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Train auctions


matt-b
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2 hours ago, matt-b said:

Do UK trains ever go to auction?


Yes, auctions or tender lists come out every so often but a lot of private sales happen in the back ground.

For example if I had the money I could go out tomorrow and buy at least 3 type twos loco’s and a good few 08 shunters.

Friend of a friend and word of mouth is typical these days but most of it goes unreported in the railway press until the deal goes through.

Heres a recent auction/tender https://www.walkersingleton.co.uk/machinery-business-asset/class-08-shunters/

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These Afro 4000’s are a fantastic saga.

sit back and enjoy a night of light reading, written with South African sacarsm.
 

Headline news in South Africa for years, corruption at its best.

ive been reading the headlines on this for 5 years.

 

https://www.fin24.com/Economy/SA-gets-high-powered-locomotives-20141201

(no one in SA knows where this amount of money comes from, when the train company takes several months to replace stolen OHLE that it says it cannot afford to replace).

 

R2,600,000,000 (£127m) Paid in advance.

70 locos.. including 50 x “dual” versions like a class 88

 

(By comparison the DRS deal for 34x  class 68 Built at the same time/factory was £45m).

 

No one measured their height.

https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/safety-body-releases-report-on-prasas-afro-4000-locomotives-2015-12-03
 

 

13 locos from 100 delivered In 2014/15.

7 still new at Vossloh plant in Spain for 5 years now.

0 Dual versions delivered (pictures suggest 1 built).

 

Despite being out of gauge, banned from use,  1 was somehow written off in an accident, on a high speed passenger service.

https://www.arrivealive.co.za/news.aspx?s=3&i=18300&page=rsr-preliminary-investigation-report-of-prasa-shosholoza-meyl-derailment-in-kimberley-(northern-cape)


oh and the onboard systems are in Spanish..

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Investigation-is-derailed-as-Prasas-new-trains-only-speak-Spanish-20150831
 

The rest are pretty much unused, unmaintained for 5/6 years.

Mileages on some where just a few hundred miles.

 

They are basically Euro spec Vossloh Euro 4000’s on Cape Gauge bogies, but over height for cape gauge use. The EMD engines are reportedly banned from re-import back to the EU as they fail emissions. Whilst several countries have cape gauge track, their European gauge height precludes use... A few South American countries (with US gauge height) might be able to use them.

 

Prasa got the contract cancelled, indicated collusion, corruption and that alleged Swifambo was a front company for Vossloh. Since then theyve moved to wind it up and been following the money since.

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-09-06-now-officially-just-a-front-prasa-tall-trains-supplier-seeks-to-dodge-r2-6bn-claim-because-he-wasnt-a-real-bidder/

 

Other entertainment included the CEO of prasa going, and his CME (who had no qualifications), and later did a runner, before being brought back.

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/fake-prasa-dr-daniel-mthimkhulu-loses-bid-for-leave-to-appeal-r57m-judgment-20191206

 

The first auction last year saw them fetch around £20-40k each, presumably something happened to that sale and they are trying again...

https://www.railjournal.com/africa/prasa-afro-4000-diesel-locomotives-to-be-auctioned-off/

 

these ones seem to be at £340k each.. That sounds hopeful to me.

 

I think the end game for these will be another “deal” in South Africa, or perhaps spare parts for say Israels Euro 4000’s, (not in the EU), unless some deal is made with the Manufacturer I’m not sure how much use they will be to a new buyer.

 

Not too sure how willing support & maintenance from the Manufacturer will be, the legal fingers haven't finished pointing yet and Prasa wants its money back, trying to squeeze Swifambo’s CEO to squeal on the deal, and if it turns out he did, that could yet reach back to Spain, so there could be more rounds in that fight yet.

 

As for the money... this article lists houses, farms, estates, olive groves..

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-03-03-gravy-trains-r500m-from-failed-prasa-locomotives-deal-fraudulently-funnelled-to-trust-private-accounts-and-properties/

 

 

I was trying to get a model resprayed of one of these in HO. Sud-Express models wont touch the Prasa version. I cannot get the transfers made.


The locos themselves are a co-co version of a class 68, but with class 66 (EMD710) engines, as Euro spec, they are out of gauge for UK.. so they wont be coming here, even if standard gauge bogies could be sourced.

 

Edited by adb968008
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