46-tonner NZASM loco No.213 'Australië' heading a goods train with 32-tonner rack-loco No.994 'Vaderland' banking on the approach to Waterval Boven.

INTRODUCTION

In Part 4, we continue our chronological coverage of the Eastern Line from Belfast to Machadodorp, down the Elands River Valley to Waterval Boven, Waterval Onder and Nelspruit, and then from here, through the infamous Krokodilpoort to Kaapmuiden and Komatipoort.

The history of the Eastern Line's construction from Delagoa Bay to Pretoria is covered in detail in Part 3, but a recap of some of the events may be helpful for our readers.

The first locomotive crossed the bridge over the Khomati River on 14 May 1891, followed by the opening on 1 July of the railway from the Portuguese East Africa (now Moçambique) border to Komatipoort.  By 10 March 1892, the line was completed from Komatipoort to Kaapmuiden. From this point, an alternative route was investigated to divert the line along the Kaap River valley to Barberton to provide rail access to the Kaap goldfields. This route was quickly ruled out because of the ascent of the mountains to the west, which would have entailed heavy and expensive engineering work. The preferred way lay through the narrow gorge of the Crocodile River, known as Krokodilpoort.

The contract for this section was awarded to George Pauling, a civil engineer of international repute, who vividly describes in his book 'The Chronicles of a Contractor' the appalling conditions he faced while carrying out the work: "These consisted notable of fever amongst the men, which we had been led to expect of the tsetse fly, which prevented ox-wagon transport, and of lions which found frequent and apparently satisfying meals among the donkeys. It was excruciatingly hot in the Crocodile Poort, and all my work had to be carried out by foot…".

The malaria-infested region claimed the lives of hundreds of men constructing the railway - that there was a body for every sleeper laid might well be a gross exaggeration of the toll*. While fever claimed many casualties, the heat, attacks from wild animals and dangerous reptiles also added to the death toll. The section from Kaapmuiden to Nelspruit was opened on 20 June 1892. Nelspruit remained the railhead for almost 12 months because the NZASM’s (Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij) financial resources had been severely depleted.

*In the 12 months during the construction of the line through Krokodilpoort, 127 deaths were recorded. On average, 135 men in every 1000 died of malaria.

On 1 June 1893, the line was handed over to traffic from Nelspruit as far as Alkmaar and then opened in short stages until Waterval Beneden (later Waterval Onder) was reached on 20 January 1894. To overcome a climb of 682 feet (208 metres) over a rail distance of only 4½ miles (7,2 km) to Waterval Boven required an 11 096 feet (3 382-metres) long Riggenbach ladder-type rack system on a gradient of 1 in 20. Embodied in the alignment was a curved tunnel, 233 yards (213 metres) long, blasted through the Elands River Mountain, the only tunnel on the Eastern Line. The rack-assisted section from Waterval Onder to Waterval Boven was taken into service on 20 June 1894. From here, construction proceeded without further engineering difficulties over the Highveld plateau, reaching its highest point near Belfast station, 6 279 feet (1 914 metres) above sea level.

Meanwhile, the line was also being extended from Pretoria to meet the railway coming from the east. The rails of the eastern and western sections were joined at Balmoral, 56 miles (90 km) east of Pretoria, on 20 October 1894, and at a ceremony performed at Brugspruit on 2 November, the last bolt was put in place by President Kruger. An introductory service, comprising three passenger trains a week, was inaugurated on 18 November, followed by the full service beginning on 1 January 1895. The formal opening was a lavish affair conducted in Pretoria on 8 July 1895.

The Eastern Line reaches its highest elevation above sea level near Belfast Station, given as 6463ft* in the 1930 public timetable.

* TIMETABLE ELEVATION DISCREPANCIES

IN THE EASTERN TRANSVAAL SYSTEM

There are numerous discrepancies in the elevations of the station and sidings throughout the former Eastern Transvaal system. Comparing the heights shown in pre-1975 with the later timetables reveals values revised down by 150 to 165 feet (45 to 50 metres). For example, in the 1930 timetable, Belfast was 6463 feet (1969,9 metres), but in 1978, it was given as 1914 metres (6279 feet).

Waterval Boven: the photo taken of the station name board in 1970 distinctly shows 4826ft, the same elevation given in the 1911, 1930 and 1944 timetables I have in my collection and corresponds with the metric conversion of 1471 metres in the 1972 timetable. The current station name board at Waterval Boven displays 1421 m above sea level.

Johannes Haarhoff mentions in 'Conquering the Escarpment - Railway Engineering in the Elands River Valley', Civil Engineering May 2017, page 21, "The NZASM survey was done very methodically, in four steps. First, a broad reconnaissance was made using only a barometer to determine elevation." Were the station elevations in the earlier SAR Timetables based on these barometric measurements?

1. Dalmanutha Station (146 miles from Pretoria) with later extensions to the original NZASM building photographed by the late Ralph Hardy (date not recorded). Note the pulpit on the platform for train control purposes.

In earlier times, this lonely station became somewhat notorious for the regular reports of a resident ghost of a British Army officer being seen near and around the station. Some reports even claimed actual sightings of the ghost in full military uniform! I don't think I would have fancied being a station foreman on night duty at that station! However,  according to Boon Boonzaaier, in his book 'Tracks across the Veld', the station building completely disappeared in 1965, and so did the 'ghostly rail enthusiast'.

2. Immaculately turned-out GMA No.4080 leading GMA No.4113 arriving on 13 July 1981 at Machadodorp with the daily freight from Carolina to Waterval Boven.

3. Class GMAM No.4114, illuminated by the first rays of the morning sun with a westbound ballast train, was seen roaring through Machadodorp on 20 June 1984.

4. In the seven miles from Waterval Boven to Machadodorp, the Eastern Main Line climbs 453 feet, enough to generate plenty of grunt from this GMAM working fruit empties from the Lowveld to Breyten in July 1969.

5. The famed 'Red Devil', class 26 No.3450, with a passenger train photographed on 11 June 1983 near Goedgeluk between Machadodorp and Waterval Boven.

6. Super-shine GMA No.4083 photographed in dismal weather hauling a chartered 'Drakensberg' between Waterval Boven and Machadodorp on 2 November 1980.

THE 'DRAKENSBERG'

On 4 September 1972, the first set of the new super-luxurious 'Blue Train' entered revenue-earning service in Pretoria bound for Cape Town, replacing the original 1939/40 vintage clerestory-roofed stock. The old Blue Train sets were not retired but emerged overhauled and refurbished from the Koedoespoort Mechanical Workshops sporting a deep green livery with black and white stripes named 'Drakensberg'. The first set made its inaugural trip from Johannesburg to Durban on 22 December 1973, while the second set, sporting a lighter shade of green, 'Drakensberg Green'*, was returned to revenue-earning service on 15 February 1974. Starting on 21 January 1975, the 'Drakensberg' route was extended to include the leg from Durban to Cape Town and return via Durban to Johannesburg.

