Welcome. You have reached the official website of Friends of the Rail, the Tshwane-based steam railway heritage club.
WARNING! Beware of a scam website!!
We have become aware of the existance of a website calling itself "steamtrain.co.za". That website advertises FOTR trains and accepts bookings for them, including payments requests. That website has NO official affiliation with FOTR and has no authorisation to accept public bookings on our behalf. Their train schedue is out-of-date. Furthermore, bookings are not being forwarded to us. If you do book through them, you may book for a cancelled or non-existant train, you may receive no response from them and possibly get NO refunds. The website has no contact phone numbers and no physical addresses -- only an unverifiable email address. Please do NOT book through them -- you have been warned!
New Departure Point - Important note!
Friends of the Rail's trusty volunteers, and those press-ganged into it, worked 'flat out' to get the new HERMANSTAD (Hercules) FOTR depot up to scratch, ready for the first public train departure on 27th July. This was a complete success and, unless otherwise advised, all FOTR's public trains will leave from there.
After some 21 years at Capital Park, we have made part of our move to the new site at Hermanstad (Hercules). Although passengers will now board the train at Hermanstad, the FOTR working steam depot will remain at Capital Park for a while longer. There is still lots to do, lots to build and lots more money required before we can move our steam shed to the new depot.
The new depot has plenty of secure parking, a proper raised platform (no more rickety steps), a shop and a covered waiting and picnic area with benches and tables (more needed - donations accepted gratefully). Braai fires will be lit and available for use before the Tshwane Xplorer departures. So, beat the check-in rush, come braai with us at Hermanstad in the shade of the steam train.
Click here to get a map and directions to the new depot!
Picture gallery:
It's often difficult to add atmoshere to "railway" pictures. Trains are complicated industrial machines which are usually best photgraphed in a highly "technical" way. Here we highlight some pictures which have a different, more "arty" slant that serve to soften the subject and make trains altogether more human.
In no particular order, first up is a new addition to our collection, Mieimie Wolmerans superb picture of our class 24 loco, Nr 3664, waking up just after dawn in our Capital Park steam depot on 27th July 2008.
Click here to visit our Forum where you can see many more of the great pics taken by our enthusiastic lens-people.
"At sunrise in Capital Park before leaving for Hercules" by Miemie Wolmerans, 27 July 2008.
Next up is Linda Geldenhuys' lovely picture, also of 3664, this time returning to Rayton from Cullinan in the late afternoon of 9th August 2007.
"Late arrival" by Linda Geldenhuys
Lastly, a picture by Kevin Wilson-Smith taken of passengers on the first passenger train to depart from FOTR's new Hermanstad station. "Where are we going?", they all seem to be asking of the driver up front.
"Where are we going?" by Kevin Wilson-Smith, July 27, 2008.
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