Susan on June 16 trip

[Derek Walker]

Susan from Reefsteamers is on the rails again, and today she headed out to Magaliesburg in some pretty grim weather, unfortunately she was running nearly an hour late and I was about to leave when she popped up, so I almost missed her.

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And, while I waited and waited and waited... some toasters passed by.

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[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

But the grim weather gave you a nice picture!

[Stefan Andrzejewski]

I am glad my toaster in the kitchen does not have a resistance blower. (The whining noise made by the 6E1's)

[M. Hardy-Randall]

Please forgive my ignorance, but why are the electric locos called toasters?

Malcolm

[Derek Walker]

When I worked for SAR the diesel drivers used to call the electric units "Toasters" (and sometimes "Draadkarretjies" (wire cars)). Some sort of allusion to electricity being the main source of power I expect. And the electric unit drivers used to call the diesels "Paraffin Burners." The steam engine drivers used to scorn such modern conveniences and point to their iron horses and mutter about "real men drove steam kettles!" I suspect though, different areas and depots would have had different nicknames for various types of engines. I have heard diesels called growlers, and units called whiners.

[Dylan Knott]

Metro EMU's were called Bussies (Afrikaans for a small bus)

[Derek Walker]

And on fathers day Susan went out to Magalies with all the daddies.... she is running very well, and the problem last week was poor quality coal.

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[Jez Smith]

I am glad my toaster in the kitchen does not have a resistance blower. (The whining noise made by the 6E1's)

...and that, Stefan, is why I love the 6E1s so very much - Back in the 1990s the last of 100 locomotives (UK Classes 81-85) were withrawn, removing from the rails of the UK some very good sounding electrics. They were known as 'roarers' because of their very similar sounds, and I shunned them at the time, but would kill to see them charging up the WCML again!