Sightings

Hi all.

Spoornet maroon 34 067 was shunting mielie trucks at Hennenman station. We had a look at the remains of the old coaling stages at Odendaalsrus and Allanridge.

Near Makwassie a load of CAR wagons came past heading north. Up front were 4x 18 E's, leading was TFR E 18 619, followed by 3 blue sisters. Just outside Kingswood we got a Lime train behind 3x 6E's, leading was SAR Maroon E 1507 Kaap, still with number plates on, two orange sisters followed. We picked up a receipt book from the Premier Classe lounge car lying along the line. The Makwassie Wolmaransstad section is very overgrown, no FZ's at Wolmaransstad.

The spoorbaan were busy close to Wonderkop. The Gunhill petrol shunt was blue 34 406, again plenty of tankers present. Gunhill yard was void of any traffic or motive power. The orange shunting vans have been staged on the same line as the cabooses we reported about earlier. Blue 34 037 came past near Bosrand with the Welgelee pick-up. At Holfontein we got orange 34 058 on a Kroonstad bound load of mielies. A white inspection trolley headed through Hennenman en-route to Kroonstad. Sheltam no. 4 was seen on the mine system.

Quite a few passengers at Hennenman. But on phoning the TCO, and asking if a train was due, due to persons on Platform, she answered "I am not aware of the passengers, my first train is 47... around 16h00", Were these friends or family visiting her to pass the time? Same at Welgelee all signals south showing a green aspect, on phoning Virginia she gave the same answer. "Only train today at 16h30". Staff on duty for 12 hours and no trains since 10h00 till 16h00! As there were no trains we went to have a look at where the passenger coaches had been set alight several months ago. This was when the passengers burnt part of the Zastron Bombela. This was between Welgelee and Virginia, close to Cronnel. Plenty of melted aluminum has fused to the ballast, burnt out vacuum pipes and bent glass, due to the heat, lie all along the line. Totally by coincidence, next to the line here, we found three graves dating from 1919, all writing in Dutch. On enquiring around 15h00 we were told train was now due to leave Kroonstad at 18h30. Also mentioned very worried, hardly any trains on Free State main line north or south. Transnet - a great place to work for. The old uplifted railway lines at the St Helena shafts are now being mined by Zama-Zamas. All the years of gold dust / ore falling from the hoppers has created a booming mining activity, luckily the police are kicking their backsides and getting rid of them, good one!

Both concrete name boards at Senekal have been smashed to smithereens to get to the reinforcing steel inside.

Chatting to CTC Kroonstad, we were informed that all Catenary is in the process of being replaced by "Cat/Tiger wire". It is not pure Copper but has an additive, which makes it a very low value item at scrap merchants. Hence the occupation of the Kroonstad - Bethlehem line.

Orange 34 028 returned light loco from Friedesheim after shunting the timber sidings.

Close to Grasslands we got orange E 1165 Cape Western & SAR maroon sister heading north on a load of containers. Then at Kingswood we got a southbound load of CAR wagons behind Spoornet maroon E 10 015 & blue E 10 xxx. Near Drie Ruiters SAR maroon E 1622 & orange E xxxx headed north with a load of empty container wagons. At Makwassie we found SAR maroon E 10 118 staged at the station on one of the loops, pantos down, no crew. At Daalder a southbound container train came past behind 4x 18E's. Leading was blue E 18 193 NATCOR, trailing was blue E 18 039. We got a long ore train at Leeudoringstad heading south. This was behind blue E 10 001 Newcastle, SAR maroon E 10 103, blue E 10 xxx and blue E 10 105. There is a tempory speed limit here. A northbound Lime train sped past at Harrisburg, upfront were 2x orange 6E's. Between Orkney and Klerksdorp a northbound load of coal slowly creeped past yellow signals, motive power was 4x blue 10E's. E 10 044, E 10 043, E 10xxx & E 10 019.

Greetings.

J & J.