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Examples of each category will be posted then we’ll move to the systems and show them at work on as many lines as possible.
A brief and somewhat iconoclastic overview of an era - now almost forgotten - when SAR helped lift South Africa from a colonial outpost to a fully-fledged first-world nation - by Les Pivnic and Charlie Lewis. We ask you to respect our copyright and mention here that it is intended to use this series of articles as the basis for a book.
Les and Charlie are working together on this project to convey to future generations the essence of a once magnificent transport network in South Africa – the South African Railways & Harbours – or simply the SAR & H.
Charlie is doing Systems 1 to 4 while Les is covering Systems 5 to 8. Many others have made contributions in telling the story of railways in South Africa. We are both grateful to those who have contributed photos and information for captions etc. Thanks also to Bruno Martin for providing beautiful and informative maps to go with each chapter. Finally, thanks to Robert Wilson of Melbourne for inspiring us to attempt something similar to his FAPS with “the other SAR”.
Until 1980 when SAR became SA Transport Services (uncanny how each name change heralded a decline in the railway's fortunes) the national railway was divided into 9 systems as follows:
1. Cape Western, based in Cape Town
2. Cape Northern, based in Kimberley
3. Cape Midland, based in Port Elizabeth (PE)
4. Cape Eastern, based in East London
5. Orange Free State, based in Bloemfontein
6. Natal, based in Durban
7. Western Transvaal, based in Johannesburg
8. Eastern Transvaal, based in Pretoria
9. South West Africa, based in Windhoek
We haven't yet decided how to deal with system 9 because neither of us went there in steam days but we will come up with a plan.
The first instalment is by way of explaining how we propose to go about this. As always, corrections, criticisms and suggestions will be gratefully received.
A brief word on why we think our SAR was excellent. Its passenger trains were slow but clean, reliable and, especially in the days of steam, hardly ever boring - eg 9-down, the Cape Town-PE mail took 39 hours to do the 675 miles at an overall average of 17mph. Having done this journey many times I have to say that it was a fabulous ride and greatly to be preferred to the one-hour flight in an aerial cattle truck. Speed isn't always the most important thing. An example away from home but relevant, is the run from Cologne to Frankfort which today can be done by ICE in one hour flat. The old Rheingold Express took 2-1/2 hours to wend its way up the left bank of the Rhine but with castles, vineyards, villages, towns and river traffic along the way it was infinitely more interesting, uncannily seeming to take less time than the ICE on its arrow-straight dash.
Our freight service was also slow but mostly pretty reliable, and it catered for all kinds of traffic that now clogs the roads. It was used by everyone from bulk users to small customers. For instance, about 40 years ago, responding to an advert in the Farmer's Weekly, my father ordered some young lemon trees from a nursery in Tzaneen. A fortnight later he was phoned by the stationmaster at Plumstead to say that his saplings had arrived. Even with road transport it would be practically impossible for a small customer to do this today. Greater Cape Town had more than a thousand private sidings which were serviced daily by SAR (sometimes several times/day). When I recently travelled around the Peninsula on Atlantic Rail specials I saw not a solitary siding that was still functioning.
Part 1
In common with most countries, South Africa’s railway network is a shadow of what it once was. The situation here has been made worse by corrupt, inept and clueless “Business Managers” from outside the industry whose positions (not to mention their outrageous salaries) stem from the misguided belief that “anyone can run a railway”. We have a message for these whiz kids: the golden age of South Africa’s railways was when everyone from lowliest platelayer to the Minister of Railways came through the ranks. In this series, Les Pivnic and I will attempt to show how excellent the SAR was, while keeping facts as historically accurate as we can.
The General Appendix to the Working Time Books (WTBs) identified several categories of train. Although there are many anomalies we have adapted them for use in this series:
The White Train: the State President’s train, discontinued in 1975
Express Passenger: the Blue Train and the Drakensberg Express
Fast Passenger: Trans Karoo, Orange Express, Trans Natal plus many others
Passenger, international (classified “fast passenger” in WTBs)
Passenger, main line
Passenger, local and outer suburban
Passenger, suburban
Mixed
Fast Goods
Goods
Pick-up and Transship
Block Loads
Special trains (railtours, departmental workings etc)
Thanks to Bruno Martin for drawing the map showing SAR as it was in 1980 and making it available for this series.
1. The White Train in charge of an immaculate 23cl 3235, driver Kallie Ludick but unfortunately his fireman’s name has been lost. At this time the train was quite different to that used by King George VI and family when they toured the Union of South Africa in 1947, although some vehicles did come from the Royal consist. The two vans are ex DZs converted to carry bullion and later adapted for the Presidential Daimlers.
The retirement of President Jim Fouche in 1975 marked the end of Presidential travel by train as Oom Jim’s successor, the disastrous President Diederichs, was not interested in visiting his “subjects” by train. A seemingly insignificant step to city-dwellers at the time but it had the knock-on effect of devaluing life in the country towns and, with hindsight, it marked the beginning of the diminishing importance of our railway system to all South Africans.