(*official colour description: 'Eau-du-Nil' - 'Water of the Nile')

High maintenance costs and low occupancy rates contributed to the demise of the stately train, which saw the 'Drakensberg' withdrawn from its round trip schedule after the last journey from Cape Town to Durban via Bloemfontein was made from 29 to 31 May 1978. Its final run from Johannesburg to Durban was on 1 February 1985.

7. The chartered 'Drakensberg' headed by GMA No.4083 entering Waterval Boven Station on 2 November 1980. 

8. A busy time in the signal cabin at Waterval Boven. While one man heaves a signal lever, his colleague works with one of the van Schoor tablet machines.

VAN SCHOOR TRAIN-CONTROL INSTRUMENTS

1951 General Manager's Annual Report

The Van Schoor-type train-control instruments are the fulfilment of experiments conducted over many years by Mr M C van Schoor and encouraged by the Administration. Up to his retirement a few years ago, Mr van Schoor was attached to the staff of the Chief Electrical Engineer.

The Van Schoor instrument, which differs materially from the electric train tablet and train staff instruments used previously, consists of a series of three types, namely, (a) the "absolute" type intended to control one train at a time between two stations, (b) the "absolute/permissive" instrument which also enables two or more trains to be despatched in succession at intervals to the next station, and (c) the "crossing" instrument for the control of two opposing trains having to cross at an intermediate unattended point in a section.

The main features of the instruments are safety, simplicity and reliability,  as well as low initial and maintenance costs. In order to achieve this, the inventor had to pay special attention to such factors as the weight of the instrument, its moving parts, electrical contacts, the elimination of relays and local batteries, and the use of electromagnetic locks. A special feature of the instrument is that approximately 80 per cent of the parts are interchangeable. Production and maintenance costs are consequently low, whilst the main requisite, safety, is maintained.   A transfer magazine forms part of the absolute and absolute/permissive instruments and enables officials at both ends of the section to equalize the tokens in the instruments without interfering with the working. Since completing the first instruments, the inventor has also devoted himself to effecting further improvements by using a safety locking device.

The following is a summary of the main advantages, from an operating point of view, of the Van Schoor instrument:

(a) Inherent safety in the prevention of irregular train movements.

(b) Mass production in the Union of South Africa.

(c) Standardization of mechanical train-control instruments on the South African Railways.

(d) More effective maintenance and overhaul of instruments.

(e) Improved operation of trains and methods of transferring tokens.

(f) Better and easier training of operating and maintenance staff.

Where practicable, the Administration intends to eventually replace all other train control methods, such as telegraph order and wooden staff and paper ticket, with the Van Schoor mechanical method to obtain greater safety and efficiency.

The programme for installing the Van Schoor-type mechanical train-control instruments commenced towards the end of 1948.

For further reading, see the 1951 General Manager's Annual Report, pages 24-26.

The Van Schoor Absolute Train Token instrument is an electro-mechanical device intended for the safe working of trains on a single line.

An Absolute instrument is placed at an attended station on either side of a single line section where the running time on the section is usually not more than 12 minutes.

The instruments are connected to each other by one pair of open-wire copper conductors on a telephone route.

Each instrument has 12 tokens (tablets) in a storage magazine that is coupled to a revolving magazine.

The round disk-shaped tablet has a specific notch (configuration) cut into it and engraved with the name of the section concerned.

This means that a tablet of one instrument will not fit into an adjacent instrument for another section.

Although the instruments are large, green, bulky, metal objects, their electronic circuit is rather simple.

The mechanical side is intricate, making it virtually tamper-proof.

The circuit is similar to that of a typical doorbell. It has a send button, a battery and line wires connected to a bell at the distant station.

The battery compartment holds a number of Leclanche dry cells connected in series, sufficient to provide an operating current of 140ma for the section length concerned.

When the send button is pressed, the bell rings at the other end. The operator at the other end will press a receive button, which will activate an electromagnet (Lock coil), which will, in turn, release a revolving magazine to turn out a tablet.

The lock coil consists of two coils, each having a north and south pole, with an armature that can pivot, allowing it to be attracted to either the north or south pole face depending on the polarity of the voltage applied to the coil.

When the armature is attracted to the left (South Pole face of the coil), the in-lock mechanism of the revolving magazine is operated; this will allow the revolving magazine to turn inwards, releasing a tablet into the storage magazine,  in this case, the instruments are said to be "in phase".

When the armature is attracted to the right (North Pole face of the coil), the out-lock mechanism of the revolving magazine is operated; this will allow the revolving magazine to turn outwards, releasing a tablet out of the revolving magazine in this case, the instruments are said to be "out of phase".

When a tablet is turned out of an instrument, the polarity of the connecting circuit is reversed, thus reversing the polarity on the opposing instrument's lock coils, which will only allow the in-lock mechanism to operate; it will therefore not be possible to turn out a tablet.

After a train runs through the section, and the tablet is returned to the operator, he will place the tablet into the revolving magazine and turn the tablet into the instrument. The polarity will again be reversed, causing the instruments to be "in Phase", and a tablet will once again be available to be withdrawn from either instrument.

When a train has to enter a section, the station foreman sends out the code of the particular type of train, e.g. 3-1, indicating a passenger train.

The foreman at the distant end hears the bell code and then replies by pressing his send button.

The station foreman initiating the action then presses his receive button and turns out a tablet. The tablet is then placed in a round wire/PVC-coated receptacle (pouch) and handed to the driver.

The driver proceeds through the section, assured that no train can come from the other end because the tablet instruments are electro-mechanically locked (out of phase), and no tablet can be removed from the opposing instrument.

When the train arrives at the other end of the section, the station foreman retrieves the tablet, places it in the revolving magazine, sends a code to the sending station, the sending station sends current, and the tablet is turned back into the instrument, thus electro- mechanically unlocking the instruments again (in phase).

There are, however, different instruments to provide for absolute working (one train only in a section), permissive (two or more trains travelling in the same direction), interworking instruments (allowing trains to cross at an interloop), banking instruments (for banking locomotives) and subsidiary instruments (used where there is a spur route between two stations.

Absolute/Permissive instruments were painted green, Interworking instruments — red, and later, absolute/automatic instruments — metallic grey. The lids were also changed to a triangular pyramid shape to prevent guards from placing their lamps thereon.

If the running time in a section was longer than 12 minutes, trains could be dispatched in a permissive sequence, e.g. trains could follow each other. In this instance, permissive instruments (also painted green) were used.

Permissive instruments had the capability of issuing a number of tablets (maximum 12) from the dispatching station;  no tablet could be removed from the distant end. Only after all the trains had reached the distant end and all the tablets were replaced in that instrument, could any tablets be withdrawn from the distant instrument.

