The RSSA arranged a visit to the Transnet Koedoespoort Workshops to see the assembly line for the Class 39 Diesel Electic locomotives and the Class 6E upgrade. Other locomotives were seen in the yard.

The 2009 SA Narrow Gauge tour offered a similar programme to the 2008 one, but the weather was different with more cloud. Sandstone had restored a second NG6 Lawley, and at last we had steam back on the Avontuur Line.

Geoff's Trains Ltd ran a tour to the Narrow Gauge railways of South Africa in May 2008. Some of the photographic results are shown here.

The 2 foot gauge railway from Port Elizabeth to Avontuur, including a branch to Patensie, is operated by Class 91 diesel electric locomotives. The Apple Express also runs on these metals using a number of steam locomotives. In September 2007 Apple Express ran a charter train for us from Humewood Road to Patensie and back. None of their steam locomotives was available, and so we used Class 91 # 91-007.

I found Class 15CA #2054 being cut up at Voorbaai Depot during a tour that I hosted for Ffestiniog Travel. A sad end for a fine locomotive.

#2054 was built by the American Locomotive Co in 1926.

A Geoff's Trains tour ran to Zimbabwe in July 2007. Charter steam trains ran around Bulawayo and to Victoria Falls.

The tour will be repeated in May 2009. Find the itinerary at www.geoffs-trains.com

Our tour to Zimbabwe visited the BCL mine at Selebe Phikwe en route from South Africa.

Friends of the Rail ran two charters in 2007 for Geoff's Trains. The first was to Rooival Power Station, the second to Cullinan

Geoff's Trains ran a tour to Zimbabwe in August 2006 with Globe Steam. These photographs are a small selection from that tour.

The 2005 Avontuur Adventurer tour was operated by the Sandstone Heritage Trust with Geoff's Trains acting as the overseas booking agent. The main tour concerned itself with the 2 foot gauge line from Port Elizabeth to Avontuur. A pre-tour option offered visits to the Sandstone Estate, Paton Country Railway and the Banana Express.

Following our tour of Zimbabwe, we visited te BCL Mine at Selebe Phikwe in Botswana.

In July 2005 Geoff's Trains ran a tour to Zimbabwe for Globe Steam. Botswana was also included, and will feature as a separate collection.

The National Railways of Zimbabwe workshops in Mutare maintained English Electric and Brush locomotives. The workshop now maintains American General Electric locomotives.

Zimbabwe's Transport Museum is in the City if Mutare. Some of the transport exhibits are shown here.

The Shurugwi Peak Mine, located at the town of Shurugwi, about 20 km south of Gweru, runs a collection of diesel locomotives manufactured by Prof Engineering, and one Funkey.

In 1994 we made three attempts to run our train to Mulobezi at the end of the old Zambezi Sawmills logging railway. The third attempt was successfull.

A brief visit to Gwelo (Gweru) in 1977 saw Class 14A, 15th, 16A Class and 20th Class Garratts on shed, along with a few 12th Class 4-8-2's that were already set aside.

These photographs are scanned from slides taken on a visit to the Sena Sugar Estates on the Zambezi River in Mozambique in 1975.

The results of a short visit to Portugal in 1974. The visit centred on lines where steam was still active.

A few photographs taken on a journey from Bulawayo in Rhodesia through Botswana to Mafeking in South Africa, a line at that time operated by Rhodesia Railways.

Scans of slides take in 1972 in the Eastern region of the Rhodesia Railways. This was the last year that the steam shed was open, it also saw the arrival of a number of sanctions busting diesels that worked alongside the older British and American classes.