Ghana

[britishcolumbian]

So, now I'm in Accra for (almost) a year... there isn't much railway activity, as most of the network is out of service. There are only three passenger services operational right now, two out west centred on Takoradi, and one that runs between Accra and Tema, twentyish miles apart, leaving Tema at 06.30, taking about an hour to get to Accra, and returning at 17:30, Monday to Friday. I didn't know about the weekday-only thing until I went by Accra Station today, so haven't yet had the chance to ride the train, but did grab two pictures. Mostly it's been taken over by markets/sellers, and the old coach in the picture is now a residence...

 

[bingley hall]

I was in Ghana for a fortnight back in 1976 and it was pretty ramshackle back then.

Sad to see its gone backwards over the years.

More pics would be interesting if you have them.

[britishcolumbian]

5 hours ago, bingley hall said:

I was in Ghana for a fortnight back in 1976 and it was pretty ramshackle back then.

Sad to see its gone backwards over the years.

More pics would be interesting if you have them.

Well I'll be here for the better part of a year so hopefully I'll have more pics in the fullness of time. Parts of Accra are modern and very nice, other parts not so much. Per my understanding there's little rail traffic in the Accra area, but more in the west along the line from Takoradi, where there is also some freight work still happening, but most of the network is out of use. According to Ghana Railways they have plans to refurbish the line all the way Accra - Kumasi - Takoradi and perhaps convert it to standard gauge, but if that happens it'll probably be long after I've left.

[britishcolumbian]

Finally made a trip happen yesterday on the Accra-Tema line. There are two trains in the day, the morning run from Tema to Accra leaving at 0630, and the evening run departing Accra at 1740. I took the evening train, arriving at the station well ahead of time.

 

I had been expecting the train to be running the DMU that Ghana Railways bought about a decade ago, but I was told by a railwayman that it proved unreliable and is now parked at the shed in Tema out of service, so they're using loco-hauled coaching stock.

 

 

Hauling our train today was engine 1679, one of fourteen EMD GT18-LC2 C-C diesel-electrics built for GR by GMD in London, Ontario in 1996.

 

(tbc)

 

[britishcolumbian]

The train's consist was made up of four bogie coaches, three second-class and one first class. All of the coaching stock was built in East Germany between 1985 and 1990.

 

The three second-class coaches are from a batch of 63 built at Bautzen (1985-86) and Görlitz (1990) and numbered 801-863. They have six-abreast seating and 93 seats.

 

I didn't get an outside shot of the first-class coach, but it was number 1111, one of twelve 56-seat coaches built at Bautzen in 1987. The faux-leather chairs are actually quite comfortable, and fitted with airliner-style folding tables on each seat back.

 

Parked adjacent was still the same coach seen in the first post in this thread - one of thirty second class brake/luggage combines numbered 901-930 built at Bautzen in 1987.

[britishcolumbian]

Here's a short video of the train as it's running towards the station exit:

 

As you can see, most of the station area has been taken over by city sprawl - mostly entrepreneurs running street stalls: this is where they come to wash second-hand clothing before reselling them, laying them out to dry on the tracks.

 

 

A view up the train as it departs Odaw Station, the only station between Accra and Achimota (the station building and platform is on the other side of the train), about 1.6 miles from Accra Station. Much of the way up to Achimota looks like this along the tracks - a plethora of small shops and shantytowns. Just to the east across the overpass is Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

 

Achimota Station is about 4.5 miles north of Accra Station, and is the junction between the mainline that runs north to Kumasi and the branch west to the port of Tema. The train stops here, then the locomotive, which runs long hood forwards out of Accra to here, runs around the train and connects to the other end, to run cab-end forwards the rest of the way to Tema.

 

 

Leaving Achimota, the train backs up a ways northwards, to move onto the line to Tema; here we're at the north end of the yard and moving to the westmost track, which is the line to Tema.

Edited November 11, 2023 by britishcolumbian

[Porkscratching]

Interesting, I love the brown plastic seats! 

Out of interest, was Ghana one of the countries supplied with all manner of "stuff" by the Soviets back in the day ? I wondered as you say the coaches are East German. 

[britishcolumbian]

5 minutes ago, Porkscratching said:

Interesting, I love the brown plastic seats! 

Out of interest, was Ghana one of the countries supplied with all manner of "stuff" by the Soviets back in the day ? I wondered as you say the coaches are East German. 

I think so, I think they were kinda like Yugoslavia and got stuff from wherever they could, saying the right things to each side to get stuff, but not actually committing to either side.

[Porkscratching]

19 minutes ago, britishcolumbian said:

I think so, I think they were kinda like Yugoslavia and got stuff from wherever they could, saying the right things to each side to get stuff, but not actually committing to either side.

Good luck to 'em, Sounds like a smart move to me 😁

[britishcolumbian]

After Achimota, the train passes through halts at Abelemkpe (1.3 miles from Achimota) and Airport Halt (about 3.5 miles from Achimota), then crossing Liberation Road, passing Kotoka International Airport and its high-end residential neighbourhood, and arriving at Batchona Station at 18:27 (three minutes early) - by which time it is pitch black: the sun rises here aaround 5 am, and at 6 pm it's dark, every day; the difference between the longest and shortest days is half an hour.

 

Next stop, Addogonna Halt, about 9.5 miles east of Achimota; the halt is situated such that the stopped train blocks the level crossing. There are no platforms at these halts; rather, there are permanently-positioned metal staircases, each about 5 feet wide, which provide a means of getting up to the high doors on the coaches.

 

After passing through Nungua Barrier Halt (about 10.6 miles from Achimota) we reach Asoprochona Station at 18:47, still three minutes early, about 12.1 miles east of Achimota. Like Batchona, Asoprochona is a simple passing loop. East of here the line runs along the seaside, passing beside Sakumono Beach on its way to Tema.

 

After passing by the large and modern-looking Tema port facilities, we passed by the engine shops at Tema Harbour Station, still a few minutes early; you can see another GT18 inside the shed, and at the other side I noted the parked DMU, but couldn't get a shot at speed. According to the timetable the train should continue on to a halt at Tema Fishing Harbour and the terminus station in Community 1 (18.6 miles from Achimota, 23 route-miles from Accra), but the train terminated here at Tema. I noted with interest that this area looks quite modern, the tracks here are all looking quite fresh and relaid with concrete sleepers. I didn't get any pictures because it was too dark, but I'm hoping to go back next Friday early enough to catch the 0630 departure from Tema to Accra, to get a few pics around Tema and see the line in its entirety in daylight.