Glencoe-Vryheid-Piet Retief by Les Pivnic & Bruno Martin ©
Please note: All photographs, maps and text in Soul of a Railway are protected by copyright and may not be copied or reproduced in any way for further use without prior permission in writing from the compilers of this series, Les Pivnic, Charlie Lewis and Bruno Martin.
NB: For the sake of continuity we have inserted the Acknowledgements at the end of this chapter.
"This monster Beyer-Garratt locomotive, although first constructed in 1929, remains one of the most outstanding examples of the development of the Garratt principle. No more powerful steam locomotive has yet been built in Europe and these locomotives, known on the railway as Class GL are still the largest and most powerful on the 3'-6" gauge in the world" [1]
[1] Quoted from Beyer Peacock's catalogue of 1948.
GLENCOE – VRYHEID – HLOBANE RAILWAY: Introduction, by Les Pivnic
Although this line might be called secondary in geographical terms, in effect with the kind of motive power used over this section, before the opening of the Richards Bay line in 1976 it was a heavy-haul main line in all other respects. We glossed over the Glencoe Locomotive Depot in the previous chapter but here we will take a good look inside a Depot that won awards for safety and general operation. The overall tidiness of the Shed will soon become apparent as you look through these photographs. At this point it is appropriate to quote from the Hussey Collection that is now housed in the Transnet Heritage Library and kindly made available by Yolanda Meyer – Information Specialist – Knowledge Centre/Heritage Library. Mr Hussey, writing about Glencoe, provided a list of engines stabled at that Depot over the years from 1890 – 1976:
“Roster of Steam Locomotive Classes at Glencoe 1890 – 1976. Train services commenced from Biggarsberg Junction on 4th September 1889. Soon after Biggarsberg became Glencoe. It has been difficult to determine all the various classes of locomotive that have been stationed at Glencoe as research has been [hampered by the paucity of reference material available]. My list of locomotive classes that were stationed at Glencoe over the years is therefore subject to correction. I have not been able to ascertain the class of engine at Glencoe between 1889 and 1893 but it must certainly have been the Kitson tank engine. In 1894, there was only one locomotive stationed here. She was NGR Kitson No 46. Of the NGR tanks, the Dubs A, Dubs B and the Reids came to Glencoe Shed. As loads became heavier, the Hendrie Bs arrived to be followed by Hendrie A and C (SAR classes 2 and 2C respectively). Around 1910, the Hendrie D together with the American D (SAR Classes 3 and 3A) made their appearance and were the main engine power until D A Hendrie’s SAR class 14 was placed in service in 1913.
Classes 12, 12A and 12AR were strongly represented and even today [1976] some are still there. Then came the class 15F which is now [1976] the main steam power at Glencoe. [For about 18 months prior to] 1976 Class 19Ds were sub-shedded at Newcastle to work the Utrecht branch. But Glencoe is more known for its articulated classes than conventional steam. The first articulated engines stationed here were the giant class MH Mallets that worked coal trains from Vryheid [until 1938 when they were retired upon arrival of the GLs from the Durban-Cato Ridge section - see photo 127]. The other mainstay of Glencoe were the Garratt-Unions – classes GH and U – the latter known as “U-Boats”.
Mr Hussey does not mention that GMAMs allocated to Vryheid became increasingly frequent visitors to Glencoe from the mid 1950s which resulted in the retirement of the 'Garratt-Unions' (as he describes them). He goes on to list engines stationed at Glencoe in 1976 (by which time all road workings into and out of Glencoe were electric and had been for several years): "Class 12AR nos.1530, 2122 & 2104; 12R no.1958; 14R nos.1592 & 1595; 15F nos.2950/2971/75/79/83/84/85/86/3002/3010/3034/3087 and 3105." He notes: “certain 15Fs are sub-shedded at Newcastle for the Utrecht branch" [and others were retained for hauler duty during main-line power outages].”
GLENCOE – VRYHEID – HLOBANE RAILWAY: History, by Bruno Martin
The railway from Glencoe to Vryheid started life in 1890 as a privately-built branch line which was then extended to Vryheid in stages by the NGR. Work was interrupted by the Second South African War during 1899-1902 before Vryheid was reached in 1903. The link from Vryheid to Hlobane was also built as a private branch line and later taken over by the SAR.
Dundee Coal Company’s Branch
In March 1889, the Dundee (Natal) Coal Company entered into an agreement with the Natal Colonial Government for the construction and working of a branch line 7 miles 3 440 feet long from Biggarsberg Junction (later Glencoe Junction, now Glencoe) to their coal mine on the farm Coalfields (Talana). It was arranged that the surveys and construction would be supervised by the staff of the NGR while A H Haig was appointed the company’s resident engineer. The contract for the earthworks and masonry was let in April 1889 and in October for laying the rails and ballasting. The line was opened to coal and passenger traffic on 28 March and for general freight on 8 July 1890. Two stations were provided: one at Dundee, the other at Coalfields (Talana). This line was taken over by the NGR on 1 July 1896.
Talana – Buffalo River Railway
The extension from Talana to the Buffalo River was surveyed between July and October 1895 by G R Holgate. Work on the line began in February 1898 by the contracting firm of Messrs McLagan & Maby Bros. By the time war broke out on 11 October 1899, the railhead had reached a point 4½ miles beyond Coalfields Station which had allowed the unfinished line to be taken into use already on 15 September for transporting coal from Marine Collieries. The formation was practically finished as well as the masonry abutments and piers for the bridge over the Buffalo River on the Natal side when work had to be abandoned.
Construction of the line resumed one year later, but little progress was made until the end of 1900, because of a shortage of labour. On 9 April 1901, the rails reached Buffalo River station (renamed Tayside) and two days later this section was made available for transporting military supplies. The military arranged for the bridges over the Sandspruit (South Arm), Malungeni, Sandspruit (Main Channel) and Buffalo River to be guarded. Blockhouses with telephone communication were erected by the military. Track laying and ballasting reached the south bank of the Buffalo River on 13 July 1901. At the request of the military authorities, the line was extended by a further 4 miles by crossing the river on a temporary timber trestle spanning a gap in the unfinished bridge to an embankment on the north bank.
When the rails reached the temporary station named Nqutu (N’Qutu) Road (renamed Dejagersdrift, now Dejagersdrif), the extension was made available for use by the military as from 21 December 1901 but it was not opened to civilian traffic until 5 February 1903. The bridge over the Buffalo River, 13¾ miles from Coalfields, was completed in June 1902 and comprised four 100ft spans. The other bridges of note were: at ¾ miles from Coalfields one 60ft span; crossing a south arm of the Sandspruit at 7 miles four spans of 40ft; at 9¾ miles crossing the Malungeni one span of 40ft; at 11½ miles crossing the main channel of the Sandspruit four spans of 60ft.
Vryheid – Voetpaddrift Railway
The construction of the Vryheid – Voetpaddrift Railway was originally authorised by the Volksraad of the S A Republic in 1894. To finance its construction, a loan of £300 000 was raised and an agreement was reached with the Natal Colonial Government to share half of the cost of the bridge over the Buffalo River. Surveys of the route from Vryheid to the Buffalo River were undertaken towards the end of 1895 and the contract for building the line was awarded to J L de Jager during 1897. A clause in the contract stipulated that ‘poor’ whites from the S A Republic had to be employed for a daily pay of 5 shillings. All construction work was suspended when the war broke out in October 1899, at which stage the earthworks and masonry were well advanced.
