THE LOBITO ROUTE A SURVEY OF THE CAPACITY OF THE RAIL ROUTE BETWEEN ZAMBIA AND THE PORT OF LOBITO

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 44
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 28, 1998
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: February 1, 1966
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
THE LOBITO ROUTE
A Survey of the Capacity of the Rail Route
Between ;Zambia and the Port of Lobito
Washington, U. C.
February 1966
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
This report is the result of a survey of the rail route between Zambia and
the Port of Lobito in Angola, undertaken between 9 November and 11 Decem-
ber 1965, U.S. Department of State by
Transportation Consultant. Discussions were held with directors, management,
and operating personnel of the carriers involved in London, Brussels, Lisbon,
Lobito, and Elisabethville as well as with key personnel in the copper com-
panies and their traffic agents (see Appendix A). Estimates and conclusions in
this report are based on published and unpublished data received from these
officials as well as from on-the-spot observations. The author sincerely appre-
ciates the kind cooperation extended by all. A special vote of thanks is due
to Col. R. J. Walker, Benguela Railways consultant, for generously sharing the
results of his long experience and research. Except as noted, all photographs
were taken by the author.
The author acknowledges that estimating railroad capacity is not an exact
science and that his brief exposure to local conditions should not necessarily
be regarded as a substitute for the judgment of local management seasoned by
years of experience in the area. This is to say that there are undoubtedly
many practical operating problems and conditions which could not be investi-
gated in detail and which are mentioned only superficially or not at all in this
report. The estimates of both potential capacity and cost are therefore sub-
mitted only as gross approximations intended to point the direction in which
to move. The opportunity was not afforded nor was it the object of this report
to make a detailed cost survey.
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
Page
Foreword ................................. ......... iii
Summary ................................. ..........................
1
I. The Lobito Route .................... ..........................
1
II. The Bas Congo an Katanga Railway (BCK) .........................
2
A. Management and Personnel ......... ..........................
2
B. Extent and General Characteristics of the Network ................
2
C. Locomotives and Cars .............. ..........................
3
D. Traffic .......................................................
3
E. Operations and Line Detail ......... ..........................
4
F. Capacity and Limiting Factors ..................................
6
1. The Current Situation ................................. .....
6
2. Potential. Capacity after Build-up of Six Months to One Year ....
6
a. Build-up with Conventional Methods of Operation ...........
6
b. Build-up with Special Methods of Operation ................
8
c. Effect and Feasibility of Installing Centralized Traffic Control ..
10
III. The Benguela Railway Company (CFB) ............................
10
A. Management and Personnel .............................. . ...
10
B. General Characteristics of the Network ..........................
10
C. Locomotives and Cars ..................................... ....
14
D. Traffic ............................ ..........................
14
E. Operations and Line Detail .............................. . ....
14
F. Capacity and Limiting Factors .......... .......................
23
1. The Current Situation .......................................
23
2. Potential. Capacity ............... ..........................
23
IV. The Port of Lobito ................................................
25
V. Conclusions ......................................................
28
APPENDIXES
Page
Appendix A Key Personnel Interviewed ....... ....................... 29
Appendix B Statistical Tables ............ .......................... 30
Table B-1. Angola and the Congo: Selected Data on Locomotives as
of December 1965 .................................. 30
Table B-2. Angola and the Congo: Selected Data on Railroads as of
December 1965 .................................... 31
Table B-3. Congo: Railroad Freight Traffic, Bas Congo Katanga
Railroad Co. (BCK) 1957 and 1961-65 ................ 31
Table B-4. Monthly Railroad Freight Traffic by Sections of Route,
Bas Congo Katanga Railway Co. (BCK) 1964-65 ........ 32
Table B-5. Congo: Bas Congo Katanga Railway (BCK), Selected
Line Characteristics and Operational Data on the BCK
Part of the Lobito Route ............................ 33
Table B-6. Railroad Freight Traffic, Benguela Railway Company
(BCK), 1959-64 ........ .......................... 35
Table B-7. Angola: Traffic Movement and Working Receipts and
Expenses of the Benguela Railway Co. (CFB), 1945-64 .. 36
Table B-8. Angola: Benguela Railway Company (CFB), Selected
Data on Sectors Forming the CFB Part of the Lobito
Route .............................................. 37
Appendix C Methodology for Estimate of Potenital Capacity on the CFB . . 38
Appendix D Bibliography ............................................ 40
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
THE LOBITO ROUTE
A Survey of the Capacity of the Rail Route Between Zambia
and the Port of Lobito
SUMMARY
The alternative routing with the greatest potential capacity for handling the
import and export traffic of Zambia, if the use of the rail route through Rhodesia
(the Rhodesia Route) is denied, is the rail route through the Congo and Angola
that connects Zambia with the Port of Lobito (the Lobito Route).* Ndola, in
the Zambian Copper Belt, is virtually equidistant from Lobito and the Mozam-
bique ports of Beira and Lourenco Marques. The gauge of the railroad lines
is the same (3'6") throughout and both freight and passenger cars are inter-
changed without transloading. The Lobito Route, however, is not without its
problems, and its immediate surplus capacity would be inadequate to handle
even the imports and exports of the Congo which, in the event of a complete
embargo, it is assumed would also be diverted from the Rhodesia Route to the
Lobito Route. The current limitation on the capacity of the Lobito Route is
primarily the lack of a sufficient number of technically competent operating
personnel and the state of maintenance of electric locomotives on the Bas Congo
au Katanga Railway (BCK). As a result of these inadequacies, a serious bottle-
neck situation exists on the electrified Elisabethville-Tenke sector of the BCK
which has the heaviest density of traffic.**
It is technically (operationally) feasible to build up gradually (within 6 months
to a year) the capacity of the Lobito Route to an annual capability to carry the
requisite addition to Congolese (Katangan) traffic, some 770,000 tons*** of
imports to Zambia, and over 1 million tons of Zambian exports. Realization of
this potential level of performance requires the full cooperation of a flexible
railway management and concurrent action on a number of projects involving
the active cooperation of the Zambian, Portuguese, and Congolese governments
as well as the Benguela (CFB) and the BCK railways. Several programs would,
in fact, need to be undertaken simultaneously to realize the maximum potential
in the minimum length of time, and any number of difficulties treated only super-
ficially in this report or perhaps not mentioned at all could delay these programs.
