I chanced upon this video of SAR Class 26 3450 in 1991, with a spectacular pacing run..... and the poster apologizes for the "poor quality"...........

[url]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVYS7xj3 ... 1&index=43[/url]

Cool video Sandy. The ones in the play list the follow are very good as well. Thanks for posting.

This entire portfolio of video clips is the work of Richard Niven, one of the very last steam fireman on the SAR and a railway enthusiast too.

His story of firing on the last run of a Class 25 condenser is the stuff of legend.

Today he lives in Edinburgh, Scotland and works as a driver for Virgin Rail.

TH

Please, tell us more!

Click here to see a 25 and a 25NC operating

http://www.livesteaming.com/uploads/Vid ... ontein.wmv


SAR 25 3511 "Frieda" was the last Condenser in service.

Richard Niven was assigned to fire her between Kimberley and De Aar

Little did he know that upon return to Kimberley, she would never run again.

Here is the story as told by Richard in 2006


"By the time I was based in Kimberley only no 3511 was still in
original condition, all others having been converted to normal class
25NCs (non condenser). 3511 was no longer used in regular traffic
and was now more of a museum piece used only on steam specials etc.
I was desperate to have a go at firing this mighty beast but as I
was not passed on this machine I was simply not allowed. Every time
I saw her in steam I would ask the foreman if I could be trained on
firing her but the answer was always "no, we don't have enough
firemen to work the regular trains".
Years went by and I simply just accepted that I would never get the
chance to fire this mighty condensing beast but all was not lost. On
10th May 1991 John and myself had just signed off after a trip to De
Aar on our regular engine 3488. It was then we were told that we
were to work train 2416 next day to De Aar and were on duty at 03h46
and that we would be using the condenser.
Both of us were well pleased with that news but after all the times
we had asked to be passed out on this machine and now its simply
just thrown at us we were very reluctant to take her. We started
questioning the foreman and saying such things like "we aren't
passed to work on that loco" and we would get a answer like "just go
do your job, I'm sure you two can work it out between you both".
Lucky for me John still had his paperwork regarding the condensers
from his firing days at De Aar. The whole night I sat reading these
notes and took in as much as I could about this advanced machine.
The whole night I was exited and looking forward to the next day on
the condenser but as I was to find out I still had a few lessons to
learn regarding this machine without upsetting the driver.
Next morning we arrive on duty well ahead of our booked time and
find 3511 standing under the water column in front of the shed. I
climb aboard and my first impression is that things do not look
good. The steam pressure is way down at 60psi and only a tiny bit of
red can be seen in the almost dead fire. Like any other steam
locomotive I simply open the blower valve hard to draw the fire and
then start the mechanical stoker. I leave it all running for a while
as I get the oil and grease ready for John to lubricate the motion.
By the time I am finished getting Johns stuff ready the stoker has
been feeding fresh coal into the firebox for about 7 minutes. I know
there is enough fresh coal in the firebox to get the fire going and
raise steam. Quick inspection into the firebox before I start
cleaning the cab and not a single bit of red can be seen. I start
cleaning the cab front and within minutes I notice the steam
pressure coming up very quickly indeed. Another inspection in the
box finds the fire burning white hot over the whole grate. One thing
I did notice was the unbelievable pull on the fire caused by the
exhaust fan in the smokebox. I have never seen any steam locomotive
with such a strong blower before.
Another quick feed of coal from the mechanical stoker and the steam
gauge is heading towards the red mark. I turn down the blower and
continue cleaning the cab when suddenly I hear John shouting my
name. "Richard--- Richard---, what the f#'/#k are you doing?" I look
around but cannot see John anywhere. Just then a rather angry driver
arrives from behind the tender "did you let those bloody safety
valves blow of?, you just about killed me". John was furious at me.
What had happened was that the silent safety valves had started to
blow. Unlike any other steam loco the steam from the safety valves
escapes down a pipe and is then fed to the condensing tender. This
force then starts up the huge condensing fans and John had been
inside the tender greasing the fans when they started. That was
lesson number one--don't let the safety valves blow when driver is
inside the tender.
After my first bollocking I thought I better do my best and clean
the cab from top to bottom and then surprise John by making him a
cup of tea before leaving shed.
Once back in the cab I look at the two controls that operate the
pumps and turn the top spindle open and hope that one of the pumps
starts up. Sure enough it did. As the water from the tender is hot
these locomotives were not fitted with injectors but were instead
fitted with turbine pumps. Each pump had a pressure gauge situated
alongside the stoker gauges. The book said the operating pressure
for these pumps was 150psi. I set the pump to this pressure but
after 10min of running the boiler water level had only risen very
slightly so I turned the pressure up to full boiler pressure and the
water started to rise. This brought the boiler pressure down and as
time was running out I decided to leave the fire as is and fill my
tender. I done my usual and climbed up the front of the tender and
on over the coal only to suddenly remember this is a condenser and
it has very large fans on the roof of the tender. Do I walk over
these fans? I ask myself. I decide not to and return to the cab then
