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 Dear Elize,
I finally got home at 13.00 today after a fairly gruelling flight and 3 hour train journey from London.
On behalf of all the passengers on the recent tour may I say a big thank you to all the crews and volunteers at Reefsteamers who helped make our tour so memorable.
Taking 2 trains and 3 locos to the Free State was no easy task and involved a lot of hard and not so glamorous work and very long hours, but your efforts were appreciated.
Let us not forget the highly successful final couple of days on the Cullinan line; to me one of the highlights of the tour and the 15CA on this line is ideal!
I don't want to single out specific names but certainly I was impressed by the great efforts made for us. I would also like to put on record the thanks to the volunteers from the Welsh Highland Railway who greatly assisted your own crews, but it would have been nice to have been forwarned of their presence and advised how they would support yourselves as well as be introduced to them!
To you I would like to give a special vote of thanks for your great efforts to get the decision to cancel the tour reversed.
Once again many thanks and I will arrange some photos in due course.
Please thank everyone.
Kind regards,
David ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Shaun
Many thanks for your kind words. I always will be there for you and the
Reefsteamers. Words cannot tell how much I appreciate people like yourself
preserving and living for Steam. We all have one thing in common, Steam,
Steam! Today I am very proud and you should be too, for the Reefsteamers
could run trains where the Museum gave up hope long time ago. This takes
courage and a lot of effort to accomplish what you did. Thanks so much for
an excellent Steam week on the Bethlehem line, it brought back many memories
of the past. As I said in the week report, you did not relive history, you
made history! Actually you all deserves a gold medal!
Shaun, I would love to get involve with the Reefsteamers, you are the
leading Steam operators for the future. I also would love to re write my
exams and would appreciate if you could give me more info on it, like costs
etc. I will then ask Mr.Mole because he will benefit from it.
Steam Greetings
Gert J ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi folks, just to say that we all got back OK (even though we found out we lost!!!!) . I don't know how we can thank you enough for your hospitality, friendship, commitment, and for such a wonderful chance to experience something that even money couldn't buy. We really do appreciate the tremendous efforts you went to to get the show on the road, and want you to know distance makes no difference to our friendship. Will be intouch after some sleep and washing and work, take care all of you, you are very special people. Dave and "The Boys"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To all at Reefsteamers,
On behalf of the members of FOTR, I would like to congratulate you on the manner in which the Ficksburg leg of the Rodgers tour was run. I was there for 2 days and could see first hand how much organization, effort and dedication went into the operation. The fruits of these were of course the wonderful photos obtained by everyone and the comeraderie developed amongst those present. We hope this will become an annual event.
We are looking forward to working with you on the last leg of the tour this weekend.
Best regards,
Chris Janisch(Sec) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shaun,
I hope you are recovering from the trip. James and I very much enjoyed the opportunity to assist where we could with the operation, which was a massive undertaking and you and your crew have my admiration for all the hard work that you do.
Sorry I was unable to help you more with the heavy work but since the recent major operation on my back (1 vertebrae removed) I have not made the full recovery that I hoped for. It looks like I shall only be able to carry out traction inspector duties and driving for the foreseeable future - still that's not too bad.
Many thanks again, and our best wishes for Reefsteamers in all its future endeavours.
best regards
John ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shaun,
thanks for your message.
Now after a few days I have caught up with life back here and recovered from the flight back etc. Thanks again for a wonderful ten days and and a great opportunity.
I can't emphasise too much how impressed I was that a fairly small group like Reefsteamers could attempt something so big, and with so few problems with the locos. I don't know of any British group that would try such a thing.
Thanks again for the offer of a tail lamp and marker. I am sure that Andie will be able to pick them up from Manchester, or I could when I pass that way in early July.
Look forward to seeing you over here sometime.
Best wishes to all
Martin -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Shaun
I recieved a photo yesterday of Reefsteamers 15CA on the Bethlehem line. You guys at Reefsteamers really do take the Gold Medal for preserving steam in SA. When one thinks that you are situated in one of the worst places on this planet for theft and you still manage to keep the locos up and running it truly is simply amazing. You guys should be put in charge of running the George area and Montagu pass etc. I'm sure you would make a much better job than that lot down there.
Hopefully I can get some money together next year and give Reefsteamers a few pounds towards the repairs of the locos.
Give my regards to all the bunch and tell them what a great job they are doing.
I'm off to London this weekend for a SAR steam up. Think my 16E and 23 will steal the show.
Have attached two shots of 2056 taken from a magazine.
Cheers for now
Regards
Richard Niven ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greetings from a humid and warm north of England, Shaun.
Don't know about you, but I've still not really "come down" from the experience, it was something special. Your hospitality and friendship was really appreciated and rest assured, will be reciprocated when you eventually come this way. I've sent Elize a request for addresses for various but so far she's not got back to me, as I've got odds and sods to send. Can you let me have your postal address? I've the programme from last year's Dorset Steam Fair which I'll send you, and would you like copies of the phots I took?
Currently watching England v West Indies at Manchester with one Allan Donald on the pavilion balcony having been brought in to sort out our Steve Harmison! Still have very fond memories of the duel between Michael Atherton and Donald at Trent Bridge a few years ago - pure theatre!
Close for now - off to Worth Valley driving 80002 (small British tank loco, 88 tons!) this afternoon. Be in touch, Steve ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Elize (Nikki) I'd also like to wish Sakkie all the best in his new position. Congratulations are also in order to Shaun for passing his Driver's exam. My best wishes to all at Reefsteamers; you are an inspiration to all lovers of steam, keep up the good work. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kerry Young here Nikki. I'd like to thank you for your including me in the Reefsteamers updates. 19/03/07 and 27/03/07. I have been following your excursions via a friend who both rides them and sometimes joins the motorcade. You have a very high standard of presentation and there is no end to all the work involved in running such events. You are to be congratulated on your achievements. Your following in New Zealand is on the increase! Cheers, 'K'. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for the info regarding Reefsteamers. You guys sure are doing a great job. It is great to hear some good news coming from SA as all we hear over here in Scotland is bad news when it comes to railways in SA. I was looking through the net just now and found this link. It has a few shots of 3016 at Pinelands in 1980. She looks like she was a supershine loco then also. I am also sure those plates on the smoke deflectors are the ones that Piet had on 2922 later. You may have to copy and paste the link into your browser to access the site. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: RE: Reefsteamers 15CA runs at last! Congratulations, look forward to seeing it run. Phil Steel Victoria Falls Steam Train Co. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nikki, Kelsey Publishing Group Tractor & Machinery Holiday Club Visit. A week after returning to the UK we are all still warmed by the good memories of our trip to South Africa. Please accept our sincere thanks to Andrew King and other members of the Reefsteamers who helped to make our visit to South Africa the best vintage machinery tour I have ever taken in 27 years of travelling. Yours sincerely, Rob Rushen-Smith ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dear Elize,
Congratulations on the fine performance of the 15 CA. I have seen the pictures, I have listened to the footplate sounds via Shaun's cell phone, and I have received numerous good reports.
An excellent project and a credit to you and your team.
Yours,
Wilfred E. Mole
Sandstone Heritage Trust
Visit our website: http://www.sandstone-estates.com "Preserving the best of our past for the future"
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