South African Steam: 25NC 3454 Bloemfontein to Bethlehem
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- Modified 25NC No. 3454 "B I Ebing" hauls the Union Limited from Bloemfontein along the scenic Eastern Free State line to Bethlehem. Footage of the train from dawn to dusk follows its progress from the flat country near Bloemfontein to the mountainous Bethlehem end of the line, complete with the famous sandstone peaks along the way.
SPIRIT OF YESTERYEAR (1983)
Many were the times I remember from the past
As I lay there in the darkness of the night,
Listening to the rhythm of your heartbeat passing by
Like a restless ghostly spirit in its flight.
I heard the haunting sound of your whistle in the dark
And the far-flung echoes from it lingered on
As you raced towards your destination far away,
And I'd lie alone and listen till you'd gone.
Clickety-clack, clickety-clack;
Singing flanges on a moonlit track;
Smoke-plume pouring from your squat smokestack;
Vanishing dream of brass and black;
Reflections of fires bring memories back
Out of the long ago....
Oh, Great Spirit of Yesteryear,
Too soon you have to die
Along with a breed of men among men,
Your generation are all passing by,
Till nothing is left of a glorious past
Of sweat and fire and steam;
Of you and your men who built this land,
You're almost a forgotten dream.
But we will keep this dream alive
So our children may not forget
That you were once the King of the Road
And that you may one day yet
Be given the honour due to you
In future times ahead,
To show the world what you once were
Before all dreams are dead.
Beautiful. Thank you.
Very good video showing a superb loco at work.
Thanks!
Thank you SO MUCH for uploading and sharing all these fantastic videos bringing back valuable memories of the nineties when I criss-crossed South Africa on steamtrains even up to Victorai Falls
Those would have been excellent trips...
My top favourite 25NC - this loco is an absolute sensation!!!
3454 is an amazing loco
More great footage Trevor. The four people who have disliked this film must be brain dead.
+Spamcan81 thanks! Yes there was a dedicated group of dislikers for a while!
Did the Bethlehem - Bloemfontein line in 2007 but we never got further north than Owanty. Was still a great time with the camera and sound gear though.
Probably dedicated to full HD digital format As this doesn't match their idea of viewing. They feel they must dislike no matter the subject.
Excellent video! Marvelous machine!
Thanks!
This is the train from Bloemfontein
Mighty workhorse of the African plain
Indeed! Now that song is stuck in my head... 😂
Wonderful loco type.
Thanks, yes it was quite impressive to see!
OMG, Pat Abbott drives 3454 back in 1985 in the Return of the giants dvd.
Indeed. 3454 is an incredible loco!
d5711, this loco is a simple 2-cylinder. It has a modified front end which apparently gave it increased power over a standard 25NC. The lower back pressure can be noted through its flat exhaust trail, hence the addition of extensions to the standard 25NC smoke deflectors.
0:15 - 25NC 3454 heads through Shannon on a cold Free State morning.
8:11 - 25NC 3454 slogs up the heavy grade to the summit at Ionia in the Eastern Free State.
Thanks Mo!
Marvellous. I remember seeing this loco at the Orange River fire cleaning stop in 1991, and the fireman commented at the time how well it steamed. It had been modified to a gas-producer firebox if I remember correctly? SA used to be such a great place to see steam, completely buggered now of course.
No gas producer, but it had the twin Lempor stacks.
I worked this loco many times and actually worked the final regular steam working out of Kimberley with her on 3rd April 1992. Only thing I hated about this loco was that she painted the crew black!! Due to twin exhausts she had less upwards throw but burnt the coal better and so it was more dust coming out and it simply dragged along the top of the boiler and into the cab painting us and everything else black. Other than that she was a fine machine to work on!!
Argh sounds bad! But would have been good times, 3454 sounded amazing!
Great video mate! 25NC sure has a nice bark and looks beautiful, but her tender is most unusual. Those diesel locos in Bloemfontein loco seem to have a similar livery to what some of our diesels here in NSW, Australia, had, a very appropriate livery for "desert" running locos.
Thanks. That tender is an ex-condensing tender, hence the strange design.
This was on 14th August 1999. Not that long ago, but seems a lifetime in terms of operable steam there now...
This is his beloved SAR Steamer.
The 25NCs were probably not the best loco for that line, but boy did they own it!
Its abit sad that this line got replace by diesel engine in 1987.
Yes, what a beautiful line!
Struck2soon I don't think 3454 had any mods on the combustion side of things, just the front end mods - blast pipes, chimneys etc. I'll have to get Wardale's book out - he mentions in there what was done to 3454.
Trevor.
Are they all running on oil or diesel for fuel instead of coal.
These were all running on coal
What year was this taken Trev??
August 1999
Has this loco got three cylinders??
No, just 2 cylinder simple expansion