Following the cessation of hostilities at the end of May 1902, the districts of Utrecht, Vryheid and a part of Wakkerstroom were incorporated into the Colony of Natal on 27 January 1903. After an assessment of the damage sustained to the unfinished line during the war, the contracting firm of Messrs McLagan & Maby Bros resumed building operations on the line in December 1902 under the supervision of NGR engineering staff. The 38-mile stretch of railway from Nqutu (N’Qutu) Road to Lucas Meyer (Vryheid) [1] was officially opened by the Governor of Natal, Sir H E McCallum, on 12 November 1903. The line was opened to all traffic as from 13 November.
Footnote:
[1] Vryheid Station: under the official dates of opening, the line from Glencoe ended at Lucas Meyer (Vryheid), 57 miles 62 chains from Glencoe in 1903. On the 1910 Standard Railway Map this station appears as High Street; on the 1919 SAR diagram of stations and sidings shown as Vryheid; in the 1944 timetable as Lucasmeyer (one word), then in 1953, it reverted to Lucas Meyer. Vryheid East appears to be the starting point of the Hlobane Railway, consistently shown as Vryheid East until the 1945 SAR diagram of stations and sidings which shows this station as Vryheid. Although no official date is given when the 1 mile and 37 chains long connection between the two stations was opened, it would have been completed by 1909.
The Hlobane Railway
The 17½ mile extension from Vryheid East (now Vryheid) to Hlobane Colliery was built by the NGR at the expense of Gustave Henry Bonas, an entrepreneur from Kimberley, who founded the Vryheid (Natal) Railway, Coal and Iron Company, Ltd. In terms of the agreement, the line would be purchased by the Natal Government after 25 years for a fixed price of £240 000. Work on the first 10-mile section was started in June 1907, but operations were suspended towards the end of the year until financial matters had been settled. Construction resumed in March 1908 and on 3 December of that year the rails reached the terminus at Hlobane. The first trainload of coal was taken over the line on 29 December, but it was not until 1 April 1909, that the line was officially opened by the Governor of Natal, Sir Matthew Nathan. Stations and sidings en route from Vryheid East: Sikame, Tencoal, Tendega Junction (Tendeka), Tshoba (Tangeni) and Boomlager (Boomlaer). The line was added to SAR open lines as from 1 April 1920.
Reconstruction and electrification of the line from Glencoe to Hlobane
In 1937-1938 the entry into Glencoe Station from Whitegates was realigned to provide a direct line through the station for traffic coming from or going to Vryheid. During the 1960s track realigning was also carried out between Dundee, Talana and Extremity as well as a major deviation from Tayside to Dejagersdrif which included resiting Tayside Station and a new bridge over the Buffalo River. These improvements were made in conjunction with the electrification of the 75 miles of line from Glencoe to Hlobane. Electric traction on 3kV DC was introduced on 12 December 1968. As a result of the deviations, the distance between Glencoe and Vryheid was shortened by 3¾ miles. When the circuitous line from Vryheid to Ermelo was rebuilt as a heavy-haul line in the early 1970s, the alignment from Vryheid to Sikame was also rebuilt.
THE PRESERVATION OF GL 2352, by Les Pivnic
1. In my first offering for this chapter it seems appropriate that the subject should be class GL Garratt No 2352, shown here about to go on shift at Glencoe in November 1964. Today she is preserved in the very place where she was born; the Beyer Peacock works in Manchester England, now converted into the Museum of Science and Industry. The story of how she got there is a long and convoluted saga.
The eight class GL Garratts were supplied in two separate orders by Beyer Peacock. The first order was for engines, 2350 & 2351, supplied in October 1929, quickly followed by a second order for another six, No's 2352 – 2357. If you can spare the time to visit System 6 Part 5 of 'Soul of A Railway' you will find the full dramatic account of how these engines transformed the pre-electric operation of the New Main Line from Durban to Cato Ridge. The engine in this photo was the first of the 2nd order. It so happens that this engine, like her sister 2351, also has links to royalty! This was the GL selected to haul the 1947 Royal Train over the section Glencoe – Piet Retief. Her sister 2355 hauled the Pilot Train. Photos of this engine hauling the Royal Train will appear further on in this chapter.
In 1972 I was given the task of selecting locomotives for the so-called 'National Collection' after Minister Ben Schoeman announced in Parliament that the SAR would start such a collection for a planned major Railway Museum. At this time 2352 came up for withdrawal from service and I decided to have her staged at Germiston pending establishment of the new Museum. This was in addition to her sister 2351 that had already been earmarked for preservation in our collection and sent to De Aar for staging. At this time 2352 was down in Durban at Greyville Loco, so I phoned the Loco Foreman there and asked him to prepare 2352 for "haulage" to Germiston. He responded by saying: "No locomotive leaves my Depot under haulage. She will work her herself up to Germiston" (see the next two photos of her en route to Germiston, by Michael J M Wright).
2. My friend Michael J.M. Wright got to hear of this transfer and he went out to take a few photos of her trip up to Germiston. This is one of two that I selected from what he offered me. The shots were taken between Greylingstad and Kraal Tunnel. Note that the Loco Foreman at Greyville even gave the old girl white-wall tyres for her trip!
3. Here she is after exiting Kraal Tunnel and heading on to Germiston. As later events would prove, this transfer was done in vain – our grand plans for a major Railway Museum all but collapsed some 12 years later and 2352 would be going back to the place of her birth – Manchester, UK. Just for the record, the Outeniqua Transport Museum in George that inherited the SATS Museum material, some locomotives and other rolling stock, was just a shadow of what we had planned earlier.
So, instead of finding a place of rest in South Africa, GL 2352 went home. Sarah Baines, Curator, Engineering, Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, has provided me with a full account of this operation that started back in Germiston to return the engine to her place of birth. This account forms part of a Paper written by the Late Dr Richard Hills who wrote of his reminiscences on setting up the Museum of Science and Industry. After that we'll show you more photos of 2352 taken at various stages of her particularly interesting career.
South African Railways No 2352
A series of remarkable coincidences enabled us to bring back one of the most powerful Garratts built in 1929 – 1930, the GL Class for the South African Railways with 89,130 lb. tractive effort. When it had been agreed in 1978 that Liverpool Road would become the site for the Museum, I approached the South African Railways to see if one of their 2 ft. gauge Beyer-Garratts might be available, particularly one of the 1958 batch which were the last steam locomotives built at Gorton. The reply was that all of them were in active service with no withdrawal date in sight. Then Mr. Pratt of the Plym Valley Railway offered on temporary loan the 3 ft. 6 ins. gauge GMAM Class Beyer-Garratt which he had been given to run on a line he proposed to build at Plymouth. His was one of the very few built by the North British Company in Glasgow under contract from Beyer, Peacock. Subsequently this locomotive has found a home in Glasgow. The fact that it was not locally made was at variance with the Museum’s collecting policy so it was decided to approach South African Railways again to see if a 3 ft. 6 ins. example built by Beyer, Peacock might be available.