1. The Lobito Route
The railroad starting at the Port of Lobito in Angola forms the sole continuous
rail link which could serve as an alternate route for the import and export traffic
of Zambia (currently some 4 million tons, nearly all of which moves over the
* See the map.
** Note that all freight between Zambia and Port Franqui on the Route Nationale to and
from Matadi and between Zambia and Albertville on the route to and from Dar-es-Salaam
via Lake Tanganyika must also pass through this same bottleneck.
*** Metric tons are used throughout this report.
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
railroad through Rhodesia). The gauge of the railroad lines is the same (3'6")
throughout and both freight and passenger cars are interchanged without trans-
loading. This route is known generally and referred to in this report as the
"Lobito Route" comprising the Port of Lobito, the Benguela Railway (CFB) from
Lobito to the Congo border near Dilolo and the Bas Congo an Katanga Railway
(BCK) from Dilolo to Sakania on the Zambian border. Railroad cars are inter-
changed with the Rhodesia Railways at the Zambian border. The distances
between Lobito and key points in Zambia, compared with the distances from
these points through Rhodesia to ports in Mozambique, are as follows:
Miles
Km
Miles
Km
Miles
Km
Lobito .
1,478
2,375
1,677
2,700
1,968
3,163
Beira
1,450
2,337
1,251
2,012
960
1,549
Lourengo Marques
(via Malvernia)
1,447
2,332
1,248
2,007
957
1,544
It may be seen from the tabulation that the Ndola area, where about 700,000
tons of copper exports originate and a roughly equivalent amount of coal im-
ported from Rhodesia terminates (plus a significant amount, of other imports),
is for all practical purposes equidistant from Lobito and from both of the above
ports in Mozambique. The Port of Lobito, furthermore, is far closer to Euro-
pean and American markets for Zambian exports and to sources of imports which
could serve as substitutes for those received from or through Rhodesia.
II. The Bas Congo au Katanga Railway (BCK)
A. Management and Personnel
The BCK is managed on behalf of the Katanga-Dilolo-Leopoldville Railway
Co. (KDL) by an Administrator Delegate and his staff (Belgian expatriates) with
headquarters in Elisabethville. The Administrative Council of the KDL con-
sists of a president and eight members with headquarters in Brussels. The
President of the Administrative Committee and three of the members, including
the one consulted during the course of this survey (see Appendix A), are desig-
nated as Members of the Permanent Committee.
Operating personnel number about 13,800 Africans and about 550 European
technical assistants. All train crews, including locomotive engineers, are African.
The'BCK has established several training institutions for operating and main-
tenance personnel, staffed by a faculty of expatriate professors and technicians.
B. Extent and General Characteristics of the Network
The BCK is a single-track (3'6" gauge) railway with traffic controlled by means
of a Webb-Thompson Staff Token system of manual block signals. The net-
work consists of a total of 2,612 km of route, including 56 km of branch lines
and 679 km of electrified line. The parts of the BCK network included in the
Lobito Route are: Sakania-Elisabethville (242 km, steam traction), Elisabethville-
Mutshatsha (489 km, electric traction) and Mutshatsha-Dilolo (268 km, steam
traction). The total length of these three contiguous sectors from Sakania at
the Zambian border to Dilolo at the Angolan border is about 1,000 km, nearly
half electrified with steam operated sectors at either end. The steam locomo-
tives burn either domestic wood or coal, the latter imported mostly from Wankie
in Rhodesia. Hydroelectric power is available locally for the electrified sector.
Single-phase, 25,000-volt, 50-cycle alternating current is supplied by 10 sub-
stations located at intervals of 70 to 80 km.
