Sightings - Part 1

Hi Guys.

Got the car train heading towards Kroonstad at Kalkvlakte, hoots from the crew. Oddly this train had a marker on the front unit! Just like Transnet - they don't know if they are coming or going!

RRL was busy at the Welkom showgrounds exchange yard.

I received a call from my buddy to inform me he was on the Virginia ballast shunt. Had a quick trip with him from there to Whites. For reasons only known to Kroonstad diesel depot there were two 34's booked on this train of 5 ballast hoppers? At Hennenman another 13 mielie trucks were added to the load. I was told that on the days they need two locos, only one is given...

The photo of the stop block is part of the old coal stage. In June 1989 we had a footplate trip from here to Glen Harmony and back with driver Hannes Coetzee on 15F 2996. Now there is nothing left of anything... The old Glen Harmony line's bridge can be seen as well as the new one. All the hand railings have been liberated for scrap on the new bridge and I would not venture on to that bridge.

The ruined station is Kalkvlakte.

At Whites we got the return working of the Friedesheim shunt waiting to follow the ballast train.

There are talks of "new" diesels for the Kroonstad depot. Now new as in old SAR diesels transferred from other depots of new as in newly built we don't know as yet, our guess is the first option. Also it seems like the conversion to CS 90 operating is gathering speed and soon all the cabins between Kroonstad and Bloemfontein are going to close. We reckon it will only be a couple of days after the cabins close that they will be destroyed... There are some nice items at Whites cabin for preservation. Hopefully these can be obtained before they are lost forever.

Cheers.
J & J.