RMweb Premium Craig Watson Posted December 16, 2009 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 16, 2009 Hi all, Since my days of volunteering on the class 126 at Bo'ness I've always been fascinated by the mystery of what became of the former E&G Swindons which were sold to the Lamco Railroad and exported to Liberia along with some class 08's, what happened to them during the civil war which tore the country apart has been a mystery some enthusiasts have been wondering about for years! Having recently found quite a bit of detail and pictures on the following site http://www.derbysulzers.com/liberia.html my interest in the Lamco Railroad has again been rekindled! I was having a trawl through flickr earlier and found pictures of the abandoned locos at the former workshops in Yekepa, I'd seen quite a few similar pics but the vehicle in the background of this particular pic taken in early 2009 jumped out at me! http://www.flickr.com/photos/dubland/3491734756/in/set-72157616431834798/ The same collection has a pic of one of the 08's, heavily stripped in the right hand side of the pic, the size of the 08 compared to the adjacent US loco can be seen too! http://www.flickr.com/photos/dubland/3486156959/in/set-72157617556994458/ Seeing the top picture confirmed that there was at least one Swindon vehicle remaining so I've spent the last hour or so again trawling the net and eventually found ths gem of a pic taken in 2008! http://www.larsjohannesson.com/photo/albums/liberia-bilder/Yekepa_Industrial_Area/12_Railbus_End_Station.html Theres also another single car "inside" the workshop which can be seen at, http://www.larsjohannesson.com/photo/albums/liberia-bilder/Yekepa_Industrial_Area/07_From_Loco_to_Scraps.html I'm quite pleased at finding the pics as I'd never seen them before, no doubt more pictures will emerge with the end of the civil war and Mittal Steel taking over the derelict mine and it's railroad. Cheers Craig Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kintbury jon Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Some fascinating photos. Thankyou for sharing the info! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf27 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 As Kintbury Jon says, fascinating stuff. suprised to see that they are still around.I looked on Google Earth but its not clear enough, can see rows of wagons though but thats about it.I wonder how much of a logistical nightmare it would be to repatriate the 126's, if indeed they are salvagable. cheers Shane Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Craig Watson Posted December 16, 2009 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 16, 2009 As Kintbury Jon says, fascinating stuff. suprised to see that they are still around. I'm going to try google earth to see if anything is visible from space. I wonder how much of a logistical nightmare it would be to repatriate the 126's, if indeed they are salvagable. cheers Shane There are wagons visible in the yard on google maps but the are where the real interest lies isn't covered in clear enough detail, there's quite a bit of (flattened) detail visible at the other end of the line in Buchanan but it's a few years out of date as Mittal Steel have carried out quite a bit of work to the port area and the actual railroad. Cheers Craig Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf27 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Hi Craig, I had just edited my post when I read yours. Doubt that there still there now then. Cheers Shane Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Craig Watson Posted December 16, 2009 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 16, 2009 Hi Craig, I had just edited my post when I read yours. Doubt that there still there now then. Cheers Shane The first pic in my post above was taken in March this year so it's possible they're still there. I have a funny feeling someone will be looking into contacting Mittal Steel on the subject! Cheers Craig Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
10800 Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I was in Yekepa a couple of months ago and grabbed a couple of shots without knowing much about what I was looking at. Arcelor Mittal are redeveloping the railway and mining operation there but the workshops shown are further east than the rehabilitation extent of the railway. It is possible now to travel by rail (well, pickup with railway wheels) west of Yekepa to Buchanan, but I haven't managed to wangle that trip yet. I'm away from home at the moment but I'll put up some of my pics at the weekend if I can. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Craig Watson Posted December 17, 2009 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 17, 2009 I was in Yekepa a couple of months ago and grabbed a couple of shots without knowing much about what I was looking at. Arcelor Mittal are redeveloping the railway and mining operation there but the workshops shown are further east than the rehabilitation extent of the railway. It is possible now to travel by rail (well, pickup with railway wheels) west of Yekepa to Buchanan, but I haven't managed to wangle that trip yet. I'm away from home at the moment but I'll put up some of my pics at the weekend if I can. Great, I look forward to seeing them! The development of the whole operation by Arcelor Mittal doesn't seem to have been documented on the net much, the story of Lamco and