FREE STATE DOINGS
Posted on 26 March 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
Reported by the Wepeners on sar-L:
“Yesterday [24 March] we had a trip from Welkom via Friedesheim (plenty of wood trucks), here we noticed that the entire goods shed roof has been stolen. How nobody can see such a huge structure disappearing is astonishing !! On to Odendaalsrus, Allanridge, Schuttesdraai (only the damaged mealie trucks are still standing here following the recent head-on collision. Both locos have been removed) and Bothaville. All along the way there is plenty of maize traffic but no trains seen. Then we headed back via Skoonspruit, here we noticed that the Van Schoor hut has been broken into and the roof and window frames have vanished. From there we went passed Losdorings, Wesselsbron, Tierfontein, Willemsrus (found the little black Sen-wes diesel shunter giving the mealie trucks a run for their money here), Protespan and Bultfontein. Again plenty of mealie trucks at the silos but no movement.
“Today we headed to Alleman, the first station from Brandfort going South. The station and three nameboards still stand (2x steel & 1x fibreglass). On the south-end nameboard can clearly be seen that the station was once named Allemans, the “s” missing. The cabin in still locked up and the panel, telephones and a railway chair still remain intact inside. The ticket office side is also boarded up but entry was once gained and it is destroyed on the inside, even the steel safe door is missing ! All the signals have white crosses on them. Some line and points and catenary have been removed along the very overgrown goods platform. The old sandstone platform can still be seen underneath, where the new concrete has been destroyed. On the glass in the cabin is a faded notice: “Stasie gesluit vir verkeer, kontak Bloemfontein…” The relay room has also been destroyed and set alight, oddly the CO2 fire extinguisher still works ! On the platform is painted two faded ‘Flying Springbucks’ (Vlermuise). While we were surveying the station area E 1510 & E 1506 “Natal” still with numberplates and in SAR maroon headed through light towards Bloemfontein. The driver looked amazed to see people at the station.
“Then we headed back to Brandfort. From here we headed to Winburg. It is quite funny to go through a town with a railway station and not stop to see what is going on, but the line is closed and everything is destroyed. On towards Virginia with a quick detour to Glen Harmony which is destroyed and only has a name left. Some track missing but the line looks a bit shiny. From here we went via Whites to Hennenman, plenty of mêlées in the station but again no movement.
“We then decided to head back towards Welkom. At Whites West guys were relaying electric cables to the relay room. The old signal cabin still stands but is vandalised. The southern leg of the triangle towards Bloemfontein was lifted a couple of years ago and now the underside of the bridge is being carried away. Next we moved along the shiny track towards Mooiveld. Here only a very rusted name remains and a broken-into relay room. The destroyed colour light signals and catenary masts are a reminder of the once busy yard feeding the siding to the closely situated Zomerveld dynamite factory. This line was opened in the eighties and hardly survived into the nineties before being lifted. A piece of track still remains on the level crossing.
“Between Mooiveld and Kaalvlei we saw blue 34 037 and orange 34 058 heading to Kroonstad with a load of mêlées. Of Kaalvlei absolutely nothing is left. Only the double catenary masts tell of the loops that once were. It in now in the middle of a huge squatter camp. Even the old catenary masts are disappearing. The optic fibre now runs underground.
“Next we passed the old diesel depot at Mothusi. If we did not know what once was here we would not have known where to look. Everything is gone and the site together with that of the old uplifted Mothusi shunting yard, looks like a mining site with the trenches being dug to recover any remaining copper cables or metals. On approach of the official vehicle we were amazed to see people literally ‘popping’ out of the ground and ‘running for the hills’. Mothusi station is destroyed, the platform very overgrown, the footbridge disappearing and all the offices have been removed some years ago.
“Welkom station has a new Transnet Freight Rail name attached in front of the old ticket office. At least this station still stands, with RRL, security and a private courier service occupying the buildings.”
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