Interworking instruments worked in conjunction with an absolute/ permissive instrument; they were painted red. A tablet would be withdrawn from the absolute instrument, placing the instruments out of phase and placed into the interworking instrument; in so doing, absolute or permissive working was locked.

This would enable the operator at either end to withdraw an interworking token. The driver of each opposing train would then use this token as his authority to proceed to the crossing interloop where the two trains would cross; the drivers would swap the tokens and continue to the next respective station.

This article was published in SA RAIL, Vol.56, No.3, 2018, page 30 and is reproduced with permission from the editor Len Smuts.

9. Another photo of the signal cabin taken in October 1965 shows just part of the long row of signal/points levers and the standard framed yard diagram mounted above the levers.

10. A class GMAM fitted with a smoke cowl over the chimney waits opposite the Waterval Boven station buildings for her driver to move on to the Loco Depot for servicing before returning to Nelspruit and Komatipoort. The GMAM's smoke cowl was designed for tunnel operation, where the deflection plate was drawn over the chimney to drive the smoke and cinders down alongside the train. It was a controversial device, and not many drivers used it.

Note the station buildings in the background that date back to NZASM* days. The book 'NZASM 100' describes the station building as a simple rectangular structure housing offices and storerooms covered by long-pitched, corrugated iron roofs with end gables. The quaint signal cabin perched on the rooftop was an unusual feature. The extended, elongated platform could handle a large volume of traffic.

*Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (Netherlands-South African Railway Company)

11. Dick Manton captured a wonderful sunset image of the 'Eastern Flyer' at Waterval Boven just before GMAM No.4113 in charge set off for Waterval Onder on 29 November 1981.

12. Dennis Moore explains: Waterval Boven goods yard where GMAM No.4108 has just commenced its day shift shunting duties, whilst sister No.4114 sets out westwards, initially along the main line to Machadodorp, with a permanent way working. Date of photograph: 20 June 1984.

13. Serving the main lines to the Witwatersrand and Natal, Waterval Boven (along with Capital Park, Witbank, Nelspruit, Komatipoort and Lourenço Marques) was one of the more important sheds along the main line. In steam days, all trains changed locomotives here, although during the last decade before full electric working, the somewhat erratic arrival of class 32s on loan from South West Africa heralded the eventual disappearance of steam (it should be mentioned that until then, the Eastern Main Line had been the preserve of classes 14A, 15A, 15CA and GMAM, with occasional visits from 15Fs during the 1960s).

14. A visit to Waterval Boven Loco Depot on 13 December 1964 provided Les's camera with quite a spread of engine power from the left: class 7A No.1019, a GMAM, a 15CA and a 15CB (engine numbers not recorded).

15. Next in line to be photographed at the departure roads of Waterval Boven's Depot were class 32 diesel-electric No.32-109 and GMAM No.4069 with smoke cowl. Before electrification in April 1966, several class 32 diesels* were brought to Waterval Boven to assist with traffic down to and up from Komatipoort.

* One hundred and fifteen class 32 high-nose diesel-electric locomotives (U18C1 model designation) delivered by the General Electric Company of the USA were placed in traffic between 1959 and 1961.

16. Another spread of engine power at Waterval Boven Loco – from the left: a class 15F with a GMAM behind her; an unidentified Watson reboiler of a Hendrie engine and on the right, another GMAM – all being prepared for their next turns of duty.

17. This photo at Waterval Boven Loco, taken by Dick in November 1980, provided a further spread of motive power with lonesome class S2 0-8-0 No.3706 and several GMAM/GMAs.

18. Dennis Moore informs us: Star of the show at Waterval Boven shed in the early hours of 7 June 1982, class S2 0-8-0 No.3706 outlived all the other class members by several years. Moreover, it served Waterval Boven as shed pilot until the end of steam there, becoming the last steam locomotive to work there in regular commercial service. Following withdrawal, it did various tasks based at Springs, Krugersdorp, George and Voorbaai before finding a place in the Transnet Transport Museum in George, Western Cape Province.

Waterval Boven Steam Shed closed at 5 pm on Friday, 1 March 1985, when the last remaining class S2, No.3706, dropped its fire. This momentous occasion ended 94 years of continuous steam.

19.  This evocative night scene photographed by Dennis captures class 24 No.3688, plus various GMA/Ms at Waterval Boven Shed on 19 June 1984.

20. Class S2 No.3706 can't escape the cameras! So here she is again taking the limelight in Dick's photo at Waterval Boven Shed on 2 November 1980. A couple of GMAMs are seen behind No.3706.

21. Class 15CA No.2072 departs Boven with a mixed goods train, heading for Nelspruit. Note the three bogie wagon runners separating the engine from the petrol tank cars.

22. The Oosterlijn Steam Association operated most Sundays and public holidays from Waterval Boven to Waterval Onder from the mid-1990s until 2005, when its contract with Transnet was not renewed and ceased to operate. GE diesel-electric loco No.31-009 of 1958 vintage (ex-Germiston) was the last operational class 31. The operators were the caretakers of the following steam locos at the Waterval Boven Depot: on Transnet Heritage Foundation 'lease-lend' were historic ex-NZASM    0-6-4T, No.230 ('Jan Wintervogel', W/No.2945/1898), 15F No.2985, 15F No.2909, 25NC No.3476 'Griet'* (W/ No.27336/1953) GMAM No.4056 (ex-Malelane) and GCA No.2621 (ex-Nelspruit). Also, privately-owned 19D No.2526 ex-Railcor Welkom.

*In the early 1990s, Class 25NC No.3476 regularly hauled the 'Trans-Karoo' from Johannesburg to Klerksdorp on Friday afternoons.

POSTSCRIPT

According to SA Rail (Vol.46, No.1, 2008, p.20), the Waterval Boven Steam Club (a Section 21 company), comprising the same members who got the Oosterlijn Steam Association off the ground, had secured the collection of locos at Waterval Boven. Two locomotives, class 19D No.2526 and class 31-009, that belonged to Dr Mike Albers, had been sold to a local enthusiast, who let them stay with the collection. SA Rail, Vol.49, No.2, 2011, p.12, reported that the Waterval Boven locomotive, class 19D No.2526, was rescued after almost being lost to a scrap dealer. In another development, SA Rail, Vol.49, No.3, 2011, p.12 reported that RRL Grindrod took GE-built-D-E No.31-009. After conversion to a low-nose unit, it entered industrial service in Welkom. Theft and vandalism after that took their toll in 2016 when the locomotives were left stranded. 

A report in the November 2014 Highveld Gazette by Deon Venter titled ‘A Heritage lost – Jan Wintervogel leaves Boven’ laments “Thursday, 23 October was a sad day in the history of Waterval Boven. After more than 100 years of faithful service, Jan Wintervogel no longer lives in Boven. He has gone – slipping away quietly in the early hours, unnoticed as the town slept. And the sad part is that many residents have no idea who Jan Wintervogel was, what he meant to generations of residents, or what an irreplaceable piece of history and heritage of Boven has been lost.”

