Peter Rogers wrote:For those of you who don't know, PHELOPHEPA means "Good, Clean Health"!
Transnet sponsor two mobile health clinic trains that travel through South Africa and provide extra healthcare for disadvantaged communities. This includes general healthcare and low cost medicines as well as specialities such as optometry, dentistry and psychology.
Routes and schedules are decided on for the year and are advertised to the affected communities well in advance. Typically, the train will stand over at a selected station for a week or two while healthcare is dispensed and is then moved to the next place during the weekend so as to be ready on Monday morning for the next group of patients.
This weekend the train was en-route to Caledon. Mark Robinson and I followed it from Faure through to Caledon:
2860 - Passing Faure's distant signal on the way to Caledon
2867 - Exiting the tunnel at Sir Lowry's Pass summit
2871 - Passing through Elgin (now just a passing loop with no extra sidings, for those of you who remembered it in steam days)
2898, 2901, 2907 - Approaching the summit at Langhoogte
2914 - Crossing the Swartrivier at Mission
2921 - PHELOPHEPA staff at Caledon - the radio dish is for satellite communication for telephone/data and is essential for when the train is at totally remote locations
For PHELOPHEPA details go to http//www:transnetfoundation.co.za/Health-Phelophepa.aspx
Photos by Peter Rogers, weekend of 27/28 August 2011