Virtual Railfan Tour of St. Kitts - 1983

 

Short siding for cripple cars

These short sidings were a very important part of the railway operation. Cut cane will deteriorate quickly in the hot sun so it is important that it be moved to the factory as quickly as possible.  if the crew discovered a defective car they were instructed to set it out at the nearest siding rather than waste time trying to fix it. The railway paid a lot of attention to maintenance of the car fleet and achieved availability of about 98% during the hectic season. 

Goats provided very effective vegetation control in some locations.

No 14 was a Ruston renumbered from No. 4 to ensure better behavior

No. 16 was a 1934 Whitcomb that came from Jamaica.

No. 12 was the 1934 Armstrong Whitworth one of a kind that used on the Harbor Branch

No. 11 was a 1957 built Ruston that came from Antigua in 1979-80

No. 15 was a 1949 Davenport which came from Jamaica.

This was originally War Department armored Motorail s/n 452 of 1917.  It was rebuilt in 1924 as Motorail s/n 3666 and re-gauged from 24" to 30". It was derelict by 1972 but was still in one piece.

One of the original steam locomotives was also still in the bushes.

The factory "signal box"

An ancient sign at a road crossing

The company had become aware of the potential for tourist trains.  However, the tourist season coincided with the busy cane season. These converted cane cars were not successful because sugar cane grows higher that the cars which meant that views were restricted in many places.