South African Railways Catering Depot - Johannesburg
Built: c.1959
Architect: Unidentified
Status: Extant
Artist's impression by unidentified artist.
Locality map
Google Maps Street View, 2010.
Description
"A new catering depot for the South African Railways, in the form of an eight storey building, is taking shape on a site just west of the Queen Elizabeth bridge, near Johannesburg station. It will cost about £245,000 and will house the administrative offices of the catering department and the catering warehouses.
The main feature of the new depot is that the Departmental headquarters and Johannesburg stores of the catering department will be housed in one building. At present they occupy several buildings in various parts of the Braamfontein yard.
The design of the new composite block is unusual, since the two separate blocks, one for the warehouses and the other for the administrative staff, will be linked by through passages. The warehouse side will be five storeys high with provision for one more, and the administrative side will be eight storeys high with provision for two more.
Special loading bays and six covered platforms are being provided for the provision of dining cars.
Stores block
Wherever possible diamond mesh steel partitions will be erected in place of brick walls to improve ventilation and provide better control and supervision. The stores will be located on upper floors with reception and despatch offices on the ground floor. Goods arriving by road will be taken to the stores by goods lifts, while issues to dining cars will be despatched from the stores to the despatch office on the ground floor by means of small goods lifts or dumb-waiters. This means that no persons other than the staff would have to enter the building.
In addition to the despatch office, the ground floor will house the perishable store, consisting of a large deepfreeze and cool rooms, the linen stores, and a special kitchen for demonstrating new techniques to trained staff.
The liquor and grocery stores will be in the basement and a reversible slat-conveyor will serve the loading bays and platforms. Mechanisation will in fact, be introduced wherever possible.
Office block
This block has been designed on conventional lines. The ground floor will house a pay office for employees of the catering department, and the first floor an employment office with separate facilities for prospective employees.
Rest rooms
Rest rooms for members of the staffs of dining cars from other centres who have to stay overnight in Johannesburg are now in the course of construction on a site about 200 yards to the west of the site where the new depot is being erected. These buildings are nearing completion and should be ready for occupation early next year. Separate buildings have been erected for Europeans and non-Europeans.
The whole project, including the rest rooms, reception yard and platforms, will cost about £390,800. Work on the rest rooms was started a year ago, while the main building was started in July this year. The basement and ground floor of the new depot are being built by the Administration, but the superstructure will be done by contract and tenders for this work will be called before the end of October." (1958)
Sources
- South African Railway News. Sept 1958.
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