Homeward bound

The end of the morning steam at Sandstone on Monday heralded the beginning of a long and bumpy drive back to Johannesburg, followed by a flight home on the Tuesday.

The section of the R26 to Bethlehem was not in the greatest of shape with substantial potholes forcing cars and lorries to weave their way around them. Further on works are underway to re-lay the roads so this should bring quite an improvement for the future, but for now this meant that the road had been reduced to little more than dirt tracks at each side. It was a relief to escape that long stretch after a thorough shaking and rattling!

After a five-ish hour drive we reached the urban sprawl on the outskirts of Johannesburg and pulled into the airport at bang on 4pm. I had booked a hotel for the night ahead of a flight home the next day. It was probably a little unnecessary, but I did appreciate the chance to unwind and recharge in slightly more luxurious surroundings. After a week of pre-dawn wake up calls it was hard to shake the habit, so I ended up with a swim with a view of the sunrise breaking over the airport.

TAAG Angola Airlines Boeing 777-300ER (D2-TEI) seen at Johannesburg airport

In the run up to my flight I enjoyed the opportunity to admire the many different airlines visible from the galleries here, including Air Botswana, Proflight Zambia, TAAG Angola Airlines and Malawi Airlines.

Boarding for the early evening BA flight was pretty smooth. Unfortunately, it was not going to be an on-time departure. The Captain explained that they had been working through a number of technical issues on the flight deck and a passenger had also been taken unwell. Sadly, the decision was taken that it would not be in the interests of the passenger to fly as there are not many places an A380 can land on this route in the event of a medical emergency. In the end we took off at 8.48pm rather than the scheduled 7.20pm.

Once we landed (6.38am – just over an hour late) I grabbed a shower, took the Elizabeth line into Moorgate and was sitting at my desk at work by 9.30am!

Morning steam at Sandstone

Our last day of the tour brought us back to Sandstone for a few hours of rail photography, finishing up at around 9.30am. The temperatures were considerably chillier by this point. It was -6 in Ficksburg and probably a good deal colder at Sandstone with frosty fields greeting us as we headed out into the fields to find a spot for the silhouette.

The final run of the day with Sekonyela in the background

The team at sandstone had very generously brought another loco into steam to help make up for the disappointment of yesterday’s failed loco, so we began the morning with NG15 2-8-2 no. 17 (Henschel, 1931) known as a “Kalahari” on another run around the loop and ended the morning with NGG16 2-6-2+2-6-2 no. 113 (Beyer Peacock, 1939) at Vailima, the current end of the line (an extension to Sekonyela is planned). It was a short but lovely spell of photography, wrapping up a very enjoyable couple of days at Sandstone.

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Narrow gauge steam at Sandstone

An early morning bus pick up from our accommodation in Ficksburg delivered us to Sandstone in good time for the sunrise. It was a good day to be out photographing steam with beautifully clear skies and a chill in the air. As is often the case on these trips everyone was happy to see photography prioritised over food, so breakfast would be served up after the photography was complete.

NGG 13 no. 49 passes the stunning scenery around Sandstone

Our loco for the morning would be ex South African Railways loco NGG 13 2-6-2+2-6-2 no. 49 (manufactured by Hanomag, 1928) which originally saw service on the narrow gauge lines in Natal. It spent 10 years derelict at the back of Springs loco depot before being recovered and restored by Sandstone. It most recently returned to service in April 2019 after a boiler retube.

The photography started with silhouette and glint shots as the sun rose, before finally finishing up around 10:45 with some shots with oxen as our train returned from the loop (the closest point to Lesotho, with a view of the market town of Hlotse). To accompany our train we saw a small demonstration of the variety of machinery at Sandstone with a historic bus and tractor out on the roads.

In the afternoon we returned with NGG 16A 2-6-2+2-6-2 no. 155 (manufactured by Hunslet Taylor in 1968) which saw some interesting modifications in March 1990 following the work of Porta and Wardale to improve efficiency. Unfortunately our run of bad luck on this trip caught up with us after just two runpasts when the loco broke down (apparently a piston rod had gone through the cylinder).

NGG 16A no. 155 awaits rescue after breaking down

Ex South African Railways diesel 91-010 (General Electric, 1973) hauled the train back to the depot. In an effort to rescue something from the day 91-010 took over the train and gave us a few shots on the line beyond the main compound as the sun set. It may not have been quite the end to the day that we expected but we took what we could get before walking back to Hoekfontein station and the main complex.

