Dave Rodgers: my first condensors

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John Ashworth
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Dave Rodgers: my first condensors

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Photos by Dave Rodgers
Dave wrote:For a 'newcomer' there were 2 key priorities loco-wise when visiting South Africa for the first time in 1975. The first was to see a Garratt, which had been successfully achieved on the Oudtshoorn - George - Mossel Bay - Worcester line (GMAM) and on the Cape Town - Caledon line (GEA). It was however with much anticipation that we were able to see the second as it was only at the the end of the second week of our trip before we made our first acquaintance with the mighty Class 25 Condensing locos. Although bumped off the Beaufort West - De Aar line by diesels the previous year the remaining locos were still very much in evidence working north from De Aar to Kimberley and eastward to Bloemfontein. With high maintenance costs of the condensing equipment and their new area of operation having a less pressing need to conserve water a start had been made on converting the 90 locos to match the original mechanically similar 50 Class 25NC locos. Nevertheless we were indeed very fortunate to find that of the 40 or so steam trains running in each direction per day between De Aar and Kimberley (around 30% being doubleheaded) at least half of the turns were still condensors during our visit. It was very noticeable however that even in 1975 I only ever saw one original condensor on a passenger train (interestingly, the only one I have ever seen on a passenger train other than No. 3511 on tours) and with only a couple of exceptions the condensors looked unkempt and uncleaned. By the following year's visit the number of condensors in mainline service had dropped significantly as more and more locos had been converted and no doubt their mechanical condition of the non-converted ones suffered.

By this stage of our tour we were entirely rail based. We arrived at De Aar at 05.20 on Sunday 10th August 1975 alighting from the Cape Town - Bulaway Express (which went forward behind 25NC No. 3433) and at first light had a guided tour around the shed when we saw our first condensors, by the loco foreman - Alec Watson. We then took the new lime-green liveried 'Drakensberg' departing De Aar at 09.08 to Orange River (hauled by Rebuilt ex-condensor Class 25NC No. 3477) where we spent the rest of the day on foot. We had planned to take the all-stations Cape Town - Johannesburg passenger (15.40 ex-De Aar) one station north to Witput where there was a convenient hotel adjacent to the station. Unfortunately as it was getting dusk our plans unravelled as traffic on this busy line came to a halt due to a derailment at De Aar - no traffic could arrive or leave including our train to the hotel. Eventually a southbound freight train arrived from Kimberley with Class 25NC No. 3439 where it abandoned its load in the station. The station foreman arranged for us to travel in our own special 'train' formed of this Class 25NC running tender first back to Kimberley and pulling just a guards van! Despite running tender first we arrived at Witput in record time but as we we routed on the through centre road rather than through the platform we had rather a hazardous time manhandling cases etc., across the tracks and signal wires to the hotel in the pitch dark!

The following day, Monday 11th August, found that the derailment had still not been cleared until 11.00 although some traffic was moving with single-line working in operation. We took the Johannesburg Cape Town slow (08.35 ex-Kimberley) south behind Class 25NC No. 3442 returning once again to Orange River, the first station south of Witput. This was a risky strategy as for this evening we were booked to stay in the hotel at Kraankuil the first station south of Orange River...but there was no booked passenger train until the following day! However, once again, the station foreman came to our rescue and arranged for us to travel in the Guards van of a freight departing at 19.11 behind Rebuilt Condensor No. 3506. Once again, the train stopped on the mainline and we had to drag our cases and luggage across the track to the hotel in the pitch dark!(

Our final day in the area was Tuesday 12th August and our itinerary required the hotel owner to drive us to Orange River to catch the northbound Orange Express (Rebuilt Condensor No. 3477) north to Kimberley. The train reversed at Kimberley and was taken on to Bloemfontein by Class 23 No. 3282. After a visit to the Big Hole we then visited Beaconsfield loco depot and Beaconsfield South signalbox (south end of the yard) before returning to the station and taking the 21.45 all-stations to Mafeking. This train was steam hauled for 10 hours by Class 19D No. 2765 from Warrenton to Mafeking arriving at 09.36 the following day.

All photos are 35mm Kodachrome II
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