Civil Engineering October 2021 | Vol 29 No 9

Civil Engineering October 2021 43 the system was opened for goods traffic at owner’s risk on the construction trains, excluding passengers and large cattle. By 15 April 1924, the first 19 km were complete and opened to regular traffic. Alexander Duff was released from the project in December 1924 and returned to Cape Town, without his favourite Scottish terrier Archie, who was sadly run over by a roadrail tractor (in April 1925, Duff was seconded to the Rhodesian govern- ment for two years to take charge of road construction, afterwards returning to Cape Town where he eventually retired in March 1932). The total budget for the Singlewood line was £23 420, with £15 060 for the line itself and the rest earmarked for rolling stock and other expenses. The actual cost turned out to be 8% more, caused by some extra land that had to be expropriated, the slightly longer length actually built, the extra width of the Nyl embankment to accommodate the provincial road, and some minor facilities for the convenience of the SAR&H staff and customers. The budgeted unit rate for line construction was £754/mile, while the actual rate was £829/mile. It therefore confirmed one of the initial criteria for roadrail, namely that it had to cost less than £1 000/mile. The cost of broadening the Nyl River causeway to accommodate the roadway was not in the budget and the money ran out before the wheelways at the embankment could be properly ballasted, which would have required an extra £1 000. The difficult soil conditions at the embankment and the poor state of the road next to the roadrail are evident from Figure 3. The official inauguration on 19 September 1924 was a grand event. Just before 9:00, two tractors and wagons filled with passengers left Naboomspruit for Singlewood. Included in the party were Charlie WMalan (then Minister Figure 4 Officials at the opening of the Singlewood line: CM Hoffe (later SAR General Manager), F Dutton, CW Malan, CTM Willcocks (Railways and Harbours Board) and A Duff (Credit: THL LS_18_020) Figure 3 Ballasting the embankment at the Nyl River causeway (Credit: THL LS_18_075)