Finally, after the big lift and securing completed on the low-bed trailer, Jan departed a little before 3 a.m. for Bloemfontein. NZASM B No.230 'Jan Wintervogel' was reported under cosmetic restoration in 2018 by the Sandstone Heritage Trust. (Listed under the Heritage Rolling Stock Status Report published in SA Rail, Vol.56, No.2, 2018, p.16)

22A: class 25NC No.3476 ‘Griet’ & class 15F No.2985 ‘Lynette’.

22C: GMAM No.4056 (ex-Malelane).

22D: GCA No.2621 (ex-Nelspruit).

22E: ex-NZASM 0-6-4T, No.230 ('Jan Wintervogel').

22F: class 15F No.2909.

The most dramatic section of the 'Oosterlijn' lies in the Elands River Valley between Waterval Boven and Waterval Onder and, therefore, deserves to be covered in more detail. The railway first follows the Leeuspruit Valley from its source near Belfast and then, at Machadodorp, continues along the Elands River Valley until its confluence with the Crocodile River, over a distance of 68 miles (109 km), during which it descends 2800 feet (853 m).

23. The rugged terrain between Waterval Onder and Waterval Boven presented the most significant engineering challenge on the Oosterlijn route. A sheer rock wall blocks the passage up the Elands River Valley, where the Elands River tumbles 295 feet (90 metres) over a cliff face.

Mountain passes have always been a focal point for railway engineering accomplishments in South Africa. Engineer Wells Hood devised in 1874 a tortuous 1 in 40 graded route for the Cape Government Railway's Western Line to overcome the Hex River Mountains. At Majuba and Van Reenen in Natal, the railway engineers of the Natal Government Railways resorted to laying reverses (switch-backs) for the ascent of the Drakensberg. But, here in the Elands River Valley, the NZASM engineers opted not only to take the shortest route for the ascent of the Drakensberg escarpment between Waterval Beneden, later Waterval Onder ('below the waterfall') and Waterval Boven ('above the waterfall') but introduced a rack-assisted railway - only one of two places on the African continent to have this claim to fame.

Google Earth imagery with an overlay depicting the railway alignments between Waterval Onder and Waterval Boven showing the original 1894 rack-assisted route; the deviation opened in 1908 with later track refinements.

From June 1894 until April 1908, a small fleet of steam locomotives, each equipped with a cogwheel drive, was assigned to assist trains on the rack rail section between Waterval Onder and Waterval Boven in the Elands River Valley. This section of the 'Oosterlijn' (Eastern Line), linking Pretoria to Delagoa Bay, was South Africa's only rack-assisted railway and only one of two on the African continent*.

* There were four locations in Africa (two on the continent and two on islands) where rack assistance was used – of these, the two best known were the section between Waterval Onder and Waterval Boven in South Africa (3 382 metres long) and the Lengue Gorge (2 136 metres long) on the Benguela Railway in Angola. Both were of the Riggenbach Rack System. In addition, there were two lesser-known rack-assisted railways: one operated on the island Bioko (formerly named Fernando Pó), previously a Spanish possession in the Gulf of Guinea (400 metres long), and the other on the Portuguese Island Madeira, off the coast of Morocco (West Africa).

Compared with other rack-assisted railways worldwide, the incline between Waterval Onder and Waterval Boven was neither overly steep nor of any significant length, but it is one of 175 locations listed where a rack system was installed.

Whereas numerous rack-assisted railways in Europe and the USA have remained in operation since their inception over 100 years ago, the rack operation in South Africa only lasted 14 years before it was discarded and replaced with an easier graded alignment.

24. The Rigibahnen terminus at Rigikulm (1752 m elevation) in Switzerland. The 1435 mm gauge Vitznau-Rigibahn, which opened in 1871, was the first to use the Riggenbach rack system. It laid the foundation stone for a new era of mountain railway construction in Europe. No other country in the world has so many rack-assisted railways as Switzerland.

25. Rack tunnel cross-section

(Diagram from NZASM Gedenkboek)

26. Cross-section of the NZASM tunnel showing its restrictive clearance.

(Diagram from NZASM Gedenkboek)

According to 'NZASM 100' (De Jong, van der Waal & Heydenrych), page 153: "An interesting feature of the tunnel that is not generally known is that it was equipped with a gauge at each entrance. There were for the use of goods trains: because the tunnel was so narrow – there was only 500 mm between the sides of the trains and the tunnel walls – goods trains had to pass the test of the gauge; otherwise, they might have become stuck in the tunnel if loaded too high."

27. Specifications for a cutting through rock (dimensions in cm).

(Diagram from NZASM Gedenkboek)

NZASM rack locomotive, Nos.991-993 (1894) & 994 (1897).

Tractive effort: 27 154lbs at 75 per cent boiler pressure.

Water: 550 gallons, coal: 1 ton.

Weight of engine in working order: 29·63 tons.

(Diagram: 'The locomotive in South Africa', Chapter IV – The NZASM,

SAR & H Magazine, November 1944, p.843)

30. Three 32-ton 0-4-2T locomotives, ordered from Maschinenfabrik Esslingen (Esslingen Engineering Works founded in 1846 by Emil Kessler), Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and placed in service in 1894, initially provided the motive power for the rack section*.

* Rack locomotives: '32-tonners': No. 991 'Vierkleur' (W/No.2642); No.992 'Driekleur' (W/No.2643); No.993 'Republiek' (W/No.2655), were placed in service in 1894.

31. Rack locomotive No.994, 'Vaderland', was placed in traffic in 1897. The fourth engine was of the same design as Nos.991, 992 and 993, but with increased coal and water storage capacity, was also obtained from Esslingen Engineering Works. This loco was rated as hauling 120 to 140 tons with ease. The relatively small rack locomotives gave good service for many years until the rack section was replaced with a deviation in April 1908.

The rack driving mechanism comprised a directly driven cogwheel on a separate axel between the two sets of driving wheels. This axle was coupled to the driving wheels through side rods connected directly to crank discs mounted on the ends of the axle outside the frame. These crank discs were grooved to act as brake drums. When a loco descended the grade, the main steam cylinders were used as an 'air brake'. A three-way valve fitted to the exhaust pipe and operated by levers from the footplate isolated the exhaust from the blast pipe to admit air to the steam chests. The air entering through the exhaust ports reversed the operation in the cylinders and exhausted through the steam ports into the steam pipe led away by a 1½ inch branch pipe to the rear of the engine. The driver could regulate the amount of compression with a valve in the branch pipe. A small amount of water was allowed to enter to keep the cylinders cool, but care had to be taken to prevent undue compression and broken cylinder covers. Of course, during the braking operation, the steam regulator remained closed.

In addition, a loose cog wheel was attached to the leading axle, which also meshed with the rack ladder. With grooved brake drums bolted to each side of the cogwheel acted as brakes when applied by a hand mechanism on the footplate. The brakes on the locomotive's driving and loose wheels were each separately controlled, while the vacuum brake was solely used to control the train's brakes.

