The 'Rhodesian Mail'

[Steve Appleton]

From David Rodgers

The Johannesburg - Bulawayo 'Rhodesia Mails' formed of Rhodesia Railways chocolate & cream stock leaves Krugersdorp passing the end of Waterval Yard behind 2 x Class 34 diesels in April 1986.

Phot: David Rodgers

[Steve Appleton]

I travelled on the "Rhodesian Mail" back in my 1960's varsity days. However, in those days it was clerestory-roofed RR stock hauled by various steam locos all the way from Bulawayo to Krugersdorp -- the cinders got in everywhere by journey's end.
I have always liked the old Rhodesia Railways cream and brown livery. Very smart. Pity that NRZ ditched it.

[Derek Walker]

I remember coaches very similar to these two....

Southern Cross

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[Steve Appleton]

Yep, Derek, the mid to late 1950's stock built by Metro-Cammell in the UK. Or was it Glouscester Carriage and Wagon. I rather think they might have shared the contracts.

[Derek Walker]

The bottom pic is Gloucester, I photographed her builders plate. Some are Metro Cammel, I must go check my pics. Some of thoese coaches still have their original woodwork and RR engraved windows. They are beautiful inside.

[carldasnevesvieira]

I remember the RR train whilst I was in JHB. It used to leave at about 10.15am and from platform 13 --this going back to early 79/80's. She always had a SAR dining car on her. I do not know if they actually went all the way to Rhodesia.

That picture brings memories and the only time I saw the RR train before JHB was back in LM and I'll never forget the very similar bag van to the K-42 they used once.

Cheers
Carlos

[Stefan Andrzejewski]

In the 60's we would catch the Rhodesian Mail from Cape Town to Bulawayo. We would leave 14h30 on a Tuesday (platform 24) and arrive sometime on Thursday morning. The dining cars were changed at Mafeking. The Rhodesian diners plus lounge car would come on through to Bulawayo. In those days only the Transkaroo and Trans Natal used the Lounge Cars. The one trip we got off at Bulawayo, in the evening boarded the Victoria Falls train. Arrived the next day and spent it site seeing. Then back on the train in the evening arrived back at Bulawayo the following morning. That evening we caught the train to Salisbury. Five nights straight on a train mostly behind steam. What a blast.

[Steve Appleton]

Correct, Stefan. The SAR dining car travelled through to Mafeking (Mafikeng today) where it was replaced by a RR one to Bulawayo.

On one nortbound Johannesburg to Bulawayo trip, we were delayed 24 hours or so at Mafeking by a major derailment up the line due to a flash flood and washaway. Being homebound students, money was in short supply and what little we had supplemented the income of a bar or two in the town. Needless to say, after a few hours, the drinks were not as nutricious as at first seemed and hunger became a problem. But the original dining car had gone; repossessed by the SAR.

Being students, we started a toned-down version of mass action (we did not know about toyi-toying in those days), visiting the Station Master in his office requesting that the railways, having created the delay, were required to feed us. Little did we consider that the South African station master, being a god-fearing person, would have some perfect excuses: 1. the delay was an act of God and 2. the delay was caused by an incident on Rhodesia Railways' tracks, not the SAR's. Therefore, SAR was neither responsible for our welfare nor our tummies. Hmmm, now what?

Only one thing for it. Off to the RR's office located down the platform. We had learnt some humility by then and were probably more polite and appealing. There a very helpful RR person explained that whilst an RR diner stood in the station, it was intended for the Cape Mail. Our train's diner was still trapped on the far side of the washaway. Nonetheless, he contacted Bulawayo and got permission for that RR diner to be temporarliy attached to the train and provide a meal.

A few hours later, the RR conductor came through the train asking all who wanted food to follow him to the diner. The pied piper lead us northwards through coach after coach, his flock growing all the time. Until, we got to the last gangway to be greeted by empty tracks headed northwards towards a washaway and Bulawayo. Someone in Bulawayo had counter-manded the instruction and had the diner shunted off. To say that the conducter, who probably was also hungry, was annoyed is an under-statement; he was furious!

Nothing for it but to head back to the compartment and get some shut eye. Next morning, the good news was that the washaway had been partially cleared and that a deviation had been built, so we were off. Bad news was that we would only meet our diner north of that point. Some hours later, we threaded our way through the wreckage over a detour track that had been hastily built around the washed out culvert through the surrounding veld. Apparently, a freight train had come over what serves as a brow of a hill in those parts to see nothing but a sea of water ahead, and had to hope for some tracks to remain underfoot. There weren't.

When we did finally meet the diner, shunted off the delayed southbound train onto ours, we were treated to an extremely welcome breakfast 'on the house'. The conductor took our names and addresses "so they could send us the bills later". We lunched, drank many (many, we were students) beers (to substitute the Mafeking hangover with another one) and even treated a very down-at-heel conductor to a beer or three (he was way past caring about his job at that stage) on our new-found entertainment accounts.

At Bulawayo, we said our goodbyes and went off home to await our respective parents' questions about the hefty railway bills when they rolled in. No bills ever arrived, thank goodness. I have always wondered whether the conductor didn't accidently "loose" them.