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Spectacular Sandstone

Our travels have brought us to the remarkable operation of the Sandstone Heritage Trust in Ficksburg, on a stretch of land right on the border with Lesotho (so close that we could see into the landlocked country from our high vantage point and mobile providers were busy sending us “Welcome to Lesotho” text messages) that has been farmed by just two families over the past 180 years. However it is much more than a farm…

Sandstone at twilight

On the 7,000 hectare site a collection of hundreds of machines have been brought together over the past 30 years, with a 28km 2ft6 gauge line at its heart and a fleet of over 40 narrow gauge locomotives rescued and restored from across the continent. On top of this there are literally hundreds of military vehicles, tanks, tractors, lorries, buses, cars and 3ft6 locomotives. The emphasis in the collection is on maintaining vehicles in working order (for example, 70% of the tractors in the collection are in working order). Oh and for good measure, they are a centre of excellence in the preservation of ox wagons with oxen. Mind completely boggled.

After arriving at Ficksburg last night we were served up a welcome dinner (eating in a marvellous dining car next to the main hall) that began with an incredibly flavoursome soup made entirely from beans grown on site. Somehow all of this incredible preservation effort takes place alongside a substantial commercial agricultural operation! Our guide told us they grew 3,500 hectares of crops this year. Seriously impressive.

A guided tour of the site this morning gave us a glimpse of the extraordinary range of the collections, from a Porsche tractor to a vehicle used to haul ammunition to the front in the Boer war. There was too much to really take in on a leisurely wander, but this little dip into the collection was absolutely fascinating.

Among the military exhibits (all in working order) were Russian vehicles captured in Angola and an Okapi armoured command post vehicle (1996) built for used in a forward battlefield area, with all the equipment needed for modern electronic warfare. Only 10 Okapi were ever built and proved not to be economical, so the museum was offered one by the army. Apparently it still runs like a dream, but all the electronics have been taken out.

I didn’t really appreciate how special Sandstone was before I arrived, but having now understood the scale of operations it’s hard to imagine there is anywhere else in the world quite like this.

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Highs and lows

Our last day with the 25NC had many highs and lows. The first low was quite literal – waking up to zero degrees in Bloemfontein after a night with no heating due to load shedding (the backup power at our hotel was not strong enough for heating or power sockets). As uncomfortable as this was, it was put into perspective on seeing the many fires on open ground around the city with folk huddled up trying to stay warm.

The first shot of the day came on the approach to the station at Kloofeind, though we had a little wait here. A blackout in Bloemfontein meant that all signals had gone to black and our loco couldn’t leave until power was restored. Thankfully, the delay was short and after a runpast at the water tower (10:45) we moved on to a nearby road bridge offering a viewpoint for another couple of runpasts (11:15-25). After this, the loco set back into the station for coaling. A departure shot came next, followed by a shot at the nearby signals (13:00-30).

The hilltop view at Kloofeind

The next shot took a little more effort. It had been arranged that a local farmer would give us access to his property so that we could reach a viewpoint looking down on the railway at Kloofeind, one of the best positions on the line. It took over 30 minutes climbing up and down, across five hill ridges, to reach the fantastic view across the valley from which we were able to enjoy three runpasts. It was absolutely stunning. The walk back down was a little quicker, though it took a little while before everyone could make it down and the buses could leave the farm (15:52).

Finally, the day came to an end a little further down the line at De Brug where we enjoyed two runpasts through the station and at the level crossing beyond in the last light of the day. It was interesting to see a regular freight pass through De Brug amidst this (16:59) with a train much longer than our already quite long steam hauled cement train.

Looking back over the past week I am not convinced that I made the most of the photographic opportunities in front of me. Overall, it worked pretty well despite the large group (around 70 photographers). At one or two spots it might have helped if I was a bit faster at reaching the optimum spots on foot or by rock scrambling, though in other locations the vastness of the African landscape meant that everyone could pick a good location to shoot from. Mind you, I don’t think I’ve ever come away from a trip feeling satisfied with what I have achieved!

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Six hours by the riverside

Our bus brought us out to Perdeberg for a view of the railway bridge over the Modder River on the line between Kimberley and Bloemfontein, where our first scheduled stop for lineside photography was planned with 25NC 3437 hauling a cement train.