2. The southbound Blue Train, No 2-up on the 1-in-100 from Beaconsfield South to Spytfontein in December 1968. This beautiful train was built in England in 1939 by Metro-Cammell. In 1958 its classy clerestory roofline was spoilt by the introduction new twin diners from Wegmann in Germany and later, in 1963, lounge cars from Union Carriage. Due to questions in Parliament the original clerestory diners were restored to Blue Train service c 1965 but not the lounge cars. An overall average including stops of 37 mph for the 956 miles (1960), No’s 1-down and 2-up provided the fastest service between Johannesburg and Cape Town.
3. After the old Blue Train was replaced by the less elegant 1972 version, one of the original sets was repainted in a dark green livery, entering service between Johannesburg and Durban as the Drakensberg Express. The second set was stripped of its mahogany and walnut interior to be fitted out with light wood-grain Melamine panels imported from Canada. At the urging of the then General Manager, Kobus Loubser, it was repainted an anaemic pale green and replaced the original dark green set in Drakensberg Express service. The route was then extended to include the long haul from Durban to Cape Town via Bloemfontein – returning the same way and ultimately back to Johannesburg. The Drakensberg ought to have been more successful but it was saddled with the same daft schedule as the Orange Express that required both trains to run through the most scenic parts of Natal as well as Hex River Pass at night. Within three years the Durban-Cape Town leg was terminated leaving Durban-Jo’burg to carry on a while longer before it too succumbed. Note the two motor-car carriers bringing up the rear. They were adapted from standard DZ gondolas.
4. 15F on 199-down hitting her stride through Roodekop in 1959. On SAR the term “Fast Passenger” was a euphemism. Occasionally it meant trains with intermediate start to stop timings exceeding 45mph. Among the few consistently in this category were 192-up and 199-down, overnight between Durban and Johannesburg (from 1960, the “Trans-Natal”). Note the traditional SAR all-clerestory long-distance rake consisting of standard day/sleeper main line stock, dining saloon, kitchen car and baggage/guards van which also conveyed the mails. This format had been quite stable for more than 60 years but things were about to change with the introduction of Commonwealth (Australia)-designed elliptical roofed stock by Union Carriage of Nigel from 1960.
5. Coming down the scale, the Orange Express (209-down eastbound and 212-up westbound) took 41 hours to do 1,300 miles between Cape Town and Durban at an overall average of 31,7 mph although there were faster point-to-point timings (SAR wasted a lot of time in stations and engine-servicing stops). As compensation, until 1970 there were 700 miles of steam haulage with free smoke, cinders and grime (all the windows opened fully) so who was complaining? As late as 1980 there were still 250 miles of steam between De Aar and Bloemfontein. On the day this picture was made early in 1973, 3231 was heading into a violent highveld storm that resulted in the main line being washed away soon after the train had passed Houtenbeck.
6. Cresting the summit of the grade out of Beaconsfield South (smoke by arrangement). I wish it were possible to convey the sensation of unstoppable power as No 3537 surged towards Spytfontein with the up Trans Karoo. As you can see, it was going too fast for my shutter speed – I guess close to 70mph and this with 20 saloons + two motor-car carriers – about 800 tons. From 1972 the maximum permissible speed for the new diesel-hauled Blue Train had been raised to 68mph (110kmh) but steam drivers immediately made it a matter of pride to run up to this speed (and higher!) when making up time.
7. Lower yet in pecking order were No’s 51 and 52 between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Originally dubbed the "Boat Expresses" they were introduced to connect with the Union Castle Company's mail ship arrivals and departures at Cape Town before Port Elizabeth's harbour was equipped with suitable berthing facilities in 1934. By then the train had become sufficiently well-patronised for the regular once-weekly service to be continued. As air travel became more popular the service was discontinued wef the 1970 timetable but holiday workings continued for another year, hence this picture of 51-down approaching Jubilee in September 1971. The 675 miles were scheduled to take 29,5 hours at an overall average of 23mph. We kid you not, it was classified “fast passenger” in the WTBs!
8. The next category was “international passenger” (WTBs just called them “fast passenger” excepting the Maseru train for which even SAR wouldn’t have dared to use the “fast” label). 105-down and 66-up were the Cape mails that served Rhodesia. The majestic Keeromsberg looms in the background of this view of the up Rhodesia Mail approaching Worcester on the last leg of its 1,355 mile journey from Bulawayo.
9. Representing the main-line passenger category is this superb SAR official photo of 7-down in Beaufort West (print kindly lent by Peter Stow). Showing passengers stretching their legs during a typical leisurely engine change (in this case from a class 23 to a 15E) it encapsulates the glory years of SAR train travel. Note the "Blompot" (railway policeman) with his smart uniform and white pith helmet, the characterful old station building and signal cabin. The goods sidings are crammed with traffic as all up freights had to be remarshalled for the change in the ruling grades northwards and southwards from this major division point (1-in-66 to 1-in-80 northbound and 1-in-100 to 1-in-80 southbound), for which purpose the class 3R in the far left background was employed 24/7. Also in the background is a northbound goods just arrived from Touws River with a class 23 and what looks like a caboose - which gives rise to an intriguing question: is it possible that this was in fact the CME’s dynamometer car? This would date the photo to around 1949/50 when tests icw the designs for class 25 were under way.
10. Les’s photo of an archetypal outer-suburban formation, standard steam suburban coaches interspersed with hand-me-down main-line stock. The locomotive is 1970, one of Hendrie’s redoubtable class 15As still unrebuilt and later to become famous as “Milly”.
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