Wheels of Progress, South African Railways & Harbours Short Film

[Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] this is our railway the trails blazed by our pioneers have become has grown the largest organization of its kind in the world its international jet services link south africa with many lands while the internal jets have brought our cities and those of our neighbors to the doorstep of businessmen and other travelers its harbors have become the gateway to a modern prosperous south africa the flashing beam of its lighthouses guides mariners to a safe and friendly anchorage and its road transport services are pioneering new trails beyond the rail heads yes we've come a long way from the southern tip of our continent to our vast northern borders from the indian ocean to the atlantic steel rails have bound the people together become the pulsating arteries of a free nation and the framework on which our civilization and prosperity is firmly [Music] [Applause] our diamonds and gold was the magnet that drew the people and the railways to the hinterland but other mineral wealth only awaited a rail to carry it to eager markets coal for instance one of our greatest mineral assets is refined into petrol and chemicals transported over vast distances to bring cheap electrical power to our homes and industries in transporting coal and iron ore for the making of our own steel the railways are playing a vitally important room steel not only for further railway development and maintenance but a commodity that has made our rapid industrial expansion possible with new industries add up new rail links for hauling the products of our factories fashioned into the shape of things our people need [Music] the railways pump our fuel oil from the refineries of the coast to the distant inland centers and also distribute by rail tanker throughout the land as a modern country we use a lot of oil and with increasing demands for more food agriculture has become a major consumer of petrol and diesel fuel in feeding a nation the food must be delivered at a price the people can afford maize and wheat beef from the far-flung cattle launching areas of the north and beyond perishables from the coast and inland centers transported in fast refrigerated trains and fruits and vegetables from the gardens of our nation the export of fruit has become a major industry mainly due to pre-cooling facilities provided by our harbors and the speed of handling [Music] yes this is our railway a service bound to the prosperity and welfare of its people the steel rails that first brought civilization to the early inland settlers have become the nation's busy highways the old railway construction camps are now established in towns and cities keeping the nation's wheels rolling takes a lot of organization and throughout the country in offices and workshops airports and harbors 200 000 men and women of every racial group of every walk of life and a good cross-section of most traits and professions known to men share a common pride in knowing how to serve a nation yes behind the men who run the trains the airliners and the harbors there are many men and women playing their part no man works alone for each man's work depends on another's work our railways handle a lot of goods the people and the products of a nation so that one man may exchange his goods with another man in the working pattern of a free economy [Music] once the trucks are loaded they are pushed up a little man-made hill called the hub the shunter opens the couplers and a truck rolls down an easy grade and is diverted into one of many parallel tracks marked for a particular destination where possible through loads are assembled that allow trains to travel to their final destination without having to be broken up for every train made up in the yards a train is made up in the offices too a hundred different people will know of its existence it will assume an identity of its own a number 77 pass the selector clerks will fit it into a carefully planned timetable centralized traffic control will take over and guide it through unmanned stations hundreds of miles away a railway at their fingertips [Music] as 77 down glides out of the main tiles people along its route will expect it it will be shunted into a loop to allow express trains to pass it will lose trucks it will gain trucks it will change engines and operating crew but at its destination it will still be known as 77. [Music] traffic on the main lines is always heavy with hundreds of trains traveling throughout the day and night with only a few minutes between in this complex schedule of dense traffic special trains are fitted in to carry enthusiasts to major sporting events in all parts of the country [Applause] other trains are run on regular conductive tours where the train becomes a hotel on wheels for the many tourists visiting our beauty spots on these tours cars are provided for the added pleasure of excursions into the backwoods where the beauty of nature stands untouched by the hand of man [Music] our country has much to delight the tourists and apart from the regular train and coach tours the railway travel bureau provide facilities for individuals or groups where the tours are tailor-made to suit their special requirements these services and particularly the all-inclusive tours provided for local and overseas visitors have done much to bring within the reach of all the many places of interest and rich scenic beauty of our country [Music] [Applause] [Music] whether traveling in the armchair comfort of the motor coaches or on a rail tour the happy warm and carefree atmosphere on these towers grows on one [Music] for many the tours are an annual pilgrimage to renew old acquaintances and to make new ones [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is our railway yes behind the men who run the trains there are many whose constant vigil and preparedness help to keep them running some use machines which can see right inside the steel rails looking for floors no human eye could ever see others must repair rail damage at short notice [Music] maintenance takes a lot of men from the man on the spot to the men in the workshops where the modern concept of maintenance is to locate the trouble and repair it before it happens [Music] a railway is never really built there's always something new being added to it industry is large enough to need a rail connection spring up along our lines and projects like the palibura copper and phosphate complex are continually expanding our railway map the restless activity of our railways never ceases research into new techniques for rail construction and maintenance