The reply from South Africa contained a list of mouth-watering types of important Garratt designs, including GEA, GM and most surprising of all a GL. Many steam locomotives had been retained as a strategic reserve in case supplies of oil were cut off. But through the spread of electrification and advances in producing oil from South Africa’s own coal, these locomotives were finally declared redundant. GL No. 2351, ‘Princes Alice’, was earmarked for South Africa’s own museum. No. 2352 was the first of the second batch of six ordered after the first two had been working for only seven weeks, such was the excellence of their performance. These GL Class completed in 1929 may been seen as the culmination of twenty years of design and experimentation with this type of articulated locomotive. 2352 was a massive machine with a wheelbase of 83 ft. 7 ins. and a total length of just under 90 ft. Its weight empty was 160 tons. With a fire grate of 74.5 sq. ft., it needed a mechanical stoker. It was the most powerful steam locomotive ever built in Europe and the most powerful ever to work in the Southern Hemisphere. Even at this size, it could be fitted into the Power Hall where it would be a very impressive exhibit. However, the condition of 2352 was unknown after twelve years in store and she was at Germiston near Johannesburg, nearly 500 miles from the sea and a port for shipping.
The problems of physically moving the engine from Germiston to a port, shipping it and then bringing it to Manchester were going to be immense, besides the difficulty of finding the funding. Overseas Containers Limited gave a very generous quotation of £30,000 for actually shipping the engine which made the whole project at least seem possible. So the approval of the Museum Trust was sought and extra finance granted by the Greater Manchester Council. With these hurdles crossed, a letter was sent in August 1983 to the railway headquarters in Johannesburg requesting No. 2352. At that time, Michael Bailey was working for the Manchester Ship Canal and in early October told us that the General Electric Company would be moving some heavy pieces of electricity generating turbines to the Transvaal on three heavy lift road trailers at the end of the month. The trailers, each capable of carrying more than 100 tons, would be returning to Britain in the middle of December. Now a GL Garratt, split into three basic parts, would easily fit onto these trailers. GEC was willing to allow them to be used, and Wynns, the Stafford haulier, was willing to load and deliver to Manchester. This meant that the locomotive could be loaded onto a road trailer in South Africa, loaded onto a roll-on-roll-off ship, unloaded in England and delivered direct to Manchester without intermediate handling or exposure to the sea as deck cargo. No response had come from South Africa because my August letter had gone astray. As soon as this was discovered, a second letter was sent, pointing out the possibilities of the GEC and Wynns operation. The ship carrying the electrical equipment out to South Africa had already left when on November 18 the telex was received saying that the South African Minister of Transport had agreed to the donation of 2352 for display in Manchester.
It is greatly to the credit of everyone concerned with the project that it was less than one month later that the engine was on board ship and had left South Africa, because an unforeseen snag arose. South African regulations for moving heavy items on its roads are different from those in England. It transpired that the Wynns’ trailers had to be unloaded at the port of Richards Bay where they would be put straight on board ship again. Luckily, instead of dismantling and loading the engine at Germiston, the South African authorities agreed to deliver it to Richards Bay. This involved checking and greasing the fourteen axles, all the coupling rods and other parts which had not moved for twelve years. No. 2352 left Germiston on Tuesday December 6 and had to be sent on the old, longer route through Pietermaritzburg and Durban because it had only steam and vacuum brakes whereas all the trains on the new direct line to Richards Bay are hauled by electric locomotives with air brakes. Vacuum brakes were being phased out rapidly on the South African Railways so it might not have been possible to move 2352 a little later. No. 2352 was permitted to travel only in the hours of daylight at a maximum speed of 20 mph. The heavy rains which broke the three year drought were very welcome but caused dislocation on the railway lines through washouts and other problems. Then it was the period just at the peak rush hour for Christmas so 2352 could not be hauled over the weekend and was stabled at Durban Bayhead. It was a considerable operational achievement to get it to Richards Bay in only a week by 10.30 on Tuesday morning December 13.
In the meantime, I had flown to Johannesburg. It was not only a physical shock leaving the cold damp grey of a Manchester winter but a cultural shock leaving the airport into a strict apartheid regime where everything was still segregated, buses, trains, stations, restaurants. I called on the railway authorities to thank them for all their efforts on our behalf. I was able to present a small token of thanks in the form of two copies of my book, Beyer, Peacock, Locomotive Builders to the World and a commemorative glass goblet, which were greatly appreciated. After discussing various problems about the locomotive and its loading, I left by plane for Durban where I finally caught up with 2352. A dull rainy day doesn’t make anything look at its best and particularly 2352 which had spent twelve years in the grime and soot of Germiston steam locomotive depot. A closer look was more reassuring. Paint was peeling off the tanks but the rusting was not deep. Only in two places on the boiler cladding were there some holes. The connecting rods had been taken off and put in the coal bunker which was half full; an unexpected bonus of five or six tons of coal which later found its way into Agecroft No. 3’s firebox. What was missing, however, were many of the brass boiler fittings and oil [pots].
Richards Bay
Richards Bay was South Africa’s newest harbour, opened only in 1976 for handling bulk cargoes such as 30 million tons of coal a year. The ‘ro-ro’ ships with their own stern discharge ramps were an exception. To travel there, and indeed throughout South Africa, I received great help from both the railway authorities and O.C.L. officials. Wynns had agreed to send out their team of men a couple of days early to separate 2352 so that they were waiting on the ‘Square’ by the side of the harbour for 2352 to arrive, probably the first and perhaps the only steam engine ever to go to that port.
Working on any machine is the best way to appreciate its qualities. The superlative design of the Garratts soon became apparent as we struggled in the confined spaces of the 3 ft. 6 ins. gauge to free the parts which had to be massive to withstand the enormous power of this engine. I had studied such drawings as we had in the Beyer, Peacock archives so had been able to prepare myself a little. The engine units have to be linked to the boiler not only by the pivots themselves but by the reversing gear, steam and exhaust pipes, water pipes, vacuum and steam brake pipes, connections to the cylinder drain cocks, electric wires to the lights and, on the rear unit, the mechanical stoker. Some of these had been disconnected at Germiston to allow the engine to be moved more easily. But the retaining clips on the pivots were well and truly buried inaccessibly in the centre of the engine beneath layers of dirt and coal. The hemi-spherical shape of the front bearing meant that only one clip at this end had to be freed to enable the front unit to be drawn out.
The rear unit gave more trouble. No drawings of the mechanical stoker had survived in Manchester so its construction was a mystery. Had we but known it, one of the railway officers had copied the stoker manual which was sitting in a locker in the cab beside us as we struggled to open up various parts. I think years of neglect, rain, rust and coal dust had jammed the way it ought to have been separated. In the end, a universal joint on the Archimedes feed screw had to be cut. The harbour authorities lent an oxy-acetylene set. The gas bottles were dragged over on a trolley by an African who handed the torch to a white man. The bracket carrying the shaft that drove the main feed screw had been welded on. To free the rear unit, the bolts that secured the water tank and coalbunker to the frames had to be cut. At last one end of the stoker could be lifted to clear the boiler unit as it was jacked up. Then the rear engine unit could be dragged away.
Wynns’ men had hydraulic jacks operated by a small motor-driven pump. Two lifting beams were placed under the boiler on four of these jacks. By simply turning a valve, the boiler was raised. By 2 o’clock on the Wednesday, the engine units had been separated and left ready for loading. The boiler unit was left on its lifting beams ready to have a trailer pushed underneath it. A van had appeared full of most of the missing brass parts. A railway official had been detailed to look at 2352 passing through Pietermaritzburg, see what was missing and take replacements off other stored locomotives. For safety, we put them inside the front water tank. I jumped to the ground, forgetting the strength of the sun near the Tropics at mid-day. The pain was agonising as the heat of the ground nearly scorched my feet even through leather shoes.
