River Lol Railway Bridge, South Sudan
Posted: 18 Aug 2014, 12:21
Two aerial photos taken by my colleague Patrick Fox, the first in November 2000 and the second on 19 January 2001. At this point Sudan was still a single nation, more than ten years before the secession of South Sudan, and the civil war was still ongoing. Rebel forces had disabled the bridge, reportedly by stacking mortar bombs on it (on the second span from the right, more clearly visible in the second photo) and then firing an RPG at them. The span didn't collapse, due no doubt to the good Glasgow steel, but the railway line to Wau in South Sudan was badly damaged. A pile of sand that government forces used to try to shore up the bridge can be seen between the first and second spans.
As far as I know no trains ran beyond the river until after the peace agreement was signed in 2005, after which the bridge was repaired properly. The first train to run all the way to Wau was in March 2010 (see http://www.friendsoftherail.com/phpBB2/ ... 147&t=6525) and was followed by a handful of others before the line became unused again. Pictures of the railway materiel in Wau in 2009 and 2011 can also be seen on this sub-forum (http://www.friendsoftherail.com/phpBB2/ ... .php?f=147).
As far as I know no trains ran beyond the river until after the peace agreement was signed in 2005, after which the bridge was repaired properly. The first train to run all the way to Wau was in March 2010 (see http://www.friendsoftherail.com/phpBB2/ ... 147&t=6525) and was followed by a handful of others before the line became unused again. Pictures of the railway materiel in Wau in 2009 and 2011 can also be seen on this sub-forum (http://www.friendsoftherail.com/phpBB2/ ... .php?f=147).