700km of Sightings.

Hi guys.

On Friday we had a trip of about 700Km. We left Welkom and travelled to Bultfontein, no trains. From there to Hertzogville and then we joined the mainline at Christiana. From Christiana to Warrenton we saw no trains. We have visited Warrenton before and so we did not stop here.

Our first stop was at Content. Here we just missed a Northbound ore train behind 5x 18E's of all colours. Just the name board remains, overgrown platforms and all lines uplifted but for the two main lines.

Then we stopped at Koedoe - only a name board

Windsorton Road was next. The station building still stands, with a roof but badly vandalised. The cabin has been ripped apart inside. The goods shed still stands as do some other buildings and railway houses. Also an old water tank and small coaling stage. No lines have been uplifted here. Here we got another North bound load, this time Lime and behind 3x 18E's. Hoots from the crew.

Then, Slypklip, only a name board.

Next stop - Riverton, only a name board and goods shed all lines are still intact.

At Macfarlane we found the old cabin occupied by Transnet staff. The one leg of the triangle from the line to the ore mines joins up here. Here the locos are changed with those from the Northern Cape ore trains. CTC in Kimberley controls all of this.

Then we had a quick stop at Dronfield. Only a name board and uplifted track.

At Kamfersdam the other leg of the triangle from the ore lines joins the line. Here we got yet another North bound load, this time tank wagons and containers behind 2x 6E's greetings from the crew.

Finally we reached Kimberley and found the museum locked up and closed?? 25NC 3411 still looks good and all intact but needs a new coat of paint. The other exhibits on the platform need some attention with grass and weeds growing everywhere. The station is clean and neat. The old signal cabin is destroyed. A quick ride past Beaconsfield, the ERS and yards showed quite some traffic and scrapped rolling stock. Unfortunately time was not on our side and we could not visit here.

On to Bloemfonetin and the first halt was at Bosvark. A goods platform and some loops remain. Here we got a Bloemfontein bound train behind 34 122. The load was containers and fuel tankers. Hoots from the crew.

Perdeberg was our next point of call. Basically nothing left, only a name board and overgrown platform. Railway houses still survive. We just missed the Bloemfontein bound train here.

At Emmaus we caught up to the train again, the friendly crew once again acknowledged our line side presence. Here only a name board remains and a very overgrown goods platform.

Once again we just missed the BFX train at Petrusburg. The road between Kimberley and Bloemfontein is being rebuilt and the Stop/Go sections made following the train difficult, also the road is very busy and bad. The station still stands but is destroyed; parts of the old panel are still in the cabin. One of the diesels from the head on last year is still staged here and looks BAD... It is a miracle that the crews survived.

Immigrant station is no more and someone is busy removing the concrete blocks from the platform for personal use somewhere else. Here the got the BFX bound train again and more hoots from the crew! The goods shed still stands.

At De Brug we got a surprise as the station still looks neat and even the cabin still has the panel intact. The safe is still there and even shelves in one of the offices, hard to believe. The goods shed is also still intact.
Here the BFX trains had passed as we were stuck in road works.

Now in the old days at Olienhoutplaat the scene from a passing train's window was that of the SADF's 7 TH Division Mobilisation centre and row upon row of military vehicles. This time NOTHING, only empty veld, so not only the Railways have gone down the tube... Remember doing guard duties here while doing National Service. Only a name board remains as do the lines into the SADF's Mob centre.

Then at Kloofeind we caught up with the BFX train again. She was looped for a crossing with a Kimberley bound train behind 2x 34's - hoots from the crew.

We can still remember that all the stations between Bloemfontein and Kimberley were once beautifully kept with gardens, competing for the Charles Hoffe trophy.

Then back to Welkom along our dead Free State main line. Near Theunissen we got the North bound car train running quite late, we got her at Welgelee. From there back home through the Sheltam system.

Cheers.
J & J.