Re: Recent Steam in SA Tour

Greg,
If you've seen the trip report, you may have seen this, but if not, you were asking about video.
>Once again, Keith Hobbs is producing a DVD of the tour. Keith covered the main tour and expects that this will result in 2 DVD’s, each lasting about 1½ hours. The DVD’s will cover most of the runpasts and some of the local ‘colour’ and will be fully edited, titled and boxed. Keith charges £13.00 for each DVD which includes UK post and packing. The DVD’s will be available in mid-July. If you would like copies please contact Keith direct at:
Cleish, Brickworth Road, Whiteparish, Salisbury SP5 2QG<
That's England, folks!
Also, note the words, "once again" so he presumably has DVD's from prior years as well.
Dave Rodgers puts on an excellent tour. He is the only tour operator currently catering to enthusiasts, with the proper colors of coaching stock, proper locos, etc. Rovos Rail runs a tour train with green passenger stock, aimed at the luxury market. Derek Phillips has retired.
Dave's trips are expensive, as all those engines have to be transported long distances to the proper lines. The days of steam engines being stabled in Bloemfontein or Kimberly are gone. The engines for use on the Bethlehem line were brought down from Jo'burg. This was the first steam use on that line in seven years.
All steam infrastructure is gone, so water cars have to be transported, along with coal cars, unloaders and pumps. You will note that unlike the USA, Dave does not put water cars behind the engines, except with the Garratts, where that was normal SA practice in steam days. So the support equipment requires pre-staging and the expense of additional locos and crews. But if you see his pictures, you will agree, it is worth it!
Now that the Jing Peng Pass is gone, if you want to experience big steam in a proper setting, this is it!