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
The BCK had in its mainline locomotive inventory as of December 1965 a total
of 117 units including 79 steam, 36 electric (2,100 to 2,450 rated hp) and 2 diesel-
electric (1,250 hp). Because of a lack of competent operating and maintenance
personnel and foreign exchange for parts and equipment, only about half of the
electric and diesel-electric locomotives and about 70% of the steam locomotives
are operational on the average. The decrepit state of certain steam locomotives
formerly assigned to hauling trains has made it necessary to downgrade them
to the category of switch engines. There are in addition to the mainline
locomotives listed above, 64 steam, 12 diesel, and 5 electric locomotives used
for switching. The majority of the steam locomotives in train service are
of the "Mikado" class (2-8-2) or the "Garratt" articulated-type locomotives
(4-8-2+2-8-4) which operate on the sections with the most difficult grades and
curves. The mainline locomotive inventory is listed by class and tractive effort
in Table B-l, Appendix B.
The freight car inventory of the BCK as of December 1965 totaled 3,589
cars, about 11% of which (some 400 cars) are excluded from the effective
operating inventory because of maintenance, repair, or service use. The effec-
tive operating inventory is, therefore, about 3,190 freight cars with a capacity
per unit ranging between 30 and 39 tons (averaging 36.6 tons). The average
empty weight of freight cars is 17 tons. The freight car inventory is listed by
type and capacity in Table B-2.
There were in the BCK inventory as of December 1965 in addition to the
freight cars, the following:
Passenger cars ..................... 133
Baggage cars .......................... ...... ........ 12
Dining cars .................................................. 9
Crew cars and cabooses ................. ..................... 17
Twenty-five of the passenger cars, four dining cars, and two baggage cars
are of stainless steel construction, built under Budd contract in Belgium. Of
the remaining passenger stock, 52 are of metal construction.
As of December 1965, equipment on order consisted of 30 tank cars (40-ton
capacity) scheduled for delivery in the second half of 1966 and 5 electric loco-
motives (2,200 hp) scheduled for delivery in the second half of 1967.
The BCK currently moves a total volume of about 4.25 million tons, about
3.2 million tons of which is revenue freight. During the peak year (1957) over
6 million tons total were moved, of which about 5 million tons was revenue
freight. Nearly 60% of the total tonnage is mineral traffic, both export and
local hauls between various components of the mining companies. More than
40% of the total traffic is hauled by electric traction. Traffic during 1957-64
and estimated traffic for 1965 are shown in Table B-3.
The heaviest concentrations of traffic occur on the sector between Muniama
(12 km south of Elisabethville) and Tenke (249 km) through which traffic be-
tween the Zambia/Rhodesia border and Lobito, Port Franqui, or Albertville
must move in addition to a heavy volume of local mine and smelter traffic.
Through movements on the 105 km stretch between Jadotville and Tenke (part
of the electrified Elisabethville-Tenke sector) averaged 9.9 trains each way per
day in addition to considerable local mine and service traffic during the first
10 months of 1965. The extent of this traffic between mines and smelters is
illustrated by movement on the short (12 km) stretch between Muniama and
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
Elisabethville (not yet electrified) where all movements between Elisabethville-
Kipushi-Lubumbashi are intermingled. Movements (all trains and service vehi-
cles) in this high-density sector averaged 26.39 each way per day during the
first 10 months of 1965. The total dropped to only 9.13 on the contiguous
sector between Sakania and Muniama, which is not involved with mine traffic
between Elisabethville-Lubumbashi-Kipushi. Movements by sector of the
Sakania-Dilolo Route are shown in Table B-5. The density of traffic (in terms
of ton-km per km of route) on the several sectors forming the BCK portion of
the Lobito Route clearly shows the concentration of traffic on the Elisabethville-
Tenke, Tenke-Kolwezi, and Muniama-Elisabethville sectors (see Table 1).
Congo: Bas Congo Katanga Railway (BCK) Traffic Density, by Sections
SECTION
TOTAL, 1964
ESTIMATED
TOTAL, 1965
AVERAGE
MONTHLY, 1965
PEAS
MONTH, 1965
(Ton-km per km of route)
Sakania-Muniama
475,132
545,122
45,427
55,176
(230 km)
Muniama-Elisabethville ......... 1,018,573
1,080,662
90,055
104,824
12 k
(
m)
Elisabethville-Tenke ........... 1,241,240
1,416,358
118,030
129,092
(237 km)
Tenke-Kolwezi ................ 1,197,202
1,282,056
106,838
123,396
(95 km)
Kolwezi-Mutshatsha
525,550
508,715
42,393
47,927
(157 km)
Mutshatsha-Dilolo .............
615,400
597,522
49,794
51,573
(268 km)
'Calculated from data in Table B-4. Sections are listed in geographical order from the
Congo/Zambia to the Congo/Angola borders.
E. Operations and Line Detail
The BCK, as stated above, is a single track railway throughout, and traffic is
controlled by a Webb-Thompson Staff Token system of manual block signaling.