Once the teeth were engaged with the rack, they remained in mesh from end to end. The tricky part lay at the entry or 'tongue' at either end where the pinion engaged with the rack ladder, and any careless handling by the engine driver could damage the rack teeth.

32. 46-tonner NZASM loco No.213 'Australië' heading a goods train with 32-tonner rack-loco No.994 'Vaderland' banking on the approach to Waterval Boven.

Acting as the banking engine, the rack locomotive was placed at the train's rear for 'up' journeys. On 'down' journeys, it was placed at the head of the train to provide braking power while the train's locomotive brought up at the rear. Typically, loads of 120 to 140 tons could be handled, but occasionally, two rack locos were employed with a corresponding increased load. The average duration of each trip was an hour, which included marshalling the load, coaling and watering. When the line opened in 1894, it was a single track with no passing loop*; therefore, only one train at a time could occupy the line between Waterval Onder and Waterval Boven.

*Johannes Haarhoff mentions in 'Conquering the Escarpment-Railway Engineering in the Elands River Valley', Civil Engineering May 2017, page 21, a "siding", Ondervalle, located roughly halfway on the rack section between Waterval Boven and Waterval Onder. It is unknown whether this "siding" was a passing loop; if it was, it would have required some complex arrangement at the points. The photo below shows the points at one of the stops on the Rigibahn.

33. The complex arrangement of the points (switches) on the Riggenbach system photographed at Rigi Kaltbad-First, Switzerland. Take note of the rails disappearing beyond the edge of the platform; the maximum gradient on the line is 25 per cent (1 in 4).

34. The entry or 'tongue' at either end where the pinion engaged with the rack ladder – this photo shows the 'tongue' at the Waterval Onder entry.

After being in operation for eight years, the traffic volume had increased steadily, and the rack railway's capacity to shift the tonnages it was required to handle was then being taxed to the hilt. In 1903, 406 000 tons had been conveyed from Delagoa Bay to the Rand. This figure increased to 458 000 tons in 1905, while the total tonnage moved that year, amounting to 687 000. At best, the rack section's capacity was stretched to its limit, handling 2 500 tons a day, and with the increasing amount of traffic offing, it was fast becoming a serious impediment. Consequently, building a deviating to bypass the rack-assisted section of the line received urgent attention.

35. CSAR class M rack locomotive, No.996, was placed in service in 1905.

Due to the increased demand in the carrying capacity of the Eastern Line, two rack-adhesion locomotives were ordered from the Vulcan Foundry in December 1902. Upon arriving in 1905, these side-tank locomotives with a 4-6-4 wheel arrangement were designated class M, Nos.995 & 996 (W/Nos.1942-1943) by the Central South African Railways (the CSAR was formed by the amalgamation of the NZASM and the Free State Railways following the end of the Second South African War of 1899-1902). These engines had four cylinders: the two outside cylinders, 18-inch (457 mm) in diameter and 20-inch (508 mm) stroke, drove the conventional coupled wheels. Independent of the adhesion engine, the rack engine also comprised two similarly-dimensioned cylinders, driving the cogwheels on a frame suspended from the leading and the coupled wheel axles. Both cylinders were steamed when engaging the rack, and traction was obtained from both the rack pinions and the adhesion driving wheels. However, tests showed they could not maintain steam and had insufficient adhesive weight to prevent slipping on the steep gradient.

The combined capacities of the side and bunker tanks were 1 200 gallons of water and 2½ tons of coal. In full working order, the engine weighed 84 tons 5 cwt. At 75 per cent boiler pressure, the adhesive engine developed 23 175 lb and the rack engine 27 050 lb, giving a total tractive effort of 50 225 lb.

These locomotives were failures and were removed from service in 1906, while the original rack engines were kept in good working order until the rack section was abandoned in 1908.

36. From the eastern portal of No.1 Tunnel to the next cliff was less than 500 feet (152 metres), where a tight 450-foot (137-metre) radius curve on an embankment was necessary.

The final part of the descent is made around a tight 411-foot (125-metre) radius horseshoe curve to bring the line down to the Eland River. As the line approaches the river near milepost 7 (11,2 km), the horizontal distance between the upper and the lower levels of the track formation is only 28 feet (8,5 metres), while the vertical difference is 105 feet (32 metres).

Finally, a curved bridge comprising five 50-foot (15-metre) spans brings the line over the Elands River at 7½ miles (12 km). A junction with the original line was made about 1 mile (1 600 metres) west of Waterval Onder. There were 56 curves, of which sixteen were of 14 degrees (411 feet / 125 metres) radius, making up 14 095ft (4 296 metres) of the deviation's total length. The distance between Waterval Boven and Waterval Onder was 8½ miles (13,7km) on the deviation compared to 4½ miles (7,2 km) via the rack section.

37. A goods train crossing the curved bridge over the Elands River near Waterval Onder.

The new alignment, costing the CSAR administration some £140 000, was opened on 1 April 1908. Costing on average £18667 per mile (1,6 km), it ranked as the most expensive section of railway constructed at that time. However, the immediate benefit came from eliminating the need to split loads, saving operating costs between £7 000 and £10 000 per annum. In addition, both the locomotive depot and repair workshop Waterval Onder were closed down. The transfer of the staff to Waterval Boven was also greatly welcomed as the town was located on a higher elevation and thus provided healthier living conditions.

The December 1973 Newsletter of the Railway Society of Southern Africa (RSSA) published the following information on the motive power position at Waterval Boven for 1917:

Class 2: Nos.762, 763; Class 2C: No.766; Class 3: No.1458; Class 6: No.433; Class 6H: No.628; Class 6J: No.648; Class 8C: No.1162.

Class 14A Nos.1576, 1577, 1578, 1580, 1582, 1583, 1584, 1585, 1587, 1588, 1591, 1594 & 1916.

Class 14B: No. 1750.

38. The newly completed Elands River double-track reinforced concrete arch bridge (eight spans of 40 feet/12 metres on a radius of 500 feet/152 metres) near Waterval Boven and the construction of track modifications are evident in the above photograph.

According to the 1965 General Manager's Annual Report, the partial doubling and deviation of the line were completed that year, commencing at Waterval Boven to Ondervalle (6,09 km). This work included a new bridge over the Elands River and twinning the tunnels. The upper crossing of the Elands River is made on a new curved bridge; the deck spans of the old bridge were removed, but the concrete piers were left in situ. Twin No.1 Tunnel, built in 1964, is 1 506 feet (459 metres) long, while the original 1907 No.1 tunnel, 1 250 feet (381 metres) long, presented many difficulties, including lowering the formation by 2 feet (610 mm) and replacing portions of the concrete lining to give sufficient clearance for installing the overhead electrical contact wire.

