Old 9pm Mail Train from Cape Town

[Rob Jamieson]

Hi

I am busy creating an activity in MS Train Simulator based on the old 9pm Mail Passenger Train that used to run daily from Cape Town to Johannesburg and Pretoria with coaches to Durban, Bloemfontein, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London and Windhoek on certain days. As far as I can remember, it used to leave Cape Town and would route via Stellenbosch to De Aar. Does anyone here remember this train that ran up until the early 1990's. I am looking for its running times as well its train number and should anyone here recall this old milk train, I would appreciate the info. Information concerning its counter operation to Cape Town would also be appreciated.

Thanks in anticipation.

[Ashley Peter]

I hope this reply doesn't come up half a dozen times! I seem to be having issues with the "tab key", which appears to either send or delete (I don't know which yet!) whatever has been typed without warning...!!

The train you are referring to would be "7-Down", the daily semi-fast train from Cape Town to Pretoria, although it did stop all-stations between De Aar and Kimberley. The return working would have been "12-Up". Below are the schedules as they appeared in 1980 - I have also included the probable loco classes (from memory) which would have worked them. There were through coaches to Bloemfontein, Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Windhoek and Worcester in 1980 and the train also sported a double-diner. However, I would not dispute that there would also have been through coaches to PE and East London at some stage, as this train was the "maid of all work" - very much the same as trains nos 71 and 72 on the Durban - Bloemfontein run. The coaches for Worcester would have been used on the local trains to Wolseley, Ashton etc. By 1980 these trains had been renumbered 18007 and 81012, and ran as follows:-

TRAIN No. 18007
Cape Town 21:00 2x5E/5E1
Bellville 21:27
Stellenbosch 22:01
Paarl 22:39
Wellington 23:08
Wolseley 00:24
Worcester 01:23
Touws River 03:35
Laingsburg 05:34
Beaufort West 09:09 - 09:30 1x34
De Aar 14:47 - 15:40 1x25NC
Kimberley 20:30 - 21:00 2x5E1
Warrenton 22:13
Bloemhof 23:45
Klerksdorp 02:27
Potchefstroom 03:25
Krugersdorp 05:29
Johannesburg 06:15 - 06:30
Germiston 06:52
Pretoria 08:00

TRAIN No. 81012
Pretoria 20:15 2x5E1
Germiston 21:17
Johannesburg 21:35 - 22:00
Krugersdorp Train ran via Lawley in this direction!
Potchefstroom 00:33
Klerksdorp 02:18
Bloemhof 04:33
Warrenton 06:27
Kimberley 07:38 - 08:35 1x25NC
De Aar 13:24 - 14:45 1x34
Beaufort West 19:01 - 19:21 2x5E/5E1
Laingsburg 23:31
Touws River 02:05
Worcester 04:25
Wolseley 05:05
Wellington 06:27
Paarl 06:48
Stellenbosch 07:20
Bellville 08:03
Cape Town 08:30

I hope this helps!

[Rob Jamieson]

Ashley

Thanks, you made my day. Your information will indeed help me to make the activity more realistic.