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South African Railways, last working of class 25 condenser 3511 

Adventurescot
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Here we see a clip of the final working of a South African Railways class 25 condensing locomotive. No 3511 was at the time the only working example left and was at the time preserved. On this day in June 1992 we were booked to work a goods to De Aar and back with this wonderful beast. At De Aar the temp was about -7 Celsius and so it looks like the machine is leaking all over. As you will notice this loco has no beat but a rather soft whine which can be heard more as the driver shuts the regulator and the turbines start to slow down. As we pass through Kraankuil we pass a enthusiast special worked by 15CA 2828 which later joins us at Orange river. Despite this class 25 standing idle for many months she performed great on this occasion and never gave us a single problem the whole way to De Aar and back. The final clip of the train heading through Witput station was taken by a linesider who I only knew as Chris at the time. Sadly this was to be her last and final working and since then has been standing idle in Kimberley shed but is now being taken care of by a enthusiast group.

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2 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 35   
@davidvlok1755
@davidvlok1755 2 года назад
Incredible footage. Proud railway men doing unsung work .
@Adventurescot
@Adventurescot 14 лет назад
Oh yes, those railfans jumping fences and racing for their cars and then racing the train was really something else to watch from the cab. I remember one railfan who was having a footplate ride with us. He kept touching the controls and getting in the way. John simply stopped the train and sent him on his way right out in the African bush. Hell only knows where he ever ended up but we never saw him again!!
@1teaboy
@1teaboy 15 лет назад
Stunning machine......mechanical stoker, 300km on a full tank and all on 1 metre gauge...awesome. Thanks for sharing this finale, shame its not to run in revenue service again.
@Adventurescot
@Adventurescot 14 лет назад
Steam was so much more reliable and cheaper to run than diesels in SA and thats the reason it lasted so much longer. A 25NC could do the same work as two large diesels and at a quarter of the cost. The 25s were also much better express passenger locos than any diesel on SAR
@Isochest
@Isochest 7 лет назад
Thanks for the insight on this. Perhaps steam should have continued to this day.
@calliepohl8977
@calliepohl8977 2 года назад
@@Isochest This is when a country want to be better than the next.
@phantomsoldier497
@phantomsoldier497 Год назад
Steam is not in any way cheaper or more reliable than diesel or electric. It was cheaper in South Africa only because of the embargo due to Apartheid that made diesel fuel on all oil related products too costly and therefore the cheap and plentiful coal was just better, even condensing locos. In the rest of the world condensing locos usually and often failed because the economics just didn't add up compared to running a diesel loco. Diesel locos have ultra short starting up time (steam needs hours to raise steam), no water tenders, no ash pans to clean, no clinkers, no scaling
@Adventurescot
@Adventurescot Год назад
@@phantomsoldier497 I have worked on steam, diesel and electric trains all my life and I can assure you those old class 25s were far more reliable than diesel or electric, especially the 25NCs. If something went wrong you could generally sort it. These modern boxes of todays world are always having failures with electronics etc. Last week the whole East Coast Mainline between Newcastle and Edinburgh was at a stand due to a modern Azuma train failing with problems. This must happen at least once every week. I virtually never saw a 25NC fail in all my years on steam.
@MrMatthewLayton
@MrMatthewLayton 2 года назад
I was 5 years old. I wish I'd had seen more steam at work in South Africa.
@DKS225
@DKS225 14 лет назад
Too bad that management wasn't thinking straight Richard i mean why replace a good steam loco like the class 25NC or even the Class 25C you can imagine them running at up to 75mph on the straight
@DKS225
@DKS225 14 лет назад
Well that's what happens when an amateur gets in the way of a fully trained driver John knew what he was doing he obviously didn't need any interference but i heard that some people went to SA just to drive steam locomotives yourself and John included
@Adventurescot
@Adventurescot 14 лет назад
How did you guess its me Richard Niven?? Yes John Gilberthorpe and I were great mates on the steam and still are. That video with us on the Red Devil is magical but where I got that stupid hair from is beyond me, haha. I love the bit where we were flying at mighty speed through Poupan. That was about the fastest ever on a SAR loco!
