Ocean Island Railway
Ocean Island Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The first Orenstein & Koppel steam locomotive, 1906
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Special trip on a
locomotive specially chartered to transport Irish dinner guests | |||||||||||||||||||||
Route
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Route length: | about 3 km | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gauge : | 610, 914 and 1435 mm | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The Ocean Island Railway (later Banaba Island Railway ) was an approximately 3 km long, from 1906 operated field railway on the Ocean Island (later Banaba) with the gauges of initially 2 feet (610 mm), from 1937 then 3 feet (914 mm) and finally standard gauge (1435 mm).
Route
The partly double-track route led from the northern guano mining areas along the coast through the European settlement ( English : Tabwewa, French : Tapiwa) and the native settlement (Tabiang, Tapiang) to the engine shed and boat harbor (Uma, Ooma). A higher cable car ran from the original, central guano mining area to the eastern mining area and via a branch line to the expanded central guano mining area.
business
In the beginning the operation was carried out with steam locomotives from Orenstein & Koppel (O&K) and a saddle tank locomotive from Bagnall . One O&K locomotive was called Florence , one had the number 7 (O&K works number 12678 from 1935) and one had the number 11 (O&K works number 9880 from 1922).
Diesel locomotives were later used. For the transport of people there were wagons with sun protection roofs for the Europeans and open wagons for the natives.
Locomotives
Manufacturer | Wheel alignment | Serial number | Construction year | Gauge | Remarks |
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Bagnall | Bt | 610 mm | Saddle tank locomotive | ||
OK | Bt | 9880 | 1922 | 610 mm | No. 11 |
OK | Bt | 11174 | 1926 | 610 mm | Location unknown, possibly on a neighboring island |
OK | Bt | 11291 | 1926 | 610 mm | Location unknown, possibly on a neighboring island |
OK | Bt | 11585 | 1928 | 610 mm | |
OK | Bt | 11586 | 1928 | 610 mm | |
OK | Bt | 12678 | 1935 | 610 mm | No. 7 |
OK | Bt | 12887 | 1937 | 914 mm | |
OK | Bt | 12888 | 1937 | 914 mm | |
OK | Bt | 12889 | 1937 | 914 mm | |
OK | Bt | 12890 | 1937 | 914 mm | |
OK | Bt | 12891 | 1937 | 914 mm | |
OK | Bt | 3300 | 1909 | 600 mm | 40 HP, Marrison, James & Co., Australia for Nauru, from 1920 as No. 12 on Ocean Island (replacement boiler 13108/1955) |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Thomas Kautzor: Light railways in Oceania (Nauru). January 18, 2015
- ^ Ocean Island.
- ^ A b Vidar Skilnand: Guano Railway.
Coordinates: 0 ° 51 ′ 58.4 ″ S , 169 ° 32 ′ 17.1 ″ E