Some Sightings - Part 1

Hi Guys.

A couple of trains were missed, the timing was just not right...

A northbound load of containers was caught just before the Sand River bridge at Virginia, hoots from the crew. This was last week. Virginia station has been closed quite often since the last week.

34 406 was returning light loco from the branch, this was at Hennenman.

34 031 was standing at the ballast siding at Virginia with a load of empty hoppers, a front-end loader was busy loading the trucks.

Another container train at Virginia, greetings from the crew. This train had to stop at the signal cabin as the signal was red, no idea why? Then 34 031's assistant came walking from the ballast siding also towards the cabin. Where was the TCO??

One of Sheltam's 31 classes at the ore tip at Central Plant Harmony. We did not know that something was still happening here but it seems there is quite a lot of work being done here? The rest of the line has been uplifted from here down to Glen Harmony station as has the entire mine system. In the first photo of the 31 you can see uplifted sleepers, this is the line that used to pass behind Sheltam's depot to the gold plant - this is also now no more. It seems this ore is from the rock waste dump at 4 shaft. 5 Shaft's ore goes down to Harmony Surface Rail.

A southbound load of mielies between Hennenman and Whites, "Captain Ford" on the footplate - plenty of waving and hooting. The wagons near the end are "FKMJ", the first time we see them down here. Our diagram book states these wagons were originally built for iron ore but modified for granular loads. Our guess is that they are being used for some sort of grain.

At Hennenman we got the return working of 34 031 from the ballast siding, this time with mielies added after doing the Hennenman pick-up work.

Lastly RRL's 31 class heading to the showground's exchange yard , here seen just past the State way crossing.

Cheers.
J & J.