using the ladder at the rear of the tender climb up to the filling
hole right at the back of the tender. From the top I can see the
flicker of Johns paraffin lamp still inside the tender. I know I
must be very careful not to let the water overflow otherwise I
really will be in the s'/;t.
I watch the tank slowly fill and am just about to shut it off when I
hear another angry cry from John. "Turn off that bloody water". Mad
rush and I am turning the water valve off as fast as I can. Just
then a very wet and angry John emerges from the door at the rear of
the tender. "Just look at me now" he shouts. "The tank wasn't full"
I reply. "It wont get full, its overflow runs into the inner
tender". Now I knew I really was in trouble. Two bollocking in 10
minutes is not a good start to the day on any steam loco and we
haven't even left shed yet---time to make some tea!!
With all preparation complete its time to leave shed but something
is still on my mind. Due to all the rush and trying to do too much
in too little time I haven't filled my boiler fully. As we start to
reverse I quickly turn on supply to each pump to max, open the
blower and start up the mechanical stoker. John is either keeping
quiet about the low water or has not yet noticed it. I know he will
stop at the exit to the shed and want to blowdown the boiler and if
the boiler is not full it may well lead to bollocking number 3. Oh
no, come on boiler "fill up". With the stoker shut I leave both
pumps running and climb down from the footplate and run ahead
changing points as I go. As 3511 approaches the blowdown towers I
climb aboard only to find the boiler about ¾ full. Its no good
leaving the pumps running during boiler blowdown so I quickly turn
off both pumps and leave the footplate to phone out shed and also
phone the shunters.
Once John has blown the boiler down he reverses up towards the stop
board and I climb aboard as he passes. John has already got the
pumps running as a green light is given from the shunter. We draw
back further and then get sent down the "loco road" towards Alex
yard. The loco road was unusual in that it was more like a double
track mainline running through the yards. It was used for light
engine movements from one yard to the other. It was electrified but
had no signals and was controlled from shunters at each end of the
line. Sometimes engine after engine would be sent along it one after
the other with no signals between., although drivers would always be
told if there was another engine in the section ahead.
Once up in Alex yard we couple onto a very long container train
consisting of 40 wagons fully loaded.
It is here in the yard that John explains some of the controls
regarding the condenser to me.
On the tender are a few gauges that are important to control the
tender correctly. Most important is the condensate tank level gauge
(CTLG). This gauge has 3 different colours on it, namely green, red
and white. The condensate tank is the return tank that sits between
the bogies below the tender floor. This is where any steam that has
been condensed ends up. Like any steam machine 3511 has a few steam
leaks and so this condensate tank level will fall and needs filling
up at regular intervals. This will be shown when the when the CTLG
falls out of green and into red level. Once this happens the fireman
has to take action. Right behind the fireman's seat located at the
front of the tender is a large brass spindle listed "fresh water
supply". By opening this valve water is fed from the main fresh
water tank and into the condensate tank. Once the gauge is high up
in the green the valve must be closed to stop any water running out
the overflow and being wasted.
Another gauge on the tender is the temperature of the supply water
to the pumps. As one would think, the hotter the feed water the more
efficient and better steaming the loco would be but that's not
always the case as I was to find out later.
One can adjust the water temp by moving the large ratchet type lever
again situated on the tender front behind the fireman.
While sitting in the yard I turn on one of the pumps only to find it
is not working. John having had a few turns on condensers in the
past knows exactly what is wrong. The pumps are fitted with a
overheat trip and this has tripped. One can reset it easily by
climbing down the steps and simply pushing a button situated on the
side of the pump. Once this is done the pump starts up.
With boiler full, steam at red mark and a good fire we get the green
light and head for De Aar. As we pull out the yard and onto the main
it all seems very strange to me. Working a steam locomotive without
a beat is really weird. I keep wanting to shut off the stoker as
though we were drifting downhill. Next thing I notice is the amount
of smoke this machine makes. I set the stoker to its slowest but
still loads of black smoke is pouring out of her chimney.
For John it is also quite difficult. As this locomotive has no beat
one must listen to the rather silent beats in the exhaust pipe
leading to the tender to set the cut-off. Not an easy task if the
mechanical stoker is running as it makes a lot of noise.As we head out the yard and across the points at Beaconsfield South
box and onto the De Aar mainline I call out to John "green" and hold
two fingers up to indicate. With the exhaust fan turning at hi speed
the fire is now burning white hot and all looks like we are in for a
great journey----if only.
As we head along the flats towards Spytfontein 3511 has the load
flying along at about 80kph. I set the mechanical stoker as slow as
it will go and try to be as efficient as possible at firing the
engine. With one pump running and stoker set at slow the steam
pressure appears to like to sit at 210psi. But one pump is not
sufficient to keep the boiler water level constant and so I need to
make a plan. By turning the stoker up faster the steam slowly
increases towards the red mark and then I can start the next pump.