The ‘ro-ro’ ship, the ‘Elgaren’ from Gotenburg, reached Richards Bay ten hours late at 4 o’clock on the Friday afternoon and was due to sail twenty-four hours later. That Friday was a public holiday and normally the port would have been closed. Permission was given to work late and by 2 a.m. on the Saturday morning eight pieces of electrical equipment weighing over 100 tons each had been off-loaded, leaving three trailers empty. Work started again at 8 a.m. on the Saturday morning and soon one of the trailers was being pushed under the boiler. A motor-driven hydraulic pump on each trailer powered jacks and the steering on each set of wheels. With the trailer in position and packing pieces placed on it, the whole trailer frame was raised on its own jacks so that it lifted the boiler, freeing the lifting beams. The beams were pulled out with the help of a small fork-lift truck; the boiler secured and then towed off to the ship, where it was pushed up the ramp and into the hold; a simple operation with power steering.
It was hoped to move the engine units in the same way but there were two snags. I had not seen the trailers before they left England but knew they consisted of an open grid of steel girders with no decking. Looking at them at Richards Bay, it was obvious that timber packing would be necessary to prevent the wheels falling into the gaps. How could we find and purchase this? Then a thought struck me. Wouldn’t it be nice if 2352 could be displayed on genuine South African Railway rails. Rails appeared and spanned the gaps on the trailers. But then the second snag. The engine units are so packed with parts such as pipes and brake gear that it was impossible to run lifting beams underneath. The tanks on top meant that, if only one crane were used, a spreading beam would have been necessary so that the slings would hang vertically and clear the tanks. No such beam was available. The solution was to use one of the ship’s 35 ton fork-lift trucks at the inner end and at the outer a 200 ton mobile crane which the harbour authorities made available. Such lifting power was not really necessary as the units weighed between 45 and 50 tons. This allowed the trailers to be pushed under the engine units at the end the crane was supporting. The units were gently lowered onto the rails and towed off to the ‘Elgaren’.
By 2 o’clock on the afternoon of Saturday 17 December, Wynns’ men were washing their hands. Our three trailers with the engine together with some empty ones were on board being chained down. Soon the massive ramp was being raised. The ‘Elgaren’ sailed on schedule at 4 o’clock. She had recovered her schedule and left in time to catch the tide at her next port of call. If this move had taken place a few weeks later, the ship would have been full of oranges, leaving no space for our locomotive. I made my way back to Johannesburg to thank the South African Railway authorities for all their help. It was the busy Christmas season so I was lucky to get a flight home because I needed to make arrangements at the Museum for our present which was due to be delivered in about a month.
Arrival of 2352 in England
Blizzards were sweeping across Scotland and a bitter cold wind was blowing up the Thames when the ‘Elgaren’ docked at Tilbury early in the morning of Thursday 19 January 1984. She had been delayed by a strike at Le Havre but caught up on schedule again because she could not call at Antwerp where the lock gates had been damaged by a storm. Her next port of call would normally have been Rotterdam where 2352 would have had to be transferred to a smaller vessel bound for Manchester. Luckily there was a cargo of copper as well as 2352 so she was diverted to Tilbury. The bureaucratic problems of Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise had been sorted out after frantic telephone calls by paying over £2,000 Value Added Tax (value added to what?). Unloading all went smoothly and the three units were rolled off, with the boiler proudly displaying the Overseas Containers Ltd. banner who had made it all possible. Customs clearance was given the same afternoon. At that point, plans went awry because the blizzards had totally disrupted the electrical apparatus of the Central Electricity Generating Board. Most of Wynns’ men were engaged moving vital transformers and other parts to keep the supply going and could not be spared immediately to unload the engine. 2352 was therefore taken up the motorway as far as Stafford and left sitting on the trailers until further arrangements could be made.
The snow had disappeared from Liverpool Road Station when the rear engine unit arrived during the afternoon of Tuesday 31 January. It was essential that all parts came in the right order for unloading and were the right way round. It had been decided to run the engine units off their trailers by railed ramps onto short lengths of special track and that they would be replaced under the boiler unit only after some initial cleaning had been carried out. The space at the Station seemed vast until the parts began to arrive when it became apparent how vital was the steering gear on the trailers. The trailer with the rear unit was delivered from the Liverpool Road side along Byrom Street. It had seven rows of wheels, some of which mounted the kerb at the entrance to the Station yard, so tight was the corner. This tractor and its load were parked overnight since the lorry with the ramps and the mobile crane were not due till the next day. Wednesday was, of course, typical weather for Manchester, wet and windy. This, together with the restricted site, delayed running off the rear unit until 5 o’clock in the evening, by which time the front unit had appeared. The front unit had been placed on a smaller trailer at Tilbury so there was no difficulty getting into the Station and, because this part was placed by the Power Hall, access was easier and the ramps positioned more quickly.
Running the engine units off was simple because one end of the trailers could be raised on the internal jacks. The tractor had a winch so a wire rope was attached to check the unit when it was running down by gravity. When the track became too flat, a special jacking lever moved the wheels quite easily. The first unit was off the ramps soon after 2 o’clock on Thursday when the boiler unit arrived outside. This was a ten row trailer with a total of eighty wheels. To get the boiler facing the right way, it had to be backed in, which was in fact lucky because access was slightly easier coming along Byrom Street from the Granada end. Even so, it took three attempts to manoeuvre the trailer through the gate. This was the only occasion in the whole movement of 2352 when a trailer was not positioned correctly the first time. What would George Stephenson have thought if he could have watched this monster arrive at his station for ‘Rocket’ would have almost fitted inside its fire box.
Friday morning was occupied with placing lifting beams under the boiler and putting in position four stillages to support their ends. The trailer with boiler still on it was backed in between the stillages after lunch and left for the weekend. Oil had leaked out of the hydraulic system during the South African trip so the jacks gave barely half an inch clearance. The oil was topped up and the job finished on Monday 6 February. There was only just enough space to pull the trailer clear of the boiler. Wynns’ equipment was taken away and the boiler left on the Museum’s own stands ready for cleaning. While this unloading was in progress, news came through of a hurricane devastating the area around Richards Bay in South Africa. Most of the bridges on the coal line to the port were broken down while nearly fifteen miles of track were swept away. The line between Durban and Richards Bay was also damaged. Had such a tragedy occurred earlier, there would have been no possibility of moving 2352. Our thanks must go to all those who helped bring back such an impressive and historic exhibit to Manchester, the place where she was born.
4. This is the first of six photos provided by Sarah Baines, Curator of Engineering at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, UK. A heavy-haul road rig is propelling the boiler section of the engine into the Museum premises.
5. Lifting the boiler-section off the multi-wheel trailer.
6. The trailing engine and bunker being manoeuvred by the Wynns heavy road tractor.
7. The leading engine unit being off-loaded onto a prepared track.
8. What a transformation from the stored GL that left Germiston Loco in 1984! The dust and soot-laden 2352 has been beautifully restored to exhibition-standard and mounted on her permanent plinth in the Museum.
9. The trailing end of 2352 as now on display in Manchester. A fitting tribute to a fine steam locomotive born here and built to a design specification required by the South African Railways.
Thanks to Sarah Baines the late Dr Richard Hills we have been able to provide a fitting tribute to one of SAR's finest machines. From here on we'll concentrate on showing you the GLs performing their daily duties on SAR's pioneer heavy-haul coal line - that from Vryheid to Glencoe *.
* To pre-empt any suggestion that Witbank-Germiston was the first heavy-haul line; as you can see from Bruno's short history above NGR started hauling coal on this route in 1903.......
