Back at Eldoret Railway Station, we get ready to travel on. First some bits and pieces about the town we are about to leave [1] …. Eldoret as a town, founded as it was by Afrikaners is almost unique in the British-dominated Kenya of the early 20th century. The first of the Afrikaners, the Van Breda brothers arrived in 1903 and were joined two years later by Franz Arnoldi and his family. The big influx followed shortly thereafter.[2]

In August 1908, fifty-eight families of displaced Afrikaners left Nakuru for the Uasin Gishu plateau after a journey from South Africa by sea and by rail from Mombasa. Led by Jan van Rensburg, they endured an arduous trek laden as they were with wagons that would often get bogged in mud, finally arriving at Sergoit Hill on 22 October of that year. Jan Ernest Kruger would later own the 5,000 Sergio farm, now owned by Sergoit Golf and Wildlife resort.

The land had earlier been surveyed by a the van Breda families and the new arrivals took up leaseholds of between 800 and 5,000 acres (320 and 2,020 ha) on condition that they would develop it within five years. Each family built a shack, put up fences, in-spanned oxen to simple ploughs and turned the first furrows. They sowed wheat, maize and vegetables laying the foundation for the transformation of the Plateau into a prosperous agricultural region.

The farms were later officially registered and each was given a number.[3]

Eldoret’s official town site started in 1910 with the development of a Post Office at “Sisibo”. This was followed shortly after by the arrival of sixty more Afrikaner families in 1911.[4] The governor decided to establish an administrative centre in the area 1912 and thus the Post Office was renamed to a new official town name: “Eldoret” . Becoming an administrative centre caused an enormous increase in trade within the prospective city. A bank and several shops were built.

In the 1950s the town was literally divided into two, along the main street (now Uganda Road), with the Afrikaans on the north and the British on the south. The former took their children to Highland School, (now Moi Girls High School)[5] and the latter, to Hill School.[6] Recreation was also along the divide – ‘Brits’ used the Lincoln Hotel and the Race-Course near the now “Chinese Area” while the Afrikaans converged at the Wagon Wheel for recreation.

Daniel Arap Moi was born nearby and developed the town establishing a second kenyan university, Moi University, and a third international airport. By 1987, only two Afrikaner households remained in Eldoret, with the rest having moved back to South Africa in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the aftermath of the Mau Mau rebellion[7] and in anticipation of independence.

The city was significantly impacted by the 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis when violence gripped Kenya in the aftermath of controversial presidential elections. The athlete Lucas Sang was murdered about ten kilometres away from the town while on his way home to Chepkoilel. On 1st January 2008 a mob attacked and set fire to a church in the town, where hundreds of people had taken refuge during Kenyan massacres. As a result, about forty to eighty people,[8] mostly Kikuyus, were burnt to death.

Eldoret has been manly peaceful since the 2007-2008 Crisis.

In an earlier post, we showed a picture of the royal train circumnavigating a spiral close to Equator Station on the Nakuru to Eldoret line. This is that Royal train just after it had arrived in Eldoret in 1958. [9]

A recent video filmed at Eldoret Railway Station. [11]

Another video filed close to Eldoret Railway Station. [12]

West of Eldoret trains for Kitale and those for Kampala shared the same railway tracks. Just before the branch-line to Kitale separated from the mainline trains passed through Leseru Station. The station site and the branch-line can clearly be seen in the satellite image below. Leseru Station was some distance east of Leseru village (3 to 4 kilometres) and was probably sited to allow the Kitale branch trains to serve Leseru.Beyond Lesuru, trains passed through Turbo, Kipkarren, Lugari, Webuye, Mulukbu, Bungoma,  Mateka, Myanga and Kimaeti before reaching the border with Uganda at Malaba. This post will take us to the border with Uganda.

En-rote to Turbo the line at first followed the A104 but then looped away to the south only coming back close to the road at the river bridge just to the east of Turbo. The location of the station is marked on the map with a blue square.Diesel in charge of a train somewhere to the west of Eldoret?

The next station was at Kipkarren. To reach the station the railway followed the contours, which predominantly meant following the river valley, whilst the A104 road took a more direct route.Kipkarren Station was close to the Eldoret-Malaba road but perpendicular to it and with the passing loop carried over the A104 on a bridge.

The railway continued to follow the Nazoia River valley, albeit at a higher level than the water course, in a generally north-westerly direction to Lugari. The Market at Lugari is visible at the top of the following satellite image, as is the road/rail crossing at the top right of the image and the river bridge, centre-left.

The next station is Webuye, which is to the south-west of Lugari, both villages can be seen on the map below. and are linked both by the railway and the River Nazoia. The stations are marked by blue squares.Webuye Railway Station.The railway passes under the A104 to the immediate west of Webuye.

Travelling further west, the railway passes close to Webuye Airport and sankes around seeking the most advantageous route on the south-side of the A104, through Mulukbu (Sudi) and on to Bungoma.Mulukbu (Sudi) Railway Station.

Bungoma Railway Station is shown on the adjacent map. The images below are both taken from the South looking back north along the line. The first shows the station platform on the left and the Silos on the right.

