Hi all,
First of all apologies for the last few weeks of missed pictures, as some of you know I have been in hospital with a suspect water infection and deep vein thrombosis in my right leg. Fortunately the latter was not what they thought so got away with that one but still had to spend a week in Good Hope, not feeling great though, and to top all that my GP suddenly passed away, a lovely big bear of a man with a deep growly welsh voice. Will be missed.
So this weeks picture is of a South African class 25NC 4-8-4 3428 “Ezette” mechanical stoker with a southbound freight from Kimberley to De Aar bowling along at a steady 60 mph at Whitput a lonely passing point out on the high Velt. What machines these were, running on a 3ft 6 inch gauge they were enormous, the only other engine I can say seeing of the same compatable size would be a Stanier Duchess, but these 25s were much longer. There were 150 built I believe of which a large proportion we saw at work along this racetrack of a railway. They just kept on coming one after another all day long. Saturday 15th September 1973
Regards
Ledge.