Kenya Railways

Preserved Steam

2001-2005

Preserved 5918 Mount Gelai prepares to back on to its train with three 50,000lt water tanks.  Mombasa, October 2005 PHOTO Kevin Patience
3020 on its run to Kisumu stopped at Londiani for oiling also 2005.  PHOTO - Kevin Patience

In 2001 the first tentative steps towards creditable steam restoration and preservation were taken in Kenya as outlined below:

The first to receive attention was 5918 Mount Gelai, here seen being moved from the Museum (left) and towed through Nairobi Station (right). PHOTOs - Trevor Heath

5918 during test runs in 2001.   PHOTOs - (left) Kevin Patience (right) Trevor Heath

Before the passenger excursion, a test run was made hauling a freight.  PHOTOs - Kevin Patience

The first passenger excursion from Nairobi to Mombasa - PHOTOs Kevin Patience

By 2005 5918 had been restored to the correct shade of  EAR&H maroon.  Mount Gelai outside the workshop (left) and at Nairobi's Number 3 Platform (right) PHOTOs - Trevor Heath

5918 at Athi River waits for the return working of the charter passenger train.  PHOTOs - Trevor Heath

5918 runs rear tender first around its train.  Unlike Rhodesian and South African Railways, EAR&H Garratts were seldom seen running rear tender first on a train.  PHOTOs - Trevor Heath

30 Class 3020 Nyaturu also made its debut in genuine EAR&H livery.  It is seen easing out of the shed (left) and heading a train at Kikuyu (right).  The first passenger car in the consist is a 1953 aluminium first class coach originally turned out unpainted. They acquired the familiar maroon and cream livery, like the rest of the passenger stock, in 1960, having, for a while, run in all-over cream - the colour adopted for the Royal Train consist during the Queen mother's visit of 1959.  PHOTOs - Trevor Heath

Nyaturu heads a passenger excursion from Nairobi to Naivasha into Kijabe while a freight for Nairobi waits in the loop.  The three aspect semaphore signal is vertical, indicating mainline clear - (green at night).  45 degrees (amber at night) indicates "proceed with caution";  horizontal (red at night) is stop.  PHOTO - Trevor Heath

Typical murram (red earth) cutting seem from the tender top - the bank is showing signs of erosion and the bushes on the cutting sides are a sign that this is a recent photograph.  PHOTO - Trevor Heath

A timeless view - dormant (but far from extinct) volcano Mount Longonot dominates the valley floor.  PHOTO - Trevor Heath

Before and after 2921 Masai of KenyaPHOTOs - Trevor Heath

3123 Bavuma - before (left) and after (right)  PHOTOs - Trevor Heath

2409 was fully restored to running order and out-shopped in Kenya and Uganda Railways graphite livery and in July 2006, back in the familiar EAR&H crimson lake, it was at Ruiru with a revenue freight for ThikaPHOTOs - Trevor Heath 

Restoration work gets under way on 57 Class Garratt 5711, which had reverted to its KUR livery and number 87 Karamoja.  PHOTOs - Trevor Heath

Static exhibit 59 Class 5930 Mount Shengena in its before and after condition.  PHOTOs - Trevor Heath

Still to acquire a number plate on the cab, 60 Class 6006 Sir Harold MacMichael is, apparently, likely to remain a static exhibit.  PHOTOs - Trevor Heath

          5505, bought by EAR&H from Burma Railways, has also been fully painted but has had its Giesel ejector replaced with its original round chimney.  Before (left) and after (right)                    PHOTOs - Trevor Heath

I am grateful to Trevor Heath for allowing me to show his pictures here.  A full narrative of the events relating to Steam Preservation in Kenya appears on Trevor's own website at Live Steaming Kenya
East Africa in the 1950s

East African Railways & Harbours