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PHOTO
GALLERY GROUP 36
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Railway
Rambling in Kenya, Part 2. These photographs conclude
the Webmaster's review of the Kitale branch in Kenya. Generally,
this was a railway ramblers' dream, because virtually everything
had been left in place. No poring over old maps here to work
out where things used to be – it was all still there! For
further details, see the photographs in Group
35. |
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Left: The
exit from the platform at Kitale station was suitably
grand and still proclaims 'Kitale Railway Station' nearly
35 years after the last train ran. Can you imagine a
disused station surviving so well in the UK? 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. July
2009. (Jeff Vinter) |
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Above: Signs
still abound at the station, despite its long years out of use,
this one indicating the two classes of travel that were available.
The brown colouring on the painted stonework is a layer of the
local
red clay. When dry, this material blows around
as dust and settles everywhere, including on one's clothes. It
is deeply coloured, stains, and is almost impossible
to get out, even with modern biological soap powders. The Omo
used in Kenya stands little chance. Remember Omo? It's still
a big brand out there. July 2009. (Jeff Vinter) |
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Above: Apart
from a curious splodge of red paint, the sign above the Station
Master's door remains intact and much the same as when he locked
up for the last time, nearly 35 years ago. As in the photograph
above, deposits of the local red sand-blown clay abound. July
2009. (Jeff Vinter) |
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Left: So
who owns all of this? Kenya Railway Corporation. The
notice on the Station master's door, all in block capitals,
reads as follows:
Kenya
Railway Corporation
Welfare's (sic) Office, PO Box 3060, Eldoret
To all our esteemed customers
Rent Payment
This is to advice (sic) you that effective from 1st Nov. 2006 you
are required to pay monthly rent to Kenya Railways Account No. 017229972769 Kenya
Commercial Bank, Moi Avenue Branch, and surrender the bank deposit slip
to the undersigned for issuance (sic) of official KRC receipt. Please
oblige to avoid embarrassment.
Charles Osuka
Regional Representative
Eldoret Sub Region
This
raises a suspicion that squatters have been using the
station, forcing the railway to bring the situation
under control. At least the unwanted infrastructure
has not been disposed of UK style, which will make
it a lot easier to reinstate the Kitale branch should
anyone wish to do so. July 2009. (Jeff Vinter)
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Above: 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. Buses in Kenya
are a sorry sight compared to what we have in the UK, but it
must
be remembered that the local roads punish the vehicles brutally,
while the red dust from the roads coats them as thoroughly as
it coats everything else. July 2009. (Jeff Vinter) |
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Above: A
view looking south eastwards along the departure platform of
Kitale station. The massive building on the left is the extensive
goods
shed, which was so large that it was impossible to fit it all
in the picture. The crane seen in Group
35 can just be made out in the distance, silhouetted against
the sky. July 2009. (Jeff Vinter) |
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Left: 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, although alterations still visible in
the paintwork suggest the railway had some difficulty
in agreeing upon the precise height! Most of the building
work carried out by members of the Classrooms
for Kenya team
was at an even higher altitude still. July 2009. (Jeff
Vinter)
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Above: 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, which 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 when this branch last saw active use. 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. July 2009. (Jeff Vinter) |
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