A new tunnel (No.3), 1 037 feet (316 metres) long, was built on a radius of 450 feet (137 metres) to replace the 1905 No.2 tunnel because of insufficient clearance for electrification. The abandoned tunnel was incorporated into a maintenance road. There is another double-track section, beginning just before the new lower bridge over the Elands River (the remains of the old 1908 single-track bridge structure have been left standing alongside) and ending at Waterval Onder. This lower bridge and doubling of the track are of more recent construction, possibly done in conjunction with the new national road overpass that opened in the early 1970s.

After the clang and clatter of the rack railway had ended in 1908, the old railway tunnel was used as a road tunnel during the 1920s. Now, it stands as a silent sentinel to a past engineering achievement. At Waterval Boven stands a monument paying homage to the lives sacrificed while building the Eastern Line. There is the Five Arch Bridge and a list of monuments further afield associated with the Second South African War (1899-1902), such as Krugerhof and the battlefield at Bergendal.

39. The wreckage was strewn below the Elands River Bridge.

While the two locomotives, their tenders and two coaches made it across the bridge, five coaches fell up to 55 feet into the riverbed below. The sixth coach was left dangling over the edge of the abutment.

40. The first passenger coach behind the second locomotive's tender was laying on its side while the next coach was reduced to planks beside the track.

For further information, the complete Police Report of the accident was published in NONQAI, Vol.13, No.12C, December 2022 (South African Railway Police History, editor: Brig. H B Heymans, SAP Ret.).

https://issuu.com/hennieheymans/docs/00_nongqai_vol_13_no_12c

41. Memorial erected in 1999 at the accident site. Only the concrete piers remain of the old bridge where the accident happened.

42. The NZASM plaque and rack rail section at Waterval Boven Station was inaugurated on 28 August 1934 by 

T H Watermeyer, General Manager of the South African Railways and Harbours.

GEWYD AAN DE NAGEDAGHTENIS VAN LEDEN VAN HET PERSONEEL DE LANGS DE OOSTERLYN HUN LEVEN LIETEN.

"Dedicated to the memory of members of staff who lost their lives along the Eastern Line."

The giant boulder was brought up from the Gorge by rail in 1934; the rail section, complete with a piece of rack ladder, was added circa 1948.

43. The National Monument's plaque near the eastern tunnel portal. The tunnel was declared a National Monument on 

29 August 1962. 

44. A section of rail and rack at the eastern tunnel portal.

45. The NZASM rack railway tunnel was incorporated into the road, opened in 1926, connecting Waterval Boven to Waterval Onder.

46. The historic five-arch NZASM rail bridge over the Dwaalheuwelspruit was built by the stonemasons employed by B Warren and W M Royce, the railway construction contractors for the Waterval Boven-Waterval Onder section. This bridge was declared a national monument in 1963.

47. View of the 'Five-arch Bridge' deck and the old trackbed heading towards a cutting in the background.

48. This 1962 photo shows the old road linking Waterval Boven to Waterval Onder, which followed the old railway formation of NZASM's 'rack rail', including the tunnel opened in 1926.

The gravel road was later rerouted to bypass the tunnel on a steep ascent to Waterval-Boven. During the early 1970s, the road through the Elands River Valley was upgraded to become the alternative branch of the N4.

49. Former NZASM 46-tonner locomotive 'Paul Kruger' (aka 'Roos'), built by Maschinenfabrik Esslingen (Esslingen Engineering Works founded in 1846 by Emil Kessler), Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in 1893, works number 2598, heading the commemorative train on its departure on 14 August 1970 from Waterval Boven. Minister of Transport, B J Schoeman, stands on the footplate.

50. A crowd of onlookers watched as the Minister of Transport B J Schoeman unveiled the plaque at Waterval Onder Station on the 75th Anniversary of the opening of the NZASM Railway. 

51. On the return journey, Ben Schoeman*, who had joined the SAR as a fireman‡, was on the footplate and took over as driver for the last part of the return trip to Waterval Boven.

Later that afternoon, there was a braai at the Waterval Boven's sports ground with an 'os' on the spit, 'pap en wors' was served, and refreshments could be purchased at the 'kroeg' to round off the day.

* Ben Schoeman was Minister of Transport from 1954 to 1974.

‡ He was a fireman on Class 16B No.805 from 1931 to 1933.

52. An unidentified GMAM heading a goods train on the realigned double-track approaching Waterval Boven Station in 1965.

54. This unique view from the old road towards the Eastern Main Line, taken through a telephoto lens, looks across the lip of the Elands River Falls. GMAM No.4069 was photographed running downgrade with a goods train on 13 December 1964. Heavy earthworks were in progress, twinning the line to the No.1 Tunnel portal.

56. This photo shows GMAM No.4069 with her goods load, negotiating the Pass downgrade towards Waterval Onder.

57. Further down the Pass, two 15ARs wait in the siding at Ondervalle to cross the GMAM and her train before setting off for Waterval Boven with their load of goods. Before the GMAMs arrived in the late fifties on this section, the smaller class 12A and double-headed 15ARs, were the standard form of motive power between Waterval Boven and Komatipoort.

59. In September 1962, a single 15AR was seen working a passenger train up the Pass between Waterval Onder and Waterval Boven.

60. This panorama of the Elands River Valley captures the beauty of the Eastern Transvaal scenery to rival the Cape. To add rail interest to the scene, a 15CA blows down while waiting at the Ondervalle loop. The earthworks associated with the twinning of this section can be seen in the distance on the approach to the No.2 Tunnel.

On the opposite side, just visible on the bottom right of the photo, the gravel road formerly the trackbed of the NZASM rack railway between Waterval Onder and Waterval Boven.

61. On 31 May 1965, Les was in this scenic area and walked the Pass between Waterval Boven and Waterval Onder. While doing so, a class 15F came trundling by with a string of empties heading downgrade to Waterval Onder.

Until the introduction of electric traction in April 1966, more than 80 trains operated up and down the Pass daily during the Lowveld citrus season. As the photos show, Class 15F, GMAM Garratts, and diesel-electric locomotives provided the motive power.

62. Another goods train, headed by GMAM No.4060, came by. On the left below the Garratt, the view takes in the Elands River Valley and the road following the old trackbed.

63.  Another view of the same Garratt as in the previous photo, continuing to make its way down the Elands River Pass.

64. Two class 32 diesel-electric locos also put in an appearance – Nos.32-109 and 32-103 trailing quite a heavy goods load down to Waterval Onder and on to Nelspruit.

65. The same two class 32s with their 'heavy load' had to be photographed again as the train worked its way down to Waterval Onder. The anti-diesel fan club would have had a field day describing the 'heavy load' that the 32s were taking down the mountain! Note the neatly trimmed ballast! 

66. This 'on-train' shot of a GMAM working train 508 was passed on to Les by the photographer, who knew of his interest in railways. He took the photo in October 1965. Unfortunately, the name of the person who generously gave Les the slides has been lost in his memory banks. 

