Bierra Railroad

Not far from where I was born and some 60 years earlier ran an short lived highly fascinating railroad. The railroad only lasted ten years, from 1892-1900. The Biera RR was one of the most ambitious two foot guage railways in Africa. At the hieght of its exitstence the railroad connected the British colony in Umtali Rhodesia to the coastal town of Biera in Mozambique. The railway spanned 220 miles through african swamp and harsh terrain, resulting in a high loss of life during its construction. Roughly sixty percent of the white staff were lost to fevers, wildlife, and other tropical bugs. Sadly the death toll for the chinese and indian labourers was almost one person for every sleeper laid. The line was completed on February 4th 1898, and the journey from Biera to Umtali would take two days to complete. By 1900 the traffic on the line had surpased the capacity possible due to the rapid growth in southern Africa. The line was re-routed to the Cape and re-gauged to forty two in gauge.

The prime traffic along the Biera RR was frieght, and the locomtives used were built by Flacon Engineering, and the Glasgow Engineering Company. The locomotive configuration was the classic colonial 4-4-0, and 0-6-0's. The locomotive that I am buidling is the Falcon 4-4-0 Class F4 built in 1897.

Rolling Stock on hand in 1898