My avatar

My GWR photo avatar disappeared so I grabbed my Friends of the Rail avatar, a photo of a South African driver, (I guess,) running his train, sitting on a swing-out seat, enjoying the breeze. Firemen also had swing-out seats.

Info on the photo: http://steam-locomotives-south-africa.b ... class.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Info on the Otavi Railway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otavi_Min ... ay_Company" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just as a corollary, swing-out seats were only found on the narrow narrow gauge (2' gauge), not on the Cape Gauge narrow gauge (3' 6" gauge).

johnthefireman wrote:Just as a corollary, swing-out seats were only found on the narrow narrow gauge (2' gauge), not on the Cape Gauge narrow gauge (3' 6" gauge).

Thank you, John, I didn't know that. They seem like a good idea for Africa, though.

Well, they're a good idea on a narrow footplate such as you find on a 2' gauge locomotive - get a couple of burly Afrikaaners on the footplate and it could definitely feel a bit crowded!

As for being a good idea for Africa, remember that South Africa is a good thirty degrees south of the Equator, so it is not even a tropical climate. While it can be hot at certain times of year and times of day in certain parts of South Africa, it can also be bloody cold, with frost, snow and strong winds. Under those circumstances you find yourself wanting to huddle near the firebox. Having to lean out of the window to spot signals is no fun. Probably the worst I have experienced is running backwards light engine in the winter, with a freezing wind blowing in over the bunker and absolutely no shelter from it.

Thank you very much, John, for the information about climates in various parts of Africa. Knowing nothing about it, I assumed that the whole continent was the same. I'm gaining knowledge on the world wide forum.

philipmartin wrote:Thank you very much, John, for the information about climates in various parts of Africa. Knowing nothing about it, I assumed that the whole continent was the same. I'm gaining knowledge on the world wide forum.

Every possible climate can be found in Africa, from the snow and ice at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro to the arid desert of the Sahara. There are rain forests, as in the Congo area, and temperate regions as in highland Kenya, where you could imagine yourself in an ideal Summer in England.

I wonder if highlan Kenya is where John is building his home?

philipmartin wrote:I wonder if highlan Kenya is where John is building his home?

It sounds like it to me.

We are entering the period when every year I wish I could be back in Kenya as I hate the cold.

Not sure whether it was officially known as the Highlands, but yes, we are building our house on what is highlands at least generically. The elevation of our house is around 1,900m.

johnthefireman wrote:Not sure whether it was officially known as the Highlands, but yes, we are building our house on what is highlands at least generically. The elevation of our house is around 1,900m.

Sounds nice.