The gauge is 3'6" and the radius of curvature is generally not less than 300
meters compensated. Gradients of 1.5% to 2% are encountered at some places
near Biano (between Tenke and Bukama) but do not exceed 1.25% on all sec-
tions comprising the BCK portion of the Lobito Route. Important details on
these BCK sections of the Lobito Route are shown in Table B-5.
The overall average net load per freight car on the BCK system in 1964 was
29.8 tons. Experience factors for various types of freight are as follows:
TYPE OF FREIGHT NET LOAD PER CAR
(Tons)
Mine products ...................................
38
Coal ...........................................
30
Construction materials ...................... .....
25
Agricultural products .............................
27
General freight ..................................
16
Relative availability of wood, coal, and electric power for traction has a
marked effect on the operations of the BCK. Wood-burning steam locomotives
are operated only on the section between Mutshatsha-Dilolo because of the lack
of suitable wood along other parts of the network and because of high taxes
and prices. Imported coal is used on nearly all of the remaining steam-operated
sectors because what little local coal is available has a high ash content (22% to
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Ff lease 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71 T00730R000200070007-7
THE BCK RAILWAY. AT THE TOP ARE VIEWS OF THE YARDS AT ELISABETHVILLE. IN
THE CENTER AND LOWER RIGHT ARE CARS LOADED WITH COPPER ORE AND CONCEN-
TRATE. AT THE LOWER LEFT IS AN ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE, TYPICAL OF THOSE OP-
ER ATI NGA~ 'd g I6 k1AEf/87ft I9 A-RDF71 T00730R000200070007-7
5
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
25%). The abundant supply of cheap hydroelectric power and the difficulties
with the supply of coal or wood explains the large-scale conversion to electrifi-
cation (679 km prior to July 1963) which would no doubt be continued apace
were it not for foreign exchange problems that prevent the purchase of neces-
sary equipment. Further electrification is planned, first for the Luena-Kamina
section, which has the greatest requirement for imported coal, and later for the
Mutshatsha-Dilolo and Elisabethville-Kipushi sectors. A few steam locomotives
have been converted to oil-burning for use on the northern sections of the net-
work near Port Franqui, now using expensive imported coal from the United
States and Mozambique. More conversions are planned. Consumption of coal
and wood by the BCK during 1964 was as follows:
Imported coal ...... ...................... 181,400 tons
Local coal ........................... .... 48,000 tons
Wood ... ......... ...................... 437,000 cubic meters
F. Capacity and Limiting Factors
1. The Current Situation
The immediate surplus through-capacity of the BCK portion of the Lobito
Route, assuming no interruption of the route through Rhodesia, is limited to a
maximum of 120,000 tons each way per year.* This limit is set by local man-
agement principally because of the current technical level of operating personnel
and the state of maintenance of electric locomotives, both required to handle
high traffic densities between Elisabethville and Tenke. Thus, 10,000 tons each
way per month is now available for Zambian imports and exports only if there
is no embargo of the Rhodesia Route. If the closure of the rail route through
Rhodesia is assumed to require the diversion of some 450,000 tons of Congo
imports now moving over the Rhodesia Railway route, the diverted Congo
imports alone would more than use up the existing excess capacity of the BCK.
2. Potential Capacity after Build-up of Six Months to One Year
a. Build-up with Conventional Methods of Operation
The following method of build-up should produce an additional net capacity
for handling imports to Zambia of about 400,000 tons per year (about 560,000
tons per year for exports). Build-up to this level would require a minimum of
6 months to a year after initiation (on an emergency basis) of all programs out-
lined in (3) below. The cost of such an effort is estimated to be approximately
$11 million.
(1) Assumed: Normal BCK operations with build-up to an adequate
supply of fuel and rolling stock having the same general characteristics of those
currently in operation. The additional personnel requirement would be satis-
fied by a combination of training and recruiting abroad. Only minor siding
construction is to be undertaken.
(2) Discussion: It should be possible with competent operating per-
sonnel to operate on the existing track, with minimum additional siding con-
struction, up to 5 trains each way per day in addition to current movements
(see Table B-5). "Current movements" is based on the month of October 1965
which, as may be seen from Table B-4, was a peak or near-peak month on all
* Some additional freight cars from the Rhodesia Railways (Zambia) and additional im-
ported coal allocations are needed for this increase in BCK traffic. By January 1986, some of
this surplus capacity was already being used by shipments of several thousand tons of coal
into Zambia and copper out in anticipation of an embargo of the Rhodesia Route. Some
petroleum was also moving into Zambia by rail from Elisabethville, after being airlifted to
Elisabethville.