This may fill the boiler slightly but with two pumps running the
steam pressure quickly returns to 210psi and even less if left too
long. Once it has fallen it is time to turn off the no 1 pump and
give it a rest and start again at getting the steam up to red mark.
It appeared strange that the boiler pressure seemed to like sitting
at 210psi. It would remain their constantly until the regulator was
closed and then rush up to the red mark and then fall back to 210psi
as soon as the regulator was opened. We later discovered that the
safety valves were set slightly low and were blowing off early. Of
course with them feeding into a pipe we could not hear or see them
when they blew off.
As we head down the steep bank towards Modder River its both heads
out the windows looking ahead to see the signals. On seeing the
distant signal at green I shout across to John "green, two off" and
immediately start up the stoker for the long climb ahead. We thunder
through Modder River on our "Silent Susie" at about 80kph. As usual
on any steam locomotive I keep my eyes rotating to all parts of the
engine that concern my job, smoke, water gauge, steam, stoker and on
the condenser the condensate gauge.
As we head over the Modder River bridge I notice the smoke at the
chimney has stopped indicating either the stoker has stopped or has
run dry of coal. On inspection I notice the front of the tender is
empty and its time to pull a slide to allow the coal further back to
fall into the stoker trough. Once that's done I open the stoker up
to full speed in order to get the coal through to the firebox as
soon as possible. It starts feeding coal into the box but only a
rather light grey smoke appears at the chimney. "Oh no, is my fire
dead" I ask myself. Quick inspection of the fire finds it burning
white hot but something is not right in that box. We continue
onwards up the bank towards Heuningnesskloof but 3511 is no longer
performing like she was. Another inspection into the firebox reveals
the truth. The fire is a rather dark colour with loads of blue flame
indicating masses of clinker.
As we head through Heuningnesskloof a strong side wind is getting up
and is beginning to take hold of the train. John is having to work
3511 harder than usual to keep the train going. We approach the
lower section of Enslin bank doing about 45kph. My clinkered up fire
is making things difficult for me at keeping steam and water in the
boiler. Instead of using both pumps now and again its down to one
pump now and again. I have to work very carefully now to get us over
the summit without letting the water get too low. The main cause of
all this is the old coal in the tender that has been sitting there
for the last six months and is more like stones rather than coal. By
the time we reach Enslin summit we are down to about 25kph and my
fire looks more like a massive lump of tar.
We head over the summit and with regulator shut I have the smokebox
fan going its fastest to get my steam and water back into the
boiler. I am tempted to give the fire a shake or break up the
clinker with the irons but with the gale blowing like it is there
would be a very big chance of starting a veld fire. I decide to pack
the sides and front of the box using the shovel. As there is only a
few more miles of pulling before the downhill to Orange River this
should be ok.
As we approach Graaspan John asks if I'm ok to proceed. "Yes" I
reply and he opens the regulator. Normally any train would have been
flying down this bank into Graaspan but again this gale force wind
is holding back the train.
By the time John shuts off near Belmont steam is well down and just
to make things worse my no 1 pump has tripped out. With blower on
hard and no 2 pump running not much is happening in 3511s boiler.
The fire is simply a lump and refuses to burn. Even on the downhill
towards Witput the train is getting slower and slower due to the
strong side on wind. With no chance of getting any steam out of this
fire I have to take the chance and use the fire irons. But even with
these I cannot break this solid lump of clinker. On that note we
decide to use the shaker. With only about half a glass of water
showing its not good but we must try something or we will be
stranded before long. Unlike injector fed locomotives where the
ashpan coolers (water jets) are operated from the injectors the
condenser simply uses a large water valve situated just above the
firebox door on the back of the boiler. With the cooler on I start
shaking the fire. The whole box jumps up and down and not much
happens but at least the sides are now open and some air can get up
the sides of the box. I turn on the stoker and try to keep as much
coal away from the middle of the box as possible. With the sides
burning the steam rises towards red mark and I switch no 2 pump on.
As we approach Witput signals indicate two off and we are now clear
into the next section before Orange River. With the boiler now back
to normal John opens the regulator on the downhill section simply to
gain some speed. The whole Karroo is now just a dust storm and we
struggle to see ahead of the train.
With our water stop at Orange River not far off I start to prepare
for fire cleaning etc. One most important thing for me is to remove
the steam supply pipe to the shaker handle and pour some valve oil
(steam oil) into it. This will lubricate the handle and also the
shaker cylinders making the shaker work much better. At Orange River
it is not normally required to oil and grease a 25/25NC but since
3511 has been standing for the last 6 months I know John will want
to do a complete inspection and re grease and oil of the motion. As
we approach Orange River I roll another fire into the box and open
the ashpan cooler and both drop grates. As the 25s water filling
hole on the tender is different from a ordinary NC the marks on the
ground will not locate the correct stopping point for John and its
left to me to give John hand signals to stop correctly from the
ground.