The second shows the railway line south of the station and the silos can just be seen at the back right of the image.

The railway west of Bungoma.

The station is shown in plan in the adjacent Satellite image.

Trains for Uganda depart southwards from the station. The railway then turns west and north circling round the south side of the town, before breaking way to the south-west. The map below shows Mateka in the bottom left. I have not been able to pin-point the location of the Railway Station.After Mateka, the line travelled on to the West to Myanga, where it crossed the Sio River and turned north for a short distance running along the East side of the C34, Musokoto-Khwirale road and then heading in a westerly direction once again to Malaba.Myanga Railway Station is marked with a red flag. The bridge over the Sio River is towards the left of the satellite image.

Malaba straddles the border between Kenya and Uganda. I can remember queuing here in 1994 for an hour or so after having been shepherded off the train at 3.00am, before it became clear that the border officials and customs officers on the Uganda side of the border would not be meeting the train and that we would need to go to the customs office in Kampala when the train arrived so as to get passports stamped with an entry visa.

Once the border is crossed there is only a short journey on the train into Tororo. We will pick up the journey again at the border in the next post.

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldoret, accessed on 27th May 2018.
2. https://afrikanerway.wordpress.com/2013/07/15/eldoret-a-boer-settlement, accessed on 28th May 2018.
3. Ronaldo Retief; . Afrikaners trek to East Africa, Old Africa: Stories from East Africa’s Past; Issue 55, 2014, p14-15.
4. Red strangers: the white tribe of Kenya, ISBN 1-85725-206-3, by Christine Stephanie Nicholls.
5. http://moigirlseldoret.ac.ke, accessed on 28th May 2018.
6. http://www.mccrow.org.uk/EastAfrica/Hill_School_now/Hill%20School%20Eldoret%20Kenya.htm, accessed on 28th May 2018.
7. Remnants of Boer Colony Glad They Stayed in Kenya. 1 April 1987,  http://www.philly.com/philly/archives, accessed on 16th September 2013.
8. Steve Bloomfield; 80 Children Massacred in Kenyan Church; https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/80-children-massacred-in-kenyan-church-767602.html, accessed on 28th May 2018.
9. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/559361216211036993, accessed on 28th May 2018.
10. Not used.
11. https://youtu.be/EgkZJncP_Dc, accessed on 7th June 2021.
12. https://youtu.be/hutty3aL7Y8, accessed on 7th June 2021.

We begin the next stage of our journey in Eldoret Station. The first picture shows Charan Singh Kundi aboard his train (Class 58 Garratt No. 5817) bound for Kampala from Eldoret. [1]Shunting Eldoret Yard. [2]

Rather than taking the main line towards Kampala, we are first going to take the branch-line to Kitale. Some 20 kilometres to the West of Eldoret the branch to Kitale diverges north from the main line. It’s route is shown on Open Street Map as a dotted line as can be seen below. [7] Its route can be just as easily picked out on the Google Earth satellite image as well.En-route to Kitale the railway passed through 3 stations … Soy, Springfield Halt and Moi’s Bridge. for much of its route it is followed by an unnamed and unnumbered secondary road. Soy Railway Station was perhaps 3 kilometres from the village with which it shared its name.

The satellite image is the best we can do to show the station, which appears to have a passing loop and some simple buildings but nothing more. From Soy the branch-line ran some 8 kilometres in a northerly direction before swinging round to the west.

It joined the line of the B2 road and swung north-west and then north once again. As the railway approached Moi’s Bridge it swung sharply through 180 degrees and then back again to the north. I have carefully checked the line of the railway and the B2 road but cannot find any evidence of Springfield Halt. Perhaps someone wiser than me can say where it is (or was).

Over some significant distance the railway has followed a relative straight path alongside the B2. The need to snake around will have been dictated by the contours of the land. The map below shows the route taken.We are still some kilometres south of Moy’s Bridge, so it is possible that Springfield Halt is/was close to this settlement, although it is not visible on Google Earth. On its way to Moy’s bridge the railway now meanders around before entering Moi’s Bridge Railway Station travelling in a easterly direction. The blue dot on the map below gives the location of the railway station and the bridge over the River Nzoia can be found adjacent to the ‘B2 road-marker.In the satellite image above, Moi’s Bridge Station is in the bottom left and the bridge is just off the top of the picture. The satellite image below is the best overhead image of the bridge available.

However, I have been able to find a video from which I have obtained this photograph. It is not the most stunning shot of the bridge but it does help to understand it construction. It seems to be a three span simply-supported girder bridge with the largest span to the south-east and spanning the river.

After Moi’s Bridge the railway follows the B2 in a generally north-westerly direction until it reaches the suburbs of Kitale. In the centre of the town the railway finishes its journey adjacent to the C45 road – the Mumia Highway.