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
RESULTS OF TRAIN WRECKS ON THE BCK. THE HIGH ACCIDENT RATE IS
SAID TO BE CHIEFLY THE RESULT OF PROFESSIONAL ERRORS ON THE
PART OF OPERATING PERSONNEL.(BCK PHOTOS)
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
sectors of the BCK part of the Lobito Route. Five inbound trains with a net
weight of about 430 tons (gross weight 700 tons), double-headed on steam
sectors with a maximum of 16 cars (an estimated average of 27 tons per car
and the length of the train governed by siding limitations) could haul a net
total of 2,150 tons per day of imports. This is equivalent to 784,750 tons of
imports annually. An increase in the assured supply of rolling stock and closer
supervision of operations might permit 20 cars each way per day to be
added to existing trains, for an additional 200,000 tons per year of imports
(20 X 27 X 365 =197,000) . The total import capacity for the Congo and Zambia
would then be increased by about 950,000 tons per year. Subtracting the newly
created Congo requirement of 450,000 tons (from the loss of access to the
Rhodesia Route) and perhaps an additional 100,000 tons of coal for the BCK
to meet increased traffic requirements leaves 400,000 tons per year of imports
as the potential capacity available to Zambia. The estimated outbound load
factor of 38 tons per car (as opposed to 27 tons inbound) yields an export capac-
ity for these same cars (400,000=27=14,815X38=562,970) of about 560,000
tons per year for Zambian exports.
(3) Requirements for Build-up:
(a) Freight must be offered by interested importers and exporters
constantly pushing the limits of the railroad's capacity to haul the freight. In
addition, some guarantee may be needed that at least substantial volumes con-
tinue to move for a reasonable length of time in order to justify investment.
This involves additional costs to the copper companies because more remote
sources than Wankie in Rhodesia must be obtained for imported coal and be-
cause preferential rates on copper exports now granted by the Rhodesia Railways
maybe unavailable for the new route.
(b) Foreign exchange must be made available to the BCK for spare
parts and replacements for rolling stock, for imported coal, and for salaries of
necessary foreign technical assistants. Only 18 to 20 of 36 electric locomotives
are kept in operation under current conditions. Many have been damaged
seriously in accidents. All of these would need to be restored to service and
accelerated delivery of the 5 on order in Belgium should be assured. Steam
locomotives may be leased from Zambia, and an indeterminable additional sup-
ply of rolling stock should accrue to the system were traffic through Rhodesia
halted. Locomotive engineers and maintenance and operating personnel (per-
haps 150) would need to be recruited abroad in addition to accelerating local
training where possible. Foreign recruiting should probably concentrate on
Belgium or France because of linguistic problems. Perhaps $10 million would
be required for this package, over half for locomotive repair and replacement.
(c) The program of converting coal-fired locomotives to oil-fired
should be accelerated for reasons of both efficiency and reducing coal require-
ments. Each conversion now requires $10,000 and 3 weeks; conversion of the
present unconverted steam locomotive inventory would cost at least $750,000,
perhaps more on a crash basis.
(d) Some minor siding construction would need to be undertaken
especially to eliminate exceptionally long intervals on the sector between
Mutshatsha and Dilolo. Cost should not exceed $100,000.
b. Build-up with Special Methods of Operation
A more extensive expansion program could produce a net transport capacity
for imports to Zambia of about 770,000 tons per year (about 1 million tons per
year for exports). Such a build-up would require a minimum of 6 months to
a year after initiation (on an emergency basis) of all programs outlined in (3),
8
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730R000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
below. Its cost which would subsume the cost of section a, above, is estimated
at approximately $20 million.
(1) Assumed: Normal BCK operations would be accelerated, as fuel
supply and rolling stock were increased, by supplementary operation of special
through trains with double-headed diesel traction. The additional personnel
requirement would be satisfied by a combination of training and recruiting
abroad. Only minor siding construction would be undertaken.
(2) Discussion: Two of the potential five additional through train paths
each way per day, established in section a, above, might be utilized for the
operation of two special 40-car trains each way per day. These trains would
be double-headed with diesel traction and would need to be given right-of-way
over all other movements because they would exceed siding limitations.* Each
train would haul 1,080 tons of imports or 1,520 tons of exports for a total of about
750,000 tons of imports and over 1 million tons of exports per year.** The
remaining three additional train paths each way could then be utilized by regu-
lar trains of about 430 tons each of imports and about 600 tons of exports (16
cars, double-headed on steam sectors). This amounts to a total of about 470,000
tons per year of imports (650,000 tons per year of exports) in addition to those
handled by the special trains cited above. Adding to the 200,000 tons of import
capacity potentially available from increased loads on other regular trains (see
2, a, (2), above), the total potential is as follows:
IMPORT CAPACITY
EXPORT CAPACITY
Special trains ......................................
750,000
1,000,000
Additional regular trains ........................ ...
470,000
650,000
Increased loads on other regular trains ................
200,000
280,000
1,420,000
1,930,000
Congo requirements (450,000 tons plus additional railroad
coal and fuel oil at the increased level of traffic) ......
-650,000
-910,000
Net capacity available for Zambia ....................
770,000
1,020,000
(3) Requirements for Build-up:
(a) The same programs covered in 2, a, above, for a total approxi-
mate cost of $11 million, would be required, to be supplemented by the follow-
ing additional requirements.
(b) Expedite the delivery to the Rhodesia Railways in Zambia of
36 diesel-electric locomotives ordered in 1965 and now in production by the
General Electric Co. in the United States. The total order amounts to $9 million.