It was an interesting spot which we reached around 9am after a little ramble through thick greenery, hoping not to find out what might have made the rather large burrows on the riverbank. I wondered how 70 photographers would find sufficient spots on the riverside, but somehow we found a way to spread out. However, the view still required a little bit of work to make it suitable for a large group of photographers. One of our group stripped off and got into the river to clear the tall reeds obstructing the view. Undoubtedly, the most heroic bit of shot clearance I have ever seen!

A South African class 45-000 diesel-electric runs light engine over the bridge in the midday sun after a working to Kimberley

Our train didn’t seem to be making an appearance anytime soon, so we set about chopping down some overhanging tree branches and then collectively dragged these away. Who needs Brexit when you can have a new age of Anglo-German cooperation instead!? Eventually news filtered back that our steam locomotive was in fine fettle, but the diesels had failed. Somehow we rustled up every available ounce of remaining patience, talking about anything and everything – with a little bit of Midnight Oil in-between.

It was 3pm when our train finally appeared. The sight of 25NC 3437 with the cement train was rather wonderful and deserved the round of applause that followed the first of four runpasts. After the train passed everyone got moving to take up new positions. I headed over the bridge trying not to think about the thin metal plating visibly flexing as we walked across. I have become accustomed to focusing straight ahead and not on the long drop… still, this was better than the Burmese and Turkish bridge crossings I have experienced.

On the other side some rusting cars had been repositioned for best photographic effect, providing a second spot, followed by a third shot from the other riverbank and then finally one from up top, back across the other side of the river. An hour of frenetic but intensely rewarding photography.

25NC 3437 crosses the Modder river with a cement train

The day concluded with a shot from atop a hill looking down on the river bridge (with access kindly provided by a local farmer) and then a remarkable glint spectacle at a crossroads in the last moments of sun. A quite incredible finale, prompting another round of applause. As we headed away most of us were still marvelling how a day that felt quite hopeless turned around in the last two hours.

A widespread blackout was evident as we drove back into Bloemfontein at the end of our day with residential areas in darkness, traffic lights off and streetlights out. We have largely been spared the effects of loadshedding as they call it here, but this was a stark reminder of the problems facing the country.

As a side note, I was able to reflect on a surprising family connection as I stood at our increasingly muddy spot by the riverside. My great-uncle served with the Wiltshire Regiment during the second Anglo-Boer War at the Battle of Paardeburg, fighting on the banks of the Modder River by the railway bridge. What are the chances that I would end up here over 100 years later!? It is a surprisingly small world sometimes.

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An afternoon at Bloemfontein depot

The plan for our third day involved a double header of 25NCs but when this was derailed, quite literally, we were left with an afternoon visit to the impressive collection of steam locos at the very secure Bloemfontein depot and the wonderful variety of vintage electric and diesel locomotives scattered around them (including an E1, South Africa’s first mainline electric locomotive).

Bloemfontein depot

Although I didn’t take a systematic record of what I saw, I noted the following steam locomotives from classes 7 (981); 11; 15AR (1850); 15F (2976 and 3040); 19D (3332); 23 (3300); 24 (3631 and 3690); 25NC (3410 and 3454); and GMAM (4136). Among the other locos was a Class 5E1, Series 2, electric loco (E613).

I hadn’t appreciated the connection with Mainline Steam in NZ until wandering down the line of locos, belatedly connecting the dots and realising that the locos I had seen in the sidings in Auckland in 2015 had come from here (two Class 25NCs and a Garrett Class GMAM).

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Spurts of steam action

Our second morning with the remarkable 25NC produced spurts of action, carefully timed to try and match up with the short lived bursts of sun under otherwise cloudy skies on the banking away from Broadwater, just outside Douglas.

25NC 3437 climbs the bank at Broadwater

The landscape here was more agricultural, with a distinctive red earth in the ploughed fields beyond the track. This was followed by a long and tasty brunch on the terrace in the Broadwater Estate with a view across the river Vaal.

In the afternoon we made a return to the rocky outcrop we climbed yesterday, a little further down the line towards Belmont. The sun had completely disappeared by this point and the weather radar indicated that heavy rain was about to hit. We managed to squeak in a few runpasts before the rain arrived, heading on to Kimberley when it became clear that the rain had set in for the day.

