Sightings

Hi all.

First sighting for the week was blue 34 093 heading towards Friedesheim with timber trucks for Mondi. Later we got the return working at Whites. At Virginia we got Maroon 34 453 on the return working of the Welgelee pick-up running backside first. Then at Brandfort we got a strange working. The Theunissen / Brandfort pick-up was heading back to Bloemfontein behind orange 36 069 & 36 066, normally this is either a 34 or 2x 35's. Friendly greetings from the crew.

We got the Johannesburg bound Premier Classe at Bloemhof behind orange E 1417 OFS & orange E 1455. This train should pass Bloemhof at 0500; we got it at 1200 - 7 hours late... The crew was bent on making up time, greetings were exchanged. Near Grasslands a southbound ore train of 110 wagons headed past behind 4x blue 10E's, leading was E 10 022, trailing was E 10 012, hoots from the crew. At Makwassie all the signals were red. Here the service road and rails leave each other due to the Makwassie spruit. Nearing the line again at Eersteling we caught the back of a southbound container train, normally 2x 6E's would have been upfront, she was going too fast to try and catch up. Close to Daalder we got a southbound Lime train behind blue E 10 042 and blue E 10 029, again hoots from the crew. Between Harrisburg and Regina we caught up with a northbound train of Lime. Upfront were 3x 18E's. Blue E 18 191 Natcor Imex, blue E 18 xxx & TFR E 18 508, friendly greetings and hoots from the crew.

Just before Virginia we got orange E 1547 on a northbound load of empty container wagons, a couple of petrol tankers and one Slagment (Marked between NCS, Newcastle - MTV, Mount Vernon) vertical x 4 tanker wagon. According to the 1980 Clause 189, book and list of Private Sidings on the SAR and CFM the only siding at Mount Vernon was a kilometer from the station, belonging to "Stainbank Brothers". Slagment is used in the production of cement. Is this company still there? The ballast tamping machine was standing at Hennenman.

Orange 34 043 was shunting the timber siding at Friedesheim. At Wesselsbron we got orange 34 058 heading back to Kroonstad with a couple of FZ's and some Ammonia tankers, had a quick footplate trip. We were told that a speed restriction of 30Km/h is now enforced where ever the railway runs past squatter's camps - due to theft of rail fasteners. On some weekends up to 2000 - 3000 fasteners are stolen in our area. From Allanridge to Whites all points are lying open, unlocked due to the theft of brass locks. The guys were busy all along the line from Kaallaagte to Bethlehem. At Kaallaagte the veld has burnt quite badly and for the first time one can clearly see the old alignment.

We have been told that 115 Rail Companies have put bids / tenders in to operate the branch lines on offer. Even an Australian company has shown interest in the Whites - Bultfontein and Westleigh - Vierfontein sections. The plan is to establish a depot at Welkom for the operation Whites - Bultfontein and another at Viljoenskroon for the Skoonpruit - Bothaville - Vierfontein - Westleigh sections. The new company wants to re-lay the section from Vierfontein to Orkney. At Whites a huge exchange yard is going be built if the branch goes private. Operating from Whites to Welkom will be WOODEN STAFF!!!! At Welkom a TBA will be stationed for RTO working into the Sandveld. TFR will supply the rolling stock and shunters. We have got a good idea who might end up running this branch... This has to be done in a 36 month period - so quite a long wait.

The orange shunting vans are going to start running on trains again in our area.

RRL is getting another 35 class, seems like the 33 is not coming our way after all. (No, they won't take over the branch).

Greetings.

J & J.