GLENCOE RUNNING SHED, by Les Pivnic
10. Did they take pride in the job? Or what?
11. In the introduction I mentioned the awards won by Glencoe Loco – here are some of them awarded in 1972.
12. An official SAR photographer was sent down to Glencoe to take a few photographs in acknowledging their wonderful achievement. 12AR 1530 named “Bokkie” was just one of the clean engines on the Glencoe roster.
13. My guess is that the gent on the right with the dark jacket is probably the Loco Foreman while the man smiling at him could be the Locomotive Superintendent, Natal System. I’m open to correction on this.
14. In this overall view we see just how tidy the shed was in 1972!
15. In spite of their poor cylinder design, the two GHs were passenger engines in every respect. They had the largest wheels of any articulated engine on SAR, viz 5'-0". Upon completion of the deviation and electrification of the Main Line between Glencoe and Volksrust in 1938 they were retained at Glencoe and used on both passenger and freight work to Vryheid. By 1950 only one, No 2320 was left. She lingered on until October 1956 by which time a flood of new GMAMs was arriving on the scene.
16. The leader of Class GL: No 2350 at the Glencoe coal stage in October 1965. When she came to an untimely end due to a head-on collision at Doringberg, I applied to buy one set of plates off her – cabside and maker’s plate. My application was successful and I duly received the plates from the Stores Department. A few years later, I was approached by a person in the UK who shall remain anonymous, to sell the GL’s set to him. In a moment of weakness and having become blasé about such things, I sold the set to him. At first it didn’t bother me but today I realise what a fool I was. To add salt to the wound, I’m sure that I parted with the set for a paltry sum of money! Qui sera sera……….
17. Such a special lady needed another photo – here she is, having her fire cleaned. Note the regulator rodding to the smokebox which indicates that the boiler mounted on her at this time was one of the later order for class GL engines. 2350 as one of the two original GLs, had the regulator-rodding internally positioned inside the boiler.
18. The second engine of the original order for two GLs was 2351 named “Princess Alice”. In the “Locomotive in South Africa” series published in the previous SAR & H Magazine for February 1946, Theo Espitalier describes the occasion as follows:
"During April 1931, a special train, conveying His Excellency the Earl of Athlone and Princess Alice, was drawn by engine no.2351, class GL. The Governor-General and his staff were particularly interested in the locomotive and His Excellency and Princess Alice travelled on the footplate from Cato Ridge to Umlaas, afterwards expressing keen delight at the experience. It was not customary to name locomotives in South Africa but in honour of this event, the General Manager approached Her Royal Highness, Princess Alice and obtained her permission to use her name on the locomotive on which she had travelled. The nameplates in English and Afrikaans, which were designed by Mr. A.G.Watson, Chief Mechanical Engineer, were affixed to the engine immediately above the number plates."
I photographed the Princess at the coalstage whilst she was having her fire cleaned in October 1965.
19. Following on from photo 1, No 2352 is being prepared for her next turn of duty – the fireman is busy getting up a good head of steam for the trip to Vryheid.
20. The fireman has got the water filling the tank on the leading engine-unit and is using his spray-pipe to get the coal dust off the footplate.
21. It is time to leave the Depot and her driver gives me a chance to take a few more shots of this giant of the 3ft-6in gauge. Note the fine coal in the bunker – specially selected for the Duplex mechanical stoker used on these engines.
22. Just look at this glorious machine – could I be forgiven for taking photo after photo of this royal lady?
23. Sorry driver! Please bear with me! Just another shot for the record of my visit to Glencoe Loco.
24. And one more for the road. When I took these photos of 2352 getting ready for a Vryheid trip in 1964 I had no inkling that one day I would be instrumental in rescuing her for preservation in her birthplace.
25. GL 2353 happened to be on hand on this day in April 1968 when 15CB 2061 needed shifting for reasons long forgotten. She was on her way to or from shops.
26. In October 1965, the Glencoe Depot had quite a variety of classes on shed. Here in the foreground are classes 19A 704 and 19AR 678 carrying a domeless 19D boiler.
27. GL 2350 is in the middle of this general shed scene with another GL in the left background. A class 1 on the extreme left and the 19A with her 19AR sister on the right.
28. Unkempt 19A 704 at the water column being prepared for her next trip. Poor girl – she could do with a bit of cleaning!
29. Hendrie’s chunky ex-class 1B 1440 fitted with the Hendrie steam reverse. She was employed on the Northfield Colliery shuttle.
30. Class 15AR 1811 with a 19A on the left and a GL just sneaking into the photo on the right.
31. Class 12AR 1530 having a chat with a 15AR outside the Shed in October 1965. This particular 12AR had a long association with Glencoe – she was featured in the opening photos of this chapter that were taken in 1972.
32. 19AR 678 with the domeless 19D boiler and a Stone’s Tonum-E headlight waiting for its next turn of duty.
33. This combination of a 19A with a domeless 19D boiler deserved another shot from the cab end.
34. I walked up the coalstage to get this hi-level shot of GL 2350 coming off the ashpits.
35. David Guelpa, who provided this picture of GL 2353 about to be re-coaled and 19A 676 clearing ash, c 1966, was a driver at Glencoe, and whenever he was at the wheel photographers were practically guaranteed smoke effects!
36. My late friend Mervyn Tunmer also visited Glencoe Loco and he took this shot from the coalstage. Class 15CAs are in evidence amongst the various other classes in the Shed including a GL tucked in alongside the running shed.
37. Sunrise on a stormy dawn at the shed: GL 2353 with 8DW 1219 descending the coal-stage ramp.
38. This is the first of six photographs drawn from the Hussey Collection in the Transnet Heritage Library. We have italicised the late Mr Hussey's own captions:
"In 1976, Glencoe is a quiet place. Especially as far as steam locomotives are concerned. Although this is a mid-week scene, it could be on a Sunday afternoon. In July 1976, 12AR 2104 by Henschel 1929 and 12R 1872 by Beyer Peacock 1921, bask in the winter sunshine."
39. "Die Valput (also known as the Droppit). Until the end of steam Glencoe Loco was equipped to carry out 15Ms; c 1976 there were two 15Fs awaiting attention." Hussey Collection.
40. "Glencoe’s steam crane built by Cowans of Sheldon – a really magnificent machine." Hussey Collection.
41. "Big sister and little sister. 12AR 2104 on the right shares her shed with her small boilered sister, class 12R 1512. No 1512 is somewhat grubby but in a day or two she will sparkle like a new pin just like her big sister." Hussey Collection.
42. "The class 14 is a Natal engine, built especially for Natal lines. Glencoe today has only two representatives of the class on its roster, Nos. 1592 and 1595. Here is 1592 – immaculate as ever. Simmering quietly outside the engine shed awaiting her next call to duty which will be to bring down a rake of coal trucks from a nearby mine." (Editor’s note: Hussey unfortunately confused the original class 14 with the 14A that was built mainly for the Eastern Transvaal. The 14R depicted is a reboilered 14A and not an original class 14 that was indeed a Natalian – the class being specifically designed to work in Natal.)
43. "Cleaners at work with a hi-pressure hose, cleaning out the smokebox of a 15F." Hussey Collection. (Editor’s note: It looks like somebody is going to get his head bashed in!)
44.Glen Mills writes: "12AR 2116, 12AR 1530 and 15F 2984 as seen from inside the Glencoe locomotive shed on 3 November 1973."
45. Roger Griffiths visited Glencoe Shed in October 1976 and found 12AR No.2122 carrying “Glencoe” nameplates and a pair of handrails similar to those fitted to 15CA engines. No wonder this depot won awards for safety and excellent general house-keeping!
