STEAM AT WAR 8




The frequent dust storms that blew from two to three days duration were a living hell with the only consolation being that the enemy could not operate against us. We kept going albeit a little slower and consumed lots of liquid that kept our innards working more or less normally. The wear and tear on the engine external machinery in such conditions was extremely high with some parts requiring replacement every two weeks. Piston rod packing glands and crosshead slippers suffered the worst.

Various trackside events called for attention. One was an evening raid by the occupants of two German short take-off and landing aircraft that landed beside the track and two crew members alighted from each leaving the motors running while they proceeded to plant land mines beneath the track. They were observed by a Bren gun carrier patrol that sped towards the scene causing the party to flee to the waiting aircraft one of which stalled its motor, so all boarded the second plane and flew off. Mine disposal soon cleared the area and order was restored. While I was not witness to the event I was to admire this example of a German specialised aircraft before it was taken away intact by our air force recovery team. Another track-side distraction was a 500Kg enemy aerial bomb that like many had failed to explode. One of the station crews watched it drop from a low flying bomber, hit the ground and bounce over and over before coming to rest about 20 metres from the track. It remained there for two or three days and we were instructed to proceed dead slow past it. We kept to the far sides of our engine cabs as we trundled past feeling sure that we could see it expanding. Much to our relief a bomb disposal squad eventually removed it.

Enemy activity against the railway was most intensive on bright moonlight nights and our journey times between Similla and Masheifa were slowed accordingly. Out and back trips usually took two days but in bad times four days on our engines were not unusual. After the first 24 hours our eating habits would go haywire and large quantities of sweet tea and coffee became the main sustenance. Train crews were issued with four days food rations at the outsets of their journeys and we supplemented these with tinned foods out of our most gratefully received food parcels. Our thanks went out to all those mothers, wives, sisters, girl friends, clubs and patriotic societies back home. Their tinned savaloys, beans, stews, spaghetti and soups were heated up on boiler back-heads and diesel engine exhaust manifolds. However, on such nights when danger was seen to be lurking we would slow down to a walking pace and listen for aircraft engines. If they were too close for comfort we would stop thereby eliminating the telltale exhaust steam from the engine and move about 100 metres away from the train to listen and watch until the threat had receded. On these nights the railhead would be subjected to repeated attacks and we would make the final seven or eight kilometre approach very slowly to the outer limit of the station yard from where we would observe the apparent mayhem taking place. We were well aware that daylight would reveal very little material damage. It amazed us that attacking aircraft seemed to fly blissfully through the incredible amount of flak being thrown up at them. High and low flying aircraft were met and followed by a barrage from heavy, medium and light anti-aircraft guns and pass out of range to fight another day.

Taking advantage of a respite we would draw into the arrival yard noting all likely shelters in the form of ground humps and hollows, slit trenches and bunkers for ready reference in anticipation of further attacks. We would take a brief spell while a servicing crew took charge of our locomotive, cleaned the fire, filled the lubricating oil reservoirs, turned the engine and reversed the order of the two 4000 gallon water batteries. When ready we would hastily resume duty, couple onto a waiting return train and roll out of there exceeding the regulation speed limit to reach the psychological if not actual safety of the wadhi 19 km distant below the escarpment.