These next few pictures are taken on the approach to the branch terminus at Kitale. They can mainly be found on the Railway Ramblers website. [3] These pictures were taken in 2009. In 1983, Kitale station was still in use as a goods terminus but passenger services had long-gone. In 1983, a significant amount of the supplies, including food, for a major famine relief project in the Turkana district to the north of Kitale came in by rail and was forwarded by road. There was a Barclay 0-8-0 class 46 shunter stationed there and the regular branch engines were EE 1Bo-Bo1 of class 71 or 72. [4]A close-up of the permanent way, viewed about a kilometre south-east of Kitale station. As can be seen, there is no ballast, although the country’s operational lines are ballasted. This makes it possible that any ballast here has simply settled into the clay. The sleepers are made from neither wood nor concrete but metal, designed so as to grip the clay effectively and (presumably) prevent the whole structure from sinking into the ground when wet. A rail joint with fishplates can be seen in the foreground, while the keys holding the rail to the sleeper are of a fairly modern spring type, used in the UK during the mid 1970s. The tracks of bicycle tyres can be made out between the rails. The demand for Sustrans-style rail-to-trail conversions would be very limited in Kenya, since the locals just help themselves. The empty railway is a far more pleasant way of getting into Kitale than the noisy main road, where vehicles emit amounts of exhaust that would send British clean-air campaigners into a frenzy. The stench of diesel fumes on Kenya’s roads is not a pleasant experience, (c) Jeff Vinter. [3]A typical view along the trackbed, looking north west towards Kitale. The W signs, one facing each way, instruct the driver of oncoming trains to sound his whistle – not for the footpath crossing seen in the foreground, but for the level crossings in front of and behind the photographer, (c) Jeff Vinter. [3]The home starter signal for entering Kitale station yard. The signal is an unusual combination of British styles, using the lattice structure common on the LSWR but the lower quadrant board common on the GWR, (c) Jeff Vinter. [3]The level crossing seen in the background of the photograph above is still protected by this substantial sign, although its neighbour on the far side has begun to topple over (look for the white-painted ends of its arms). Signs like this abound all over the Kenyan railway system, on lines both open and closed. Unusually, this road is made of tarmac and is not full of potholes! (c) Jeff Vinter. [3]The points (turnouts) to Kitale goods yard. As can be seen, the point lever is still in place, as are all of its counterparts throughout this large yard, (c) Jeff Vinter. [3]The crane in the old goods yard survives. Presumably, it is still capable of working, since all the cables and pulleys remain in place – albeit somewhat rusty and in need of lubrication, (c) Jeff Vinter. [3]A view looking south eastwards along the departure platform of Kitale station. The massive building on the left is the extensive goods shed, The crane in the picture above can just be made out in the distance, silhouetted against the sky, (c) Jeff Vinter. [3]A picture of Kitale Station building taken in 1929. [5]Kitale station, viewed from the goods yard, was equipped with only a single platform, although it was very long. The station’s design is what one would expect of a colonial structure built in the early 20th century with its elegant arches and colonnades. The departure road is covered in grass but the rails can just be made out, while the rails in the foreground belong to the main running line within the goods yard. The small stone building behind the telegraph pole was the station master’s office, (c) Jeff Vinter. [3]The picture above was taken in 1930 at Kitale. It shows a small family waiting to take the train which will eventually lead to them returning to the United Kingdom. [6]The running-in board at Kitale station is set some way back from the platform at an angle to approaching trains, presumably so that drivers and passengers could see it better. It declares the station to be 1,895.86 metres above sea level. The original height would probably have been shown in feet, (c) Jeff Vinter. [3]The exit from the platform at Kitale station was suitably grand and still proclaims ‘Kitale Railway Station’, perhaps over 30 years after the last train ran. The door visible behind the colonnade on the right indicates that the railway’s livery was similar to the GWR’s famous ‘chocolate and cream’. After years of neglect, the platform surface is beginning to break up, but it is still in better condition than many of the country’s roads, (c) Jeff Vinter. [3]Kitale station, viewed from the street, has the same colonial styling as on the platform side. The building still, in part at least, serves a public transport purpose, since the banner hung from the guttering on the left advertises the booking office of Matunda Buses. Often, one of Matunda’s vehicles will be seen parked outside, (c) Jeff Vinter. [3]

We finish this post on the concourse outside Kitale Station and prepare to return to Eldoret for the onward journey to Kampala.

References

1. http://www.sikh-heritage.co.uk/heritage/sikhhert%20EAfrica/sikhsEAfrica.htm, accessed on 27th May 2018.
2. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=eldoret+railway&client=tablet-android-lenovo&prmd=mniv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXivnk3abbAhUIXMAKHfuPAl8Q_AUIEygD&biw=800&bih=1280#imgrc=4F4p_HGkxIV9gMHGkxIV9gM, accessed on 27th May 2018.
3. http://www.railwayramblers.org.uk/photo/35photo.htm and http://www.railwayramblers.org.uk/photo/36photo.htm, accessed on 27th May 2018.
4. Paul Taylor; http://www.railwayramblers.org.uk/photo/35photo.htm, accessed on 27th May 2018.
5. https://www.theeagora.com/the-lunatic-express-a-photo-essay-on-the-uganda-railway, accessed on 21st May 2018.
6. http://www.hilarymunro.com/?p=736, accessed on 28th May 2018.
7. https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=15/0.5927/35.1861, accessed on 28th May 2018.