are part of the constant aim for more efficiency diesel locomotives are taking over from steam to good effect in southwest africa the eastern cape and transvaal and the gradual electrification of certain sections of the network is already contributing to better and faster services the conversion to electricity has added to the industrial frontier created by railway requirements a new industry builds our locomotives in addition to existing factories turning up trucks coaches and the wide range of goods needed to run the railway [Music] [Music] a railway needs highly trained men at island park in the transvaal there is an institute which has no counterpart anywhere in the world it is in effect a railway man's university where special training keeps the many grades of workers abreast of modern techniques in their particular fields further training is provided for whites and non-bites at the various regional headquarters which played their part in keeping the railwayman at peak efficiency who are these people who run our railways who keep our wheels rolling they are playing and friendly people living in the cities towns and rural districts many living in their own homes among our friends a neighbor whose patronage of the railways gives them the work by which they earn their living and they in turn contribute to these communities they buy from merchants up and down the streets of a hundred tons in smaller towns one man alone must do many jobs he advises the shippers and the passengers he knows more about the railway than anyone in town and more about the tongue than anyone else on the railway he's the man that keeps it humming and who keeps it human in large cities it takes many people to do the many jobs but the human side is just the same to the passenger the railway is the commissioner who directs him to the correct platform the man who issues the tickets the steward who serves the meals the porter who checks the baggage an atmosphere of pioneering enterprise still surrounds some of the railways operations the road transport services for example link for many rail heads and industrial sectors with the far away places where the frontier spirit still prevails the service penetrates deep into new and developing areas it conveys sugar from bongola to the rail here that people deep cattle in the freiburg area fruit in the prince alfred hamlet district it is equipped with special vehicles that transfer abnormal loads from rail to road these road services represent a vital advance investment in our future development [Music] since the early days of fundraiser landing at the cape our harbors have grown in number and importance today they're amongst the world's most modern providing facilities for the thousands of ships that visit our shores each year the teaming activity in our ports is a yardstick of the place we hold among trading nations of the world we have much that other nations need and hides bring buyers from all over europe and the far east the export of sugar has reached such proportions as to justify the bulk loading installation at derma cape town durban and east london are the main harbors for handling bulk shipments of grain and our iron ore manganese and the many other minerals that are in great demand are speedily handled at port elizabeth and derma these harbors that once served only as stepping stones for trade with the east have become centers of intense trade catering not only for ships and cargos but providing a new degree of luxury and convenience for the visitors to our lab [Music] one of the most important items handled by the organization is mail which must be given top priority and spent [Music] it was in 1934 that our national airline south african airways first came into being today south africa's airports have become the bustling crossroads for travellers of the world providing all the amenities of modern air terminals everyone is we have our internal jets fly businessmen for a day's work to the far-flung corners of our country and beyond and return them to their families in the evening our transcontinental jet airliners have pioneered new routes to europe carrying thousands of passengers to far away places the names of which have become familiar at our [Music] airports to ensure that the reservations organization functions at maximum efficiency the latest techniques in communication and data processing are employed we work in close liaison with other airlines establishing contact with our neighbors the world over we prepare meals for other airlines besides our own this batch will fly with our burning to lisbon rome and athens the students who serve must be specialists in their field and are trained to perfection on each occasion before a jet takes off on an international flight the crew must first fly the route in a simulator which simulates all the conditions likely to be encountered on the trip as our jets swing their way over foreign continents our radio station said you are at young smugs keeps them in constant contact this is one of our boeings which has just taken off from rome and is now heading for zurich mocking techniques combined with superb equipment leave nothing to chance in the routine servicing of every aspect of the aircraft this is the first stage compressor fan being tested at 60 000 revolutions for one of the engines that will propel a jetliner to london and return it home [Music] attention please south african airways announced the departure of its boeing 707 the world has indeed become a small place the businessman will meet his london principles in the morning the happy tourist will awaken to a new world of pleasure and excitement and the very young born into this jet age will for a while remain peacefully oblivious to the wonders of modern air travel [Applause] so [Music] [Applause] yes this is your airline a proud part of our national transport organization dedicated to upholding our tradition of warm hospitality and friendly service be it speeding through the nights at near the speed of sun or gliding along shiny rails of steel your comfort and well-being is the concern of an army of men and women working together each one doing his or her job partly whatever that job may be sharing a common prize in knowing how to keep our wheels turning a heritage from the past a service to the present a dream for the future still to come pleasant journey and sleepover you're in good hands [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: SAR Signals & Nostalgia

Views: 14,256

Keywords: South African Railways, The Wheels of Progress, SAR&H

Id: be_XkvW9ooc

Length: 19min 48sec (1188 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 19 2022