With the water set slowly its over the top of the fans, down the
coals and into the cam in a mad rush. Enthusiasts are watching our
every move. Some start asking questions but I simply ignore them.
There's nothing worse when your busy and trying to concentrate and
someone stands there asking questions.
With cooler on I start shaking the fire bars but not much is
happening except that the whole lump of clinker is jumping up and
down. Pricker, 12ft rake and it is giving me a hard time, the
clinker just will not break. I leave the fire bars set at a angle
and try to lift the solid clinker up but this just bends the fire
iron, its hell. Just then one of the enthusiasts shouts "water,
water's running over". Through the coals and across the fans again
then back to the cab in a flash. After about 30min I manage to break
up this solid 3ft thick lump of clinker.
With all clinker out and a new red bed on the grate I start up the
stoker. Grey smoke immediately appears at the chimney. Out to the
ashpan I start to rake out the clinkers and ash into the pit below
the engine. Into the cab and another fire is loaded. I then untangle
the spray pipe to wash out the last ashes in the ashpan. The spray
pipe is worked from no 1 pump. I turn on the pump but the gauge
simply races up to the same pressure as the boiler pressure. Its
then I remember that no 1 pump has tripped. Out the cab, reset pump,
back into cab, start up the pump then down to the ashpan with the
spray pipe. Through the cab out to the other side and everything has
become a mad rush.
By the time I have refilled the tender and got everything back to
normal we have overstayed our stop by 20min. Goods trains are
allowed 20min and passenger trains only 15 for servicing at Orange
River and we have now been here for just over 40min. All this time
John has been out inspecting and lubricating the engine and looking
for any faults that may have occurred along the way.
After the mad rush and all back to normal we whistle up for the
road. With signal pulled we gently leave the station loop and again
head for De Aar and into a massive dust storm.