We start with some useless trivia, or some vitally important information about Kisumu. Which it is depends on your personality and perspective! This is only a very short post about a branch line which has very little traffic on it, the line from Kisumu to Butere.

Kisumu, officially known as Kisumu City (and formerly Port Florence), is a Kenyan inland port city on Lake Victoria and the capital city of Kisumu County, Kenya. At an elevation of 1,131 m (3,711 ft), the city-county has an estimated population of 968,879, while the metropolitan region comprising the city and its suburbs and satellite towns of Maseno, Kondele and Ahero was estimated at over 1 million in early 2017. It is the third largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa. Kisumu is the principal city of western Kenya, the immediate former capital of Nyanza Province, the headquarters of Kisumu County and the proposed headquarters of the Lake Region Economic Block, which is a conglomeration of 13 counties in Western Kenya. It is the largest city in western Kenya and the second most important city after Kampala in the greater Lake Victoria basin.

Kisumu port was founded in 1901 as the main inland terminal of the Uganda Railway named “Port Florence”. Although trade stagnated in the 1980s and 1990s, it is again growing around oil exports.

Kisumu literally means a place of barter trade “sumo”. The city has “Friendship” status with Cheltenham, United Kingdom and “sister city” status with Roanoke, Virginia and Boulder, Colorado, United States. [1]

As we noted in the last post in this series, Kisumu Railway Station is currently abandonned, although this may change in the relativel;y near future

At the turn of the Twentieth Century, Kisumu was chosen as the destination for the Uganda Railway. Kisumu is not and was not in Uganda. But it was the port on Lake Victoria from which steam ships sailed to Port Bell for Kampala. The Railway did not reach Kampala until the 1930s. After this the mainline to Kisumu became just a branch from Nakuru. In the mid-sixites, two rail ferries – the UMOJA and the UHURU – were commissioned for lake service, principally between Kisumu, Jinja and Mwanza. Here one of them prepares for an evening departure, (c) James Waite. [2]

Before we set off down the short branch to Butere. Here are a few photos of locomotives at Kisumu from the middle of the 20th Century. All are taken by James Waite and used with his kind consent. [2]

Class 31 No. 3130 spends the night at Kisumu motive power depot in company with Class 24 No. 2448 (c) James Waite. [2] Tank Engine No. 1302 lets off steam in Kisumu, (c) James Waite. [2] Morning at Kisumu as Tribal Class No. 3101 gets up steam, (c) James Waite. [2]No. 3101 sets off for a day’s work.  It is perhaps surprising that, as a Kenyan locomotive, it has retained its BAGANDA name plate (c) James Waite. [2]

We leave Kisumu Station travelling for a very short distance back down the line towards Nairobi. Just beyond the station throat and alongside Obote Road the Butere branch leaves the mainline.

The mainline heads north and the branch heads west towards Kisian, running on the North side of the B1 road.Tribal Class No. 3130 (formerly Karamojong) departing Kisumu with one of the three daily services to Butere, (c) James Waite. [2]

Kisian Station. [3]

We travel on through Lela Station and very quickly after that through Maseno Station. A short distance further on and the train passes through Luanda Station, and then on over the Yala River to Yala Railway Station. Sadly, there are very few pictures of these stations available on the internet, but one great source is Rob Dickinson’s site. [4]

Beyond Yala, the line travels just a short distance north to Namasoli and then on to the end of the line at Butere. Butere was, like many other town’s in the area heavily dependent on sugar cane.

Apparently not making deliberate smoke for the camera, Tribal Class No. 3130 heads across the equator towards Butere, (c) James Waite. [2]

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kisumu, accessed on 25th May 2018.
2. http://www.mccrow.org.uk/EastAfrica/EastAfricanRailways/NairobiKisumu.htm, used by kind permission from James Waite, first accessed on 25th May 2018, reviewed on 16th March 2021.
3. http://www.savetherailway.com, accessed on 24th May 2018.
4. https://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/safari/kenyawest.htm, accessed on 29th March 2021.

Nakuru railway station sits on the east side of the centre of Nakuru and to the east of the goods yard and MPD. The new station was completed in 1957.Nakuru is a junction station. The original Uganda Railway travelled west from Nakuru to Kisumu on Lake Victoria and a steamer service provided access to Kampala via Port Bell. Once the railway was built to Kampala and beyond, the line to Kisumu became a branch-line. Before we travel on to Kampala on the main-line we need to explore the original line to Kisumu and its branch-line to Butere. Progress along the main line will need to wait for a later post.

We being the journey to Kisumu at Nakuru railway station, which, in its current form, dates from 1957. The picture below shows the station yard at Nakuru around the turn of the 20th Century.Once past the MPD, the line followed the Nakuru-Sgor Road (B4) for a short distance before swinging away to run alongside the Nakuru-Kisumu Road (A104). A short distance travelled on the North side of the A104 led to the junction between the Kampala and the Kisumu lines. The Kampala line set off in a northerly direction and the Kisumu line swung sharply away the south going under the A104 and then south-southeast to run alongside the Tarmak Road (A56) to Njoro and its station.[5]111548: Mile 454-2F West of Nakuru Kenya Mixed to Kisumu 5812, © Weston Longford. [1] Another mixed train is shown in the picture on the right. The image comes from the Imperial War Museum and is entitled, “A Train Leaving Nakuru in the Rift Valley on the Long Climb over the Mau Escarpment to Kisumu in Kenya (Circa 1950s).” This mention of the Mau Escarpment has jogged my memory about an incline on the line to the West of Nakuru and this will require further investigation!