@Adventurescot
@Adventurescot 12 лет назад
@Vintage1976 What ever makes you think i'm Richard Niven??? Your right it sure is me. Enjoy
@robmasterman
@robmasterman 15 лет назад
A fascinating and well taken video. Superb locomotives seen at their best in the hands of professionals...5* Bob
@AlbertsJohann
@AlbertsJohann 11 лет назад
Awesome footage Richard! I love how there is not a single dislike for this video. :-) I know it sounds strange, but I wish I was you Richard. And I also wish it was back in the 80's and 90's... Best job in the world I think
@1teaboy
@1teaboy 14 лет назад
Yes correct.......its the EAR that was 1 metre......and still is!!
@DKS225
@DKS225 14 лет назад
Though i'm surprised that Steam in South Africa lasted as long as it did In Australia steam's reign ended roughly twenty years earlier around 1973
@transkaroo
@transkaroo 15 лет назад
Great Stuff Richard. Was John Gilberthorpe your driver there. It looked like him?
@DKS225
@DKS225 14 лет назад
How i guesses well when you said something about John Gilberthorpe i instantly thought he's Richard Niven my favorite part in Steam Fever was Sunrise over the Great Karoo which was where almost all the documentary focused on such oh and also how all those railfans tried dodging through "The Dreaded South African barb wire fence"LOL
@NN2Blue
@NN2Blue 15 лет назад
Great video! 5* I knew of South African condenser locos, I had sen various photos, and I guessed they would sound a little different - but I didn't know y how much! Hope the preservation people are looking after her well! Thank you for sharing! - Mike
@DKS225
@DKS225 14 лет назад
Excuse me Lifeofrail but your name wouldn't be Richard Niven by any chance would it if so then i have a doco in my collection that features both you and John Gilberthorpe in it in this case driving Class 26 No 3450 otherwise known as "The Red Devil" the documentary is called Steam Fever
@andrewtreece3708
@andrewtreece3708 5 лет назад
Hey Mr Niven are the guy who wrote the 9 page article on firing a class 25 with crap coal from Kimberely to De are? If you are I read it and it was a fantastic account of firing the class 25's.
@Adventurescot
@Adventurescot 5 лет назад
Hi Andrew it sure was written by myself. I really need to re-write it in better words etc. Sadly my great friend John Gilberthorpe who was my driver on the 25 passed away last Sep. He has loads of stories left with his wife about firing these locos etc. Hopefully one day we can show them to the world
@stephensmith799
@stephensmith799 10 лет назад
Very pleased this loco survives. Compared with a 25NC how far was the mileage between water stops increased? Would that be much further in colder weather?
@Crosshead1
@Crosshead1 15 лет назад
Historic footage. Great stuff. I only wish I'd been able to witness the real thing. I suppose we'll never hear that amazing sound again. Thanks for posting Rich.
@Adventurescot
@Adventurescot 15 лет назад
That sure was John Gilberthorpe, he and I were a team together for many years and had some fantastic trips working steam together. One of the best steam drivers I ever knew!
@pwalpar
@pwalpar 15 лет назад
Great video
@thesteamshed
@thesteamshed 15 лет назад
This is award winning footage Rich! Thanks for shearing
@locowerke
@locowerke 11 лет назад
Another great video, thank you for posting. Cheers, Dougal
@andrewgiffen
@andrewgiffen 15 лет назад
absolutely awesome footage Rich
@wertheimandwertheim
@wertheimandwertheim 12 лет назад
The good old days,now gone
@jmcvlam
@jmcvlam 13 лет назад
Did you know Boet Viljoen on De Aar?
@Adventurescot
@Adventurescot 13 лет назад
@jmcvlam I never knew many of the De Aar drivers but for sure I do remember the name Boet Viljoen!! I think he was on diesels long before the end of steam if im correct.
@foreversteam
@foreversteam 15 лет назад
Thanks for posting this Richard! What was the fastest speed you ever travelled on a 25NC working or on any SAR Loco throughout your SAR career? Cheers Bryn
@bertsendobry9354
@bertsendobry9354 12 лет назад
Die Video-Qualität könnte besser sein!
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