After a few hours sleep, I left home at 02:45 and drove 300 km (186 miles) to arrive at this location just before the sun began to rise over the river. There was no sign of any trains on this double track mainline and a stiff breeze began to disturb the still water of the river. I listened patiently for any sound of a train approaching from Whites to the north, or Virginia to the south. As the sun crept above the bridge, the sharp toot of a loco horn from the south broke the still morning air. A couple of minutes later – shot in the bag! Two 6E1’s haul Shosholoza Meyl's East London – Johannesburg “Amatola” across the Sand River on the Free State mainline, heading north towards Kroonstad. What a way to start the day!
