Garratts of Zimbabwe

Travel to Africa, noted for big game animals, and discover it is also home to some of the largest steam locomotives on the planet! At this time the unique articulated steam locomotives known as “Garratts” still thrived in the country of Zimbabwe, the world’s last stronghold of these interesting locomotives. You’ll see 15th Class 4-6-4 4-6-4 Garratts, and 20th class 4-8-2 2-8-4 Garratts on both freight and passenger trains. Watch Garratts work from the capital city of Bulawayo to Victoria Falls on the Thomson Junction line and on the Plumtree line which interchanges with Botswana. Also visit the rebuilding shops and learn about the future of steam in Zimbabwe. You’ll be treated to activity in the shops as workers rebuild locomotives just like they did in North America 50 years ago.

Watch as hot rivets get “pitched” across the shop and land with perfect accuracy for the worker to install them. You’ll also hear from the shop foreman, and Dave Putnam, the head of the Bulawayo roundhouse about steam’s future. Besides great lineside action, you’ll get a short cab ride in a Garratt, see Victoria Falls (World’s largest), and see some elephants at one of the popular game parks. The unique Garratts are awesome machines. Shot in action on the rails of Zimbabwe in 1990.