| THE AVONTUUR ADVENTURER PRE-TOUR South Africa. September 2005 In September 2005 the Sandstone Heritage Trust and Apple Express operated a steam train tour from Port Elizabeth to Avontuur over the longest 2ft gauge railway in the world. The tour was called the Avontuur Adventurer. As a prelude to the main tour, a pre-tour was organised that included the other working 2 foot gauge railways in South Africa. Geoff Cooke assisted with the planning and hosting of the pre-tour, which included an opportunity to photograph and travel behind four different classes of ex-SAR narrow gauge locomotives. |
| Report and photographs are Copyright to Geoff Cooke |
October 31st
The group met at Johannesburg
airport this morning and drove
to Ficksburg.
A stop was made en-route at the
Bethlehem Museum to see 6th
Class #544, guarded by a tin
zebra.
September 1st
The first day at Sandstone.
The day was spent
photographing NGG13 # 49.
Sunrise was superb, followed by
a cloudy morning and a fine
afternoon. Particularly
interesting was the new loop at
Vailima Heights, this being the
first passenger train to make use
of it.
September 2nd
This morning was again at
Sandstone where a cloudless day
resulted in outstanding
photographic opportunities with
NG6 # 6 doing the honours.
This afternoon we drove to
Pietermaritzburg.
September 3rd
Today we drove to Ixopo to ride
on the Paton Country Railway.
The locomotive was their
NGG11 Garratt # 55.
The railway also operates two
small tank locomotives originally
from sugar plantations. One of
these was steamed for the group.
For more information on this
railway and the Banana Express,
click here.
September 4th
Having spent the night in a hotel
beside the beach at Port
Shepstone, we were a short walk
away from both the steam depot
and the departure point for the
Banana Express.
We rode the Banana Express this
morning behind their NGG16 #
155.
This afternoon the group drove
to Durban for the night.
September 5th
The pre-tour ended with a flight
to Port Elizabeth, where the
group joined the Avontuur
Adventurer main tour.
The group met at Johannesburg
airport this morning and drove
to Ficksburg.
A stop was made en-route at the
Bethlehem Museum to see 6th
Class #544, guarded by a tin
zebra.
September 1st
The first day at Sandstone.
The day was spent
photographing NGG13 # 49.
Sunrise was superb, followed by
a cloudy morning and a fine
afternoon. Particularly
interesting was the new loop at
Vailima Heights, this being the
first passenger train to make use
of it.
September 2nd
This morning was again at
Sandstone where a cloudless day
resulted in outstanding
photographic opportunities with
NG6 # 6 doing the honours.
This afternoon we drove to
Pietermaritzburg.
September 3rd
Today we drove to Ixopo to ride
on the Paton Country Railway.
The locomotive was their
NGG11 Garratt # 55.
The railway also operates two
small tank locomotives originally
from sugar plantations. One of
these was steamed for the group.
For more information on this
railway and the Banana Express,
click here.
September 4th
Having spent the night in a hotel
beside the beach at Port
Shepstone, we were a short walk
away from both the steam depot
and the departure point for the
Banana Express.
We rode the Banana Express this
morning behind their NGG16 #
155.
This afternoon the group drove
to Durban for the night.
September 5th
The pre-tour ended with a flight
to Port Elizabeth, where the
group joined the Avontuur
Adventurer main tour.
| # 544 guarded by a tin Zebra |
| # 49 at sunrise. Sandstone at its best |
| # 49 at Vailima Heights. Sandstone at its newest |
| A Lawley at sunrise. Sandstone at its very best |
| # 6 racing a tractor. Steam won |
| # 6 steams past cherry blossoms |
| # 55 climbing into Carisbrooke from Madonela |
| # 55 in the forest near Ixopo |
| Sugar cane tanks at Ixopo |
| Carisbrooke siding |
| The beach at Port Shepstone |
| # 155 on the Banana Express |
| # 155 beside the Indian Ocean, near Port Shepstone |
| The end of another successful day |
| Entering Durban Harbour. Shouted requests for a runpast with more smoke were ignored |
| This report and photographs are Copyright to Geoff Cooke |
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| Click here for Geoff Cooke's Fotopic website |