The Wepeners reported on 15 December:

“We paid a visit to Rustig station on The Westleigh-Vierfontein line. As the name suggests, it was peaceful there, no sounds – and almost nothing left ! The points to the loops have been lifted only a through line remains. Only a half burnt-out fibre glass nameboard lies on the ground. Ruins of station buildings remain. A very overgrown goods platform with rails marked ‘SAR 1919′ survive. The loops have trees growing between the sleepers and track. Some wooden sleepers have gone missing. New ballast was observed but weeds were already growing through it, though the track looked shiny. Two pieces of rail that once supported a gate were observed, marked Cape Government Railways – 82 [1882].

“Attie was visited next. A few station buildings still stand, vandalised. No mealie trucks were noticed in the silo area. Someone has placed four beehives on the old waiting room roof. No trains.

“Our next stop was at Gunhill yard, Kroonstad. This was full of traffic for a change, although no shunting was observed. Four Gulf Red & Quaker Grey staff cabooses were noticed on a loop, all of them inhabited.

“Just out of Gunhill towards Bosrand we got orange E 1376 & orange E 1232 ‘Kaap” on a long load of containers and petrol tankers, also included in the load were a couple of timber wagons and mielie trucks and one Liquid Petroleum Gas tanker. The train was going very slowly to enter Gunhill yard. We also noticed that the dirt road we were travelling on was in fact part on the old alignment up to Bosrand.

“Last stop, as usual was Welkom station. Here we got a RRL ore train waiting at the far end of the station to proceed towards Friedesheim and Odendaalsrus. A while later Spoornet maroon 34 453 on a load of mealies and Anhydrous Ammonia tankers from Wesselsbron heading for Kroonstad passed through. This locomotive’s livery looks pathetic, the ‘new’ maroon paint applied so sparingly that the old SAR yellow stripes are starting to show through. Even the cow-cathcer is still red. It seems this loco was just painted where the SAR yellow was and the numberplates removed – even the white numbers on the cab are coming off !”

Related posts:

1. VISIT TO BLOEMFONTEIN
2. INFRASET SLEEPERS FOR ORE LINE
3. CEDARA SIMULATION
4. TRANSITION BEAMS FOR ORE LINE