I was in Africa over Christmas, visiting relatives, and I got talking to the Manager of the World Bank in Kampala Uganda.

She was interested in finding out what sort of speeds/loads could be achieved on a narrow gauge railway [say 3' or 1m] - assuming straight track and new locos - she wondered if normal containers could be carried at [say] 80kph.

Any ideas anyone?

There's a big conference in Tanzania [I think] in February to discuss the options for renewing/upgrading the railway lines in East Africa.  The easy option seems to be to allow the Chinese to do the upgrade works, and pay for it by signing over the oil deposits in the area.  I suggested that it would be better [but slower and less high tech] to do it with local labour - at least there is then a chance of having someone there to do future maintenance - and you keep a lot of the payments made for the building works inside the country, thus stimulating the economy.

Whay would they be considering narrow guage for freight ?

The existing lines are narrow gauge - they wondered the merits of re-fettling or rebuild at standard

New Zealand Railways are 3' 6" gauge. They carry vast amounts of freight by rail, including standard 9' 6" shipping containers. Don't know what speeds the stock is restricted to.

Likewise Japan.  You have to do a double take when some of the container trains thunder by to remember that all bar the Shinkansen are narrow gauge.

The loading gauge on the narrow gauge lines seems at least as big as the normal UK loading gauge.