The railways and water are the lifeblood of the Sahara. On the outskirts of Nouadhibou, Mauritania’s second largest city, a GPL-15T hauls a three car water train bound for a whistle stop town in the seemingless never ending Sahara Desert. The railway connects the Port of Nouadhibou to the iron mines at Zouérat and is a major driving force behind the economy of Mauritania. Founded in 1978, the Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière or better known as SNIM is a huge player here, as the company owns just about every portion of the industrial capabilities of Mauritania. From the railway, to the iron mines and port, and even branching into the hydrocarbon and tourism industries, SNIM has a hand in every pocket further solidifying their footprint in Mauritania. Pictured is one of the rarely seen workhorses of SNIM Railway, a GPL-15T. The GPL-15T was a collaboration between three companies, Mauritania based SNIM, and American companies Super Steel and EMD. Sixteen locomotives were supposedly built, with special modifications for operations in the hot, dry and sandy desert climate of the Sahara. Outfitted with EMD’s 1500 horsepower 645 engine, Blomberg swing hanger trucks and a two stage pulse air filtration system, these locomotives can operate in temperatures that well exceed 120°f. For the build, EMD provided new truck frame and bolster castings from Bradken in Atchison, Kansas. The trucks have a permanently fixed plow and also, a special pneumatically powered sand plow mounted to the axle 1 and 4 of the locomotive to prevent sand from derailing the engine. This locomotive was one of the last railroad equipment pieces built and assembled at Super Steel’s Glenville, New York plant before they shut down in 2008. GPL-15T locomotives are used in mostly local service while SDL40-2 and SD70ACS locomotives haul iron ore trains stretching over 200 cars long.
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This photo was one of several images from a series of photos taken during a meet on the SNIM Railway.
Somewhere in the Sahara Desert far east of Bon Lanuar. Running for about 6 hours since stopping in Choum, our train pulls up to the west switch of a meeting point. The dynamic brakes from the two SDL40-2 locomotives howl across the desert. The air brakes squeal and sparks fly from what is left of the burnt up brake shoes as the our train comes to a stop. The stars shine bright above. The headlights of our locomotive go dark, as do the the lights in the cab. I look at my watch, it shows 4 am. Nap time for the crews I thought. I sit there in the darkness, laying as the locals do atop piles of iron ore, counting the meteorites that burn up in the atmosphere. Twenty minutes goes by, I count five. Then, the distinct hum of EMD locomotive power rumbles in the distance, echoing between the sand dunes. The headlight of the oncoming train becomes visible, spotlighting the dunes it passes, like the border guards we had been passing throughout the night on the Mauritania & Western Sahara border. I watch one of the assistant drivers slide down the ladder, flashlight in hand, preparing for a roll by inspection. From atop the iron ore loads, the silhouette of our two SDL40-2 locomotives is visible as the opposing train’s headlights guide the way into the siding. In this moment, scenes like this are why I enjoy documenting the railroads. Even internationally, the fundamentals of railroading are timeless. In the most desolate and darkest of places, there is always something to see. The shutter of my camera clicks, drowned out by the approaching hum of the soon to be passing train.
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Two coach cleaners pose for a photo with the touristy Desert Train in Choum, Mauritania.
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Conductor Malaynin pulls in another drag while awaiting the arrival of his coaches to tack on the rear of ore train M8.
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For twenty minutes, you could hear them before you could see them. The hum of the venerable 16-645 diesel engines on westbound trio of American made SDL40-2 locomotives carried across the sunkissed desert. Eventually, a headlight appeared as the train rolled through the desert town of Choum, Mauritania. The water tanks on the head end and the ore empties behind are bound for the municipalities and mines at Zouérat.
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