Swakopmund–Windhoek line

Swakopmund–Windhoek
Operation
Opened	1897
Character	Original alignment 1902–1911
Technical
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Old gauge	600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in)
Route map Swakopmund jetty Mole 0 Swakopmund 10 Nonidas 20 Richthofen 40 Rössing Loop Khan River (Dam) 58 Khan Incline (4,5 ‰) 63 Wellwitsch 85 Pforte 99 Jakalswater 121 Sphinx 147 Dorstrivier 153 Kubas 165 Abbabis 179 Habis 194 Karibibmain workshops Friedrichsfelde Johann-Albrechtshöhe/Ojimukoka 233 Vogelsang Kamunbonde Okasise 276 Kovatuerassane 300 Kapenousen Watershed 1496 m 310 Okahandja Osona Swakop River Teufelsbach 346 Otjihavera 355 Okapuka 366 Brakwater 382 Windhoek 1654 m

The Swakopmund–Windhoek line was a main 600 mm (1 ft 11 ⁵⁄₈ in) narrow-gauge railway line in Namibia. It was built in 1897 and operated until 1990 when the route name was changed.

Today the route via Swakopmund to Walvis Bay operates under the name of Windhoek–Kranzberg railway and the Kranzberg–Walvis Bay railway was converted to 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge and operated by TransNamib.

Since 1897, the existing ox wagon transport system collapsed after a rinderpest outbreak in German South West Africa, and was designed to be replaced with a 600 mm (1 ft 11 ⁵⁄₈ in) narrow-gauge railway using sufficiently available feldbahn equipment from Germany. A railway was commissioned from the Swakopmund port to Windhoek of the former colony German South West Africa. The work was managed by four officers, was carried out by 290 soldiers and 800 local workers and was completed on 19 June 1902.

For daily operations 34 steam locomotives were scheduled to be kept under steam, 20 more were in reserve. Part of the locomotives were coupled to twin locomotives pairs, the so-called Zwillinge (German for twins). There were:

The journey from Swakopmund to Windhoek took ten days in the period before the railroad, it was shortened by train first by three, then to two days. There was only daily traffic, travelers had to stay in Karibib overnight. The travel speed was less than 14 km/h

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Wikipedia