After Njoro, trains ran parallel to the C56 for a kilometre or so before meandering away to the south of the road only meeting it again at Elburgon.At Elburgon the railway swings north, crossing the C56 and circumnavigating a residential area before swinging back once again towards the C56 and crossing two viaducts. These were two trestle bridges as can be seen by the shadows cast by the sun on the satellite image below.Trestle bridges were the typical bridge structures on the Kisumu line. Two of these viaducts are shown in the images immediately below.[2] Both are © James Waite. The line continues to follow the C56 on its journey to the next town, Molo, passing through the small settlement of Turi and over another trestle bridge close to that village.[3]

Molo Railway Station building, like others we have already encountered on the line, s built in stone and so feels a substantial building.

Alongside these notes are two photographs of the station building, they are traditionally shot and as such provide a good insight into what the building was like. The pictures which follow are part of a photo essay by David Mutuma which he has called “Lil’ Town in the Forest”. They are stylised and reflect his perspective on the buildings. They are enjoyable, but further than that, for the purposes of this blog, they pick up details of the station which I have not been able to find in respect of other stations on the line.[4] Beyond Molo, the next station is Mau Summit. This is adjacent to the C56 and easily accessible.A series of stations follow – Londiani, Kedowa, Lumbwa, Kipkelion and Tunnel, before we arrive at Fort Ternan.Londiani. [5]Class 30 No. 3020 ‘Nyaturu’ at Kipkelion Station © Donald Mac.[10]Kipkelion main railway offices above and Lumbwa station buildings below, © Anita Chepkoech. [6]After following the C56 and then the B1 road. The railway finds itself following a circuitous path through the stations above before getting to Fort Ternan. Over the last few kilometres into the town the railway follows the C35. The nature of the landscape means that a series of trestle viaducts were necessary to keep gradient as shallow as possible.Class 87 No. 8740  at Fort Ternan, © Yves Locomot.[7]111557: Mile 536-11F between Tunnel and Fort Ternan, on the same viaduct, Class 58 Garratt No. 5812 is in charge of a westbound mixed goods train. [1]Fort Ternan had a triangle for reversing of locomotives as can be seen in the map extract above and the satellite image below.Fort Ternan Railway Station.[5]
Class 24 No. 2448 waits in the loop at Fort Ternan for the Nakuru goods to arrive, © James Waite.[8]Two Class 24 locos at Fort Ternan in 1977, © Lou Johnson.[9]

We travel on through Koru Station, then Muhoroni Station, and we have pictures of that station below.Then we pass through Chemelil Station, the picture below was taken sometime in the mid-1950s. [11]Chemelil Railway Station.[5]Children cross the tracks at Chemelil.[5]

Further along the line we cross the Nyando River and pass through Kibigori Station. Now travelling due west the line passes through Miwani (below) and Kibos Stations before reaching Kisumu on Lake Victoria.

On the plan below the picture of Miwani, we can see the terminus at Kisumu and also the branch-line which heads westwards to Butere.Kisumu’s station canopies are of a similar design to those at Nyakuru. Sadly, the station gets a lot less use than it used to. It has been closed for some time now and its condition is deteriorating.

Some of these pictures of the station come from a site dedicated to saving stations along the Lunatic Line and were taken in 2016.[5] Others were taken in 2011,[12] by Richard Portsmouth.

The town holds out a hope that the SGR which will soon reach Naivasha and will continue to Kisumu. The proposal that they have submitted involves the SGR taking over the site of the present station.[13]

The short branch from Kisumu to Butare will be the subject of a separate post.

References

1. http://www.westonlangford.com, accessed on 25th May 2018.
2. http://www.mccrow.org.uk/eastafrica/eastafricanrailways/KampalaNairobi.htm, accessed on 24th May 2018.
3. http://ke.geoview.info/kenya_uganda_railway_bridge_at_turi_molo_in_kenya_built_in_1901,50149067p, accessed on 25th May 2018.
4. http://www.davidmutua.com, accessed on 25th May 2018.
5. http://www.savetherailway.com, accessed on 24th May 2018.
6. https://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/dn2/Kipkelion-railway-British-colonialists-George-Hamilton/957860-4254230-28bxr/index.html, accessed on 25th May 2018.
7. http://www.railpictures.net, accessed on 25th May 2018.
8. http://www.mccrow.org.uk/eastafrica/eastafricanrailways/NairobiKisumu.htm, accessed on 25th May 2018.
9. https://www.world-railways.co.uk/general-photo-028, accessed on 25th May 2018.
10. http://trip-suggest.com/kenya/rift-valley/fort-ternan, accessed on 25th May 2018.
11. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/554083560377608216, accessed on 25th May 2018.
12. https://www.flickr.com/photos/62358811@N02/sets/72157626548108635/with/5699139410, accessed on 25th May 2018.
13. http://architecture.uonbi.ac.ke/sites/default/files/cae/builtenviron/architecture/2_0.pdf, accessed on 25th may 2018.

