railography photo galleries : Zimbabwe : 20/20A Class Garratt : 87-BJ-04 : (5 of 8)

Endless Africa

735 climbed out of the Umguza River valley north of Sawmills with the 07:10 Mpopoma - Thomson Jn goods on the afternoon of 29 June 1987. The photo gives an impression of the endless African bush, stretching to the horizon in every direction, with barely any sign of human habitation apart from the railway. Operating in this environment wasn't straightforward and NRZ had a number of 'cabooses', short bogie coaches that provided accommodation and cooking facilities for relief crews, making it easier to keep the traffic moving on long runs through inaccessible country. Two of these cabooses can be seen at the front of the train.