I spent six months total in South Africa, in four separate visits, primarily working on the acoustics of the Sun City Entertainment Center. This was located in a "Black protectorate state," Boputatswana, intended to provide a decent living for the people there and give them an opporotunity to intgeract with the world> he sent several local people to swiitzerland to study hotle management. I was picked to be the acoustical consulotant for the project, and the combination performance and sport hall was opened by Frank Synatra and his troup, with the opening number New York-New York.
On one of my visits, the architect, Baba Selsick, gave me some tourist experiences, and a visit to the Praetoria Capitol Park Engine Sheds was included. there I actually had time on a throttle of a 4-8-0 to move from storage to coaling to sanding to water.
When Sol asked me to go fromj Johannesberg, where most of the design work was being done, to Cape Town to study a problem at a Southern Suns hotel there, I agreed if I could go one way by train. Sol agreed, and I was able to ride what manuy considered the most luxurious regular passenger train in the world.
The train did live up to its reputation. Most of the trip was behind electrics, but there was still an electrification gap in the middle where a diesel was used. I had a space rouigjhly equal to a roomette but with a separate toilet annex. The ride was extremely quiet, the food excellent, and the scenery terrific.
In the dining car there was one table occupied by blacks I checked on this with my hosts, who said the Blue Train was an exception where Apartheid was not practiced, and at the time, it was the only all-room train on the railways.
I could not ride the Johannesburg trolleybus system, since it was of-limits to whites. The same was true for most of the electric commuter lines.
I have not had the opportunity to go back since Apartheid ended.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
An internal computer problem caused the problem, which I have corrected by editing as soon as I could.
Hey sounded great, even with the internal computer issues.
Dave how would compare the train to like the super chief or 20 Th century Ltd in thier prime?
daveklepper I spent six months total in South Africa, in four separate visits, primarily working on the acoustics of the Sun City Entertainment Center. This was located in a "Black protectorate state," Boputatswana, intended to provide a decent living for the people there and give them an opporotunity to intgeract with the world> he sent several local people to swiitzerland to study hotle management. I was picked to be the acoustical consulotant for the project, and the combination performance and sport hall was opened by Frank Synatra and his troup, with the opening number New York-New York. On one of my visits, the architect, Baba Selsick, gave me some tourist experiences, and a visit to the Praetoria Capitol Park Engine Sheds was included. there I actually had time on a throttle of a 4-8-0 to move from storage to coaling to sanding to water. When Sol asked me to go fromj Johannesberg, where most of the design work was being done, to Cape Town to study a problem at a Southern Suns hotel there, I agreed if I could go one way by train. Sol agreed, and I was able to ride what manuy considered the most luxurious regular passenger train in the world. The train did live up to its reputation. Most of the trip was behind electrics, but there was still an electrification gap in the middle where a diesel was used. I had a space rouigjhly equal to a roomette but with a separate toilet annex. The ride was extremely quiet, the food excellent, and the scenery terrific. In the dining car there was one table occupied by blacks I checked on this with my hosts, who said the Blue Train was an exception where Apartheid was not practiced, and at the time, it was the only all-room train on the railways. I could not ride the Johannesburg trolleybus system, since it was of-limits to whites. The same was true for most of the electric commuter lines. I have not had the opportunity to go back since Apartheid ended.
The SF folks that fought some of those early 1980 African Bush Wars back then off the public record have a little different perspective here Dave, hence again I think you would benefit from sharing your experiences in their internet forum just to hear their input.
Back on topic, I am curious if you got to see Victoria Falls?
Observations. Sun city was completely nonsegregated, including audiences, black couples with whites on the ballroom dance floor, etcx. But the Blue Train on-board staff was white, except dining-car waiters. The sleeper attendant was white. At Sun City itself i worked mostly with English-speaker, SA's, from a British backgrounds. But it was clear that there were blacks and Afrikaners in responsible positions. I think Sol Kersner may have given a number of people to work and live in an integrated society that they did have previously.
My feeling about Frank Sinatra is that he would not have performed, regardless of the fee proposed, if the audience had been segregated. He had no other South African dates on that tour. Perhaps the very greatest honor I received in my audio-acoustics career was when his personal sound expert pronounced the sound system adequate for Frank's need, and they would not need to ship their own milliojn-dollar system over from the USA. "I know it is basically an Altec system, but you made it sound like a JBL one."
The first time I rode the Century was in 1959. By then, the freshness of the 1948 redo had warn off. Service, food, and the ride were excellent. But one did not feel that things sparkled. This was not true of the Super. Even just before Amtrak there was a sparkle. The Blue train could be compared with the Super in every way, except that the Super had its pleasure dome. However, a room with the john in an annex is more comfortable than having to lift up the bed at night, also, having the facilities in the same room in general.
I rode the last eastbound trip of the City of Los Angeles. The UP had refurbished, including brand new wood wallpaper of several kinds, a whole bunch of sleeping cars for a stockholders' special about 1-1/2 years earlier. These then were used in regular service, and I enjoyed this "sparkle" on that eastbound trip. Missing was the dome diner, where I had enjoyed breakfast a year earlier between Salt Lake City and LA. (D&RGW VP Passenger, in his chauffered car, dropped me off at the UP station after we had arrived on the "California Service" at the D&RGW Station, rather my walking the two blocks. On the D&RGW eastbound, I was informed my meals would be on the house! We had met eight years earlier when I and Rudy Morgenfrue and I think Stan Miller picked up his offer to charter the William Jackson Palmer on the Maurie Kliebolt Durango - Farmington - Durango run, having enjoyed the Nomad Durango -Silverton -Durango. We split the 250 only slightly unevenly three ways.
I loved riding them all. The Blue Train, the Super Chief, coach in the El Capitan, the Broadway, the 20th Century, Panama, Champions and Silver Meteor But the Rio Grande Zephyr is the most special of all the memories of great trains. The privatge car trips with Richard Horstmann in LV 353 were also wonderful, and the best of all was when it was atrtached to Amtraks's CZ between Salt Lake City and Denver.
When riding any SA train, one does not get the feeling or narrow gauge that one gets riding D&RGW lines, or even the Newfy "Bullet." Everything seems completely full-size..
Articles on the Blue Train in Trains Magazine
The Blue Train minus the Pantographs - March 1970 In 1969 the South African Railways ran a commerative 30th anniversity round trip of the Blue Train solely behind steam. At that tme the operation was about 2/3 electric, 1/3 steam.
Grand Trains of South Africa - February 2001 Rovos Rail, Blue Train, Union Limited
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
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