Metro paint job

[John Ashworth]

Metro set undergoing conversion and painting, at Koedoespoort works.

Photos Hennie Heymans 05/11/2004

[Dylan Knott]

what kind of motor coach is this?

[Marc Russell]

I get the impression it was meant to haul cattle!

[John Ashworth]

Doesn't seem to have a lot of windows, does it? Were motor coaches originally used for luggage rather than passengers? Is it in fact a motor coach (I don't see a pantograph but that could have been temporarily removed during renovation) or did they have non-motorised driving trailers?

[Dylan Knott]

There two others like this at Bellville Diesel Depot. Yes, they had pantographs.

[Marc Russell]

Some of the older motor units don't have pantos, the second car carries it. In Sydney that is!

[Steve Appleton]

Isn't this one of the old "parcels" coaches? I seem to recall that at one time there was a metro (not Metrorail) rail parcels service run between Jhb and Pta using dedicated parcels EMU's.
Of course that begs the question: why is this being 'done up'? I thought parcels by rail had gone the way of the dodo!

[Gabor Kovacs]

Hi Steve and others!

Yes this is a "Parcels" Driving Trailer, and if I'm correct it classification similar to a "5M2"!!!
As a youngester, I still destinctly remember that on Friday afternoons a Parcels train would come in from Roodepoort, heading towards JHB, and briefly stop at Florida's platform 1, and the station staff and trains staff would quickly toss the bags of mail in and out of these Parcel trains. The train never spent more than 5 minutes at the station before moving on. The parcel trains were usually no more than 4 coaches, ie; one driving trailer, 2 normal parcel coaches (Metro ouline line with small oval windows and 2 automatic sliding dooors) and lastly a a parcel motor coach, similar to the one in the picture with a set of pantos on the roof!

Regards

[John Ashworth]

Thanks Gabor and Steve for the clarification