it's railroad is a fascinating one and it's great to see it being rehabilitated after many years of uncertainty, it was around 1998 when I first became interested in the units over there and over the years more pictures of the railroad have emerged as more of the former Lamco workers have put pictures on the net, and it's taken me this long to find pics of the units as they are now! Cheers Craig Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sc59401 Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Craig, that is a fantastic find. Many thanks for sharing it with us. I've been a member of the Class 126 DMU preservation group since 1983 (website link in my signature) and we are always on the lookout for news of the similar early series vehicles which went to Liberia ("leading" DMBS cars 79091, 79093, 79094, 79096 and 79097). We knew that one had been destroyed in a level crossing crash, however until now we had drawn a blank regarding the fate of the four remaining vehicles after the railway closed circa 1989. I wrote to the LAMCO Railroad Superintendent in 1987 and received a very interesting reply, with pages of information about the railway and its operations, however he advised me that the railcars (which replaced earlier vehicles from Sweden) had been scrapped. I wrote to one of the railway magazines with this information and my letter was published, prompting a "no they haven't" reply and a then-recent picture. I wonder how much of a logistical nightmare it would be to repatriate the 126's, if indeed they are salvagable. This is a regular topic of discussion at Bo'ness! With the three-car "Ayrshire" Class 126 unit essentially complete we are now restoring the only other Inter-City DMU vehicle left in the UK, trailer buffet first Sc79443, and although it is compatible with the Ayrshire cars (all four being "White Circle" coupling code) it would be a dream come true to reunite it with some of its former E&G colleagues. Judging by the photographs Craig has found this would be a major task but, to put it mildly, we've had a few challenges along the way with our four vehicles. Here's a photograph from the ever-helpful Railcar site showing some of the work which has been done on 79443 (more steelwork has been replaced since): http://www.railcar.co.uk/pics/Preserved/120-129/126/sm12.jpg Our preservation group would be very interested to see more photographs of the Swindon DMU cars in Liberia so I'll be watching this discussion with interest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Craig Watson Posted December 17, 2009 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 17, 2009 Craig, that is a fantastic find. Many thanks for sharing it with us. I've been a member of the Class 126 DMU preservation group since 1983 (website link in my signature) and we are always on the lookout for news of the similar early series vehicles which went to Liberia ("leading" DMBS cars 79091, 79093, 79094, 79096 and 79097). We knew that one had been destroyed in a level crossing crash, however until now we had drawn a blank regarding the fate of the four remaining vehicles after the railway closed circa 1989. I wrote to the LAMCO Railroad Superintendent in 1987 and received a very interesting reply, with pages of information about the railway and its operations, however he advised me that the railcars (which replaced earlier vehicles from Sweden) had been scrapped. I wrote to one of the railway magazines with this information and my letter was published, prompting a "no they haven't" reply and a then-recent picture. This is a regular topic of discussion at Bo'ness! With the three-car "Ayrshire" Class 126 unit essentially complete we are now restoring the only other Inter-City DMU vehicle left in the UK, trailer buffet first Sc79443, and although it is compatible with the Ayrshire cars (all four being "White Circle" coupling code) it would be a dream come true to reunite it with some of its former E&G colleagues. Judging by the photographs Craig has found this would be a major task but, to put it mildly, we've had a few challenges along the way with our four vehicles. Here's a photograph from the ever-helpful Railcar site showing some of the work which has been done on 79443 (more steelwork has been replaced since): http://www.railcar.c...29/126/sm12.jpg Our preservation group would be very interested to see more photographs of the Swindon DMU cars in Liberia so I'll be watching this discussion with interest. Hi John, As soon as I found the first two I emailed Stuart Mackay through the railcar website as it was the only contact I had for him, knowing what a hot subject this was with him from my time at Bo'ness I was pretty certain that the pics hadn't been seen before as if they had everyone would have been talking about them I'm just pleased I found them, I've since had a pm from another member who worked on the railroad although I can't do anything with it at the moment as I'm at work, I will however be replying when I get home later this afternoon. It's sad to see them in the state they are in but at least they're still there (3 of them in the pics anyway), they sort of remind me off the buffet car from my Bo'ness days One thing that did strike me is that they've been stripped out, possibly by looters (as with the fuel tanks and every other removeable part on the locos), I wonder if the looters found any of the blue stuff Cheers Craig Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sc59401 Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 One thing that did strike me is that they've been stripped out, possibly by looters (as with the fuel tanks and every other removeable part on the locos), I wonder if the looters found any of the blue stuff. Yes Craig, I wondered about that too! We've discussed the possibility of repatriation from Liberia many times and the presence of the infamous insulation material was a major factor to be considered. It looks as if all aluminium fittings such as doors and lightweight buffer stocks (the latter unique to the White Circle units as far as I know) have been removed and the looters have probably also taken the interior cladding retaining strips which held the Formica panels in place. Doing this would of course expose sprayed and now very crumbly insulation on the inside of the bodyshell ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Craig Watson Posted December 17, 2009 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 17, 2009 Yes Craig, I wondered about that too! We've discussed the possibility of repatriation from Liberia many times and the presence of the infamous insulation material was a major factor to be considered. It looks as if all aluminium fittings such as doors and lightweight buffer stocks (the latter unique to the White Circle units as far as I know) have been removed and the looters have probably also taken the interior cladding retaining strips which held the Formica panels in place. Doing this would of course expose sprayed and now very crumbly insulation on the inside of the bodyshell ... I noticed the rainstrips are also missing, as well as the springs on the bogies! I was wondering if any parts of the stripped interiors were in the pile at the front of the last pic (inside the workshop) in my original post. There also appears to be the frame of an interior bulkhead inside the first passenger door of the pic of the two vehicles, the steel floor is still there too judging by the weeds visible through the doorframes. The pic of the two cars is an interesting comparison with the pic at http://www.derbysulzers.com/lamco79094.jpg from the first link in my post. Cheers Craig Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sc59401 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I noticed the rainstrips are also missing, as well as the springs on the bogies! Yes, the guttering was aluminium, as were the window frames which all appear to have been liberated. The restoration bill keeps increasing ... I was wondering if any parts of the stripped interiors were in the pile at the front of the last pic (inside the workshop) in my original post. I don't recognise anything there from Swindon's finest. Needless to say I alerted my colleagues in the Swindon DMU group about these photographs yesterday. They were not previously aware of them so many thanks again. Stuart Mackay spotted that this wagon bogie is under a Swindon DMU car (given away by the distinctive lifting point): http://www.larsjohannesson.com/photo/albums/liberia-bilder/Yekepa_Industrial_Area/08_Old_Wheels.html Stuart also advises that the asbestos insulation was removed by local contractors during "refurbishment". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IC126 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Thanks for these new finds, Craig. Think positive, John - there is a lot less component stripping required than the Ayrshire vehicles took. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Craig Watson Posted December 18, 2009 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 18, 2009 Needless to say I alerted my colleagues in the Swindon DMU group about these photographs yesterday. They were not previously aware of them so many thanks again. Stuart Mackay spotted that this wagon bogie is under a Swindon DMU car (given away by the distinctive lifting point): http://www.larsjohan...Old_Wheels.html Is it possible that wagon bogie under the Swindon could be under the car that was wrecked in the collision with the dumper? I've been sent pictures from Mick Boyd who worked there in the early 80's and the wrecked car is mounted on wagon bogies in one of the pics, he's given me permission to use them. Courtesy of Mick Boyd Cheers Craig Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sc59401 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Think positive, John - there is a lot less component stripping required than the Ayrshire vehicles took. Ha ha, always look on the bright side ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sc59401 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Is it possible that wagon bogie under the Swindon could be under the car that was wrecked in the collision with the dumper? I've been sent pictures from Mick Boyd who worked there in the early 80's and the wrecked car is mounted on wagon bogies in one of the pics, he's given me permission to use them. An interesting theory Craig, although the story we heard was that the crashed vehicle was pushed into a swamp after any useful parts were stripped from it. However at this distance I suppose anything is possible. Incidentally we had a fascinating chat with Mick Boyd at the Glasgow model railway show a few years ago. These recent developments are inspiring me to finish my MTK 6-car E&G unit which was on display then. