TFR 35 Class diesels 35-037 & 35-065 bring back a short train from the SAB malting plant in Caledon. Normally four 35 class diesels are used for a full load on this heavily graded branch line.
I ticked off a bucket list item and got to photography the ore trains on the Belfast Lydenburg line. These chrome ore trains are hauled by four Transnet Class 44 diesels built by GE (Class 44 details) The line was opened in 1910 and has steep grades with an almost continuous climb from Lydenburg (1376 m) to Belfast (2025 m). This line was one of the last stomping grounds of the class GO Garratts in the steam days.
Load of empties passing through Santa siding the highest siding in South Africa
Vermont siding on the way to Lydenburg
Almost at journey’s end approaching Belfast
Famous stone bridge just outside Santa siding
Spring has arrived with a display of wild flowers beside the line
Was really great to see diesels working hard on a proper branch line without wires. Over the weekend I was there was a early morning up train passing Santa around 06:00 am or later with the return working from Belfast leaving around mid-day definitely worth a visit if you get an opportunity.
Majuba pass on the Natal mainline between Newcastle and Volksrust is a major climb up to the highveld. These photos are taken from a hill overlooking “Trowe’s Viaduct” at the start of the climb. CORRECTION: After some input from Eugene Armer and looking at the maps again this is not Trowe’s Viaduct but the one lower down with no name or even a number. To get to this photo spot is a real slog up the hill, but is well worth it as it is one of the few spots I have found that give a good view of the complete train as well as having regular traffic. The pass continues with several more viaducts and tunnels until it reaches the town of Volksrust. Volksrust used to be a major railway town in the days of steam but the railway bypasses the town completely now.
Motive power on the Natal mainline is mainly class 18E 3kv DC locomotives that were rebuilt from class 6E1s. The Natal mainline is the rail corridor between the port of Durban and Johannesburg, featuring a variety of cargo such as containers, cars and fuel.
When I first arrived at the location there was very little activity and then the white road/rail maintenance truck came down the pass so I presume there was some issue further along the line as soon after a steady flow of trains up the pass commenced.
As winter approaches on the high veld the cosmos flowers bloom alongside the line between Kendal and Dryden. Some Class 18E, 10E and 43 action with heavy coal drags on a beautiful Easter Sunday
34-421 & 34-408 & 34-109 Seen on a container train between Magliesburg and Koster on the Krugersdorp Mafikeng line. 421 still sports slightly tatty South African Railways livery after all this time.
Some shots of 7E freights and Rovos Rail south of Kimberley January 2015
The SAB malting plant in Caledon Western Cape keeps the Cape Town Caledon branch busy with heavy grain trains. The line is heavily graded and for most of the time the 35 class diesels are working flat out on the journey from Caledon to Elgin covered in these photos
Class 35 (GE U15C) diesels hard at work on the branch line between Malmesburg and Piketberg, the line winds it’s way through the wheat lands of the Boland area. A train load of Granite blocks from Bitterfontein crosses the daily pickup to the cement works at De Hoek just outside Piketberg. Shunters travel on the orange caboose.
18-691 leads the luxury blue train between Paarl and Wolsley on it’s way to Johannesburg. The train used to be pulled to 14E locomotives but a number of these locomotives catching alight resulted in the switch to 18E class. I have been reported that some of the new class 20E locomotives will be used on the train in the future. The close up of the lead locomotive shows the video camera that is used to capture the forward view for display in the train.
Rovos rail with a matched pair of 18Es in new TFR livery between Matjiesfontein and Hex River valley
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