As we head out the River and up the bank 3511 is performing well but
I know that once that terrible coal sets in it will be another long
drawn out struggle. Once up the bank from Orange River the line is
rather flat through some flood lands as far as Kraankuil station
from where the dreaded climb up Rooidam bank begins. Normally the
driver can ease off the regulator on the flats but again with the
dreadful side on wind John has to keep 3511 working very hard. As if
there is not enough to keep the fireman busy one has to keep a close
watch on the condensate tank level gauge situated on the tender. If
it falls out of the green position one has to open the small valve
behind the fireman's seat on the tender front and let water in from
the fresh water tank. Left open too long and it will waste water out
the overflow. Let the tank go down too far and the pumps will trip
out.
As we head through Kraankuil at about 50kph the once white flames of
the fire are beginning to turn to blue indicating yet more clinker
build-up. As we head up the bank I try my best to fire as slow as
possible and keep the clinker to a minimum. I'm now getting into the
full swing of things and getting use to this condensing machine.
Only thing I haven't tried yet is the condensate temperature handle
feeding the water supply to the pumps. It has been set at low temp
all the way but with so much more going on in the cab I just decide
to leave it well alone for the time being.
On up the bank and poor 3511 is struggling against the bank and the
side on wind to keep the train moving. My side of things is not too
good either. The fire is slowly becoming a solid lump of clinker
again and I'm forced to let the water go down in order to maintain
steam pressure.
As we head over Rooidam summit my steam pressure is up at her usual
210psi but my water level is way down at ¼ of a glass. Its now make
up time on the short downward section to Poupan. With blower on hard
and both pumps running I get as much water into the boiler before
the next climb ahead.
As we approach Poupan I switch off both pumps and start up the
stoker. John winds the reverser back to 35% and opens the regulator
slowly.
With the engine working hard and the stoker feeding the fire I
expect smoke to appear at the chimney any time now but nothing is
happening. Another inspection into the firebox reveals what has
happened. On the downhill to Poupan I let the clinker get too cold
and it has all hardened up into a solid rock. I know its going to be
a struggle all the way to De Aar now.
As we climb the short bank I again have to sacrifice the water in
order to maintain full boiler pressure. Once over the summit its
downhill for about 2km to Potfontein and then the real climb begins,
the dreaded bank from Spytfontein to Bhershoek summit. A distance
of about 35km. Its not a really steep bank but just seems to go on
forever and with the wind blowing side on it does not help.
Once over the top and heading down the bank, I'm hoping to get
stopped at Potfontein and get my fire sorted out. No such luck
today and both outer home and distant signal are showing green as we
approach Potfontein.
Its now going to be very difficult maintaining steam up this next
section. With the water already down at half a glass there is not
much more water left to sacrifice for steam. Speed is now down to
about 30kph and John is doing his best to keep the train moving
against this terrible side on gale.
Half way between Potfontein and the next station Houtkraal we pass a
old water tank that must have been used in the old days for locos
with much smaller tenders. At this point I things in the boiler are
not looking good. My steam is sitting at 210psi and if that gets any
lower the train will come to a stand. To make matters worse my water
level is now down to about 1/3 of a glass and its now I decide to
try something different.
The condensate water feed handle has been set at low temp all the
way so far all the way since Kimberley, and its now test time. Surly
the hotter the water going into the boiler the better it would steam-
--or one would think so! I move the handle to a much higher temp
position. Immediately I notice the pumps steam gauge heads up
towards the same as boiler pressure but I leave it set to hi.
With the handle set to high the boiler pressure starts rising and I
think I have cracked it with 3511 but I soon realised I hadn't. With
the feed to the pumps set up so high it was mainly just steam and
very little water that was being fed into the pump and this soon
caused no 1 pump over speed and trip. Also at this temp most of the
water coming out from the condensate tank would just about be wet
steam and so nothing would be getting through into the boiler anyway.
With steam at 210psi and water way down at just under ¼ glass I move
the handle more towards the cooler side again and start up no 2
pump. The boiler pressure immediately starts falling and now I just
do not have enough water left in the boiler to sacrifice it anymore
for steam.
As we head on towards Houtkraal I just have to do my best. With
water so low I just have to let the steam start to fall slowly. On
approach to Houtkraal signals I'm so busy in the cab trying to keep
us on the go when John shouts out "Yellow, one off--loop". What a
relief this is for us! John shuts the regulator and I immediately
put on the blower but the water is now very low in the boiler and is
just showing at the bottom of the glass. With only no 2 pump working
I am rather worried. I have heard stories of firemen climbing down
the cab steps and resetting the pumps while on the move. Dare I try
this? I ask myself.
I know I was often a "daredevil" at times but this time I think
common sense took first place.
Once at a stand in the loop I reset pump no 1 and immediately get
stuck into cleaning the fire. John is again outside checking over
the engine. With only about another 8km to Bhershoek summit I am not
too worried about giving the fire much of a clean. So long as I have
a full boiler on leaving Houtkraal I will be happy. Its now time for
me to join the others outside with my camera although not many good
shots will be had today due to the terrible dust storms.
After letting a passenger train past the signal is pulled for us and
we head up the last section of the bank towards Bhershoek. Knowing
that its all downhill from there I just keep the boiler pressure up
full and sacrifice the water all the way to the summit. Once over
the top its almost all downhill for the next 30km into De Aar.
At De Aar we approach the red signal slowly and watch as the large
yellow light comes on below the signal indicating "goods or siding".
John opens the regulator for the short but very steep climb up into
the yard. As we approach the yard a green flag is given from the
shunter telling us to enter the yard.
Once into the yard and uncoupled from the load of containers its off
to the loco shed for a well earned break.