The earthworks are in progress for the track duplication between the east portal of No.1 Tunnel and Ondervalle.

67. The immaculately turned out GMAM No.4122 working on 22 April 1984, the 'Selati Limited'* between Waterval Boven and Ondervalle. Two Class 24s were running light engine on this bi-directionally signalled main line section and were paused for photographers to take the photo.

*The 'Selati Limited' operated from 19 April 1984 to 22 April 1984 on a round trip from Johannesburg to Pietersburg, Tzaneen, Nelspruit, Sabie, and Nelspruit and returned to Johannesburg via Pretoria.

John Middleton, who was standing next to Dennis when this photo was taken, explains: "This shot with two class 24s was taken on the 'Selati Limited' rail tour, which we had used on the Graskop branch. They followed us light engine up the hill from Waterval Onder. So, we got them to stop in the section while we did a run-past with the GMAM 4122 on the other line (this section was bi-directionally signalled back then). It was a completely inaccessible place to get a photo otherwise, and I think the first time a Railtour run-past had been attempted."

68. This splendid panorama of the Elands River Valley was also passed on to Les by the 'on-train' photographer. It shows a GMAM working hard to drag her goods train up the Elands River Pass to Waterval Boven in October 1965.

The single-track bridge has since been replaced with a double-track structure when the gravel road seen disappearing around a bend in the distance was upgraded. The level crossing was replaced with an overhead road bridge.

69. The Late Ralph Hardy photographed two 15ARs crossing the curved Elands River bridge at Waterval Onder. The date is unknown, but probably taken in the 1950s.

71. At the same unguarded, read dangerous, level crossing on 14 August 1970, class 5E1 No.1019 headed a goods train over the curved bridge over the Elands River. The driver gave a friendly greeting.

72. On 13 December 1964, Les photographed GMAM No.4069 again with a coal train heading for Nelspruit, crossing the curved bridge at Waterval Onder. Note the electrification masts in place.

73. Another photo from the THL's archives, dated 1945, shows a 15AR with a goods train near Waterval Onder. 

74. The late Ralph Hardy, in the same area as the previous THL photo, took this photo of another 15AR working a goods train heading for Waterval Boven. Photographed in the 1950s.

75. On 13 December 1964, this GMAM Mo.4139 was seen working hard with her load of goods, heading for Waterval Boven.

76. Going back to the NZASM days, we see the engine roundhouse at Waterval Onder with an array of 46-tonner engines all sitting in their stalls. From the left: No.81 'Regborn Smitt'; No.219 'Joris van Spilbergen'; No.117 'Johann Bax'; No.188 'Jan Steen'; the engine numbers of the last two on the right are not clear enough to be confident, so I hesitate to provide their names. The 5th engine from the left appears to be No.147 'Sirius'. The local engine staff seemed serious about posing for the cameraman. Not a smile to be seen!

Before 1908, Waterval Onder had a larger loco shed than Waterval Boven. After the opening of the deviation, the loco servicing facilities were moved to Waterval Boven. As a result, Waterval Onder lost its importance as a loco depot, and the iconic roundhouse was demolished.

When the rack locos were retired, classes 5, 6 and 7 took their place. During 1913/14, class 14 locos were introduced, and loads from Waterval Boven to Waterval Onder were increased to 1000 tons. Such a size load was unheard of during the years of the rack-operated railway. R Williams, the loco foreman at Waterval Boven, got on the footplate to dispel any doubts drivers may have had about taking this size load down to Waterval Onder.

77. In the 1940s and 1950s, class 15A and 15AR engines handled most of the traffic between Waterval Boven and Komatipoort.  Here is an unidentified 15A seen at Waterval Onder with a goods train.

The following six photos were all taken by the Late Ralph Hardy at Waterval Onder, probably in the 1950s.

78. A 15AR with her goods load, ready for the big climb to Waterval Boven.

79. These two class 24s must have been relatively new when Ralph took this photo at Waterval Onder. The firemen are laying on the coals for the fierce climb facing them on their way up the Elands River Pass to Waterval Boven. 

80A. Ralph had a ball at Waterval Onder with his camera: here are two 15ARs with their safeties lifting, ready to tackle the Pass up to Boven. I would love to have heard their stack-talk as Ralph made this photo! Just peeping in on the left, it looks like a 12A is also getting ready to attack the climb up to Waterval Boven!

80B. Another superb photo by the late Ralph Hardy of a Class 12A arriving with a goods train at Waterval Onder. Photos of unrebuilt 12As on the main line are rare.

81. Another 15AR drifts quietly into Waterval Onder (172 miles from Pretoria) with a load of coal for Nelspruit and Komatipoort. The class 15ARs were, for many years, the standard power on the Eastern Line.

Forming an impressive backdrop to this quiet scene are the Drakensberg Mountains.

83. Ralph's last shot at Waterval Onder shows a handsome unidentified class 15A with the original narrow cab rolling in from Nelspruit. 

84. This shot brings us forward to October 1965 – the station building at Waterval Onder, photographed by Les's 'on-train' photographer. 

85. Les's 'on-train' mystery photographer also took this shot of an impatient GMAM, fitted with a smoke cowl over the chimney, waiting to attack the climb up to Waterval Boven.

86. On 13 December 1964, two class 32 diesel-electrics, with 32-108 leading, arrived from Nelspruit with their goods train – this time a genuine 'heavy load'! Note the beautiful gardens with flowers and shrubs, everything neat and tidy – this is how the staff maintained SAR stations under an enthusiastic Station Master - the 'Essem'. Sadly, this is no longer the case on what is left of the Railways today!

87. This depressing scene of the derelict Waterval Onder Station was photographed on 29 October 2014.

88. The abandoned superstructure and concrete piers of the earlier (1908) rail bridge and the newer double-track alignment crossing the Elands River near Waterval Onder. The upgraded N4 crosses the railway on an overhead bridge, replacing the dangerous level crossing seen in photos 63 and 64.

89. Krugerhof Museum – Waterval Onder – October 2014.

Nestled in a picturesque garden surrounded by trees at Waterval Onder is this small cottage known as 'Krugerhof'. It served briefly as the seat of government for President Paul Kruger from 30 June to 28 August 1900.

When the British forces under the command of Lord Roberts advanced on 29 May 1900 on Pretoria, the capital of the South African Republic (ZAR), during the Second South African War of 1899-1902, the country's government and its ageing President, Paul Kruger, were evacuated by rail to Machadodorp. The climate of Machadodorp affected the health of the President, so a month later, on 30 June, he went to live in this house at Waterval Onder. After the battle of Dalmanutha, Kruger had to leave Waterval Onder on 28 August and move to Nelspruit, where he resided in a railway coach. Shortly after, the President travelled to Lourenço Marques, where he boarded the Dutch warship ‘Gelderland’ and left for the Netherlands on 20 October. He died in self-imposed exile on 14 July 1904 in Clarens, Switzerland. His body was repatriated and laid to rest next to his beloved wife, Gezina, in Pretoria in December 1904. 