Deliveries are now scheduled to begin in May 1966, and shipments are to be
at the rate of 4 per month. Based on an estimated 5 day turnaround time from
Ndola-Dilolo-Ndola, some 22 of these locomotives might be used (20 plus 2
standbys) on this 4run for operating the two special trains discussed above. The
balance of these diesel locomotives could be used for operating regular trains
between Ndola and Elisabethville, thereby freeing badly needed steam locomo-
motives and Congolese engineers for operation between Mutshatsha and Dilolo.
Irrespective of emergency requirements, these locomotives are needed for regular
operations on the Rhodesia Railways, although their use in Zambia was not
what the railway management intended. Nevertheless, they could be used to
* BCK management has already proposed the handling in this manner of 30-car double-
headed diesel trains between Ndola-Mutshatsha-Ndola, with the locomotives, cars, and drivers
to be supplied and maintained by the Rhodesia Railways in Zambia. The increase of cars
per train and distance suggested above is believed to be technically feasible.
** Allows a small margin for accidents, breakdowns, or other eventualities. Net load per
car is again estimated at 27 tons for imports and 38 tons for exports.
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
advantage on the trunkline sea?ving the Copper Belt, where there is a shortage
of motive power. Minimum first-year maintenance could be performed at
existing steam facilities. An additional requirement for foreign engineers and
maintenance personnel might develop, however, if Rhodesian railroaders left
Zambia en masse after a complete rupture.
c. Effect and Feasibility of Installing Centralized Traffic Control
It is recognized that the installation of centralized traffic control could in-
crease the capacity of this single-track line by as much as 80%, and its in-
stallation under the present circumstances has been considered. CTC installa-
tion, however, would be supplementary to the above programs and would
require lengthening of virtually every siding along the track by at least 1,200
meters, or 7/10 of a mile. At least half of these sidings would have to be electri-
fied, including the building of additional catenary supports. The requirement
for high-level maintenance and operating personnel as well as for rolling stock
and maintenance facilities would be significantly increased. While the addi-
tional cost involved for the installation itself might be only a few million dollars,
the time required for survey and acquisition of equipment and personnel alone
might be a minimum of 9 months to a year with an additional 9 months to
a year (total 18 months to 2 years) for construction and installation.* This is
beyond any time-scale useful for contingency planning, and the effect of CTC
has therefore not been considered in further detail.
III. The Benguela Railway Company (CFB)
A. Management and Personnel
The CFB is an Anglo-Portuguese enterprise, financed by Tanganyika Con-
cessions, Ltd., which owns 90% of the shares and has invested approximately
$145.6 million (#52 million). The railway is administered by a Portuguese com-
pany with its main office in Lisbon. Operational headquarters are at Lobito.
There is also a London Committee with offices in close proximity to those of
the Tanganyika Concessions, Ltd.
The CFB has in its service in Africa about 15,000 employees. The railroad
is efficiently managed, and there are continuing programs for better employee
housing and recreation facilities. Morale appears to be excellent. Training is
on an apprenticeship basis and is adequate for existing requirements.
The CFB operates a total of 1,418 route km including a 70-km branch line
from Robert Williams to Cuima which was opened in 1962 to serve the iron ore
mines. The track is the normal African guage (3'6") and consists of 60--lb rails
on steel or wooden ties with stone ballasting. Maximum gradient is 1 in 40
(2.5%) and minimum radius of curvature is 330 ft compensated. There are
164 bridges but no tunnels.
From its ocean terminal at the Port of Lobito the CFB, soon after leaving
the nearby city of Benguela, begins its ascent of the coastal escarpment, rising
sharply to heights between 4,000 and 5,000 ft within a comparatively short
distance. It reaches its highest point of 6,082 ft near Vila Verde at a distance
of 386 km (240 miles) from Lobito, and it descends gently into the Central
African Plateau. (See the diagram, p. 13.) The main line of the CFB between
* Note also that service traffic associated with the construction and installation would inter-
fere with capacity operations in progress during an emergency.
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
q
VIEW OF THE LINE BETWEEN CORUTEVA AND CUBAL
V-1 I
I1MOUNTAINIr GARRATT LOCOMOTIVE PULLING A TRAIN
ONTO A SIDING AT. PORTELA AFTER CLIMBING NEARLY
300 METERS IN 12 KM. NOTE THE TYPICAL SHORT
LENGTH OF THE TRAIN.
