MIFERMA Class CC 01-21
| MIFERMA Class CC 01-21 | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Locomotive CC 05, photographed in 1994. | |||||||||||||||||||
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The MIFERMA Class CC 01-21 diesel locomotives were built by Alstom (then known as Alsthom) in France between 1961 and 1965. The locomotives had been commissioned by the Sociéte Anonyme des Mines de Fer de Mauritanie (MIFERMA), then the owner of the Mauritania Railway, which, since its completion in 1963, has connected the iron ore mine in Zouerate with the port of Nouadhibou, Mauritania.
The CC Class 01-21 locomotives were based upon the SNCF Class CC 65000, also built by Alstom.[1]
Like the CC 65000s, the MIFERMA locomotives were fitted with two diesel engines. However, the MIFERMA locomotives had more powerful versions of the engines.[1] They were also equipped with a roof mounted "skyline casing", which housed special filtration equipment, to deal with the unusually sandy and dusty Saharan atmospheric conditions.
In 1974, the assets of MIFERMA were nationalized. Thereafter, the Mauritania Railway and its locomotives were owned and operated by the parastatal Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière (SNIM).
Beginning in 1981, the CC Class 01-21s were supplemented by US built EMD SDL40-2s.[2] In September 1997, they operated their last iron ore trains. Subsequently, they were confined to SNIM's passenger train services.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Koch, Karl-W (January 2001). "10.000 Pferde durchwühlen den Sand". Fern-Express (in German) (69). Förderverein Dampf&Reise e.V: 4–9. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
- ^ Studney, Michael J (April 1994). "A sand-breathing diesel conquers the Sahara - locomotive". Railway Age. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
