FOTR Open Day 19 June 2011

[John Ashworth]

This Sunday 19 June, we will be holding our first Open Day at Hermanstad. This will be in the form of entertainment and braai from 10am to 1pm, followed by a Tshwane Explorer train from 1.30-4.30pm.

Please come out and support the club effort, and have a look at the good things happening at Hermanstad!

Regards

[John Ashworth]

Hi all

Thanks very much for making our first Open Day such a success!

After today I think we can see where the future of FOTR lies - more in our hands and less in Transnet's!

Regards

Thank you all and we had a super successful morale booster trip

[Mike Haslam]

So, how did the actual train trip go? I gather it went well, but can someone tell us about the trip?

[Chris Janisch]

Henry was onboard?

By all accounts went very well, round the Rissik loop and then up to Irene. Crossed the testing Gautrain 4 times! Timings good and signalling staff on the ball. Happy folk all round!

[John Ashworth]

Fathers Day 19 June. Confusing for some but for a change the FOTR had a hugely successful train.

Festivities started at their wonderful site named Hermanstad station adjacent to the TFR Hercules yard.

The two Fireless locomotives ex ISCOR had been cosmetically restored and looked very smart indeed. The new track laid in their yard at the west end finally got its first three vehicles placed on it. At present the old motor coach driving unit with the beautiful seats inside awaits cosmetic restoration and stands guarding the gate. Two other coaches are behind her. This is the start of the first track laying for the site development.

On the east side the days events were taking place. Horse rides with two of the beautiful beasts supplied by Chris Janish ferrying people around. Old cars on display, Jumping castles and then the class 24 JoAnna number 3664 plus a coach, trundling up and down alongside the platform for train rides.

At 13:30 the full train departed on a new Tshwane routing. Normally FOTR traverse the Pretoria to Rissik to Pyramid South route, but today they headed firstly around the Pretoria to Rissik section and then again up to Pretoria and off to Irene station on the main line towards Joburg.

The big bonus was seeing the completed Gautrain line and actually being crossed by the Gautrain sets doing timetable trials prior to the official opening sometime soon.

A couple of beauty shots were to be had of the set crossing the steam hauled train at Pretoria as it crossed over the TFR line. Then again near Loftus Verseveld station and at Rissik we passed the terminus where there was a big yellow diesel shunter stabled.Jwean Dulez just missed a magic moment of the two trains together by a short and curly.

The second leg of the trip back up to Irene, saw the Gautrain pass once more at the main station and the most fantastic scene one could hope to get, on the grades up past Fountains, with smoke pouring out the stack of the hard working 24, the Gautrain set raced past on the short parallel section before disappearing into the short tunnel under the main highway. A beautiful location and the dummy that I was, I had not taken the camera with!

Such is life.

The rest of the trip was uneventful and I can say hats off to the railways, for they actually functioned as they should and FOTR had a trouble free trip.

Next one 30 July. This time the camera comes with!

Cheers,
stillwaryof trainsTrainman

[Mike Haslam]

Thanks for the report back Nathan. I love to hear about the trips - especially when they go so well. Congratulations everyone on a successful event.

[Derek Walker]

Sounds great. Has Cullinan been abandoned as a destination now? or will trips still be run to there?

[Steve Appleton]

Derek, we do not normally run trips to Cullinan during the winter months due to the high veld fire risk. We normally run the Tshwane Xplorer trips instead. But, these trips have traditionally been less popular. So, in an effort to improve the attraction and up the ridership, we are making greater use of the facilities at Hermanstad to provide additional entertainment.

Because of the difficulties we have been experiencing on the Cullinan route of late, we are nonetheless reluctant to go there until we can be better assured that the route will be trouble-free. I think we are all hoping for such an improvement before the latter part of this year. Cullinan is definately popular with the public and when trouble-free, we like going there.