END OF THE SHARP CLIMB FROM THE EAST TO THE
TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN AT PORTELA
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
BENGUELA RAILWAY - ANGOLA
BENGUELA RAILWAY - ANGOLA. FREIGHT TRAIN CROSSING THE COMMANDANTE ALVARO
MACHADO BRIDGE. NOTE THE BARREN COUNTRY TYPICAL OF THE COASTAL ESCARPMENT. (CFB PHOTO)
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 o
Approved For Release 2001/07/28: CIA-RDP71T00730R0dd2b 0r 0007-7
$ A R R d W Z !Z J r
u_ I I
i3se-3onlixly a
010110
?,r~-w'
tzuen:)
opeyxW lza0uaD
!Jzu1S MON
12n0A
olaac,
uaSIA elag
en?N VA
sen2y scog
VOSSII VAON
swcgIIM 3aogoN
'd"' 1
0fu02 01
CUIIIJ
alumulna
L.Iovq L'9
0peyaeN oue!J!N
eog1o )
sazancue~ ap o>LW
1Vgg)
ogwngwleD
a 9uaie:)
VI3n9N]9
lagwnm7
oiieoi
S3-- T--F
oc
W A~
a Pad.
01
0-7
~0
? acp
cs ?$v
F A
aOlac
6
3
9 J
~~tlr
"to
?
a
aJ i
1311
a.!
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T00730~tl?(970007-7
b_
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
Lobito and the Congo/Angola border near Dilolo, forming the Angolan stretch
of the Lobito Route, covers 1,347 route km. Trains are hauled by steam loco-
motives throughout the system, and traffic control is by train order except on
the difficult section between Benguela and Cubal where a Tyers Key Token
system of manual block is used.
Nearly all of the rolling stock on the CFB is of British manufacture. Motive
power consists of 109 steam locomotives of which 57 are Beyer-Garratts and
38 North British. In addition there. are 4 North British diesel-hydraulic shunting
locomotives. A detailed breakdown of the locomotive inventory may be found
in Table B-1.
There are a total of 1,589 freight cars, including 1,489 open top and box cars
mainly of 40 tons capacity, 45 cattle cars, 47 tanks cars, and 8 refrigerator cars
plus 28 brake vans* and miscellaneous other types.** (See Table B-2 for
further detail.)
There are also in the CFB inventory 18 baggage cars and a total of 50 pas-
senger cars, of which 25 are sleeping cars, 21 are day coaches, and 4 are res-
taurant cars. Service stock includes 3 traveling cranes, 2 of 10-ton and 1 of
30-ton capacity, and 15 shop cars. Most petroleum oils in bulk are transported
in some 130 tank cars belonging to the oil companies.
Freight traffic in 1965 on the CFB was an estimated 2.85 millon tons, of
which 928,000 tons was eastbound and 1,922,000 tons was westbound. Of the
total 2.85 million tons carried, 1.65 million was revenue traffic-1,242,000 tons
westbound and 408,000 tons eastbound. The peak year for revenue traffic
occurred in 1961, when 1.8 million tons were carried-342,000 tons eastbound
and 1.5 million tons westbound. Current revenue freight is therefore about
92% of the 1961 peak traffic year. Some additional locomotives and cars have
been acquired, a new 70-km branch line has been built, and all existing facilities
and rolling stock have been well maintained in the meantime. For freight traffic
on the CFB during 1945-64, see Tables B-6 and B-7.
E. Operations and Line Detail
The CFB operates throughout with steam traction. There is no coal in Angola,
and essential supplies are imported from South Africa. Coal is used only on
the coastal plain along which the line passes on its way to Benguela. Oil-fired
locomotives are employed between Benguela and Nova Lisboa to meet the
severe conditions over this mountainous sector of the route. On the whole of
the remainder of the line extending more than 805 km (500 miles) across the
central plateau, locally grown timber provides the sole source of fuel. The
consumption of wood for this purpose is now over 600,000 tons a year, and its
comparative cheapness has proved a very great saving in operating costs.
The railway has its own plantations of eucalyptus which stretch for many
miles alongside the line and contain about 100 million trees. The company's
Forestry Department, employing over 4,000 men, is responsible for maintaining
these plantations, cutting the wood, transporting it to refuelling points and for
planting new trees. Eucalyptus was chosen for its suitability as fuel and also
Cars for train crews; cabooses are not used and there is no U.S. equivalent.
** A few depressed center transporter cars of up to 50 tons capacity are available for heavy
and bulky loads.
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
CLASS 11k-STEAM LOCOMOTIVE, TRACTIVE EFFORT 12,470 LBS. THE CFB OPERATES 6 LOCOMOTIVES
OF THIS TYPE.
NEAR THE CONGO/ANGOLA BORDER
AT TEIXEIRA DE SOUSA
CLASS 9a B STEAM LOCOMOTIVE AT LOBITO. THE
CFB OPERATES A TOTAL OF 14 CLASS 9-1 (A AND B)
LOCOMOTIVES, EACH OF WHICH HAS A TRACTIVE
EFFORT OF 9 , 250 LBS.
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
CLASS 93-A STEAM LOCOMOTIVE AND TENDER AT
LOBITO. THE CFB OPERATES 12 OF THESE LOCO-
MOTIVES.
