Nr 3683 en route between Vaalwater and Nylstroom
Posted: 13 May 2009, 16:25
Posted on behalf of the photgrapher, Dennis Mitchell who comments:
This is nr 3683 at sunset on 2-4-1985 (I think... the memory banks aren't as good as they used to be!!)
I can't remember the details of the timetable, but I recall that there was an early morning mixed or goods with passenger accomodation that left Nylstroom (now called Modimolle) at about 4 a.m. and arrived at Vaalwater about 8:45. It returned at about 11 a.m. and crossed another train at Alma at about 3 p.m. (I don't know whether the 2nd train went to Vaalwater or terminated at Alma.) Sorry I can't be more help but we were only there for two days, and we were just your typical steam starved Aussie railfans... motto "get the shots and live to see them".
I recall that Alma had some pretty big wheat[or mealie?] silos that impressed me at the time ;it had a fairly large yard for an intermediate station on a branch line also.