Civil Engineering October 2021 | Vol 29 No 9

46 October 2021 Civil Engineering Gates were installed on the line at the same positions as on the road, required to be unlocked and locked to allow the roadrail train to get through. These gates were often broken or pulled from their hinges by mo- torists who found the temptation to use the wheelway during the wet season irresistible. Once the train entered Naboomspruit sta- tion, the wagons were left on a track parallel to the main line, whereafter the station staff took care of transshipping the goods onto the main line (Figure 9). The partially opened line (the first 19 km up to Crecy opened in April 1924) had a good start by delivering 32 000 bags of maize and peanuts to Naboomspruit before the full line was inaugurated in September 1924. The line appeared to be “well and truly laid” as there was no damage after three weeks of heavy rain and no delays in the regular timetable. The roadrail service seemed to satisfy the needs of the farmers, reported by The Star as: The farmers, who say that although there are no frills about it, the roadrail is exactly what they want. It shifts their crops promptly and cheaply, and provides what they require … farmers can do as much loading in a day as would take three weeks riding to Naboomspruit. This agrees with the observation of a press correspondent: The light railway has been of inesti- mable service to the farmers on the Springbok Flats since its inception. The roads are not good and, after rain are almost impassable on the heavy turf and two days are wasted on the journey by wagon to the station. It takes one to go in, with the usual load of 50 bags of mealies, returning the following morning, thus conveying, with luck, 150 bags a week. The train pulls 90 tons and takes six hours to do the return journey, so a whole crop could now be dispatched to market in a few hours instead of many weeks. A quote from a farmer echoed the same sentiment: The roadrail has been a blessing to the district. We look upon it as our own property, and as far as I am concerned, it has enabled me to do things which otherwise would have been impossible. I have no complaint to make regarding same, and so far as we farmers are concerned, it provides all the facilities necessary to enable us to move our traffic. After the first full season of operation, the stimulation of agricultural production was obvious with General Manager Hoy remarking that there was “no doubt that development in the area served by the roadrail has received a decided impetus as the result of the transport facilities thereby afforded”. From these perspec- tives, the Singlewood line met another objective of the experiment, namely that it encouraged farmers to increase their agricultural production. EMERGING PROBLEMS In the original proposal that was served before Parliament, allowance was made to operate two steam tractors, 20 wagons and two passenger vehicles on the Singlewood line. Regarding the tractors, the proposal was that an old Robey steam tractor would be converted for use during construc- tion. After construction, a new, specially designed roadrail steam tractor would be procured by the chief railway storekeeper for regular use on the line once it was opened. Things worked out quite differ- ently once construction had started: Q Q The old Robey steam tractor was never adapted and used on the Singlewood line. Q Q A tractor (maker’s plate no 2017) was dispatched from the Yorkshire Patent SteamWagon Company in Leeds, England on 23 April 1923. Upon arrival in South Africa, it was sent to Britannia Engineering Works in Johannesburg and rebuilt with a single steering bogie, with jacks to easily engage / disengage the steering bogie to allow the tractor to travel on both regular roads and rails, shown in Figure 10. Although it could not reverse on rails, its ability to travel on both road and rails made it ideal for construction purposes. It entered service as RR973 on 15 October 1923, about two months after construc- tion had commenced. Figure 9 Bags of produce being transshipped from the roadrail wagons at Naboomspruit station (Credit THL LS_18_024)