BULAWAYO SHED
Although only a shadow of its former self, Bulawayo is probably the last great steam shed on earth. Between five and eight Garretts are in steam on a daily basis to shunt the yards and to haul trip workings between the great freight yards which surround Zimbabwe's second city. Four classes of Garretts are still to be found at work in Bulawayo - Class 14A 2-6-2+2-6-2, Class 15A 4-6-4+4-6-4, Class 16A 2-8-2+2-8-2 and the mighty 20th Class 4-8-2+2-8-4. Some of these locomotives have been transferred into the ownership of the National Railway Museum in Bulawayo but remain at work on a daily basis. The engines begin to leave the shed shortly after dawn, making their way to the shunter's cabin at Bulawayo station before setting off to their place of work. Just before sunset the process is reversed with a succession of engines returning to the shed to have their fires cleaned through and ashpans emptied before being stabled for the night. This disposal of engines is an unforgetable sight and almost unique in the 21st century. Attached to the shed is a small workshop where overhauls and repairs are carried out as the engineering works of ZECO, which overhauled many of the Garretts during the oil embargo of the early 1980's now closed. |