After arriving at De Aar loco shed we draw alongside the coal
loading grab. The main coal stage no longer being used thanks to
coal thieves and vandals. I start by getting the fire irons down
from the tender and try my best at breaking up some of the massive
lumps of clinker in the firebox. it's a mighty task but so long as I
can get some air through the grate 3511 should make some steam on
the newly loaded coal. As soon as the first load of coal lands
inside the bunker I immediately start up the mechanical stoker and
turn the blower on hard. Within seconds wonderful dark black smoke
appears from the chimney. What a difference in colour from that
horrible stuff from Kimberley. I knew now we were on a winning turn.
I kept the stoker going, loading as much good coal into the box as
possible as the old horrible stuff had all turned to clinker and tar
so hopefully this new coal would make fire cleaning much easier.
Once the tender was full we move off forward past the coal stage and
on up to the triangle. I run ahead of the loco changing points as
required then once turned John brings 3511 to a stand over the water
filled ashpits.
Again I start by pouring oil down the steam pipe to lubricate the
rocking grates cylinders and then start shaking the fire. As before
the fire is just a maze of hard lumps of clinker but at least the
new De Aar coal is burning and making it much easier than what I had
at Orange River. While I clean out the firebox John is outside
cleaning the ashpan using the ashpan pricker.
Fifteen minutes later and we are all done at the ashpits and then
back off down towards the coal stage to refill the fresh water tank
in the tender. With the water column set very slow John and myself
decide to give the boiler and smoke deflectors a wipe down using the
usual so called "railway polish". This is simply a mixture of
paraffin and oil mixed into a large piece of cotton waste. Once all
has been wiped down it is then polished up with a dry piece of
waste. It is also very rewarding.
Once the engine is cleaned it is time for a bite to eat. While John
goes around lubricating the motion I fry up two massive rump steaks
together with a few other nice bits of food on the shovel. Then
another cup of tea from my stainless steel billy can and a 5 minute
rest before the tender starts to overflow.
With boiler and tender full we slowly head forward towards the exit
road where we stop. I quickly run across to the shed office and get
our back working train number as well as the most important thing of
the day "chocolate and coke". This is my energy for the return trip
and will most possibly be finished within 10km of leaving De Aar.
After a quick stop at the blowdown chimneys and instructions from
the shunter we head off to the yard to pick-up our load. As we run
alongside the yard we pass two diesels heading towards the shed with
ex-steam driver Captain Deedriks driving from the rear cab of the
2nd diesel. We later found out that those diesels were the power for
our train but the one diesel had failed in the yard and so the load
was given to us.
The load was just under 1000 tons and consisted of all different
kinds of wagons from hoppers to flat cars with bulldozers etc on
them. Next to us was a long load of B bogies. I excpect that would
have been our load if the diesels had not failed.
While the vaccume ejector builds up the trains vaccume John and
myself put our feet up and have 5 minutes rest, it's been a very
long day so far and we are now about 3 hours behind time much of it
due to us spending so long in the loco shed.
About 20minutes later we are awoken by the sound of a shunter
shouting "Drywer, Drywer, as julle reg is julle kan maar ry"
(Driver, Driver, if your ready you can leave). On that note I
immediately open the blower and put the stoker into action. Black
smoke is pouring out of the chimney indicating the fire is going
well. Before john opens the regulator I grab my video camera and run
ahead of the train to get a false start out of the yard. As the
engine passes I climb on boar and start getting the fire ready for
the long climb ahead up Bhershoek bank.
As we turn onto the mainline John works the engine gently like any
good steam driver would simply to give the fire and cylinders time
to warm up. With steam right up at the red mark as we cross the
Olifants River in the valley John opens her right up for the steep
climb. Again it seems strange not hearing a beat from the exhaust.
As we head up the bank 3511 is performing great and it is now video
time for me. The wind in the valley had almost gone but as we get
closer to the top of the bank at Bhershoek the wind is getting
stronger but it certainly does not feel anything like it was on the
way down.
We approach the summit with a full head of steam and doing over
40kph. I hold my camera out of the cab window simply to get the
sound of the fan slowing as John shuts the regulator. It sounds just
like a jet plane that has landed and is slowing down the engines. If
one had to play that sound to anyone who is unfamiliar with the
condensers they would not believe that it was a steam locomotive.
As the train is loaded we pick up speed very quickly down the bank
towards Houtkraal. With greens all the way we glide through the
station at about 80kph. With such a free running train its not even
necessary to open the regulator through the dip that the station is
situated in and its feet up time for us all the way to Potfontein.
The signals at Potfontein are green and that means its time to get
ready for the short climb ahead. The steam is sitting nicely at
210psi but a quick peep into the fire reveals a rather dead fire. I
open the blower immediately and start up the stoker. Within seconds
smoke starts appearing from the chimney. As we race through the
station John winds the reverser back and gently opens the regulator.
I shut off the blower as the exhaust from the cylinders will now
keep the fan turning. Another peep into the firebox reveals all is
going great and the fire is white hot.
The line from Potfontein to Orange River has 3 rather short banks
but all are hi speed and so the fireman has to keep a good eye on
things otherwise he will be in sh'/t. The first bank is the shortest
and 3511 flies up it on less than half regulator. Two km further and
the hardest climb out of the 3 begins. Here john winds the reverser
back and opens the regulator until the steam chest pressure gauge
reads 150psi. I keep the stoker feeding as slow as possible and even
with no 1 pump running full time the steam pressure is creeping up
towards red mark. I put on no 2 pump hoping it will bring down the
steam pressure slightly but no, even with the slow speed of the
stoker the steam goes on rising. I then turn off the stoker and
after a while the steam starts to drop slightly and I turn off no 1
pump. Turning the stoker off while the engine is working so hard can
lead to trouble later. Holes can appear in ones fire causing sparks
to fall into the ashpan and set the veld alight. The fire can also
get rather too thin or even rather dead and then you really are in