REFUELING A COAL-BURNING STEAM LOCOMOTIVE
AT LOBITO
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
OPERATING WITH WOOD FUEL ON THE CFB. IN THE AERIAL VIEW (INSET AT TOP) THE
DARK AREAS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE RAILROAD TRACK ARE EXTENSIVE EUCALYPTUS
PLANTATIONS. THE PHOTO AT THE LOWER LEFT SHOWS REFUELING AND WATERING
SIMULTANEOUSLY - AN OPERATION THAT AVERAGES 10 MINUTES. NOTE THE INTEN-
SIVE USE OF MANUAL LABOR.
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
BENGUELA RAILWAY - ANGOLA
(CFB PHOTOS)
THE MACHINE SHOP AT NOVA LISBOA.
THE CARPENTER SHOP AT NOVA LISBOA
THE LOCOMOTIVE SHOP AT NOVA LISBOA
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
BENGUELA RAILWAY - ANGOLA
(CFB PHOTOS)
THE GENERAL MACHINE SHOPS AT NOVA LISBOA
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
C'- M 1 O 04 .-~ N m W t- 0 N un Cp 00 N u?j 00 N uJ P. m c 00
m di cD t? 00 C -+ N m d+ N 00 W O r+ m dt h 00 O N m m
O
y ~? u~
N OOO OOOOOt`t-N[~t`[~ NNDO 0p 0000
N ,a
O
qa
-
tr
(D m C)
m 00 O
co m m m C~ cO 00 Go 00 0~ to co 00 rn o m m N ~O d1 ') o0
cq cP GO O '4 m -0 t- w m .O t- N w x 0 N m
W O O O O O O O
w
'4 .-+ .-i N N N N m m m m
C~ W '1
C I I o L'D cNcc rrmNto ).Oto 0n.rnt. Ot-
' l~ t0 'd~ 00 m O c0 m L~ eM N +ti O O O Cy O L.
d' d{ dl
d~ W d~ d~ ~M m m m N N -4 .?-4 * ' 4 ,--i 0 0 o O ,--i o - C,
~V H rl .-~ N N N .-~ H r4 N N nl H H r4 .-+ r-1 N .--~ H N N N N r-I
0
... ...............
bb
o
tw
-O ?? W v m d k W aF
0 cy
o 1o.
-
cGOva ~~~ ~dwwcj ~Od ~C+'
ti~OOwOO 0O ~.1-1 avaOQOOa OO
yt-cO~n
.Ot-mmrnmmo'4'4000 coot--'4N comNCOP
m
.N N N N
N N N N N m m m m co m m ~M eM d{ eH d? u' ifj
pa
m
00 t` .4
M d+d+
CO O A O N +-4 m o t- xO N u'j 00 m CO m CD rH ~rj O O d? O
to
d'd~ W W M~.O xO~
ID
N
P.
00
CO t
o
O P. P.
P.
0
00 M 0
N -
t- 00 O.-~t- -4 t- n.ooC C 'tl od4-mm~O xOIZ
C, 00 00 m cD o +-4 C, '0 ep u0 N O N P. P. C) 00 m m ~O N
r`
cD CO
~7H
NO
O
a
C
y4- ?~ m ~azH aZ
O
W
m 0 .4WxW c~0 OW
QUA
Z00 ~UFGr c OO00Ur> 00OZ07UUUUUu~
a
t- co
N
(:Ij mm0ONN mm0000''u0o0m0C,O
N N m dt LO O O N X O
M "t -0
N
-
--
6~ O0
t-
.-a
-
*4 .4
N N N N
O
D
O N 110
.-i N
d~ CD --4 N t- to m m W .4 GO N dt +-4 O W 00 CO m x O
m d' CO t` 00 O N d? CO 00 (M m m t- 00 w .4 N It O 00
4
4
T
-
ti '4 ,-4 .4 N N N N N N m m m m m
-d
mm m-
ti -4
OO d O d+ N N O O O O O CO m 0 a0N 0000 r+C'+
,-4 N t- m o co W O ti 00 0O m O N N da, c0 m d' N m
34
4i
m di O C) t` ~[j tom- tr 00 C~ O O N N N m d? -.44 CO x
m
- - - - - - - - -
.4 r4 rl rl '4 .-1 rl '4 rl .-~ ti
' . .
. . . . . . . . . . O .
...
.......... .A.
?
P~
Q
O
Q
H
W W w z
Av'n H
r~
OjW
C7
Q'
W
~
PP
Z
viP
enC7~
: ti O-
0
W F EP4
Z > anP~ >H
~UQ
QF4
0
P4
~
O
?
C
C
U ai
P
OO0
)(
PU0
Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
 Approved For Release 2001/07/28 : CIA-RDP71T0073OR000200070007-7
C~ 00
cq C11 C11 m
m m m N N
G O
o- oo N.- o N o
o) oo
b
I I I I I I c
. .
bA
0 c ~a ? W
y y a) N
R N P ` ? Cr a?P
ad
aa a GQ
o
Q
~a
a~
Q0 0~ I- oo LO -It --tl t- n4
w LO LO cq
w 0
?N n n n ^
N A
?-~ ?-~ ~ ti N N N N N
a o
NCO C ciO CO CV
C a o
m' t- - CD' m ~r t^
w
~r
ca cv m m ~r