Tag Archives: EEC

Sudan – Khartoum Again – The Modern Tramway, Vol. 13 No. 156 – December 1950.

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The Modern Tramway reported in December 1950 on the purchase by the Sudan Light & Power Company of the new 4-motor bogie tramcars. The bogies and equipment were being “supplied by the English Electric Company and the underframes and bodies by Charles Roberts and Company Ltd., under sub-contract to the English Electric Company. All motor tramcars and trailers [were to] be fitted with air brakes. As will be seen from the drawing reproduced, the body design [was] a pleasing example of modern British practice. The trailer cars [were] of similar outline.” [1: p270]

One of these tram sets operating in 1958 in Khartoum/Omdurman, © American Geographical Society Library, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Sudan Memory ID:
UWM-1000054. [6]
General Arrangement of the New Motor Car built in 1959 for Khartoum Tramways (Anglo-Egeyptian Sudan) by Charles Roberts & Co. Ltd., Morebury Junction, JCQ-9’50

I published an article about the railways/tramways of Sudan in May 2022. That article can be found here. [7] This present article should be seen as an addendum to that article.

The early electric trams supplied by the English Electric Company were single truck motor trams with 4-wheel trailers, © Public Domain. [2]
A side-view of a tram at the same location. This image was shared on the  صور سودانية تاريخية ونادرة Facebook Page on 7th December 2010, © Public Domain. [3]
Embed from Getty Images
The image is embedded from Getty Images. It is a high-angle view of pedestrians, cars and an EEC tram &n trailer at the tram terminus in Omdurman, Sudan, circa 1955. The tramline connects Omdurman, on the west bank of the River Nile, with Khartoum. (Photo by Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images). [4]

The Modern Tramway continues:

“Electric tramway operation in Khartoum began on 16th January, 1928 when the line from Khartoum North to Omdurman via Khartoum and the White Nile Bridge was opened. The Khartoum Tramways were the first electric tramways in the Sudan and transport in the city and outskirts had been previously provided by two steam tramway lines, which were closed on the opening of the electric line.” [1: p270]

The historic steam-powered tramway in Khartoum employed 0-4-2 steam locomotives to haul lengthy trains. In this image, No 6 (Orenstein & Koppel D 2220 of 1907) is in charge of a tram train at Omdurman Railway Station tram terminus, © Public Domain. [5]

The Modern Tramway describes the electric tramway which replaced the steam-powered trams:

“The present rolling stock of the 3ft. 6 n. gauge Khartoum tramways consists of 16 single-truck motor trams, 15 4-wheel trailers, one 4-wheel electric locomotive and 30 goods trucks. All the stock was built by the English Electric Company Ltd. Four passenger services are operated, viz:

  • Khartoum Central Station Omdurman Central Station (5 miles).
  • Khartoum Central Station Khartoum North (3) miles).
  • Omdurman Central Station Abu Rouf (14 miles).
  • Circle (12 miles).” [1: p270]

“Headways are 18, 20, 20 and 30 minutes respectively. In addition a freight service is operated between Khartoum railway station and Omdurman. The main Iine begins at Khartoum North (where it made end on junction with a steam tramway to Shabat Reach, a service now operated by motor buses) and shortly turns south to cross the Blue Nile; on gaining the other bank, the line turns east, passing through the main part of Khartoum and running parallel to the Blue Nile. On this section there is the main depot and a large loop which runs round to the Central Station and the back of the city before turning north to rejoin the main line. At Mogren Point, the main line crosses the White Nile and immediately turns north towards Omdurman; this city stretches for 6 miles along the river and during the régime of the Mahdi it became the capital of his empire. The city is memorable for the battle fought outside its walls in 1898 between the followers of the Mahdi and the British. Some distance after turning north, there is another depot at Zaptia, on the western side of the line. At Omdurman Central Station the tramway turns east, back towards the river Nile, which it reaches at Abu Rouf, the final terminus. From this point, there is a ferry service to the terminus of the former steam tramway at Shabat Reach on the other side of the Nile. The tramways are all single-line-and-loop and there are several goods sidings. In 1948, 8,883,851 passengers were carried, whilst goods traffic averages 12,000 tons yearly.” [1: p270-271]

“At the time of the inauguration of the electric tramways it was thought that due to the very dry nature of the ground in Khartoum, satisfactory earth points could not be obtained for earthing the track for a track return system. It has since been established that it is possible to provide earth points, and the new trams will operate on the normal single overhead and track return system.” [1: p271]

The Modern Tramway acknowledged the help of the Sudan Light and Power Company Ltd., who provided the information on which these notes are based.

References

  1. Modern British Tramcars for Khartoum; in The Modern Tramway Vol. 13 No. 156, London, December 1950, p270.
  2. https://repozytorium.biblos.pk.edu.pl/redo/resources/28651/file/suwFiles/HassanS_UrbanPlanning.pdf, accessed on 18th January 2025.
  3. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19xqvF71bT, accessed on 18th January 2025.
  4. https://www.gettyimages.fr/photos/bank-of-khartoum , accessed on 18th January 2025
  5. https://boudewijnhuijgens.getarchive.net/amp/topics/rail+transport+in+sudan, accessed on 18th January 2025.
  6. https://www.sudanmemory.org/image/UWM-1000054/1/LOG_0000, accessed on 18th January 2025.
  7. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/05/31/railways-of-khartoum-part-1-the-3ft-6in-1067mm-gauge.