South African Railways 15f class 1989

I had the good fortune to spend ten weeks in South Africa in 1989 when steam still worked some regular goods traffic. The running shed at Springs 50 klms east of Johannesburg had a number of 15f's who worked daily goods - one of which was 15 klms south to the industrial town Nigel.
These scenes show these over worked and under repaired engines as they fulfilled their last call to duty. Within months the shed was closed. Five days a week in the early morning a train would make the journey to spend the whole day shunting and return late in the afternoon. Note the sound of one engine with just three exhaust beats!

[@lancewalton4807]

Great footage
For the best sounds of those 15F you must put your Head phones on.
Just Love that Steam.

[@johannvanaardt7221]

Amazing.. Springs is my hometown, my father was a train driver and could well have been driving one of these at the time.

[@quhitcorse1943]

wonderful record of a passed age

[@anilpille189]

Old Memories of Steam locomotive

[@andrewdutoit9571]

Beautiful, those days never to be repeated.

[@eisbeinGermany]

to think how dirty unsafe country is now

[@mpeterll]

I think the 15F looks so much better with the big 6-axle tender.

[@Paul-ul7dz]

A lot of wheel slip and locomotives going everywhere in reverse lol

[@jimmyat460]

They sure did do a lot of reverse running.

[@symphonyofsteam]

Yes, the journey out in the morning was largely downhill, so they ran tender first, then after shunting all day they would do the uphill journey home funnel first.

[@MarlonVanderLinde]

This is something you don't (won't?) see everyday :'(
Also, 1:50, is that wheelslip I hear?

[@eisbeinGermany]

yes, some drivers i think did it on purpose, I grew up in WElkom 1964-78 and we lived next to the rail line, when thy did the shunting thy would let the wheels spin like that,

[@gordonvincent731]

Where were these steam engines built, and by who?

[@eisbeinGermany]

good question, im trying to think , as far as I know in SA, at one time Nigel Couch Works built the cars,

[@DaleSchultz-mixmox]

As I kid I remember SA steam locos almost always slipping wheels.... even shunting in Durban harbour. Were the engine drivers just showing off/ scaring the kids I wonder?

[@chygwelanmeneth]

The 15F's adhesive factor was a bit low - too much power for the weight on the drivers. Made them slippery - but once going on good track were great runners, well, they were in 1975 when they were still well maintained.

[@eisbeinGermany]

i grew up in Welkom, we lived next to the tracks, from 1964 to 1978, and experienced to much joy watching them going past, the high school was just on the otherside of the tracks, I would walk over the tracks to get to school, was the houses, open piece of ground an then the tracks and school next to the tracks, loved those eyeras, now the country is a hell hole

[@allanwilson8161]

Why are so many of them running tender first ?

[@symphonyofsteam]

Most of this vid is from the morning run down to Nigel from the Springs depot, which was mostly down hill. They would go down in the morning tender first with a light train, spend the day shunting, then they would return, funnel first up the grades back to Springs. In 1989 that was a daily Mon - Friday routine. It was magnificent!!!