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The Yekepa Home on the Web was set up by Jörgen Lund and Peter Thejll in January 1999. Currently this site is running in parallell with the old site.

Comments»

1. Börje Andersson - November 27, 2006

It is nice of you to take it up again , Because we are getting older all of us. And sometimes i am thinking about the time we spend in Liberia. It was a god time.

2. Megan - February 19, 2007

If you were to tell a tourist one location to visit if they visited Yekepa, waht woukd you recommend?

3. Norbert Steyrleuthner - March 20, 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am a railway enthusiast. In the course of my Google searches about African railways I came about your website. I have some questions regarding the Yekepa-Buchanan railways and I would be much obliged receiving some information.
1) is this a single or double track line ?
2) what is the gauge, e.g. 1435 mm Standard European or 1 metre gauge or any other ? ( width between the rails)
3) what is the length of thís line ?
4) is this still in operation ?

Any other information e.g. pictures , or other weblinks etc would be much appreciated.
I have lived in Nigeria from 1981 to 1985 and do appreciate your efforts in keeping up the memory of your African home .

Best regards,

Norbert Steyrleuthner
Hrch-v-Brentano-Allee 9
D-68519 Viernheim – Germany
Phone: +49 6204 78 351
Mobile phone: +49 170 730 51 60
Fax: +49 170 13 730 51 60
n.steyrleuthner@railcare.de

4. Questions from a Railway Enthusiast « The Yekepa Home on the Web - March 20, 2007

[...] from a Railway Enthusiast March 20, 2007 Posted by J in Uncategorized. trackback Norbert Steyrleuthner want some information about the Buchanan-Yekepa [...]

5. colin - May 20, 2007

hi so far as i can remember single track with passing places standard guage european 270 kilometers long no longer in operation

if you go to u-tube website type in LAMCO RAILROAD GRASSFIELD i have put on a three minute video of an iron ore train passing over the grassfield level crossing taken in about 1985 quality is poor but it is the best i can do !
regards Collin

6. Train 17 at Grassfield Crossing « The Yekepa Home on the Web - May 26, 2007

[...] Train 17 at Grassfield Crossing May 26, 2007 Posted by J in Uncategorized. trackback  From Colin’s comment: [...]

7. Gary Hollingsworth - June 17, 2007

Colin,

it is the standard train,3 engines with 90 ore cars, but a little too late for my father to be driving it!

8. jeanette lodge - July 23, 2007

This is a hello to Gary Hollingsworth i was just surfing the net and your name jumped out at me so thought i would say hello. I remember those trains they went on forever.

9. r.srinivasan - August 10, 2007

Guys,
Nice to see all this enthusiasm for the railway.
Just to let you know, ArcelorMittal has commenced renovation of the township, schools, hospital, railroad and the mining infrastructure.
I would like to invite all of you to visit in Jan2009.

10. Peter Thejll - August 12, 2007

Some new images of a healthier-looking Yekepa have been submitted by Mr. Srinivasan – see them here: http://www.thejll.com/yekepa/yekepa_renovation_2007.shtml

11. Anthony Old - January 19, 2008

I have just returned from my trip to Yekepa and renovation has begun. I visited from an initial brand and signage perspective from corporate ArcelorMittal in London and I can really see the passion for the community. Facinating to see the churches, hospitals and schools, some in ok condition. The programme has started and there is a lot to do. Fantastic views from the pool over the mountains even with some jungle overgrowth and the pool structure iteself looks fine, but clearly not as you would all remember. All very fixable in my mind with a good architect and some vision.

Roads are coming and so is the rail system…

12. anne heiwe - April 12, 2008

I have just found thje foto of the visit to Monrovia and President Tubman,
I can identify the four persons in the ninthgrad that are mentioned att the bottom if anyone is intressed.
Mail me
rgds
Anne Heiwe

13. Chris Walsh - April 15, 2008

Hi guys,

I lived in Yekepa in about 1972 – 1975 and have hugely fond memories of the place. I found this site by chance after my brother and I were chatting about our childhood (I live in the UK and he now lives in France) and we saw the video of the pool and aerial film and it brought the memories flooding back. I wonder if anyone remembers us, our family name is Walsh and we consisted of Joe and Anne (parents) Lynn, Paul and myself Chris. I was a very small boy and we left when I was six years old so my memories are a bit vague. We lived opposite the mess hall and as I recall we also lived in Area P for a while. I still have some old photo’s which I will scan and upload if anyon would like to see them?

14. Mike Moore - August 3, 2008

Hi There,
I am Mike Moore and I was the Chief Internal Auditor (Known as the CIA) I was there from 1980 to 1984 and from 1986 to 1990. I must say that we had a fabulous life and so very sad at what has happened. I feel deeply for the liberian People who have suffered incredibly since that time. I now live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.

15. Randy - August 26, 2008

Randy Judd-Harrison, then Randy Harrison. 1973-1976, we lived on the Lutheran church compuound down the street from the international school where my brother and I attended class. At the time there were no other U.S. citizens attending school, so when the nationalities split up to attend classes (again) in their own venacular, my brother and I were assigned to the Brittish Venacular. That assignment left an impression on us to this day. Miss Catel, yes the Brittish Venacular instructor. I’m wondering if anyone of the same era remembers this instructor? or even better, Miss Catel herself,

To this day, our family speaks very fondly of our time in Yekepa, spending Sundays at the pool, outings in the bush, and the mini bike mode of transportation for the school kids. It was a squadron of kids on mini bikes in V formation that escorted then President Tolberts Limousine during a Presidential Visit.
I digress.
Rj

16. Emanuel Sandberg - January 3, 2009

Hello
I am a frequent traveller to Liberia. I worked in the material administration department MAD June 1982- December 1985
(I was also the head of a Swedish relief organisation during the last part of the war (almost 3 years) before and after Taylors presidence since 1997 i have visited Liberia ,mostly Monrovia, at least 1 time a year
I have just returned after a trip to Yekepa and Monrovia. It was sad to see Yekapa now and remember how it was during my time there.
I really miss my time with Lamco.My family and I really enjoyed living i Yekepa.

17. R. Srinivasan - February 23, 2009

The following is an account of a remarkable event observed along the railroad as a train composed of one Brandt truck and four Ballast Wagons performed its first trip from Tokadeh to Buchanan on Saturday, February 21, 2009.

Throughout the train’s journey it blasted its loud horn as a normal practice.The Brandt truck horn sounds like a locomotive horn, the sound that people living along the rail road have not heard for many years, if at all. When people in the communities along the rail heard the blaring of the Brandt truck’s horn,they became excited and overjoyed.They stopped what they were doing just to watch the train pass by.

The excitement of the Brandt truck’s journey culminated as it passed through Sanniquellie.On Saturdays,Sanniquellie normally has its market day,when hundreds of people come together to buy and sell merchandise.When the train passed by the town, the hundreds of people present heard the train blaring its horn.They stopped all of their activities to dance and chant in chorus, “Mittal Steel, Mittal Steel…”.

18. Peter Thejll - February 24, 2009

Does anyone have a recording of that horn?? We would post it on the Yekepa home page!