Class 6A no 462 arrives at the Big Hole museum

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John Ashworth
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Class 6A no 462 arrives at the Big Hole museum

Post by John Ashworth »

Peter Odell wrote:SAR Class 6A no 462 was retired from SAR probably in the 60s

According to my John Middleton 1993 stockbook 401-540 were Dubs/SS/Neilson /NR 1893-1898. Steam on the veld shows 441-489 as Dubs /SS 1896/97 so the “experts” must fill in the builder number.

Suffice to say in the early 70s it was plinthed in supershine condition at the front of late Gordon Watson's [Loco Foreman] De Aar steam depot museum reserve/collection, as selected by Les Pivnic through the then SAR museum. Photos are available.

This “museum collection” was moved in the mid 80s to Millsite, Krugersdorp, 40km W of Johannesburg for “safekeeping”.

The last to go was famous 15A No 1970 “Milly” reinstated & in steam towing 6A No 462 with 4 wagons for braking power. This was 7/4/1986 departing De Aar at 06.00 and arriving Kimberley at 17.40. How do I know all this ? Well my notes say 1970s “lokfuhrer” was P J Odell. So somewhere there will be slides!

Now the Millsite “safekeeping”has been tested for 30 years and new “safekeeping” is reportedly sought for the derelict Transnet Heritage “museum collection”.

About 5 years ago Steamnet 2000 member Andrew Schanknecht, working for De Beers, somehow got Big Hole/Open mine interested in applying for No 462 as it reputedly hauled Cecil J Rhodes funeral train out of Kimberley on its way to Rhodesia in 4/1902. [Thanks Frank Higgo for this date] and I accompanied De Beers officials to inspect at Millsite.
Transnet Heritage are now “reshuffling/reallocating/thinning out” their heritage asset items and have approved No 462 to Kimberley Big Hole, open mine museum.

Here are views of it after arrival at 15.00 today March 13 2015.

Note the heritage tram line has been ballasted over presumably to facilitate offloading as 462 is due to be plinthed just outside that “shed” which houses De Beers “Pullman coach”

Peter J Odell 2015-03-13
Photos by Peter Odell
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