. The line uses the narrow gauge, also known as 'Cape gauge
', shared by all main line railways in Southern Africa
.
and was connected to Southern Rhodesia
via the Victoria Falls Bridge
, opened in 1905.
The Zambezi Sawmills company was founded in 1916 to exploit forests of Rhodesian Teak on the north bank of the Zambezi
above Livingstone. The timber is hard and strong and termite-resistant
and found a ready market as railway sleepers
, parquet floors and door
and window frames
in all parts of Britain's
Rhodesian colonies (including what is now Zimbabwe
). The timber was dragged to the river by oxen and transported by barge
downstream to a point near Livingstone from where it was hauled the few kilometres to the town in wagons running on wooden rails drawn by traction engine
s modified so that the front wheels ran on the tracks and the large power wheels ran outside them.
-Livingstone-Lusaka
main line, the branch line extends about 166 km north-west to Mulobezi.
network. Furthermore, a working train is visible on the line on Google Earth — see the reference for coordinates.
made a well-known painting of a Mulobezi steam locomotive and when the railway ceased working in the early seventies, Kenneth Kaunda
, then President of Zambia, gave two of the locomotives to him. One of those, the Mulobezi Princess is kept at the Livingstone Railway Museum where it has been restored to working order. The other locomotive Shepherd transported, together with a passenger coach, to the United Kingdom
, and a documentary film of that journey was broadcast in 1976 by BBC Television
, called Last Train to Mulobezi. He donated the passenger car to the National Railway Museum
, the world's largest, in York
, UK. Other steam locomotives and old rolling stock lie rusting away at Mulobezi.
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
from Mulobezi
Mulobezi
Mulobezi is a small town in the Southern Province of Zambia, and the centre of its timber industry. Timber extends into Southern Province with which the town is economically linked....
to Livingstone
Livingstone, Zambia
Livingstone or Maramba is a historic colonial city and present capital of the Southern Province of Zambia, a tourism centre for the Victoria Falls lying north of the Zambezi River, and a border town with road and rail connections to Zimbabwe on the other side of the Falls...
in the Southern Province
Southern Province, Zambia
Southern Province is one of Zambia's nine provinces, and home to Zambia's premier tourist attraction, Mosi-oa-Tunya , shared with Zimbabwe...
of Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, when the country was Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...
. The line uses the narrow gauge, also known as 'Cape gauge
Cape gauge
Cape gauge is a track gauge of between the inside of the rail heads and is classified as narrow gauge. It has installations of around .The gauge was first used by Norwegian engineer Carl Abraham Pihl and the first line was opened in 1862.- Nomenclature :...
', shared by all main line railways in Southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
.
Zambezi Sawmills
The first railway had been built in the country in 1904-5 between Livingstone and KalomoKalomo
Kalomo is a town in southern Zambia, lying north east of Livingstone, on the main road and railway line to Lusaka. It is home to the Batonga people. It was the first administrative centre of Northern Rhodesia, serving until the capital city was established at Livingstone in 1911...
and was connected to Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
via the Victoria Falls Bridge
Victoria Falls Bridge
The Victoria Falls Bridge crosses the Zambezi River just below the Victoria Falls and is built over the Second Gorge of the falls. As the river is the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, the bridge links the two countries and has border posts on the approaches to both ends, at the towns of Victoria...
, opened in 1905.
The Zambezi Sawmills company was founded in 1916 to exploit forests of Rhodesian Teak on the north bank of the Zambezi
Zambezi
The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its basin is , slightly less than half that of the Nile...
above Livingstone. The timber is hard and strong and termite-resistant
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
and found a ready market as railway sleepers
Railroad tie
A railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
, parquet floors and door
Door
A door is a movable structure used to open and close off an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or rotates inside of a space....
and window frames
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
in all parts of Britain's
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
Rhodesian colonies (including what is now Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
). The timber was dragged to the river by oxen and transported by barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
downstream to a point near Livingstone from where it was hauled the few kilometres to the town in wagons running on wooden rails drawn by traction engine
Traction engine
A traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it...
s modified so that the front wheels ran on the tracks and the large power wheels ran outside them.
Construction of the line
By the early 1920s the forests near the river were used up. They extended three hundred kilometres north-west and so the railway was constructed into them from 1923 or 1924 onwards using wrought iron rails which had originally been used for the first railway in southern Africa, the 1861 Capetown-Wellington line. From Livingstone, where it branches off the BulawayoBulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
-Livingstone-Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
main line, the branch line extends about 166 km north-west to Mulobezi.
Rolling stock
British-built steam locomotives were purchased from Rhodesia Railways (4-8-0 Class VII, VIII and X) in 1924-6. They were converted to burn sawmill waste. As well as wagons to carry the timber, some passenger coaches were built to carry employees and their families.Extension to Kataba
The line was extended 120 km beyond Mulobezi to Kataba, with many branches into the logging areas, so that altogether the railway was claimed to be the longest private railway in the world.Steam era
From the 1930s to the 1960s, one train per day ran in each direction, every day except Sundays. Journey time was 8 hours Livingstone to Mulobezi and 7 hours Mulobezi to Kataba.Present day
Currently, one train runs per week. The railway is listed on the RailTracker website as operational between Livingstone and Mulobezi, with 9 intermediate stations. In Livingstone it connects to the Zambia RailwaysZambia Railways
Zambia Railways is the national railway of Zambia, one of the two major railroad organizations in Zambia, which may also be referred to as Railway Systems of Zambia...
network. Furthermore, a working train is visible on the line on Google Earth — see the reference for coordinates.
David Shepherd
The British artist and conservationist David ShepherdDavid Shepherd (artist)
Richard David Shepherd CBE FRSA FGRA is a British artist and one of the world's most outspoken conservationists. He is most famous for his paintings of wildlife, although he also often paints steam railways, aircraft and landscapes...
made a well-known painting of a Mulobezi steam locomotive and when the railway ceased working in the early seventies, Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth David Kaunda, known as KK, served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991.-Early life:Kaunda was the youngest of eight children. He was born at Lubwa Mission in Chinsali, Northern Province of Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia...
, then President of Zambia, gave two of the locomotives to him. One of those, the Mulobezi Princess is kept at the Livingstone Railway Museum where it has been restored to working order. The other locomotive Shepherd transported, together with a passenger coach, to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and a documentary film of that journey was broadcast in 1976 by BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
, called Last Train to Mulobezi. He donated the passenger car to the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
, the world's largest, in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, UK. Other steam locomotives and old rolling stock lie rusting away at Mulobezi.
See also
- History of rail transport in ZambiaHistory of rail transport in ZambiaThe history of rail transport in Zambia began at the start of the twentieth century.-Northern Rhodesia:Railway construction in the then British South Africa Company-administered protectorate of Northern Rhodesia was driven primarily by Cecil Rhodes, who had a vision of a Cape-Cairo railway....
- Rail transport in ZambiaRail transport in ZambiaRail transport in Zambia is primarily provided by two companies:* TAZARA Railway* Zambia Railways Limited-Railway links with adjacent countries: DR Congo - yes, Ndola to Sakania then Lubumbashi - , freight only. . The current operating status of Chililabombwe-DR Congo link not known...
- Railway Museum (Zambia)Railway Museum (Zambia)The Railway Museum is a museum in Livingstone, Zambia dedicated to preserving Zambia's railway heritage.-References:*...