Sightings, lack of...

Hi all.

The normal ore haulages were seen.

However it was a poor week for TFR movements.

Got orange E 1370 & orange E 125x on the Northbound car train between Theron and Theunissen.

From Christiana to Daalder, NO trains were seen. All signals red, both ways. At Daalder we found the back of a Northbound ore train, marker Telemeter and all. Up-front were 4x 10 E's, leading blue E 10 044, pantos down. This train was blocking a level-crossing and there was no crew. When we found a Lime train at Leeudoringstad, Northbound, also with pantos down (Spoornet maroon E 1404 & orange sister), we gave operating a call as something was wrong. The TCO laughed and told us that everything was standing, pantos down, due to catenary theft near Regina. The only movement was a train passing through the affected area at slow speed heading towards Klerksdorp. At Harrisburg we were met with another staged Northbound load. This time containers. Locos were 2x orange 6E's, leading E 1261. A couple of kilometers before Regina we found the bo-baan chaps fixing the catenary. At Regina a Southbound load of fine coal was also standing staged behind 3x 6E's, leading was SAR maroon E 1532 Natal.

Something interesting we noticed was that several of the units had smashed / missing windows ?? Some windscreens, others side windows and front door windows. We do not know if this happened while the trains were staged or somewhere else. We think the first, because some of the windscreens will render the units unsafe to operate.

Greetings.
J & J.