Capital Park: Friends of the Rail (FOTR) (Last modified 2002-Dec-20)

Please click on images to see larger image and a brief description.

Introduction

I signed in at Rovos Rail and then walked out to the old shunters office. For some reason, I decided at that slice in time to follow the railway down the grade to the Friends of the Rail.

Now walking to the Capital Park steam locomotive coal stage is part of my ritual of meandering around the Capital Park grounds. I often take in the view of the area from up on the top platform of the coal stage and then I proceed to walk down to grade and continue my walking about on ground level.

So I recorded with my E-10 camera the views as I walked up the coal stage incline and as I walked down the incline. I spent some time on the north side looking over two steam locos and the coal stage structural steel work.

During some portion of my walking about, "Uncle Frik" of Friends of the Rail called the Police. I suppose people may have tried to take some portion of the FOTR rolling stock home with them, but I am not such a person. Anyway, to make a long story short, as I was walking back up to the Rovos Rail site, Uncle Frik caught up to me with his bakkie.

I explained to him that I was on holiday and only taking snaps and he mentioned the fact of the Police, which by the way never showed up.

So dear reader, if you should visit Rovos Rail and you plan to go look at the FOTR site, ask Marlene Sturgeon of Rovos Rail to contact Uncle Frik.

Please visit the Friends of the Rail web site at:www.business.lantic.net/trains

Meanwhile, please find the following images informative.

Walking down the line to the Friends of the Rail site. Water tank. E.M.U. motor. Steam loco class 8D #1223.
Former Iscor fireless locos. Tender. 19D. 15F #3117.
View of the land, looking west toward Hercules. Looking westward. FOTR site as viewed from the coal stage. Another view of FOTR.
A closer view of FOTR. Walking down the coal stage. Water columns on the north side of the coal stage ramp. 24-3633 in the grass.
Closer up to 24-3633. 19D-3366 in the grass. Tender attached to 24-3633. A good view of the coal stage.
Coal stage track on the north side. View of coal stage structural steel. View of coal stage structural steel. Notice horizontal bracing in distance. Coal stage north side water columns and shallow pits.
Coal stage ramp. E.M.U. motor. Close up view of built up bogie.