Civil Engineering January/February 2021 | Vol 29 No 1

50 January/February 2021 Civil Engineering for railway formation design. A fully equipped central soils laboratory followed and was augmented by satellite regional laboratories. Later, a sister site investiga- tion team with an array of drilling plant was added. Many respected specialist engineers and technicians progressed and honed their skills under Heinie’s watch, developing foundation designs and the design of embankments, cuttings, tun- nels (including the longest rail tunnel in Africa at De Doorns) and resolving in-situ problems. Skilfulness at resourcing sound rock for ballast quarries, country-wide boreholes to provide water for the steam locomotive fleet, embankment dams in some of the more arid regions – the chal- lenges and opportunities were many, and free reign was given by Heinie to those who were willing to run. By the boom period of the mid-70s to mid-80s, Heinie’s department had won respect and acknowledgement throughout the South African engineering fraternity as a centre of soil mechanics and founda- tion engineering excellence. Mention needs to be made of Heinie’s exceptional contribution to railway geotechnics. To grasp the value of the SAR Soils Index – a simple categorisation into three units of the host of soils that blanket the land (Class A, Class B and Class C soils) – it should be noted that the first soil classification system was only introduced in 1947 by Arthur Casagrande in the UK. Casagrande then worked with the US Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers to produce the Unified Soil Classification System in 1952. Less than a decade later, the fruit of Heinie’s labours raised railway earthworks standards to an unprecedented level. The SAR Soils Index system, charac- terised by simple but solid geomechanics tests, enabled construction engineers and earthworks foremen to plan and execute earthworks and materials selection proficiently. It stands the test of time, improved perhaps, but continuing beyond his life as a testament to an active, clear mind. The next steps saw the formula- tion of a reputable empirical system for rail pavement design and rail formation design for a raft of axle load conditions and traffic conditions. During the mid-1960s mining- induced dewatering of the Far West Rand dolomitic compartments led to the formation of large and deep sinkholes. The railway corridor between Randfontein and Welverdiend, which forms part of the main line between Gauteng and the Cape Province, was impacted. Heinie became involved in the consequential problems, especially in the Carltonville area where severe sinkhole formation resulted in serious loss of property and life. He was tasked to manage the risk to the railway line and train movements. In co-operation with the late Professor Jeremiah Jennings, multi-depth telescopic benchmarks were installed along the route as early warning devices and provided 24/7 monitoring for several years. Together with the mines, a study of conditions and risks was conducted with the philosophy of establishing the “least unsafe route”. It is noteworthy that rail traffic was never stopped, including passenger services, during this period. During the early 1970s the construc- tion of the roughly 450 km coal export line from Ermelo to Richards Bay and the development of the Port of Richards Bay and its coal export terminal consumed much of the capacity of the SAR&H Geotechnical Department. The project would be the crown jewel of many an engineer’s career and certainly provided extreme challenges. The final few kilometres of the line crosses swampland and mudflats of more than 80 m thickness – extremely soft sediments that one could literally disappear into with a sucking sound. The Dutch consortium building the coal terminal proposed a pancake system – a thin blanket of soil having side slopes of a maximum of 1:20. Heinie espoused resilience principles decades before the word became fashionable. He stood resolutely for progressive failure through rapid fill placement until an equilibrium was attained. The greater certainty came with a cost premium, but Heinie convinced the leaders of the day that the enhanced security was worth the investment. Coal exports started in 1976 at 12 million tons per annum (Mtpa). By 1990 53 Mtpa were exported and by 2000 one bil- lion tons had crossed the swamp and been exported. Whether the pancake foundation would have sufficed will never be known, but Heinie’s resolve won the day and after 44 years of ever-growing export tonnages, the line continues to render full service. A visionary man. A strong, clear- thinking engineer. A committed mentor. A true son of the land. Engineering was enriched through his labours. Heinie was also very involved in the affairs of SAICE. He was one of a team of Assistant Honorary Editors of the SAICE Journal for the period January 1958 to December 1968 and was meticulous and thorough in the execution of his ed- iting duties in the days before computers. PERSONAL LIFE Heinie was a researcher at heart. In his personal life he spent decades researching his family’s genealogical history and developed unique approaches to simplify the capturing, recording and presentation of family history. This research resulted in him publishing his family history with the assistance of the Genealogical Society of South Africa. He spent many months recording family history stories which were also captured in his book. Heinie was also a keen tennis player and loved a game of contract bridge. He was a dedicated Sunday school teacher with an unwavering faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. He leaves behind his wife Elmine who supported him for 67 years of married life, his three sons and three daughters-in-law, six grandchildren and six great grandchildren, all of whom he was always very proud. Prepared by Johann Rauch and Evan Giles jrauch@absamail.co.za evan@gilesnz.com A visionary man. A strong, clear-thinking engineer. A committed mentor. A true son of the land. Engineering was enriched through his labours. Hennie was one of a team of Assistant Honorary Editors of the SAICE Journal for the period January 1958 to December 1968 and was meticulous and thorough in the execution of his editing duties in the days before computers.