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NG Express
THE
OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE PORT ELIZABETH APPLE EXPRESS
Postnet Suite 124, Private Bag 13130, Humewood, Port
Elizabeth |
January 2008
| BUMPER HOLIDAY SEASON FOR THE TRAIN
The 2007/2008 holiday
season which has now drawn to a close, has seen a great
demand for the train with both Corporate year end
functions and holiday makers clamouring for tickets.
The demand for trips this year in
particular has been unusually outstanding and has put
quite a bit of strain on the limited volunteer staff who
man the train. Once again our grateful thanks go to all
the willing helpers who give of their time to keep the
train running.
It is just unfortunate that there is no working steam
locomotive in operation at the moment but even with
diesel loco power up front the day trips have been well
supported by the ticket buying public. One or two steam
enthusiasts were a bit disappointed but on the whole
everyone who took the day trip to Thornhill thoroughly
enjoyed themselves, and our train is becoming known as
the fun train.
During this past summer holiday season fourteen trains
carrying 2104 paying passengers travelled to Thornhill
and back. |
| CHARITY RUNS As part of the
Apple Express’s ongoing community service program a
large number of wheel chair bound residents from the
local Cheshire Home were treated to a day out on the
train. The following is a report received from the
residents.
Report
“Eighteen of us residents of Cheshire Home
Summerstrand were treated to a unique
opportunity and invited to a day’s outing on
the renowned “Apple Express”. The Apple
Express has specially adapted a coach with a
ramp and disabled toilet to accommodate
persons with disabilities and so can
accommodate 5 or 6 wheelchairs at a time.
Most of us residents had never travelled on
this famous train and thoroughly enjoyed the
opportunity to share this occasion with
locals and tourists. We were all ecstatic
about the trip and picnic lunch at
Thornhill.
We extend a big thank you to Lesley Lowe and
all the other volunteers who are responsible
for managing and organising the train
service and so making the day a memorable
one. Not to be forgotten were the many
passengers on the train who joined in and
assisted the volunteers unload us and get us
down from the Thornhill station platform,
across the rough ground to the Hotel, and
the picnic lunch.
It is obvious that this year the Apple
Express has enjoyed bumper crowds on the
train which is now becoming known as the
“Fun Train”. We certainly had fun.
We encourage those wanting to share this
experience to contact Lesley Lowe at 083 577
9708 for further information”
Residents of Cheshire Home Summerstrand. |
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FLOOD DAMAGE The recent flooding along the
Southern Cape coast has also affected the upper
Langkloof region with damage to the narrow gauge
line in the area. As a result the line has been
closed westward from Humansdorp although we are told
the line as far as Louterwater is ok. Transnet are
busy assessing the damage and we should know within
the next week whether they are going to repair the
storm damage after Louterwater. This has put a bit
of a damper on the up coming Geoff Cook rail tour
due to take place during May 2008.
See www.geoffs-trains.com for more details of the
tour.
Storm damaged track |
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LOCOMOTIVE NEWS With the recent death of
our steam fitter, work on the restoration of NG 15
No. 119 had come to a stop until a replacement
fitter was found. This has happened with the
appointment of Rolf van Wyngaardt who will commence
duties on 1st February. Rolf having previously
worked for the Alfred County Railway and Rovos Rail
is well qualified for the job.
As previously reported the steam tubes for the
Kalahari that were sent to the Transnet workshops in
Voorbaai for swaging, have been collected and the
private company that has been appointed to do all
the boiler work is very busy at it.
A surprise was in store for our recently appointed
Operations Co-ordinator, Willem Ferreira during a
rolling stock inspection with Peter Burton. A set of
new boiler tubes was found “hiding” away in a B
bogie. Many years ago a set of tubes was obtained
through a deal with another preservation group for
fitment to Garratt NG 11 No.54. For one reason or
other it could never be established what had
happened to the tubes. It seems that maybe the tubes
have finally been found. Further inspection of the
tubes will reveal if they are meant for No.54.
On the subject of Garratt 54, it seems that
restoration work on this loco could begin sooner
than expected. A resident from Cape Town who is
moving to Port Elizabeth has shown keen interest in
restoring the Hunslet Diesel loco standing at the
Humewood Road steam depot. But because it has
unfortunately been badly vandalised, the gentleman
was persuaded to rather put his efforts and finance
into the NG 11 Garratt. Confirmation of his decision
is eagerly awaited. |
| COACH NEWS In the meantime
our expert coach builder has been very busy
repairing and restoring various passenger coaches in
our fleet. Clive Nel (known to us as Cliffie) has
not been well lately but presses on regardless. He
is presently restoring coach 59 known as a Victorian
Coach. It was in a terrible condition after having
been used in the Langkloof to commute workers to the
farms.
During a recent inspection of wagons lying around at
the loco depots, two very strange flat wagons were
found. They had no markings or visible numbers
except for part of a number and a date – 1903. This
discovery was mentioned to David Payling in the UK
who has done extensive research on the narrow gauge
lines of South Africa and South West Africa.
According to him these wagons could have been built
for the Swakop to Karibib – Windhoek line and then
moved to the Otavi line. After its conversion to
Cape Gauge the wagons, like most of the Apple
Express stock, was sent on to Port Elizabeth. These
flats are short have no couplers and a centre
buffer. It appears that they were coupled with two
chains on either side of the chassis. What is more,
they do not have a braking system. |
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NEW FACES With the restructuring of the
Apple Express Company we welcome the following new
appointments to the firm.
Willem Ferreira – Operations Co-0rdinator and Train
Manager. Willem has already taken a lot of pressure
off the volunteers like Fred, Lesley and Peter. His
presence around the depot has already made a big
difference.
Willie Schaap – Carriage and Wagon inspector
(undercarriage maintenance).
Peter Muller – Train Manager
Rolf Van Wyngaardt – Steam Fitter
Coach Controllers – Andrew Drake
(Volunteers) - Theo Drinkwater, Michelle Hendricks
and Owen Tarr
Welcome everyone, nice to have you on board. With
your dedication the Apple Express can only move
forward. It is a pleasure to see the younger
generation getting involved in the train. We are
sill looking for a trainee steam fitter and coach
builder. |
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| HUMEWOOD ROAD STATION The
disgraceful condition of the Humewood Road Station
due to extreme vandalism has not been a pretty sight
for the holiday visitors. One small mercy was that
the ticket office building did get a fresh coat of
paint just before the summer season started. Also
the two small rusted sign boards on either side of
the station building were replaced but a lot more
work has to be done to make the place more
presentable. At least one of the wrecked toilets
will have to be rebuilt from the ground up. Work on
this will begin once an extra strong security gate
has been fitted to the entrance. At this stage it
has not been decided whether to lay on new electric
cables to the ticket office or not. Its dark
interior has been the subject of many sarcastic
comments by passengers whilst buying their tickets.
Maybe it would be more authentic if some sort of
period style portable paraffin or gas lamps could be
used to lighten the interior. These would have to be
removed by the staff on the departure of the train.
Also looking a bit drab is the weather beaten
station name board. Made from wood it is amazing how
long it has withstood the ravages of the sea air.
Once all these basic items have been attended to,
the station should once again be a presentable place
from which passengers can start their journey.
A final decision on the future of Humewood Road will
depend on the authorities.
In the meantime Lesley Lowe has attended a number of
meetings with consultants who were appointed to
prepare a Rail Tourism Plan for the Eastern Cape. |
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