Prototype South African 2ft. gauge railways

[PhilH]

Brakevan V979 at Umlaas Road.




Basic dimensions of V979.


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Brake Composite Coach NG27 and ex USATC Goods Van No.1456. The five compartments inside NG27 were from left to right: one 1st class; two 3rd class; guards compartment with seats each side and brake column in centre; separate luggage compartment.

Basic dimensions of NG27.


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Two ex USATC Goods Vans with raised roofs, the nearest G1550 with additional vents on the sides and ends and the farthest G1596 without vents, and Tank Wagon DZ1623.

Tank Wagon DZ1623 converted from a Type DZ Open Wagon.


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[timbowales]

Given the G numbers have the two USATC vehicles been converted to cattle wagons?
Tim T

 

[PhilH]

Eston was the main intermediate station on the Mid Illovo line, situated at the foot of a 1 in 40 gradient near the 25Km milepost.




Eston Station looking towards Mid Illovo.


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Mid Illovo terminus - fairly simple to model with only 6 turnouts, two buildings and a few ropey looking trees, but operation would be rather limited with only one train per day !

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Mid Illovo Station from the Umlaas Road end, with cattle pen and goods shed on the right, station building and passenger platform beyond the goods vans.

The rather neat station building, all clad in wriggly tin. The platform edging is flat bottom rail upside down.


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View of the station from near the end of the line. Type B wagons in the siding are in the course of being loaded with timber. The standard method seemed to be to place a vertical row of logs at each end of the wagon, then a few vertical along each side after which the rest could be stacked horizontally to about double the height of the wagon sides.

 

[Genghis]

It all looks so neat, tidy and well-maintained.
David

 

[simond]

cheap labour costs?

 

[PhilH]

Given the G numbers have the two USATC vehicles been converted to cattle wagons?
Tim T

It possibly means they can be used as cattle wagons, all the USATC vans seen here had the G prefix. Back at Humewood Road on the Avontuur System I noted that these vans without the raised roof had the numbers prefixed OZ whereas vans with the raised roof, some of which were obviously in use for livestock, had the numbers prefixed with a G. Without the raised roof or some other form of venting they would of course be sealed and unsuitable for carrying livestock.

I visited the two termini, the main intermediate station and two of the six other minor stations between Umlaas Road and Mid Illovo, so for the record excluding the few wagons that may have been at the 4 stations not visited the total stock of the railway was:

2 Locomotives
1 Brake Composite Coach
2 Brake Vans with passenger compartments
1 Full Brake Van
5 Cattle Wagons
7 Ex USATC Goods Vans
71 Type B Open Wagons
20 Type DZ Open Wagons
1 Tank Wagon