Paul Ash wrote:Went to Dries last week (report below) and see the two ES shunters are
now out of use. Although their pantos have been removed, both locos look
clean and presentable, inside and out. Maybe it's time to lean on Gold
Fields for a "heritage donation", in working order, of course.
Paul wrote:Took Monday off and drove down to the West Wits goldfield to see how
my two favourite industrial railways are doing.
1. West Driefonten Gold Mine ("Dries") - 3'6" gauge, electrified at
3kV
Thes best thing I can say is that operations on the surface railway
continue little changed, but the mine is looking quite scruffy these
days. Some access roads, including a key route alongside the railway,
are closed-off, the large rockpile which made such a fine industrial
rail backdrop has been crushed and sorted, and there are now at leat
three herds of cows roaming the pastures and drinking mine water
which can't be good for them.
Happily, one of the 5Es (Driefontein No.3) is still in use, and was
busy hauling reef from the eastern shafts to the crusher.
An unannounced visit to the loco shed turned-up up two 5Es (4 and 5)
on shed, one 5E on the scrap line, a small yellow Hunslet diesel
shunter, and one 8E, idle but coupled to the mineworkers' train.
Sadly, the two ES shunters (dubbed "Studebakers" in their SAR days
due to their rakish sunshields) are now firmly out of use with
pantographs removed. Both units were very clean, however, both inside
and out.
Loco livery is blue with yellow stripes and the mine's crown logo on
the cabsides. Some of the 5Es retain their SAR plates, and No.5 has a
Gauteng Province numberplate on the buffer beam - whether this is its
own numberplate or a "notch" collected at a level crossing - of which
the mine has many - is unclear.
Trackwork on the whole looked like it always has - clean and
immaculate. The system is CTC throughout.
Dries is still a great operation to visit, with lots of great photo
potential, but given the number of mine security vehicles on patrol,
it would be smart to get permission first from the Gold Fields PR
office.
2. Libanon - 3'6", electrified at 600v DC
The mine railway has not trammed ore for some years and the railway
exists purely as a taxi service for miners returning from Kloof No.8
shaft to the hostel at Libanon.
The passenger train runs a push-pull service every 30 minutes between
No.8 shaft and Libanon, using a rake of homemade passenger cars and
one of the rebuilt ex-CDM electrics.
It's a pleasant line, running over rolling pastures, a fine climbing
curve out of Kloof itself, and a decent bridge crossing the N12
national road.
The last steeple cab loco is now out of use, sitting on a pair of
trestles with its bogies removed. All traffic is now handled by the
remaining two locos, both of which came from the 2' gauge
Consolidated Diamond Mine operation in Namibia a few decades ago.
Both locos were rebuilt with box-style cabs in the Libanon workshop.
Livery is now a smart blue/gray with the word "Eyethu" and a meerkat
and new moon logo on the cabsides.
Libanon is very neat and clean. It also has a large resident herd of
cows, goats and sheep which were busy trimming the mine cricket field
on Monday. It makes for a fine picture, what with the headgear
looming in the backgound
Will post pics of both operations as soon as I finish the film. Yep,
I still use a "real" Nikon. Two older pics are currently in the
Africal rail photo albums.
Paul Ash
Deputy-editor
Sunday Times Travel & Food
+2711 280 5133
