Mother's Day  Cullinan14th May 2000 Photos and Report

On Mother's Day Sunday 14th May, we ran our first public steam-hauled train since the lifting of the steam ban. 15F 3094 did the honours and performed in fine style. Pretoria departure was at 9:00a.m., arriving on time at Cullinan. The train was booked out in advance, it was great to get such a response from the public. The passengers had a braai lunch at the Club Mystique picnic grounds before returning to the train for a 3:30p.m. departure. Initially 3094 had a bit of difficulty getting up the sharp grade on the curve going into the station, but a second try soon put that right. We set up and waited for the train along the line towards Rayton, near the site of the old gunpowder siding. The forest here was cleared a year or so ago, and the spot now affords a view of a long section of line as it curves around the hills, climbing all the way. 3094 made for wonderful viewing and especially listening as she hauled the train up and over the summit. After watching the train depart Rayton, we headed for Hartbeesspruit on the outskirts of Pretoria. It was a fine balance between train coming and sun going, but 3094 just managed to arrive first! It seems a few signalling problems caused delays on the return trip, but arrival in Pretoria was only a few minutes late. All photographs © 2000 Trevor Staats