The building was declared a national monument published in the Government Gazette No.18 of 17 August 1962.

90. Another photo from the THL's archives shows a 15A working a heavy goods load in the vicinity of Waterval Onder in the 1950s.

92. Alkmaar station (214 miles from Pretoria) has a tropical appearance, and so it should be in the Eastern Transvaal Lowveld. If you look closely, you should notice a double-layered roof provided to ease the heat generated in this area in summer. Again, note the horticultural work on the station, thanks to the enthusiastic station staff.

93. This THL photo shows passenger train no.7303 – the 'LM Mail' near Nelspruit with a class GMAM at the head-end. The huts in the foreground are typical of the tribe living in this part of the country.

94. (63) Another Nelspruit Station scene in 1954. Train 7303, the 'LM Mail' arriving from Pretoria behind a GMAM Garratt. Note the typical farmers waiting to greet family or friends arriving on the train.

95. This is virtually a repeat of the previous photo at Nelspruit, but the GMAM is displaying the Centenary Crest, which dates the picture to the year 1960 when all SAR top-link passenger trains carried the crest for the entire year.

96. If ever one needed further proof of how stations were maintained back in SAR days, here it is – Nelspruit Station with the 'Essem' and one of his office staff admiring the gardens in front of the building – c.1960.

97. This scene at Nelspruit Station was taken from the end of the platform at Nelspruit in July 1962. It shows the passenger yard on the left and the Loco Depot coal stage. This depot provided engines for the branch lines to Graskop and Plaston – classes GF and GCA.

98. On his trip around South Africa in December/January 1970/71, Harald recorded many SAR scenes that were about to disappear - permanently. Among them was this rare view of Nelspruit shed crammed full of GF Garratts. This only happened on Christmas day when the Graskop and Plaston branches were closed. 

99. An Allen Jorgensen photo – now part of Dick Manton's Collection shows two class GF Garratts in Nelspruit Shed – the blue engine is No.2401 'Magdalena' spruced-up by her enthusiastic crew in 1973.

100. Robert Kingsford-Smith also had a go at photographing GF 2401 'Magdalena' at Nelspruit Shed on 25 January 1973.

She was undoubtedly the most photographed GF Garratt on the SAR!

101. More proof of the old SAR days when footplate staff were also proud of their work as engine drivers. These four chaps received medals for meritorious service on the footplate stationed at Nelspruit.

102. In the 1970s, under the curatorship of the late Jan Coffee, the SA Railway Museum was very busy organizing the mounting of suitably applicable steam locomotives as monuments at stations around the Republic of South Africa. This monument was Nelspruit's example – class GCA Garratt No.2621 was placed on a plinth on the station's forecourt.

This loco was relocated to Waterval Boven in 2003 by the Oosterlijn Steam Association.

103. Near Mayfern, between 119½ and 124¾ miles, there is a significant deviation where the line is carried on a large viaduct of five 60ft semi-circular arches 80 feet above a drainage area.

The significant deviation between 119½ and 124¾ miles (Nelspruit and Mayfern), mapped on Google Earth imagery.

104. In this c.1960s THL photo, a GMAM drifts downgrade towards Komtipoort with train 7303, the 'LM Mail', from Pretoria and Johannesburg.

105. We have finally reached Komatipoort and, indeed, on a rather special occasion – the 50th Anniversary of the railway linking Mozambique (Lourenco Marques) to South Africa. One of the Blue Train sets was specially worked down to Komatipoort for the celebrations and is seen in this photo at the specially decorated station. The crowds were entertained by what was probably the SAR & H Brass Band seated on the right.

106. Komatipoort Station (294 miles from Pretoria) in quieter times. We are now 2 miles from the border of Moçambique. Note that the station buildings were built to a Portuguese design. 

107. The street-side of Komatipoort Station – all very neat and tidy! In the background is a 1957 Chevrolet car and, just beyond that, a SAR Road Motor Transport bus and trailer. The THL photo dates from the late 1950s or early 60s. 

108. The late Ralph Hardy made this classic photo of Train 7303, the 'LM Mail', in the 1950s with a spotless CFM series 200, 2-10-2 No.202, loco ready to depart from Komatipoort to Lourenço Marques. The SAR type A-18 single dining car is right behind the engine's tender, in which all liquor is locked behind lead seals until the train's return to SAR metals later in the day. Then, the next coach is one of CFM's series A-201 steel air-conditioned main line saloons placed in service in 1938. These coaches were absolutely magnificent, with wide corridors and accommodation for the attending coach valet. They were used daily on trains 7300/7303 between LM and Johannesburg.

110. The late Dave Parsons took this photo in Komatipoort of an unidentified class 8, which may well have been at the head of a train heading into the Kruger National Park via the 'Selati line'. In a forthcoming chapter, the story of the 'Selati Railway' will be told, which ran from Komatipoort past Skukuza and then out of the Park all the way north to Tzaneen and joining the Pretoria-Beitbridge main line at Soekmekaar in the northern Transvaal (now known as Limpopo Province). In 1971, the new avoiding line from Kaapmuiden to Matshaye was opened, and such scenes became history.

Note that the coaches are being washed with a water hose!

111. Another photo taken by the late Ralph Hardy at Komatipoort shows a class 12A at the head of a petrol train with the required two-bogie open wagon spacers between the engine and the tank cars. The other locomotive on the right is probably a class 15AR.

In the 1950s, long before any pipelines were put in place, a considerable volume of petrol for the Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging (PWV) area was imported via Lourenço Marques and Matola in Moçambique.

112. (75) This Series 300 CFM 4-6-2 No.301 dates back to 1919 and was photographed shunting a train for LM at Komatipoort.

113. (76) Here is sister engine No.302, also photographed at Komatipoort, ready to work train 7303 ('LM Mail') to Lourenço Marques in the 1950s. Note how well-kept were the CFM engines.

114. This GMAM is making a spirited start away from Komatipoort with a goods train in the late 1950s.

115. This THL photo of the Loco Depot at Komatipoort captures the engines on-shed, including class 24s and/or 19Ds on the left with GMAMs on the right. The station can be seen in the background – centre-right of the photo.

116. The Khomati Bridge was the longest and the most important bridge on the Eastern Line. No date is given when this photo was taken; the concrete piers and abutments encased with masonry are the original ones built in 1890 by the contractors Clark & Wirth and Van Hattum & Kie. General N J Smit, vice-president of the South African Republic, was in attendance when the bridge's commemorative stone was laid on 29 October 1890. The first locomotive crossed the bridge on 14 May 1891.

According to the 1910 General Manager's Annual Report, the new trusses were in place in November 1910.

In Part 5, we will travel down to Maputo, which, although it falls outside the Republic of South Africa, this section brings us to the terminus of the Eastern Line.