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Craig Watson Posted December 18, 2009 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 18, 2009 An interesting theory Craig, although the story we heard was that the crashed vehicle was pushed into a swamp after any useful parts were stripped from it. However at this distance I suppose anything is possible. Incidentally we had a fascinating chat with Mick Boyd at the Glasgow model railway show a few years ago. These recent developments are inspiring me to finish my MTK 6-car E&G unit which was on display then. The story of the damaged vehicle being pushed into a swamp was the one I'd always believed too. They're inspiring me to dig out my remaining unbuilt 3 car E&G MTK and build the leading car as a Lamco version as I alreay have the 6 car E&G and 3 car Ayrshire in my fleet. Mick has sent me some of his pics and stories and has promised more, he's a member on here too, it's all fascinating stuff! Cheers Craig Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Boyd Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Hello John & Craig, this is my first post on the new site so lets hope all goes OK. As I recall the American trucks (bogies) were under the wrecked car when I departed in April '84 and had been for some time. It was still on the same siding but the 08 had been released a long time prior to that. I recall seeing other un-mounted trucks (Bettendorf) around the workshops, my assumption was that they were 'left overs' from when the contractors finished the line, an American civil engineering company, Raymond. Some of the trucks had L&N (Louisville & Nashville) cast on the truck frame. Lamco used a more modern truck on it's cars. Yes, I recall seeing somewhere that it had been pushed into the swamp, no doubt to keep company with the Swedish railcars already there. Regards, Mick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sc59401 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Hello Mick, good to hear from you. We're looking forward to more details emerging and would be delighted if you could add to the information already posted. I didn't know that the Swedish railcars had ended up in the swamp but it fits in with the story of the wrecked Swindon car. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
10800 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 OK, so here's some pics I took in the old Yekepa workshop area in September. I have to say, to my shame, that I didn't recognise the ex-126s, in fact they didn't even look that British to me! There seem to be at least two cars there, but I have no idea what if anything remains in useful condition below the solebar - would be a bit like salvaging some old etched sides and cast ends! These were all taken from the 'other side' of the fence - wasn't appropriate to try and have a longer wander round at the time, but hopefully there will be other opportunities in 2010. These are from the bit of the railway that is in process of being refurbished - some of the sleepers have been replaced but not all yet. You can just about travel from here (Tokadeh) to Buchanan in a pickup truck adapted with flanged wheelsets. And these are the bits going back to Yekepa that will not be (so the old workshop is not currently planned to be reconnected as I understand it). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sc59401 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Excellent photographs Rod, many thanks for posting them. From the markings on the cab roof these appear to be the same two cars as in the "Railbus End Station" photograph which Craig found but taken from the opposite side. Great to know they were still surviving in September this year and with the new owners not planning to reconnect the old workshop their charmed existence might continue for a while yet. They do look like an "aid to scratchbuilding" as you suggest! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sc59401 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Is it possible that wagon bogie under the Swindon could be under the car that was wrecked in the collision with the dumper? For anyone who's interested, the number of the wrecked DMU car was 79097 (thanks to John Horne of the Swindon DMU group for this information) so the undamaged but derelict cars photographed recently must be from the range 79091, 79093, 79094 or 79096. However with so many components having been removed, identification of individual vehicles will probably be difficult for potential preservationists Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Craig Watson Posted December 23, 2009 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2009 Hello Mick, good to hear from you. We're looking forward to more details emerging and would be delighted if you could add to the information already posted. I didn't know that the Swedish railcars had ended up in the swamp but it fits in with the story of the wrecked Swindon car. Stuart Mackay sent me a pic this morning of one of the Swedish cars in the swamp, I'd assumed they'd disappeared into it but it seems not! Cheers Craig Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Craig Watson Posted December 23, 2009 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2009 Excellent pics Rod! From your pics and the pic at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dubland/3486156959/in/set-72157617556994458/ it appears that two of the 08's are still there too. Cheers Craig Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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