Guard's Van Comeback

[John Ashworth]

GUARD’S VAN COMEBACK

Posted on 01 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor

Guard’s vans bringing up the rear of South African freight trains were standard practice until the eighties, when rows of them filled the “scrap” sidings up and down the country. Their discontinuation had two significant consequences: rural passengers lost the facility of the passenger compartments provided for their use, and the fireman (now driver’s assistant) took over responsibility for intermediate shunting, points changing etc.

The guard’s van – but without room for passengers – is currently making a comeback. It isn’t called a guard’s van and there is no guard. The purpose is to convey shunters. Apparently the drivers’ assistants are no longer entrusted with shunting duties and have reverted to more mundane tasks – like making the driver’s tea.

[Chris Janisch]

Yes one sees them on pickup goods trains, eg shunting of mielie sidings. They are bright orange, and have a small cab in the middle of the frame.

[Dylan Knott]

Have not seen them down here as yet.

Why not simply use a caboose as well?

There should still be quite a few guards vans around.

[Aidan McCarthy]

Next they need to fit them out with locomotive remote control equipment, so they can shunt by remote control. Saw an article about this in Continental Modeller where one of the US railways had outfitted a caboose with this equipment.

[Stefan Andrzejewski]

They used them on the Montegue Gardens line until recently.