FREIGHT WAGONS - THE FRANCO ETHIOPIAN RAILWAY FROM 1900 TO 1980.
Gallery N°44 : Freight wagons (C.F.E. period)
The stock of freight trucks was very old, some dating back to the beginning of the CFE. Efficiently maintained in the Dire-Dawa workshops, the following trucks were still in operation in 2010 :
Covered trucks on steel chassis on wooden body : From 1931 to 1937, they were manufactured by ACNF, La Brugeoise, Baume and Marpent and Nicaise Decluve. Their maximum load was of 20 tons. Some were transformed into service cars.
Covered trucks on steel chassis on wooden body : Manufactured in 1937 by the Strasbourg workshops. Their maximum load was of 25 tons.
Covered trucks on steel chassis on Dural body : The chassis came in 1937 from the Strasbourg workshops. The body was made in 1953 by STEMI and assembled in 1954 by the CFE. Their maximum load was of 25 tons.
Covered trucks on steel chassis on metallic body: Manufactured in 1960 by ABR de Famillereux. Their maximum load was of 30.750t. The bogies were T5. Box roller was SKF BR 12.
Covered steel axled trucks on wooden body: Made by Decauville in 1900 and by Nicaise Delcuve in 1913. Their maximum load was of 9 tons. These cars were used as Brake Man cars for the Train Masters and for the transport of the escort responsible for the protection of the train. All types of modifications were made to these trucks.
Gondola axled cars on steel body: Made from 1931 to 1937 by ACNF, Nicaise and Delcuve, Baume and Marpent. They could carry a load of 20 tons.
Tank Cars: From the Strasbourg workshops in 1947. They could carry a load of 27 m3.
Various types of tanks operated on the line. To carry fuel, molasses or water either on behalf of private companies or for the CFE for the supply of the stations. Old tenders such as "Mikado" or "HSP231" were used for a long time for the supply of water to the populations living along the line. Some of these cars were assigned along repair trains.
In 1972 a study was undertaken by CFE agents regarding the manufacture by an Italian Company setup in Ethiopia of ten tank cars for the transport of fuel for the Mobil Company. These tankers were mounted on chassis which came from the Kenyan Railways.
Flat Cars: Made in 1960 by Cadoux Beauchamp, their bogies were T5 and their load was of 30 tons. A depressed-center flat car belonging to an Ethiopian Electricity Company operated on the line for the transport of transformers or other heavy loads.
Flat car with steel posts (log cars): From 1910 to 1936, from the Baume-Marpent workshops, A.C.N.F., Nicaise Delcuve, they could carry a load of 20 tons.
Auto carriers Flat cars: On 1937 flat cars, automobile carriers were made by the Dire-Dawa workshops. The studies and carrying out of the project were led in 1961 by Lucien Brua and his team. Eight of these types of cars were produced.
Cars with side panels on two axles: From 1911 to 1924, from the Baume-Marpent workshops, the A.C.N.F. and Nicaise Delcuve. They had a load of 9 tons. They were mainly assigned to the transport of merchandise in bulk.
Cars with folding side panels (stakes) with a steel chassis on a wooden body with 2 doors: Made in 1924 by ACNF and Nicaise and Delcuve. They had a maximum load of 20 tons. They were assigned to the transport of merchandise in bulk covered with tarpaulin. They were to be used later for the transport of livestock, mainly camels.
Cars with folding side panels (stakes) with a steel chassis on a wooden body with 1 door: Built by Neuheusen in 1902, they were rebuilt by the C.F.E. workshops in 1924. They could carry up to 20 tons. They were used to transport livestock and camels.
The list of cars is not complete...
FREIGHT WAGONS - THE DJIBOUTI-ETHIOPIAN RAILWAY AFTER 1980.
Gallery N°45 : Freight wagons (C.D.E. period)
Many of the freight wagons were very old but had been maintained efficiently by the indispensable transport services of Dire-Dawa.
In the years following 1974, an important inflow of money allowed the purchase of 50 metal ABR 35 t trucks, and the fitting to most covered trucks, flat cars and tankers with T 15 bogies originating from the "Sambre et Meuse" factories. The older bogies and axles with oil-filled axle boxes were scrapped.
In 1987 the C.D.E. acquired covered hoppers, gondolas, covered trucks, flat cars and covered slatted trucks for livestock. These were all built in the Zeco factories of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, and could be identified by a badge with three yellow circles on a black background placed on either end.
In 2010 there was still a variety of old freight wagons in the CDE trains. They had been acquired by the C.F.E. and the origins of their manufacture were varied.
The following list of trucks is not complete :
Covered metal without windows :
- Zeco workshops of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 1987
- Maximum load of 36 t.
Covered metal without windows :
- "Sambre et Meuse"workshops - Maximum load of 35 t.
Covered metal with four windows :
- "Ateliers Belges Réunis" de Famillereux, 1972
- Maximum load of 35 t - equipped with T 15 bogie.
Covered metal without windows:
- "Ateliers Belges Réunis" de Famillereux, 1960
- Maximum load of 30 t. Re-equipped with T 15 bogie from 1973.
Covered wooden:
- Strasbourg workshops, 1937
- Maximum load of 25 t. Diamond Bogies re-equipped with SKF axle box rollers.
Covered wooden:
- ACNF La Brugeoise, Baume and Marpent, Nicaise Delcuve from 1931 to 1937
- Maximum load of 20 t. Original bogies with oil boxes.
- One of these, built in 1924 and equipped as an emergency truck, was spotted in 2010, freshly painted, at Djibouti Station.
Flat cars:
- Zeco workshops of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 1987
- Maximum load of 40 t.
Flat cars :
- "Etablissements Cadoux Beauchamp" 1960
- Maximum load of 30 t. New T15 bogies.
Flat cars:
- Strasbourg Nivelles workshops, 1937
- Maximum load of 24 t. Some were still in use in 2010.
Automobile double-decker flat cars:
- Based on the1937 flat car, 8 examples were made in the Dire-Dawa workshops to transport cars.
- The project was carried out by Lucien Brua and his team in 1960. These car-carriers were still in use in 1990, of which six were still in working order at Djibouti station in 2010.
Gondolas :
- Zeco workshops of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 1987
- Maximum load of 38 t.
Gondolas :
- ACNF, Nicaise and Delcuve, Baume and Marpent from 1931 to 1937
- Maximum load of 20 t. Original bogies. A series of these gondolas in different colours was stationed at Djibouti in 2010.
Livestock transport, covered model with slatted sides:
- Zeco workshops, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 1987
- Maximum load of 38 t.
Livestock and bulk transport with open roof:
- Neuhausen 1902 for the chassis, body, with one door, built by the CFE in 1924
- Maximum load of 20t, original bogies. These trucks were still in circulation around Djibouti in 2009.
Livestock and bulk transport with open roof:
- ACNF, Nicaise and Delcuve 1924
- Maximum load of 20 t. Two-door body, original bogies. These trucks are still in use.
Tankers:
- Strasbourg workshops, 1947
- With a capacity of 27 m3, still in use around Djibouti in 2008.
After the Emperor's reign, during the years of the Somalia-Ethiopia conflict, no maintenance or repair had been undertaken correctly. The Railway became a victim of the political ideology existing at the time. Lacking spare parts, wrecks were left to rot along the line, and the rolling stock was heavily reduced.