Free steam train trip

[John Ashworth]

On Sunday 16th March 2008 FOTR hopes to operate our first ever train to our new site at Hercules. We would like to invite all our club members and all registered members of the FOTR forum to travel free on this train. There will be a bring and braai on the platform.

As well as being the first FOTR train to the new site, it will also be the first steam locomotive in Hercules yard for n years, where n is some relatively large integer the value of which will be debated by the amateur historians amongst us.

The train will depart from Capital Park at 1000, hopefully arrive at Hercules by 1030, depart Hercules at 1500 and arrive back in CPK by about 1530.

This trip may still be cancelled or changed due to circumstances beyond our control, but it's looking good at the moment and we hope to see many old and new faces there.

[John Ashworth]

FOTR will be running a free train to our new site at Hercules on Sunday 16th March. We depart Capital Park at 10h00, do some offloading at the site, have a braai, and depart around 3pm again for home. Please all make the effort to support this member train and see the new site.
Enquiries to myself at 0827813285, or Arno at 012-5484090.
Regards

[John Ashworth]

Sunday 16th March dawned cold, wet and miserable. As we huddled on the footplate making the most of the warmth of the fire it very quickly became clear that we couldn't continue loading the NZ in the rain, and we even questioned whether it was too wet to have a braai. Kobus settled that one: "It's never too wet to braai!", he announced.

By 1000 we were standing ready to depart, with a train made up of 2650, our NZ loaded with about 20 tons of girders, pipes, gates and other heavy metal, our lounge car, caboose, two unrestored suburban coaches and two unrestored main line sleepers. Our guard did the brake test and found leaking vacuum pipes, so we were delayed by half an hour while that was fixed - hard grease played a part in the running repair. Eventually at 1030 we set off. Unfortunately we had no sand and it was still pouring with rain, so trainee driver Mike battled with slipping wheels. However, with some quiet advice from driver Philip he managed superbly, and before long we were out on the main line, passing all the signals on the triangle at danger with authority numbers. Into Hercules Station, set back past the shunt signals, and before we knew it a TFR yard official was directing us into our new depot.

We pushed the unrestored coaches into the non-platform road, as they were due to stay there, then pulled forward and set back with the NZ, lounge and caboose into the platform road. Metro still has a rake of wagons full of wooden sleepers in our depot, and we had to push them back in order to spot our NZ where we wanted to unload it next to the goods shed. That took a while, as some of the brakes on the Metro trucks didn't seem to want to release, and we also had to deal with a faulty coupler. Eventually we were all set. Out came the braai fire (under the shed canopy) and the workers started unloading our NZ.

Scarcely had they begun when the rain got heavier again, and we had to abandon offloading. We braaied, then we had to do a little shunt to leave the NZ behind to be offloaded during the week (if the rain ever stops) and retrieved next weekend (we'll be at Hercules about 1500 on Saturday 22/03/08 if anyone wants more photos). Run forward, push the lounge and caboose into the non-platform road, pull forward with the NZ, push the NZ back into the platform, run forward again and couple the loco onto the lounge and caboose. Then we stood for a while waiting for trains to pass before the yard official despatched us and off we went.

Stack first into Hercules Station again, then set back to Daspoort, then forward again to come stack first into Capital Park marshalling yard at Control 35, then set back into our own yard, passing signals on authority numbers again. Stable the load, throw out the fire, and home early. And it's still raining.

Driver was Mike Haslam under the supervision of driver Philip Reimers, fireman John A, guard Steve S, and those present on this historic trip included John D, Steve A, Kobus, Jimmy, Gabor, Tony, Dewald, Stewart, John Madisha, John Mattheson, Les W, Nataniel, Darlene, and some offspring, guests and labourers. Arno, Billy, Chris J and John Mapoko joined us by car at Hercules. Miemie prepared everything for the braai but had to leave before the trip. Apologies if I've missed anyone - if so respond and add your own name.

Photos are at http://www.friendsoftherail.com/phpBB2/ ... m.php?f=89

[Nathan Berelowitz]

Well done. So sorry I could not be there to share in this.