In 1994, I had a few hours waiting at Nairobi Railway Station before getting on the train to Kampala. It was a fantastic journey at a very slow speed with the journey length extended by a 6 hour stop in Jinja waiting for a derailed goods train to be re-positioned on the rails in the section between Jinja and Kampala. My pictures were sadly not of the highest standard and I was having problems with my SLR camera by this time. The next two pictures prove that I was there but achieve little else!Later in my 1994 trip, I spent a day with a friend in Kibera Slum, again, the pictures are of a very low quality. One of the first places encountered by the railway west of Nairobi is the Kibera slum. The date stamp on two of the photos remind me of the time of year I was there. Travelling across Kenya and then into the South West of Uganda became a real expedition as I ended up spending two weeks just over the border from Rwanda at the time of the genocide in that country.

Trains left Nairobi Central Station in a generally south-westerly direction and the line meandered through the suburbs of the city. The adjacent picture shows the interior of a carriage on the train in 1994. The image below shows a Garratt hauled train to the West of Nairobi Station in the post war period, © East African Railways.

Trains first crossed the 9-hole Kenya Railway Golf Course! In 1921, the wife of the Kenya Railways manager, Mrs Couper, established a Golf Club for the Kenya Uganda Railways staff and in 1924 it opened its membership to non-railways staff. The course still revolves heavily around the railway line, which passes straight through the middle of the course. The only hole though where it comes into play is the 2nd, where your tee shot could cause some damage to a passing train if not connected well! [1] The footbridge over the railway can be seen on the right of the first photograph below. The third image below is taken from that footbridge

The line winds its way through the relatively affluent areas before reaching Kibera, 6.6 kilometres (4.1 miles) from the city centre. [2] Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, and the largest urban slum in Africa. [3][4][5] The 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census reports Kibera’s population as 170,070, contrary to previous estimates of one or two million people. [6] Other sources suggest the total Kibera population may be 500,000 to well over 1,000,000 depending on which slums are included in defining Kibera. [7][8][9][10]

Most of Kibera slum residents live in extreme poverty, earning less than $1.00 per day. Unemployment rates are high. Persons living with HIV in the slum are many, as are AIDS cases. [11] Cases of assault and rape are common. There are few schools, and most people cannot afford education for their children. Clean water is scarce. Diseases caused by poor hygiene are prevalent. A great majority living in the slum lack access to basic services, including electricity, running water, and medical care.[12]Significant slum clearance was underway when I was in Kibera in 1994 and the elements of the slum which were on the north side of the railway seem now to have been replaced by high-end apartments, but the slum still exists, as can be seen below.After passing alongside/through Kibera, the railway meanders in a generally westward direction through the Nairobi suburbs, north of the Ngong Road Forest and north of the Racecourse and through Dagoretti Station.The railway travels North-northwest for a time and then switches back, crosses the Nairobi Southern By-Pass and enters Kikuyu Station.Kikuyu Station is 20 kilometres or so from Nairobi, railway officers established a temporary base in Kikuyu while they supervised work on the laying of the track down at the rift valley escarpment. [13]A green liveried East African Railways Corporation Loco heads an all classes passenger train into Kikuyu while a freight train headed by a Class 29 awaits departure, © Kevin Patience. [14]

After Kikuyu, the railway travels almost due north to Muguga and then Limuru. On the way to Limuru, trains pass through a 1.7 kilometre long tunnel.

Limuru is  located on the eastern edge of the Great Rift Valley about 27 kilometres (17 mi), by road, northwest of Nairobi. Most of the area of Limuru is now what was previously known as the “white highlands”, a rich agricultural land just south of the equator. The term “white highlands” derived from the British and other Europeans who realised the productive potential of this area and settled in large numbers with the support of the colonial government, establishing coffee and tea plantations, cereal farms and ranches. The altitude of the town is about 2,500 metres. [15]A Mail Train has just exited Limuru Tunnel, © Iain Mulligan. [14]Limuru Footbridge. [16]From Limuru, trains begin their decent into the Rift Valley, through Uplands (Lari),  Matathia,  Kijabe, Longonot, Suswa and Munyu stations before reach Naivasha in the valley floor.Uplands (Lari) Station.The two images immediately above were taken by me in 1994 looking down into the Rift Valley.Royal train bearing TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester approaching Matathia station in the Kenya Highlands, then to Uganda 1950. [17]Longonot Railway Station. [18]Mount Longonot. [19] SuswaMunyuMunyu Signal BoxNaivasha. [18] Lake Naivasha

Two Postscripts

Postscript A – The Future ………. This length of the Uganda Railway coincides with the current programme of work on the SGR. A line from Nairobi to Naivasha should be completed in 2019. Major work is being undertaken as I write this blog in May 2018. A significant tunnel is being built as part of the work.[20]

Construction of SGR phase II from Nairobi-Naivasha is on course as Kenyans already enjoy the stretch from Mombasa-Nairobi. The extension to the geothermal town on Naivasha was launched by Uhuru in 2015. The line is being undertaken by China Road and Bridge Corporation at a cost of KSh 105 billion.

