What trains were used on the Dakar-Niger Railway in the late 1950s and early 1960s, i.e. the transition to independence? Are there any images available?
I can find images of the railway from 1950 and 1979. I'm guessing the locomotives that are in the first link (1950) were used throughout the 1950s (or are at least representative) given that they were apparently built in 1947 (with a similar set in 1954), but I'd love to be able to confirm this guess.
(If you're still looking...)
This photo from 1959 shows what's clearly a Whitcomb centercab. It appears identical to locomotives for the Bas Congo - Katanga railway, and closely related to those for Brazil's EF Sorocabana and the Portuguese Class 1300.
Thomas Kautzor's reports on Mali and Senegal suggest more. The BB500 series are given as "Alsthom 1955", the BB550 as "Alsthom 44t 1956". No pictures. The BB1100 built 1959-65 are described as "Alsthom AD12B". The BB1200 are later-model AD12B, the one seen in your link for 1979. The BB1100 would be the earlier version -- see, for example, this Tunisian example. These are standard French export models. The difference between the Portuguese 9000 (early) and 9020 (late). Or in Ethiopia.
Christian Derosier claims the blocky Henschel diesels are from 1963, but I suspect the 1983 quoted on the other pages is correct. (Similar-looking Henschel-EMDs in Sudan and Ghana are from the 1970s-80s.)
Ah, here's what I was looking for. A roster for the Dakar-Niger.
Full dieselisation of the AOF railroads took place between 1947 and 1957.
The 1960 roster includes 15 Alsthom-Sulzer boxcabs, 8 Sulzer endcabs of class BB400, 11 Alsthom BB500, 5 Alsthom BB600 (are these lower-powered versions of...?), 6 Alsthom BB1100, 6 Whitcomb CC1300, 4 diesel railcars. Note no BB550 -- were they acquired secondhand later?
Taken from THE INDUSTRIAL RAILWAY RECORD.
40.005 of the Chemin de Fer Dakar-Niger, Corpet Louvet 1736 of 1927, was typical of a large number of metre gauge 2‑8‑2 tender locomotives built for service with the railways of French West Africa. Cylinders: 450mm x 550mm. Coupled Wheels: 1200mm.
Two of Corpet Louvet's smaller designs. Upper - 7567 of 7920 was an 800mm gauge 0‑4‑0 well tank built for the Mines de Mokta-el-Hadid in French North Africa. Cylinders: 220mm x 320mm. Coupled Wheels: 700mm. Lower - Another example with Brown valve gear, 7665 of 7925 was an 1167mm gauge 0‑6‑0 well tank built for Monsieur Bougenot, Usine de Galion, Martinique, West Indies. It is almost identical to 536 of 7890, which was delivered to the same firm. Cylinders: 270mm x 300mm. Coupled Wheels 600mm.
Corpet Louvet 1709 of 1926 was a 1435mm(standard) gauge 2‑10‑0 numbered 85 on the Smyrna, Cassaba & Prolongements Railway which became part of the Turkish State Railways in May 1934. Cylinders: 630mm x 610mm. Coupled Wheels: 1350mm.
Some of these models were delivered until the early 50s.
