Friends of the Rail Forum

This morning, Rovos ran a doubleheader, 19D 3360 and 25NC 3442, to Pyramid with 19 coaches for Vic Falls. This is unusual as normally only the NC is rostered for this train length on the north line. Nice to see a Reefsteamers crew on the NC, and a learner fireman on the dolly- Rovos are training 3 firemen.
This weekend, Reefsteamers are using the 15CA and a 15F for Magaliesburg trains and Shongololo trains to Nasrec. Together with their move of the Ficksburg locos it will be a busy time for them.
FOTR will be running trains to Cullinan on Saturday and Sunday behind 24 3664.
Rovos also have a dinner train Saturday evening which is occasionally steam hauled by the diesel-burner 3484.
All in all a busy time up here. Who said steam was dead?

'Who said steam was dead?'

Indeed! It always surprises me when I read on the sar-L so many people moaning about the state of steam in South Africa when there is in fact so much going on, especially in Gauteng. Between FOTR, Reefsteamers and Rovos Rail you can see a steam locomotive or two in action almost every day - there are not many parts of the world where that is true.

On Friday 9/11, Rovos ran 3442 to panpoort with the Durban train, and at 12h00 there was a lunch train to Cullinan behind 19D 3360. Interesting to see that Rovos is running lunch trains to Cullinan again-due to fire problems they used the Pretoria complex for these trains..