46. After more than 50 years of faithful service here is 2122 again, relaxing in the sun and getting a bit of a tan. 9 May 1982.
47. 15F 2971 at Glencoe with connecting rods removed and placed on her front-footplate. This is a Newcastle engine (used on the Utrecht branch) come in for a 15M scheduled repair.
48. Peter writes: "I was a passenger on 196-up, the 20:00 from Durban to Johannesburg as it rolled into Glencoe on the advertised at 05:34 the next morning. Immaculate class 12AR 2122 was already simmering in anticipation of its daily shunting duties. At 06:01 train 196 departed from Glencoe on its way to Johannesburg. I must have changed trains here as the through coach from Durban to Vryheid off train 196 (departing from Durban on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) was of little use for passengers travelling beyond Vryheid as that service only ran on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays as train 556/1603 from Glencoe to Waterval Boven. I was doing a round trip to Breyten, then with train 344 from Breyten to Bethal to catch the branch line train to Volksrust. December 1969"
49. Peter again: "Train 556 is almost ready to depart at 07h30 to Vryheid and beyond. By this time the line to Vryheid had been rebuilt and electrified and your photographer purposefully cut off the front locomotive to emphasize the station nameboard and the first coach on the train. Only when I looked at this photograph properly for the first time some 50 years after it was taken that I realised the suburban coach was of considerable historical significance. It started life on 7 April 1933 as a tri-composite of type Q-12 number 5997 built in the SAR’s Durban Works but was soon converted to a driving trailer of type Q-12-D in June 1934 for the Pietermaritzburg-Mason’s Mill electric shuttle. [Editor's note: after about 20 years this shuttle which was almost entirely used by railwaymen going on or off shift, reverted to steam and remained so until the end of steam at Masons Mill!]. The driving compartment was converted to a guards compartment in Pietermaritzburg Works in December 1958, becoming type V-51. When second class was abolished on the Durban suburban services in May 1968 it became type Y-9-C and was finally scrapped in Durban in October 1971. Note the tell-tale wing light at the far end of the vehicle denoting the van end. December 1969."
50. Steam was economical at Glencoe. The shed had Northfield colliery on its doorstep! This was the shed pilot class 1B 1440 delivering empties to the mine in April 1968.
51. If the SAR engine was not available the mine would send its own second-hand class 1 down to the shed with a day's supply of coal.
EVERY DAY OPERATIONS ON SAR'S LAST STEAM-WORKED 'HEAVY-HAUL' LINE: THE GLs AND THEIR SISTER ENGINES AT WORK BETWEEN GLENCOE AND VRYHEID
52. GL 2353 departing for Vryheid in January 1955.
53. Epitomising the line in steam days; GL 2352 slogging up the last few hundred yards of 1/66 into Glencoe with a 1240 ton block load of coal from one of the Vryheid collieries. Very sad the photographer isn't with us to enjoy his beautiful photo.
54. Check that exhaust of 2351 "Princess Alice" coming out in square chunks; it would be very loud as she surmounted the last 1/50 grade into Glencoe yard. Unfortunately, Mervyn left no records of his photography – so dates are unknown but the sealed-beam headlight places this photo as being post-1964 when they first started to appear on SAR engines.
55. A block load from the coke ovens of Vryheid Coronation colliery at Hlobane destined for the AMCOR steelworks at Newcastle, about to enter Glencoe behind GL 2353 in April 1966.
56. From May to December 1957 a fleet of 20 brand-new GMAMs was delivered to Vryheid shed. Roger made this memorable silhouette of one of them hauling a mixed load up the high embankment on the 1/66 approach to Glencoe.
57. Good as the GLs were, there weren't enough of them, so without the GMAMs SAR would not have been able to cope with the coal export boom of the 1960s. This pair of GMAMs were bringing a 1680 ton block load up the last mile of 1/66 on the new alignment into Glencoe.
58. In the murky pre-dawn chill of a March morning in 1968 we had recorded this GL for at least 15 minutes as it struggled up the last 1/66 grade into Glencoe. Then suddenly it shut off at the outer-home signal. The crew had obviously been hoping for the usual clear run through into the yard but no such luck. While we stood there shivering in the middle of a mealie land the fireman could be seen down on the track sanding the rails by hand for the re-start. After about five minutes the train began to move - backwards with the engine's sanders open. Then suddenly there was an almighty eruption as the engine let off a slip the likes of which we had never heard before (or since, for that matter). The sound seemed to come in cascades of ever-louder waves before the driver took mercy on his helpless machine and shut the regulator. As the noise died away we could hear the engine rattling as if she was being shaken apart. After several attempts the driver seemed to find the right notch on the regulator quadrant; she slowly got a grip and set off loudly up the hill, her exhaust beats making the characteristic square blocks of sound of a GL with nothing more to give.
59. And here is the fireman climbing back into the cab after sanding the rails, just as his driver decided to reverse down the hill for a hundred yards or so....
60. Later that same morning the frost had melted and this train came plodding up the hill without any difficulty - probably because by the time the poles were up the gradient had been eased from 1/50 to 1/66.
61. Closer to Dundee on a much warmer day in November 1964, Les intercepted this 1240-ton block-coal working with GL 2356 about to tackle the last few miles of 1/50 into Glencoe.
62. Same train – same engine – GL 2356 heading for Glencoe in November 1964.
63. Two GMAMs with a string of empties heading for Dundee and probably Vryheid in November 1964.
64. A class GMAM heading a load of coal leaving Dundee and heading for Glencoe with 575-down mixed in November 1964. Note the balcony saloon just inside the goods guard’s van. In typically casual SAR fashion this 'service' was only reflected in the WTBs and the locals just had to know about it.
65. Original NGR (1890?) Dundee Railway Station. Typical ‘no frills’ style of railway station building provided by the NGR on branch lines.
66. The arrival of HRH Princess Helena (or Christian as she was usually called) with her entourage in Dundee in September 1904 on her way to the Tshotshosi River where on 1 June 1879, Louis Napoleon, exiled Prince Imperial of France and only child of the exiled Empress Eugenie, was killed in a minor skirmish with a Zulu Impi (she actually came to South Africa to visit her own son’s grave, Prince Christian Victor, who died on 29 October 1901 following a bout with malaria and was buried in Pretoria).
During the Second South African War of 1899-1902, three hospital trains, two of which were converted in the Durban railway workshops, plied along the line as far as the war front, where the line was still intact. The most famous of these was a gift imported from Britain, the Princess Christian Hospital Train (PCHT), which conveyed many wounded soldiers to hospitals along the line.
67. Dundee Railway Station – undated but clearly built after the Princess Christian's visit when the building was all built of corrugated iron and much plainer. This neat brick and iron roofed station building was probably built during the days of the NGR. Horse and buggy ‘taxis’ waiting to transport passengers to the Royal Hotel, one of three hotels in the town. The town was built on gently sloping ground and surrounded by high hills: Indumeni (5 389ft); Mpate (5 219ft) and Talana (4 465ft).
68. The same 575-down mixed as seen in photo 64 – a class GMAM with a load of coal for Glencoe and the balcony coach marshalled just inside the van – November 1964.
69. Class GL 2353 with a load of empties coming around the curve into Dundee from Glencoe – October 1965.
70. An Up mixed goods comes goes storming into Dundee in November 1964 behind GL No.2352 (the engine now on display in Manchester, UK).......
