SAR 19-D 4-8-2 on a long, winding climb - Maclear branch, 1983

The 173 mile branch from Sterkstroom to Maclear in South Africa crossed numerous valleys and ridges and gave the 19-D 4-8-2s and their crews a real workout. The Daily Except Sunday passenger train was the easiest train to follow, since the passenger timetable gave detailed timings for the 17 scheduled intermediate stops. There were also 21 flag stops for which timings had to be estimated (better be there early!).

The following sequence of photos shows one of the long climbs on this line traversed by a hard working 4-8-2 and her 7-car passenger train 3480 bound for Maclear











(to be continued)