the sh'~t. Lucky for me the fire remains good and we reach the top
of the bank with full steam and water in the boiler. Its now along
the level for about a km then downhill to Poupan where we charge the
next bank to Rooidam summit.
Poupan is one of the fastest sections of the whole De Aar line and
so long as the distant signal indicates a green aspect drivers would
always take power while flying down towards the station and charge
the short but steep bank just like we do on 3511.
From then it's a easy trek to Orange River. Here once under the
water coloum it takes me less than 5 min to clean the fire. With
time on my side I decide to feed the pumps a bit of oil. As no
special pump oil was available at Kimberley I simply pour some
cylinder oil down the steam inlet pipe. This oil is rather thick for
such machinery as turbines but any oil is better than non.
With water full and fire burning white John gives a quick tug on the
whistle and the road is cleared for us to leave the half way point.
Ahead lies a long non stop climb of about 70km to Enslin summit. It
is also a rather hi speed section so any loss of water in the boiler
means it has gone and it is almost impossible to get it back into
the boiler without using up steam pressure. Hopefully this wont be
the case today.
As we head up the bank towards Witput 3511 is going like a dream. I
am now getting use to this wonderful machine and have its stoker
down to a fine art and since she is steaming so well its time to
start seeing what all these other levers etc can do for performance.
I decide rather than keep going back and forth to open and close the
fresh water valve feeding water into the condensate tank I will just
set it very slightly open. This should hopefully keep the condensate
tank at a constant level. Next thing is the tempreture of the water
to the pumps. Remembering what happened before I don't want it too
hot otherwise the pumps may trip. I increase the temp slightly. I
know that by increasing the temp too far loads of steam and not much
water will be fed into the pumps and this will cause them to spin
too fast and less water will be fed into the boiler. What I really
want to do now is get a good balance by using both pumps and the
temp set as high as possible then that should require less coal to
make steam. I play around with the whole set up and before I know it
we have reached Enslin. It has been a wonderful trip so far.
As we race down the bank towards Heuningnesskloof we are well over
our allowed working time of 16hours. But when one is having fun who
cares about time. We approach Heuningnesskloof and all signals are
green but just as we race over the level crossing we see a minibus
heading towards the station and we know what it is. It is another
crew to takeover our train to Kimberley. As we fly through the
station at over 100kph they wave to us thinking we would stop but
nothing was going to stop us now, we were having too much fun. Just
as we pass the advance starting signal it falls back to danger. We
know the signalman tried to stop us but was not quick enough.
It is now a race against the minibus to Modder River. We keep the
train flying along at over 100kph all the way down the bank opening
the regulator at times as needed. As we approach Modder River the
minibus is just about catching us on the road alongside the line.
They are flashing the lights at us to tell us to stop at Modder
River but with green signals showing John winds back the reverser
and opens the regulator. We are now going faster than ever as we fly
past our relief crew on the platform. Secretly I don't think they
really wanted to takeover the train and just left us to get on with
it otherwise the signals would have been set to danger.
As we race up the very steep section out or Modder River the boiler
is getting rather full and steam is just about to lift the safety
valves. In other words the boiler is about to burst. I stop the
stoker and leave both pumps running but turn the condensate temp
down as cold as possible. Within a few seconds the steam starts to
drop and I restart the stoker. Things are just going great. With the
stoker going again I keep a close watch on steam and water. I
increase the condensate temp slightly and try to get a balance
between stoker, water and steam and this is finally achieved as we
race along overtaking the cars on the road alongside us.
The next section up to Spytfontein is one of the steepest banks on
the whole line and most 25/25NCs require the cut-off to be
lengthened half way up the bank and today is no different. As we
round the first curve 3511 is still doing about 80kph but as the
line gets steeper her speed decreases and ahead lies a rather sharp
right hand curve on a very steep grade. John knows this curve will
bring her speed down even further and rather than let the cut-off
out on the curve and cause the engine to go into a violent spin he
eases the regulator on the straight and lets the cut-off further out
then re-opens the regulator. With the cut-off set higher, this means
more steam is going through the cylinders and so the fan is turning
even faster causing more pull on my fire. It also means that more
water is being used. I increase the speed of the stoker very
slightly but the steam pressure starts moving away from the red mark
and with plenty of water in the boiler I simply decide to turn off
no 1 pump. The steam starts to climb up again and so rather than
turn on the 2nd pump I lower the temp of the condensate feed water
to the pump that is running. With the speed way down one pump should
manage to keep the boiler topped up with no problem. If due to the
cooler feed water the steam should start to fall I will simply
increase the speed of the stoker or if steam gets too high I can
always put on the 2nd pump and so it goes on.
Once up through Spytfontein it is a very fast race track to
Kimberley and with the minibus driving alongside us on the main road
we are soon hitting 100kph plus. We fly across the level crossing at
Wimbledon and John shuts the regulator. We drift downhill and are
signalled into the arrivals yard. With load uncoupled we slowly make
our way back to the loco shed and park this wonderful unusual breed
of engine under the coal stage. While I unload the kit John inspects
the engine and books any repairs that are required.
As we walk into the sign on office there stands the crew that had
been chasing us for the last 60km. "What kind of bloody speed were
you doing with that machine" were the words from the driver. "We've
been trying to catch you since Belmont".
And so ended our first trip on the Condenser. The trip down was
destroyed by the rubbish coal supplied by SAR but that trip back was
a totally new learning curve for myself. It was one of the best
trips I ever had on steam. As for the engine I soon learnt to fire
it well and worked out all its little tricks. It is a much more
controllable machine than the normal steam locomotive in that one
has more control over what temp your feed water can be set at.
Together with that and the speed of the stoker one can have a grand
time keeping the steam and water constant in the boiler."

