The Kimberley - Mafikeng "Taxi" (and return!)

[Jez Smith]

I have been an avid photographer of this Class 34 hauled train for 3 years now, as it is one of only maybe 2 passenger trains to visit Kimberley station in daylight. I have just heard a rumour that the train is no more. Can anyone confirm, or deny this?

[Stefan Andrzejewski]

Thats right. Jez. They stopped it about a year ago.

[Derek Walker]

I have good memories of that train. When I was in the army I used to be stationed at Jan Kemp Dorp for a few months and to get there we used to either catch the Kimberley main line train or the Transkaroo. Bail out at Warrenton in the mad hours of the morning and then sit around in the waiting room for about 4 hours until this train made its appearence, pulled by a steam loco. Then we would hop that one to get us to Jan Kemp Dorp. On our way home we would be excused duty earlier than the rest of the troops so that we could change, get inspected and catch the duty driver to the station where we would catch the Mafeking - Kimberly train, disembarking at Warrenton once again and waiting for the first Johannesburg bound train that we could find. When that arrived we would have to go to the conductor who would assign us a comp or coupe, the train would leave and the bedding attendeant would pop along shortly afterwards and make up our beds and we would try sleep all the way back to JHB. It was much safer than hiking, and because i worked for SATS I used to get a PTO and only pay 25% of the fare.
Warrenton was quite a big station too, although it was not a busy one. Such a pity that I have no photographs. I do however remember how cold it used to get sitting there in our stepouts waiting for the sound of the steam loco.

[Jez Smith]

I'm sorry to hear that it has finished. Well, that leaves me virtually no passenger trains to photograph in daylight, and let's face it - the best place to photograph the Blue Train etc, would be Kimberley station (excellent lights), but I don't think it is worth all the hassle.
Still - the end of "The Taxi" explains why 34-113 (a regular when I've been in NC!) is now working the OREX line!
Thanks for the info guys!

[Stefan Andrzejewski]

Derek I have similar memories. I was in the SA Airforce. I worked in SAAF HQ and had contacts to fly back and forth to Cape Town. When time allowed I would elect to go by train. The "Milk Train". It would leave Pretoria at around 7pm. Leave JHB at 9pm and arrive in Cape Town 36 hours later at 8.30 am. Stopping at De Aar was great as we sat there for three hours waiting for the trains from PE and Windhoek. The whole train would be shuffled around. The steam then was incredible. We were steam from Kimberely to Beaufort West. Then they changed De Aar to Beaufort West to Diesel. The 25's would fly along. Unfortunately I never had a camera in those days. Looking at James Attwell's photo's of De Aar shocks me as well as Witput where the line does not even run next to the platform.I could go on, but I would depress everyone.