Update 15 December 2019: it was announced that the Board of Directors voted that Reefsteamers be placed into voluntary liquidation, with the depot closing on 16 December 2019.
Class 15F 3046 was put back into steam in May 2010 after many years of work by Reefsteamers. She is a firm favourite amongst passengers and has ventured quite far from her home in Germiston. She is also the only operational 15F in South Africa.
My first viewing of her was on 23 May 2010 when she was double headed with Class 25NC Elize. It was a day of steam and I am happy to say this loco was the star. I hope that she graces us with her presence for many years. In August 2010 she was named Janine and has since started to make her mark on the rails.
 South African Class 15F 4-8-2 Wikipedia page |
When she was still a “young lady” 3046 gained fame for having pulled the royal train in 1947, with the then-princess Elizabeth on board. Built in 1945, she was retired from service in 1988 but kept intact by Spoornet as a reserve and underwent steam testing for 4 consecutive years, until use of steam traction officially ended in 1992.
*Update*
In late 2016, 3046 was renamed “Vreni” (pronounced ‘Freeny’ in English)
DRW © 2010-2020. Moved to blog 15/05/2015. Fixed table issue 20/06/2016, updated 21/12/2016
