Friends of the Rail Forum

You are very lucky if you get one of these steam cars working properly on a journey during winter months. Been doing a lot of journeys during winter months where it often goes below freezing at night and these very seldom work properly! I guess it is due to poor maintenance.

Hi Alan, have they converted the tourist class coaches to work from the generator as well, since I do not see a steam car for heating. Without heating it must have been bloody cold! Otherwise how did you find the general service on the train? I see they have canceled the Trans Orange from CPT-DUR ...

Thanks for the advise Greg, makes perfect sense, anyway I hope they fix the problem soon!

Does any one know why the Shosoloza Meyl (Trans Oranje) CPT-DUR do not run anymore? On there website it only shows "Bridge maintenance" not to sure what that means. On previous journeys the patronage on this train was pretty good, the customer service line staff also can not tell if this train is ...

Thanks Stefan I am going to pop in there shortly!

Great pics Stefan, I would like to visit the Bellville depot myself! How difficult is it getting in there and can anyone take pics there?

Hi Fanie, yes the very same set returns from Durban on Fridays 18:00! If this train gets delayed badly from CPT - DUR then the return will also be affected! I have done this route several times and can really recommend it strongly! Especialy with this set running and the fares is dirt cheap!! R450 ...

To my knowledge this is the only set running between CPT and Durban. I recall some of the coach no. from prev. journeys as this was the 5th time we travel on this particular set. Far nicer then the orig. Trans - Karoo sets! First time we traveled this set was June 2007.

I second that Stefan, great photos Andreas!!!

This set with more or less the same interior as the Premiere Classe with porcalyne toilet and washing basin has been running the CPT-DUR route for the past 4 years! Not to sure wether these were earlier premiere classe coaches. I have not seen these coaches on the Trans-Karoo sets before.

Yes that was indeed the Blue Train with Electric locomotoive 14-106. We departed from Durban before the Blue train.

I took these pics at Geneva as we stopped there for a brief change to diesel because they were working on the lines between Kroonstad and Henneman. From my recent trip onboard of the Trans Orange!

More pics, this time of a few 35 class diesels on the way to Durban between Kimberley and Bloemfontein!

I took these pics on my recent trip to DUR from CPT and return, just before the big strike!

A few pics taken of 6e1 units on my recent trip from Cape Town to Durban and return! This trip was the week just before the BIG strike started, lucky me I guess!!