End of the day - engines and coaches return to Capital Park

Pictures of FOTR's first "trial run" of a pssenger train from our new site at Hermanstad on 27th July 2008
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Kevin Wilson-Smith

End of the day - engines and coaches return to Capital Park

Post by Kevin Wilson-Smith »

After a successful day, the empty coaches are returned to Capital Park......

For some reason SS decided he would rather walk.........................
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Gabor Kovacs
Friends of The Rail
Posts: 654
Joined: 10 Jun 2007, 20:39
Location: FLORIDA PARK, JHB, RSA

Re: End of the day - engines and coaches return to Capital Park

Post by Gabor Kovacs »

Hi Kevin,

Great final departure pictures of the day . . . .
and, reminding me?

I think in future it would be better to propel the “empty” passenger train set or mixed load, as the case may be from time to time, out of the Hercules Site onto the avoiding line in Hercules Station, as illustrated by Kevin in his pictures. This certainly is a “time–saver” as it would eliminate an additional movement to Daspoort Station, should the locomotive have had remained attached to the front of load after the arrival of our passenger train.
This movement also illuminates then the need to run to “Control Point 35” at Capital Park goods yard and then setting back into the ROVOS yard in Capital Park. The advantage to this movement is that from the Starting Signal on the avoiding line in Hercules Station, it will always be an almost a direct run right into Capital Park ROVOS Yard.
There is one minor drawback after arriving in the ROVOS yard in Capital Park, which is that the locomotive will have to run around the coal-stage, before the train set can be parked, or any further shunting can be completed!
Arrival therefore must come in onto road #2, which is the through line to the southern side of the coal stage, and the movement must be brought to a stand behind the appropriate clearance marker which is between roads #2 and #3. After running around the coal stage, shunting can commence.

I feel strongly that somebody should assist with the ROVOS yard in Capital Park in the late afternoons, making sure that all the necessary gates are open; all the points are turned and correctly set so that the train set arrives onto road #2 without having to be delayed to open gates or turn points.

With regards to Kevin’s’ 2nd picture in this series, the “No Public Access Beyond This Point” sign, is totally in the wrong position, as the locomotive will inevitably be standing here both prior to departures and after arrivals, and the public was certainly not paying much attention to this sign this past weekend, because they were more distracted by the engine than the sign. I feel this sign needs to be move further down towards the east, and mounted perpendicular to the building wall, so that it is obvious and dual language at least should be used for all safety signs!

Kevin’s’ 3rd picture –
With pending discussions with TFR on the operational and safety issues, I feel strongly that and additional derailer (with two ground indicators either side) to be installed and directly coupled to the points tumbler mechanically, which FotR will control the access to the site from the eastern end, as seen in this picture, to protect eastern gate and FotRs’ property behind the gate, should any thing be left behind on either the platform or loop lines.
The points tumbler should also be replace with a “slap nek” and locked into the reverse position, the derailer in the “on” position to avoid conflicting moves from TFR.
TFR has already got their own derailer and a colour light signal in place to prevent conflicting moves from the Hercules Goods Yard and Good Shed onto the main-line!

go back to Hercules - 1st passenger train DEBRIEFING
SAR - Steam Active Recruit
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