Trevor- Wow- what a story! It's amazing to me how different the operating environment is (or was) in South Africa compared to the U.S. It seems apparent that by the time those events occurred, the men running steam were running steam because they wanted to run steam.

It's especially interesting to read all the different details about running one of the 25C's.

BTW- what's become of this engine since the story was written?

Hugh,

Yes indeed a great story.

Richard is a true enthusiast who wanted to be there. He left in 1996 when told he would have to switch to diesels.

Ironically he now drives from his base in Scotland the new Virgin "Pendolino" tilting electric trains and states he loves his job.

One of his former drivers John Nicolas Middleton now works in Washington DC for an African Aid Agency of some kind.

I have several other stories Richard has written....all with great passion. I also have several hours of his DVD's showing steam at work in South Africa the early 90's the clips on You Tube are from those DVD's.

3511 remains stored under cover at Kimberley shed almost 17 years after that last run.

TH

Hello,

This is a very interesting find. The twin stack modification (and extended smokebox) is very obvious here. I believe Mr. Wardale added a feed water heater between the stacks for improved efficiency.

The global recession may help save the Red Devil and other steam in South Africa. Just before the bubble burst, scrap prices were through the roof and many of the vintage steam deadlines were being scrapped at a maddening pace. Hopefully that pressue is of and wielding the tourch is not as attractive.

As for the current location of the Red Devil, the last information I have found, it was parked under roof, possible along an unused passenger platform in Cape Town? Approximately a year ago I researched a possible location and found a forum discussion that it was stored in Dal Josafat for some time. Google Earth still shows an image at Dal Josafat that most certainly appears to be the Red Devil. The color is evident. I understand it was moved from there to Cape Town. Perhaps someone on this forum can confirm? I assume it is still owned by the national railway, Transnet?

Hopefully, it will be preserved. Perhaps, Friends of the Rail, Reef Steamers or Sandstone will pursue? It would be interesting if it could be restored with all the modifications fully functional.

These were very impressive machines for a 3' 6" loading gauge.

Regards,

Randy Musselman

Randy,

IIRC, there was a move about 10 years ago to restore all of the modifications to 3450; I believe Phil Girdlestone was going to head the project. At any rate, the project never came about.

From what I understand Transnet is not going to let much steam run these days. Is that true?

The loco is currently in store at Cape Town Railway station

Correct not much main line steam in the near future of South Africa but even so a lot more than the USA!

TH

Its a shame the loco is not usable or more importantly rebuilt to the full 'Red Devil' spesification. This vidio it important in that it should be seen as a demonstration of what must be done to make steam ride the rails again!

Hello,

In reviewing the South African videos on Google. I found the following preview of the video "Steam Fever". About 2/3 through the video, there is a short clip of the Red Devil filmed in a high speed run past.....very impressive.

They briefly review the Class 25C condenser

The profile of the rail enthusiast was good.

Regards,

Randy

Wow- very nice footage of the Red Devil in that clip. That must have been shot when all the modifications were still intact. The exhaust is absolutely clear in that one shot and the stack talk is sharp as a razor. Most impressive.

The Missing Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR8h03yShu8