SGR phase 2 was funded by the Export-Import Bank of China, earmarking a loan of a total of KSh 357 billion. The finance is meant to cater for the construction of the Railway up to Kisumu and rule out land hitches by reimbursing displaced persons.[20]

Postscript B – The Past ……….. In order to allow the original Uganda Railway construction to proceed at pace and incline was created. It was a primitive form of Funicular Railway, built on a steep and straight incline with trolleys on which locomotives and wagons could be lowered. It lasted in operation for only about 15 months before the main railway reached the valley floor and it became redundant.

While the incline was only in use for a few months during the construction of the railway, the main line passed through Escarpment Station until 1948 before being rerouted. [21] The line of the incline can be seen in the satellite image below running west from the Primary school across the centre of the image. and the remains of winding houses can be seen on the image and more clearly on Google Earth.

References

1. http://www.shoestringgolfer.com/2011/10/kenya-railway-golf-club-nairobi, accessed on 24th May 2018.
2. “Kibera to Nairobi”. Google Maps. Google, accessed on 26th May 2017.
3. “A Trip Through Kenya’s Kibera Slum”. International Medical Corps. 27th March 2006, accessed on 31st January 2013.
4. “Sanitation – vacutug | Participating countries”. Un-Habitat, accessed on 31st January 2013.
5. http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/1703 Machetes, Ethnic Conflict and Reductionism
   Karanja, Muchiri (3 September 2010). “Myth shattered: Kibera numbers fail to add up”. Daily Nation. acessed on 4th September 2010.
6. Annabel S. Erulkar, James K. Matheka. “Adolescence in the Kibera Slums of Nairobi Kenya” (PDF). Population Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11th May 2012, accessed on 10th July 2012.
7. Understanding the Grassroots Dynamics of Slums in Nairobi: The Dilemma of Kibera Informal Settlements Emmanuel MUTISYA and Masaru YARIME, International Transaction Journal of Engineering, Management, & Applied Sciences & Technologies, Volume 2, No.2 (2011); pages 197–213
8. Audio Slideshow: Dr. Biden Sees the Neighborhoods of Kenya The White House, United States (June 2010)
9. Kibera: How slum lords cash in on misery Kimathi Mutegi, The Nation, Kenya (19th September 2013).
10. Archived copy on the Wayback Machine from 12th October 2013.
11. “Video: The women of Kibera in Kenya | Amnesty International”. Amnesty.org. 4th March 2009, accessed on 18th October 2010.
12. Wikipedia, Kibera; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibera, accessed on 24th May 2018.
13. https://www.theeagora.com/the-lunatic-express-a-photo-essay-on-the-uganda-railway, accessed on 15th May 2018.
14. http://www.mccrow.org.uk/eastafrica/eastafricanrailways/KampalaNairobi.htm, accessed on 24th May 2018.
15. Wikipedia, Limuru; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limuru, accessed on 24th May 2018.
16. http://robertbiu.com/2016/02/13/not-a-weaver-bird-but-a-weaver-man, accessed on 24th May 2018.
17. https://imagineuganda.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/uganda-50-a-revolving-industrial-aspect, accessed on 24th May 2018.
18. http://www.savetherailway.com, accessed 15th May 2018.
19. https://thetreasureblog.wordpress.com/tag/mt-longonot, accessed on 24th May 2018.
20. https://www.tuko.co.ke/247982-4-glorious-photos-underground-tunnel-sgr-nairobi-naivasha.html#247982, accessed on 24th May 2018.
21. http://www.friendsoftherail.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8362, accessed on 24th May 2018.

Our journey along the Uganda Railway continues ………….

Ulu is our starting point for the next leg of the journey. The station can be seen on the satellite image below. It is at the top of the photograph and approximately in the middle of the image. Ulu is located in the region of Kajiado. The distance from Ulu to Kenya’s capital Nairobi is approximately 69 km/43 miles (as the crow flies).[1]  This next leg of our journey is not a long one!Leaving Ulu for Nairobi, trains travel in a North-easterly direction before eventually swinging round to the North-west towards Konza.Just before we reach Konza a branch-line diverts off the mainline in a south-westerly direction. Konza is the junction for the line which serves Magadi Soda Works. The branch travels via  Kajiado, Kenya Marble Quarry, Elangata Wuas, Singiraini, and Koora to Magadi Soda Works. I visited the Soda Works in 1994, travelling there by car from Nairobi. The first six pictures below are my own and the quality is not great.  Road is the easiest way to access Magadi despite the railway link.[3] One other way of visiting Lake Magadi is to take the Jaza train. [2] Konza Station is reached just after the branch-line leaves the mainline.Early daylight at Konza –  © Peter Ritchie.[4]The line then follows a north-north-easterly path until it reaches Kitengela (Kapiti Plains Estate/Stony Athi) and turns northeast towards Athi River. As the line approaches Athi River it passes the new SGR Station of Athi River and then turns sharply to the west and enters the town. Two short branches leave the mainline at Athi River, serving the Blue Triangle Cement Company (East African Portland Cement) works to the West if the town.Class 58 Garratt in about 1960 – the locomotive has been fitted with a Giesel ejector. No. 5810 is seen at Athi River, 16 miles from Nairobi – © Iain Mullilgan.[4]Class 59 Garratt, No. 5918 sitting in the late afternoon sun at Athi River waiting for the return working above. Below, a fireman’s eye view as the train sets off for Nairobi.[6]EARC 92 Class diesel arriving as Class 59 Garratt No. 5904 Mount Elgon at Athi River – © James Waite.[4]

