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Union Limited Zambezi 9th July 2001 Photos and Report
| Anyway, we arrived there about 2:00pm to see 12AR 1535 and 15F
3016 coupled up to the Union Limited train, with Rovos Rail's 25NC
3484 in steam as well having brought a train in earlier. Some shots
were had of the Reefsteamers and Rovos loco together in the Rovos
Depot. 25NC 3410 had departed for Pietersburg the previous
afternoon, and 15F 3094 had also been running in the yard area as
well - quite a busy day at Capital Park... A false start was staged for the passengers which was quite spectacular! We set off for Wonderboompoort. The train duly arrived, but our vantage point was wiped out by a Metro set rushing by on the intervening track... (I though they were on strike?!) Traffic was a major hindrance up until Pyramid, but we managed a fine shot as the train roared through Vasfontein station. More traffic problems through Hammanskraal, but a cross at Pienaarsrivier slowed things down a little so we could set up at the crossing further north. The immaculate 12AR and 15F looked great steaming out of Pienaars in the afternoon sun. A runpast was then held at Codrington. The semaphores have disappeared from there already but the lovely station building and palm trees were quite nice. The sun was dipping low by the time they reached Willem so I took a "wrong side" shot silhouetted against the sun which was okay. On the road where we parked we noted a *huge* puff adder that had been killed by a car. I thought it strange that it would be out in winter, but a local kid told us that they had had a few of them around since the grass was burned in the paddocks. Warmbaths arrival was just after the sun had retired behind the mountains, but the operating semaphore signals made it worth a shot. They are to disappear on 23rd July and the station closed. A final sequence of the train departing for the northern parts then back to Pretoria. All pictures Copyright © 2001 Trevor Staats |
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