Extrait Trip Report B.Seiler www.farrail.net
Chemin de fer de Mines de la Birmanie : Namtu
2014: 100 ans!
La région de Namtu a fait face à de sévère pluie durant la saison sèche. Cinq sections de ligne entre Tiger Camp et ER Vallée ont été endommagées, même le railtruck ne passait plus. Les travaux de reconstruction ont démarré dès la fin des pluies, tout ne fût pas réparé mais nous avons pu monter jusque ER Vallée. De là un peu de marche à pieds et un camion nous ont permis d’atteindre Bawdwin et l’usine.
La situation du chemin de fer des mines est en baisse, malgré que le nouvel investisseur laisse fonctionner la partie jusque Wallah par la gorge ; les camions ont pris le relais entre Bawdwin et Namtu pour le transport du zinc.
La nouvelle fonderie (l’ancienne fut détruite durant la seconde guerre mondiale) a été construite à seulement deux miles de l’ancienne, mais sans embranchement ferroviaire.Depuis 2009 aucun train n'est monté à la fonderie.
Nous étions le premier groupe à monter en train à vapeur jusqu'à la fonderie.
Un rail a cassé lors des manœuvres dans l’ancienne fonderie, retardant de quelques heures notre programme. Tout a été réparé et nous avons pu reprendre notre circuit.
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Burma Mines Railway: Namtu
2014: 100 years!
In Namtu the situation was different. They faced severe rain in the dry season. Five small sections of the track between Tiger Camp and E.R. Valley were damaged and couldn’t even be passed by a railcar. We asked them to repair as much as they could, but they replied they can’t do anything before the rain stops. Eventually it stopped raining, but the time wasn’t sufficient to repair all the broken sections. But they managed it, at least, to the second reversal and the pagoda. From there we had to take a railcar. The light railcar was able to go up to E.R. Valley. As the railcar in Bawdwin is broken and couldn’t take us we had to walk from here. At the first possible point a road truck took us to the mine and the concentrator plant.
Since our last visit, the situation of the railway had become depressing. Although the new investor let them work the track through to Walla Gorge, he’d decided to use trucks for the lead and zinc transport from Bawdwin to Namtu.
They’ve built a new smelter near the site of the old smelter (the one which was bombed to the ground by the Royal Air Force in WWII), some two miles along the way to Namyao. They used the railway to transport some construction materials up there although the smelter has no rail connection and is not visible from the railway. The line is usable and obviously in a good shape. Since 2009 no train has run up to the smelter. We were told that the smelter is still in working order, but recruiting staff to run it wouldn’t be easy as most of the original staff are now working in the new smelter, elsewhere or retired.
We were the first group ever to run a steam train up to the smelter. I tried this about a decade ago, but our loco failed to haul the two wagons up to the smelter. This time we paid a four digit sum of money (in Pounds - not in Kyats) to repair the track. It took us a good while up there to bring two points back to life, but we got the desired shots. After it, a rail cracked and the loco derailed with all axles. With the help of diesel DC 303 they re-railed the loco within an hour. It went back to the depot and was repaired there within half an hour, so we could run our intended afternoon charter train to Lopah.
21 окт 2024