71. ........ to make a crossing with the same train depicted in photos 64 and 68.
72. GL 2353 blasting out of Dundee with a full block load bound for Glencoe and points beyond. 30 March 1968.
In 1966 a large capital project was commenced to upgrade and electrify the section from Vryheid to Glencoe. The total cost (in today's money) was in excess of R2 billion. Apart from electrification throughout, there were major civil engineering works consisted mainly of deviations to ease the ruling grade from 1/50 to 1/66, several new river crossings (including two big ones at Blood River and Tayside) and loop lengthening at crossing stations. By early 1968 the work was at an advanced stage but two long deviations and much of the loop lengthening had not yet been completed, as in this view showing work in progress at Dundee.
73. Another view of Dundee in March 1968 showing station remodelling and loop lengthening in progress with GL 2354 coming through with export coal. 29 March 1968.
74. Mervyn left no record of his photography with the result that the exact location and dates of his photos are not known. However, thanks to the milepost we can pinpoint this one as the curve around Lennox hill into Talana. The two Glencoe 15ARs would have worked No 556-up passenger to Vryheid that morning were on their return run with a block load of coal c 1966.
75. Another one of the return working of the Glencoe passenger engines on the same curve around Lennox hill. These are clearly the same two engines as in photo 37 above so either the same exact combination worked the train on two successive days or there were two photographers on the same day.....
76. GMAM 4150 coming out of Talana with an Up (eastbound) goods consisting mainly of empty FZ (grain) wagons destined for Northern Natal and/or the Eastern Transvaal. The siding in the background belongs to the Consol Glass works at Talana and serves, or used to serve, their sandpits.
77. 557-down coming through Smith's Nek, approaching Talana. The daily westbound passenger was worked by Vryheid men with Vryheid engines and its opposite number, 556-up usually was worked by Glencoe crews and engines. This meant that after the scrapping of MH 2320 the job was done by rod engines as GLs were unsuitable and in any case could not be spared.
78. GL 2351 "Princess Alice" approaching Talana.
79. Doubleheading of Garratts was a practice commonly employed on the Natal System but rare elsewhere. On Vryheid-Glencoe block-coal working of GMAMs in double harness enabled gross loads of 1650 tons as opposed to 1240 for a single GL. This one was approaching Smith's Nek near Talana c 1966.
80. With a complete rake of clerestory stock, 556-up thrice weekly through passenger to Johannesburg via Piet Retief and Breyten, coming around the same curve as in photo 78 above but in the opposite direction. The strangely-named "Extremity" siding lies just ahead. At this point the deviation shown in the next photo rejoined the old line.
81. At Malonjeni a new bridge was being built over the Sandspruit, hence the deviation on the left. 12ARs 1523+2113 were heading a down block load of fruit from the Eastern Transvaal. In the distance the new line swings slightly to the left (i.e. north) to get over the new concrete bridge over the Sandspruit. Behind the photographer the track will link up with the earthworks shown in photo 80.
82. An unknown GL crossing the old Sandspruit bridge with empties for the mines at Hlobane.
83. A more distant view of a down block coal train crossing the old bridge over the Sandspruit. The sixties were boom times for SAR so the silvery DZ-type wagon in front of the guards van was probably on loan from Rhodesia Railways.
84. And here is the new bridge, not tentatively being negotiated by GL 2356 c April 1968
85. 556-up still on the old line between Malonjeni and Blood River in March 1968
86. Hot on its heels was this general freight being hauled by the interesting combination of 15AR 1822 and 12AR 1545. See also photos 98, 99 and 113.
87. Two 12ARs pulling away from the water stop at Tayside with a down block load of coke from the Vryheid Coronation mine's coke ovens at Hlobane in March 1968. That's the station's outer-home signal on the right.
88. Doubleheader combinations could vary. We know so little about Mervyn's photos but this one with a pair of Glencoe engines was possibly the return working of the power for 556-up that morning which prompts speculation that on this particular day the passenger might have had one coach too many for the more usual pair of 15ARs.
89. Restarting after a drink, a fire-clean and a spot of grease all round, GL 2351 "Princess Alice" sends her exhaust straight skywards, such is the strenuous pull needed to get a 1240-ton block load away from the Buffels River at Tayside.
90. These clean 15ARs look like the passenger-link engines for the Vryheid run, in which case this would be the more normal return working of the locomotives for 556-up passenger (see the caption for photo 85 above).
91. Type AY bottom and side-dumping ballast wagons for the new deviations being worked by Glencoe 14R 1740 c 1966/7
92. This pair of GMAMs have got THREE water-tank cars between them! This is an unusual working – any ideas anyone? Photo author unknown – please make yourself known to us.
93. GL 2350 departing Tayside with a block load of coal in August 1966. In 1968 class-leader 2350 was mortally wounded in a head-on collision at Doringberg.
94. Tayside: crossing of GMAM 4156 eastbound with coal empties (the same train as in photo 96) and GL 2354 with another block load of coal, March 1968
95. Tayside: 15AR 1822 + 12AR 1545 with an up goods (see photos 86, 98 & 99) meeting GMAM 4143 on a fruit working from the eastern Transvaal, March 1968
96. Tayside: GMAM 4156 with a mixture of DZ and B-bogie coal empties for Hlobane, its train so lengthy it needed to wait exactly at the clearance marker for a crossing with down block coal (photo 94), March 1968.
97. Tayside, March 1968: before the opening of Richards Bay Harbour and the new heavy-haul line; coal exports went via Durban. During the sixties this business ballooned causing a motive power crisis between Hlobane/Vryheid and Glencoe and, of course, the decision to electrify. Before that, anything that could run was roped in, including this pair of 15ARs with eastbound (i.e. coalfields-bound) empty DZs and Bs. Note the dumped 'ash ends' board; within a few months it would no longer be needed. Had electrification been postponed, say for another decade, those heaps of ash would have grown to pyramid-like proportions.
98. When neither GLs nor new GMAMs were available the ever-reliable 15ARs and 12ARs could be depended upon - in this instance 15AR 1822 + 12AR 1545 (the same train in photo 86). Tayside, March 1968.
99. And here they are blasting out of Tayside with their cargo of general goods (the dramatic departure was arranged). On the left is the fruit train which it has just crossed (photo 94).
100. Muscle-bound 12ARs taking the loop at Tayside with a down block load of coke from the Vryheid Coronation mine's ovens at Hlobane (see also photo 87) in March 1968.
101. Our heroes, the GLs, were never too far away. That's #2354 bringing its load into Tayside via the four 100ft through trusses over the Buffels River (see Bruno's historical notes).
102. David's interesting take of double-headed 12ARs about to cross the Buffels River also shows a bit of the line on the far bank, including the east outer-home board for Tayfield, all soon to be abandoned when the new six mile deviation missing out old Tayside and De Jagersdrif stations was opened.
103. When the mood took him, the late great Dusty Durrant could be as artistic as Ansel Adams himself.........
104. On 27 April 1968, very late in the day for shots on the original alignment, these 15ARs were approaching old De Jagersdrif station with westbound goods.
105. As you see, when running forwards the GLs were handsome. The original Doringberg station is in the background on the far side of the middle of the train.
106. Doringberg: 12AR 1530+15AR 1844 accelerating 556-up around the sharp curve just east of the old station (see the previous photo) in August 1966. Within a year this curve was eliminated by deviation as a prelude to electrification.