The mainline crosses the Athi River just after the station and then passes under the new SGR line.Mount Elgon and its train depart across the Athi River for Nairobi – © Iain Mullilgan. [4]Mount Elgon and its train continue across the Athi River for Nairobi – © James Waite.[4]

After crossing the Athi River the metre-gauge railway passes through Marimbeti Station before reaching Embakasi Station. As can be seen from the map below, Embakasi is the location of the present Nairobi terminus of the SGR line, some distance away from the city centre.The next few pictures show Embakasi in the days long before the SGR was imagined!An unidentified 59 Class heading a freight over the Athi Plain – © Iain Mulligan.[4]Class 60 Garratt  No. 6003 Sir Stewart Symes before it was fitted with a Giesel ejector.  The train is near Embakasi – © Iain Mulligan.[4]Class 59 heads No 4 Down near Embakasi. The train would have departed Nairobi at 1545, calling at all stations to Mombasa where it was due to arrive at 0710 the following morning – just 50 minutes ahead of No 2 Down – the Mail Train which will have left Nairobi at 1830 for Athi River, Konza, Mtito Andei, Voi and Mombasa – © Iain Mulligan.[4]

Beyond Embakasi the railway passed through a marshalling yard and then through Imara Daima Station before swinging round to the North-East.It then crossed the Ngong River in the southern suburbs of Nairobi.The first passenger train from the coast crosses the Ngong River Bridge which was completed as part of the Embakasi/Nairobi realignment in 1958. PHOTO – EAR&H.[4]

A short branch-line joins the mainline from the East just as it swings round to travel almost due West and is immediately joined by another branch, this time much longer. This branch headed off in a Northerly and then Northeasterly direction and terminated at Nanyuki. On the way it passed through Dandora, Githurai, Kahawa, Ruiru, Kalimoni (Juja), Komo and Thika Stations.Tribal Class 3109 Bahororo takes water at Thika.  © Iain Mulligan.[8]

Beyond Thika, the line passed through Mitubiri, Santamor, Makuyu, Saba Saba, Maragua, Murang’a, Sagana, Makaungu, Karatina, Nyeri, and Naro Moru Stations, before arriving at Nanyuki.

A Class 31 was permanently stabled at Sagana to double head freights over the 3.5% grade to Nanyuki, © Iain Mulligan.[8]

Nanyuki is a market town in Laikipia County of Kenya lying northwest of Mount Kenya along the A2 road and at the terminus of the branch railway from Nairobi. It is situated just north of the Equator. It was founded in 1907 by British settlers, some of whose descendants still live in and around the town. Nanyuki is currently the main airfield (airbase) of the Kenya Air Force. The British Army also keeps a base at The Nanyuki Show Ground (NSG) from where it conducts yearly desert and jungle training exercises on the mountain and in the arid areas to the north.[7]Nanyuki – branch terminus

After passing the Nanyuki branch-line, the railway is now in the industrial heart of Nairobi with a whole series of branches and sidings. Approaching Nairobi Central Station it passes through two more stations/halts, at Makadara and Makongeni. Then we arrive at Nairobi Central Station. The next two photographs are more of my poorer slide photos from 1994. The one’s following have been culled over time off the internet.The map above focusses more specifically on Nairobi Station. The lines leaving the right of the image head for Mombasa, the line leaving the left of the image is the line heading West to Kisumu and to Uganda.

The next post in this series about the Uganda Railway will spend time in Nairobi and will also visit the Railway Museum.[9]

References

1. http://kenya.places-in-the-world.com/178769-place-ulu.html, accessed on 21st May 2018.
2. http://www.lakemagadiadventures.com/jaza_train_to_lake_magadi, accessed on 21st May 2018.
3. Lake Magadi Soda by Road from Nairobi; https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g1137919-d6609180-r234172046-Lake_Magadi_Conservancy-Magadi_Rift_Valley_Province.html, accessed on 21st May 2018.
4. http://www.mccrow.org.uk/EastAfrica/EastAfricanRailways/NairobiMombasa.htm, accessed on 15th May 2018.
5. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/554083560377607665, accessed on 21st May 2018.
6. http://www.trevorheath.com/livesteaming/Kenya.htm, accessed on 21st May 2018.
7. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanyuki, accessed on 21st May 2018.
8. http://www.mccrow.org.uk/EastAfrica/EastAfricanRailways/NairobiNanyuki.htm, accessed on 21st May 2018.
9. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-05/18/c_135369174.htm, accessed on 22nd May 2018.