A Garratt In Its Natural Habitat *PIC*

I've been scanning some of my prints onto the computer, and thought this set might be worth sharing with the group in the light of the recent discussions on Garratts.
In July 2004 I was priviledged to be the guest of Charlie Lewis then General Manager of the Alfred County Railway Co., which operated the 'Banana Express' steam train between Port Shepstone, Izotsha and Paddock on the 2ft gauge line, which runs from Port Shepstone to Harding in KwuZulu Natal Province South Africa. This proved to be some of the final days of operation of the Alfred County Railway Co. as it was forced into liquidation by a court action instigated by the South African Rail operator Spoornet shortly after these photos were taken.
For a time the Banana Express continued operating between Port Shepstone and Izotsha, being operated by the Patons County Railway. However, earlier this year the service was again suspended due to the intervention of Spoornet. Happily though the most recent news I have is that there is a possibility of the service being resumed at some point in the not too distant future. For the moment, though, I am one of the last people to have ridden the Banana Express from Port Shepstone to Paddock.
A fuller version of this story appeared in the magazine 'Narrow Gauge World' in November 2004.
I hope you enjoy the photos
The first picture is of Garratt Class NGG16 No. 127 leaving the shed at Port Shepstone