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Hi Alan (Locojoe)
Reading your story of working an express out of London reminded me of working trains along the Dett straight in old Rhodesia. Down trains would change crews at Dett, and with a clean fire and full water tank, head off down towards Bulawayo. If we were on the main line and it was night, we could see the light of a train over 87 miles away. The track is straight, but dose go up and down. Firing would be light most of the way until we reached Gwai. At Gwai we would clean the fire and take on water, then a uphill pull to meet up with a train coming up from Bulawayo. They would have stopped at Sawmills and also serviced their loco. We would meet up somewhere along the line, normally at a place called Umguza, where we would swap over trains. Heading back to Gwai, I would start banking up the back of the firebox, with a bit down the front to keep it covered. On a Rhodesian 15th class loco, the grate area is 49.6ft. As we ran down hill into Gwai and stopped for water, I was putting coal in by hand around the firebox door and with the blower just on to keep the smoke out of the cab. The smoke would roll out of the stack and was a thick yellow/brown. As the water bag was thrown out of the tank. by the Garratt Boy (a man who 's job was to push coal forward), I would turn the blower on full. The driver would whistle away and the guard would wave the green. A very heavy pull out of Gwai and onto the straight. One stop for water just over half way, a light fire and home we went. By the time we arrive back at Dett, the fire at the back of the firebox was down to normal. That would have been a 8 hour shift, Fire cleaned twice (once at Gwai and at end of shift) 18,000 gal of water and 11 ton of hand fired coal. They were great days, wish they had never ended, but the time comes when they want you in the drivers seat. I forgot to say that it was all single line working.
SYD
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