Steam In The Orchards. Leitz Summicron 50mm DR

A short but tough work day yielded no fresh Blips...  Back to the archives to find one of my favorite photographs.  It was May 31st, 1984.  The "old" South Africa was winding down and the "old" South African Railways formed in 1910 had lost its way.  It had been privatized and was losing revenue hand-over-fist to road transport.  Steam locomotives once reigned supreme on South Africa's branch lines long after the rest of the world had changed over to diesel or electric locomotion.  In those waning days of the SAR, the administration used to organize very well-patronized day "specials".  A preserved steam locomotive (in this case Class 19C #2439) and old rolling stock were provided, and the infrastructure to make it all work.  This was such a special run on Republic Day partly traveling the little branch line of 24 km from Paarl to Franschhhoek.  The trip actually started and finished in Cape Town and traversed the mainline as far as Paarl.  Then it set off down the spectacular Drakenstein Valley to the terminus at Franschhoek where refreshments were provided. Everybody gathered around to photograph the locomotive,and have a chat, and then, late in the day the train started back home again.  The end of May is autumn in the southern hemisphere so the fruit trees have turned their colors and are bare for the winter.  I captured the train on film chuffing through the orchards quite early in the day.  The lens, then newly acquired, is the same one used in the last few days for the flowers.  I like that continuity...   For the historically inclined, the Franschhoek branch was opened in 1904 to serve the fruit farms established in the Drakenstein Valley by Cecil John Rhodes at the end of the 19th century.  It closed in 2001.