107. On 27 April 1968 driver David Guelpa obligingly agreed to run his GL chimney first. It seemed to transform the character of the whole assembly as you can see from this one of the train arriving at Blood River. Loop lengthening in progress.
108. The same 15AR doubleheader as in photo 94 crossing the original Blood River bridge in March 1968. Please correct me if I'm wrong but that looks like a 1962 Chrysler Valiant?
109. GMAM 4134 eastbound with general freight for Vryheid and beyond, March 1968. Beneath the old bridge there was a popular fishing spot as you can see from the fisherman quite oblivious of the fact that history was rattling by right over his head.
110. That same fisherman was still there later when GL 2356 came by with coal empties. Neither he nor his mate displayed much interest.
111. The old bridge was much, much more photogenic than the new concrete one - it had only opened a few days earlier.
112. A few years earlier, in August 1966 the new bridge had not yet been started, let alone completed, so without staging for his photo Victor had to shoot 556-up from below track level. The same train is in photo 106.
113. Blood River, 15AR 1822+12AR 1545 with down block coke, March 1968. This was the return working of the engines in photo 97.
114. East of the river the earthworks for the track deviation to the new bridge were already underway by mid 1966, with the 15ARs of 556-up all-clerestory passenger gingerly tip-toeing by - next stop Strathcoma.
115. GL 2353 westbound out of Strathcoma, c 1967.
116. GL 2352 with eastbound empties approaching Scheepersnek in March 1968
117. GMAM 4134 with 575-down mixed taking the old line westbound out of Scheepersnek on 27 April 1968.
118. There were only emergency water columns at Scheepersnek but our obliging driver David Guelpa stopped there to let the photographers get another photo of #2356. 27 April 1968.
119. A GL with coal empties coming around the curve into Stilwater, March 1968.
120. On Saturday 27 April 1968 a handful of photographers chased GL 2356 into Vryheid and went home. These were their last pictures of SAR's most powerful machines working what had been their home territory for more than 30 years. By December they had all been sent to the North Coast main line to see out their remaining time (with the exception of #2350). We will offer you coverage of their brief time on this route in a forthcoming edition of "Soul of A Railway".
Soon afterwards all the deviations were connected and the line was poled and wired throughout, although steam was only finally only gone by December of that year.
121. Beyer Peacock liked this one so much they used it in their 1948 catalogue. An unknown GL was leaving Vryheid for Glencoe, the station limits are just beyond the guards van. On the rail just ahead of the engine is an old-style mechanical axle counter.
122. The arrival of the first train at Vryheid (Lucas Meyer) for the official opening ceremony performed by the Governor of Natal, Sir H E McCallum, on 12 November 1903. Photo: collection Nico Moolman
123. From the THL via Les's personal collection we are able to bring you this absolutely stunning photo of the Royal Train arriving at Vryheid on 24 March 1947.
124. Another undated photo from the 1948 Beyer Peacock catalogue shows a GL about to depart for Glencoe with a block load of coal while what looks like a 14R arrives with the daily mails from Piet Retief. It will follow the coal train and overtake it not too far down the line.
125. Overall view of Vryheid yard from its western end showing unrebuilt and rebuilt class 14s departing with a GL-sized block load of coal for Glencoe and beyond.
126. Looking west, the same train with its pair of 14s getting this heavy-looking coal drag underway.
127. Until the GLs arrived five of these powerful MH Mallets were the mainstay of the coal traffic. With their starting tractive effort in excess of 82,000lbs and axleload of 18 tons they were not far off a GL in pulling ability.
128. Vryheid shed in November 1973: 14R 1711 & GMAM 4166
129. In October 1976 an ex-works 12AR 2116 was allocated to Vryheid to work construction trains in connection with doubling sections of the new Richards Bay coal line. The class 34s had been drafted in to haul heavy coal drags to the new export terminal at Richards Bay which was opened on 1st April 1976.
130. Class 14R 1723 shunting the Vryheid yards in November 1973.
131. Greg sent us this rare photo by Rob McGregor of a special trip of the Blue Train in connection with the opening of Richards Bay Harbour on 1 April 1976 - probably the only occasion that the Blue Train ever visited Vryheid.
132. "Train 556 arrived at Vryheid at 09:51. By the time your photographer had jumped off the train to get some shots of the activity in Vryheid, immaculate class 12AR 2121 was already on the move to perform some shunting movements at the back of train 556. Note the cow catcher at the back of the tender. The coaches in the background were probably from train 556 the previous day which terminated at Vryheid and which would return to Glencoe at 17:15. December 1969."
133. "Meanwhile at the front end, two 5E1s were waiting to uncouple from the original 14 vehicle load, taking suburban coach 7291 with them. No doubt coach 7291 was to be used on one of the mixed trains operating out of Vryheid to such places as Hlobane or Piet Retief. At the back end of the train 12AR 2121 has already coupled to perform the shunting movement."
134. "A quick sprint back to the other end of the train again found that #2121 had already removed a covered goods wagon marshalled just inside the two baggage vans and was replacing the vans, the nearest panelled one of type K-36 built in the 1920’s while the next one is of type K-42 first built in the 1930’s. It is presumed that the one van was for Waterval Boven and the other for Johannesburg, to be separated at Breyten."
135. "Another view of beefy 12AR 2121, smokebox starting to look a little grubby at the end of her shift."
136. "Meanwhile, back at the front an immaculate GMAM complete with water tank with white-walled tyres was already coupled to the train, now 12 vehicles (+ water tank), for the 10:22 departure to Piet Retief and Breyten [she would be recoaled in section at Sheepmoor]. The leading coach was a 3rd-class vehicle of the last version of type H-21 with squared ends."
137. "A front view of the train, with the locomotive complete with the Republic's Coat-of-Arms on its bunker partially obscuring the headlight. It looks as though 2121 may have added the goods wagon to the back of the load to be dropped off en-route but my memory has faded on this one. December 1969."
138. Another classic THL photo from Les's collection shows the Royal Train navigation the rugged country north of Vryheid en route to Piet Retief and the Transvaal.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The following photographers (some deceased) have contributed to this chapter. We offer our sincere thanks to those who provided their own photos or those of deceased friends. They are:
Andrew Deacon (formatting), Roger Griffiths, David Guelpa, Victor Hand, Charlie Lewis (photoshoping mouldy old photos), Bruno Martin/Talana Museum, John Middleton, Glen Mills, Rob MacGregor via Greg Hart, the late Roger Perry via Les Pivnic, Peter A Stow, the late Mervyn Tunmer via Les Pivnic, THL/Hussey Collection, THL/SAR via Yolanda Meyer, Michael J.M. Wright and last but not least, the Museum of Science and Industry of Manchester, United Kingdom.
A special thank you to Sarah Baines, Curator, Engineering of the Museum of Science and Industry for her provision of photos of the class GL Garratt 2352 now on display in the Museum. Also, I am very grateful to Sarah for providing a link to the Paper written by the Late Dr Richard L. Hills, M.A., D.I.C., Ph.D., C.I.Mech. E., F.M.A., Dip.Ed. which includes a gripping account of the class GL’s journey from Germiston Loco to Manchester, which I have included above.
Special thanks to my colleague Bruno Martin for providing his usual brilliant map and the historical background to the line from Glencoe to Vryheid.
This concludes the line to Vryheid. Should any more photos come to hand for the section onwards to Piet Retief, an addendum will be added to this chapter to complete the section falling under the Natal System.
Thank you for sticking with us. The next chapter on Natal will be the North Coast line from Umgeni to Golela on the Swaziland border.