Rovos Rail - June 2007

[John Ashworth]

All photos and text by Nathan Berelowitz, June 2007

1. Yellow, for Goods line, shows on the signal, as the double header 19D and 25NC combination enter Pretoria Station and get routed down towards home, at Capital Park. The train has been steam hauled from Rayton. June 2007.

2. Up on the hillside the University Of South Africa (UNISA) looks down upon the beautiful green train set of Rovos Rail hauled into Pretoria station by a double header steam powered combination of 19D and 25NC locomotives. The routing was not normal for this train but work on the catenery system made the route change. For me, as Fireman, I looked back at the same scene from the cab of double header 15CA locos on the LM Mail from Witbank in the 70's as we neared journey's end at Pretoria Station.
June 2007.

3. Looking back at the green train amongst the browns of winter. Rovos Rail twenty one coache set runs don grade behind 19D 3360 and 25NC 3442, near Van Der Merwe station en route Pretoria. June 2007.

4. See caption.

5. Coupled up and ready to depart Rayton for Capital Park in Pretoria with the Rovos Rail train, are 19D 3360 and 25NC 3442. The NC has recently been brought back in to service to supplement the Rovos fleet of ailing 19D's. June 2007.

6. Patiently awaiting the motive power changeover from Diesel to Steam at Rayton, a pair of class 35's stand at the head of the Rovos Rail charter train heading home for Pretoria and Capital Park base. June 2007

7. Getting ready for the road. Class 25NC takes water alongside 19D at the Rovos Rail site in Capital Park shed. If we stepped back ion time to 1977 we would have been looking out at a similar scene but with a host of other working locomotives all getting ready for the days duties. June 2007.

8. An interesting perspective. Reflected in the glass of the Rovos museum window, is driver Gert Van Vuuren with the warped shape of the 19D locomotive behind him. June 2007.

9. See caption.

10. See caption.

11. Green and Gold. The last light of a winter sunset highlights the magnificent form of a class 25NC locomotive. Number 3442 in Rovos Rail colours, waits the shunters call before manouvering the rake of coaches into position for the next days train. The trainset had shortly arrived behind a double header 19D and 25NC combination, from Rayton. June 2007.