Friends of the Rail Forum

I travel that road maybe twice a week nowadays, and used to live about 1 km up on Vlaeberg road from there. In the 20 years I've been in the area, I've seen some weird things there.

I don't believe anybody 's got any excuse. The visibility is very good, and the warnings are ample. The stop signs ...

O Yeah!

Driving one - 28 years old and still going strong (the Ford, not me)

Seriously though, this event at the level crossing is so unnecessary, the view there is not restricted, and those lights are quite visible. I've stopped there many a time when the lights are flashing, and then some low ...

I just had a look back at the photo and I bow before your superior knowledge :)

Besides, in my mind if it doesn't have a blue oval badge saying "Ford", the pedigree is not important :))

I see in Die Burger today - 16/12/2008 - that a train hit a Yaris which tried to slip over the level crossing in front of the oncoming train. This happened at the level crossing on the Vlaeberg road near Lynedoch outside. Stellenbosch. A single line level crossing which I use almost daily, and which ...

This is a sad event. Somewhere during 1980/81 my father was part of a bridge building team and he would pedal his old Raleigh bicycle (one of those black bikes with the metal rod brakes and thick wheels) to Salvokop all the way from Beyers street in Rietfontein every day, come rain or shine. I'm not ...

OK, I guess I put my foot in something here - hopefully not in the "stuff" on the floors!!

I take it you've got a lease or something on the place.

As I've said, the building - structure - is nice and sturdy. Looking at the paint peeling off, the windows broken etc. one can only guess that it hasn ...

The best left for last. The platforms are remarkably clean, so are the rails - obviously the line is still being used as opposed to the Franschhoek line.
There is an opensided shed across from the station building - well it is fenced in, so one cannot just "dwaal" in there.

And there parked in all ...

Aaargh!! I've now switched to Internet Explorer (from Supoerior Browser Firefox) and still I get recalled every time to the Login page.

"Hello, hello, What have we here?" Aah.. grafitti and a safe!!! Oh, it seems to belong to Amelia, better not touch it!!

Jokes aside. I wonder what happened to ...

We are going in, so please take a deep breath - there is "stuff" on the floor. The fire places are still reasonably intact and obviously being used by the Bergies. And what do you know....there are still two doors for re-distribution (or is it re-deployment?)

Oh boy, I am already almost completely grey - the few hairs left. Now this kicking me out to login is doing it's best to either turn me completely bald, or totally grey.

Anyway, the platformside doesn't look any better. The doors have obviously either been nationalise to a shack in the nearby ...

Although the station building is badly maintained (read "not maintained at all") it is quite clear that the structure is as strong as ever. Nothing some paint, a lot of glass panes and even more TLC can't rectify. Just a pitty that it will never happen.

Been travelling today. Gone to see a client in Grabouw (and eat a Springbok pie at Peregrine Farmstall!!) Anyway I took a couple of minutes to pop in at Elgin station. What a heart rendering experience. The station is in a total mess. Well have a look and decide for yourself.

Thanks. And here coutesy of Google Earth is a view of the angle of attack between Rail, Road and River. Just a pitty they don't give us better resolution to zoom in further.

OK, thanks - makes sense too!!! And here I thought it was just extra weight to make sure the bridge stays where it's supposed to be :)

Looking at it now, I can actually picture what you described. That guard-rail you mention also had me wondering from time to time. I noticed it especially a lot on ...

What about getting one of those hand "pomp-trollies" which my dad used during the 1950's to travel on new lines they were building in the Freestate?
Then have a "Pomp protest" (or is it a "Protest-pomp"?) to get some attention.

If someone's got a lease on the line, but not using it, it means they ...