Steaming out of the history books

After our little steam tasters in Pretoria everyone was eager to move on to the main event, photographing a run from Belmont to Douglas with a class 25NC (non-condensing) 4-8-4 steam locomotive hauling a freight train.

25NC 3437 on the line between Belmont and Douglas

The 25NCs were the most powerful steam locomotives on the South African Railway network for many years, along with 90 condensing versions of the 25 built at the same time. Fifty 25NCs were constructed between 1953 and 1955: 11 by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow and 39 by Henschel at Kassel in Germany. All but three of the 90 condensing versions of the 25 were later converted to non-condensing, in the 1970s and 80s. Our locomotive for the day, 25NC 3437, was one of the original batch of non-condensing locomotives built at Kassel.

The class first saw service in 1953 and some were still in commercial use as late as 1997 due to the locomotive shortages in the country. It took a quite extraordinary effort of engineering, negotiation and paperwork, as well as considerable investment, to bring these locomotives back to use on the mainline, in spite of the seemingly endless difficulties to be overcome. And at the end of all that, here we were by the lineside at sunrise waiting for the seemingly impossible to happen. After more than two decades a 25NC would once again grace the tracks.

Over the course of the day we photographed 25NC 3437 hauling her freight train between Belmont and Douglas, with some terrific views from a hilltop near Sheephouse, before finishing up with some shots around the derelict station at Douglas in the last light of the day. I’ve never seen these massive locomotives in action before but what a majestic sight they cut crossing the South African landscape. It was worth coming out here to see this.

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Morning steam in Pretoria

Our next stop on the revised itinerary brought us to Wonder Steam to see their flagship locomotive, a Class 15F (3117), in steam in their yard at Hermanstad depot in Pretoria.

It was truly impressive to hear what has been achieved at Wonder Steam in the past five years. They have restored two main line steam locomotives, a class 15CA (2850) and class 15F (3117); and a class 19D branch line steam locomotive (3343). They also have a class 8 steam locomotive (1223) from 1912 undergoing restoration which would be among the very oldest South African locos in operation once finished.

Class 15F (3117) steam locomotive at Hermanstad (Wonder Steam)

The class 15F was the most numerous to see service with South African Railways with 255 of these 4-8-2 locomotives rolling off the production lines in Germany and Scotland. The loco in front of us was one of the last batch constructed, built in Glasgow in 1946.

There is no doubting that 3117 has suffered in her time. In 2010 she collapsed onto one side after the ground under the sleepers gave way following a bit of thievery, resulting in significant damage. A sadly all too common problem for South African railway infrastructure today. Unfortunately, more damage occurred on the other side when she was recovered. All of this made her full restoration all the more impressive – and what a beautiful sight 3117 made in the morning light, with a father and son team operating the loco for us today.

After leaving Hermanstad behind we headed on by coach to Kimberley, a journey that took around 7 hours with a short stop on the way. It was a fascinating drive with the contrast between some incredible landscapes and quite deprived communities. The road signs warning of high crime zones and hijacking hotspot were something of an eyeopener for someone who has grown up taking safety somewhat for granted growing up in South London.

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A new plan

On our original itinerary the plan was for the tour group to drive south to Kimberley, but this transfer was now thoroughly trashed by the sheer number of flight cancellations that affected our group. A minibus had been planned to pick up any stragglers affected by flight delays but no-one envisaged a quarter of the group being delayed, rebooked and rerouted – and by much more than just a few hours.

Class 19D steam locomotive 3360 at Capital Park Station, Pretoria

Instead of heading south a new plan was devised which saw us visit the impressive homebase of Rovos Rail in Pretoria, a railway company operating luxury trains using a fleet of beautifully restored carriages from a 60 acre site. A walking tour took us from the platform of Capital Park Station, their private station, then around their well maintained depot, taking in some of their dumped locos and finishing with the sight of a class 19D steam locomotive (3360) which a crew were hurriedly getting in to steam for us.

The class 19D loco in front of us, now named ‘Shaun’ was built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow in 1949 (works no. 26080) and rescued from the scrap line at Witbank. It entered service with the company in 1991 after a nine month rebuild. Over two hundred of these locomotives were built for service in South Africa, with many surviving into preservation. Few can be in quite as good shape as this loco though.

Our day ended with a few runpasts in the yard and around the station as the golden hour came to an end.

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