Compiled by Bruno Martin ©

Please note: All photographs, maps and text in Soul of a Railway are protected by copyright and may not be copied or reproduced in any way for further use without prior permission in writing from the compilers of this series, Les Pivnic, Charlie Lewis and Bruno Martin.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS

The request for photographs taken on the Natal Two-Foot Gauge Lines generated a selection of over 700 images from our contributors. As a result, it was decided to split the chapter into seven parts following on from the numerical sequence of System 6 Natal:

Part 21. Estcourt–Weenen Railway.

Part 22. Umlaas Road–Mid Illovo Railway.

Part 23. (Umzinto) Esperanza–Donnybrook (Stuartstown Railway) and Union Bridge–Madonela branch.

Part 24. Port Shepstone–Harding Railway (Alfred County Railway).

Part 25. Port Shepstone and Alfred County Railway (ACR).

Part 26. Natal Narrow-Gauge Motive Power.

Part 27. Natal Narrow-Gauge Preservation. Where are they now?

A special THANK YOU is extended to:

Leith Paxton, who generously provided me with his collection of images and placed all his information on the narrow-gauge railways at my disposal. Leith’s NGLife spreadsheet forms the base of the graph appended to this chapter, which traces the life of the NG Garratts.

Garratt and Robert L Bucher for making available photographs from the R L Bucher Collection taken on various trips to South Africa.

David Richardson for providing extensive coverage of images taken at the Sandstone Estates.

Dick Manton for his collection of images. (many taken long after the railways had closed, documenting the decay setting in)

John Middleton for sharing his extensive album of photographs from his travels around South Africa.

Don McLean for making a special trip to take photographs of NG/G16 No.129 working on the Puffing Billy Railway.

Trevor Heath for providing additional material to fill in the information gaps.

Adrian Rowe for finding the elusive maps of the Midmar Steam Railway in December 2024.

Photographic credits: Adrian Palmer via Trevor Heath; A H (Tony) Spit via Leith Paxton; Alan Buttrum; Allen Jorgensen via Dick Manton collection; A E (‘Dusty’) Durrant via Dick Manton collection; Brian Couzens via RSSA Natal Branch; Charles Parry; Charlie Lewis; David Richardson; David Benn; Dennis Mitchell; Derek Rayner; Dick Manton; Don McLean; Duncan Smith via Sandy Buchanan; Hannes Paling; Ian Parry; James Atwell; James Hopkins; John Middleton; Jonathan Perks; Leith Paxton; Les Pivnic; Neels Slump; Neville Fields via Leith Paxton; Peter Bagshawe; Phil Girdlestone; Phil Waterfield; Randall Nauschutz; Roger Perry via Les Pivnic; R L Bucher collection via Garratt and Robert Bucher III; Robert Horlacher; Robert Kingsford-Smith; Sandstone Estates Collection via David Richardson; Sandy Buchanan; Sean Stanton; Terry Hutson; Thomas Kautzor; Transnet Heritage Library - via Yolanda Meyer.

Apologies to anyone I should have thanked for their assistance but have overlooked.

INTRODUCTION

To conclude the Natal Narrow Gauge railways story, the first part chronicles the preservation attempts by the Natal Narrow-Gauge Preservation Group (NGP), formed by members of the Natal Branch of the Railway Society of Southern Africa (RSSA), compiled from reports in the Natal Newsletters, SA Rail and the Yahoo Groups SAR_L website.

The second part, titled “Where are they now?” focuses on the fate of the Garratts and other locomotives that once operated on the former 2ft (610 mm)-gauge Government-owned lines and the privatised Alfred County Railway.

Although falling outside the scope of the “Soul of a Railway” project, it would be remiss of me not to highlight the extraordinary effort by Wilfred Mole and his team at the Sandstone Estates in preserving such a diverse collection of priceless narrow-gauge motive power and associated rolling stock – the most extensive private collection in the world - in an internationally acclaimed heritage centre located near Ficksburg in the eastern Free State.

Lastly, to cap off the Natal Narrow-Gauge railways chapters, images of Ian Parry’s exquisite Natal narrow-gauge miniature models operating in his garden.

THE NATAL NARROW-GAUGE PRESERVATION GROUP (NGP)

Although an early manuscript draft was made available to the Narrow-Gauge Preservation Group with a request for further input, no response was received. However, should any members of this group wish to contribute additional information or photographs, they would be gratefully received and added. Therefore, most of the information contained in this segment is based on reports published in the Natal Newsletters, SA Rail and the Yahoo Groups SAR_L website.

Origins

The Natal Newsletter¹, No.19, April/May 1985, reported that 15 members of the Natal branch of the Railway Society of Southern Africa (RSSA) attended a meeting on 1 April in Durban to form a narrow-gauge preservation group.

A steering committee comprising five members was elected in the interim until the next AGM of the Natal branch of the Railway Society of Southern Africa in April 1986.²

The Narrow-Gauge Preservation Group (NGP) emphasised maintaining a close working relationship with the Umgeni Steam Railway (USR).

Aims and objectives

“Our aim and objectives are to acquire, restore and preserve all locomotives, coaches, trucks and any other railwayana of the gauges used by the South African Transport Services (formerly SAR&H), on the sugar industry estates, and private and industrial quarries and mines.”

Following the demise of the Estcourt-Weenen and the Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo lines, it was imperative to take action to save the remaining narrow-gauge railway heritage and stop the scrapping of sugar cane tramway vehicles scattered around the sugar estates in various stages of decay.

UMLAAS ROAD – MID ILLOVO RAILWAY PRESERVATION PROJECT

On 9 April 1984, SATS invited local farmers and other interested parties to attend a meeting at Van der Merwe's Hotel, Umlaas Road, to inform them of the imminent closure of the narrow-gauge railway from Umlaas Road to Mid Illovo. The chairman of the Natal Branch of the RSSA, Terry Hutson, handed a formal proposal³ to Dr Gert Coetzee* (SATS Assistant General Manager, Commercial) for the preservation of a section of the Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo branch as a national heritage project and to develop its potential as a tourist attraction. At a follow-up meeting on 19 June between the tourism businesses, farmers and SATS, the branch line's future was discussed. No record of the discussions at this meeting can be traced at RSSA or the THL. Nothing further was mentioned about this meeting's outcome in the Natal Newsletter or SA Rail until the September/October 1984 edition of SA Rail reported that SATS had given the railway a six-month reprieve. During this time, SATS monitored the branch line's traffic volume to determine whether it was viable to continue operating. The cold, hard reality of the situation was that SATS had already decided it would close this loss-making branch line no matter what. On 28 February 1985, the railway closed officially, although NG/G13 No.77 was steamed up once more on 9 March for the last run, a 'Farmers only' special.

* Dr G J S Coetzee (SATS version of Dr Beeching in Britain!) was adamant that all loss-making lines would be closed ‘finish and klaar’.

NEWS BRIEF, S A Rail, March-April 1985:

On Thursday, 28 February 1985, Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo Branch (narrow gauge) officially closed. Despite attempts by the local farmers, who had previously obtained a six-month reprieve, and claims that the roads in the district will not be able to cope with the resultant heavy traffic, the final announcement was made in early February. On 9 March, a special train was run, conveying members of the local farmer’s association on the last run, culminating with a braai in Eston. With this closure, the NG/G13 Class (Garratt) locomotives also ceased to operate, as the other narrow-gauge Branches in Natal are all run by the NG/G16 Class. These two Branches, Umzinto to Donnybrook and Port Shepstone to Harding, suffered during the recent heavy rains in Natal. The formation was washed away, including one at Wilson’s Cutting, where a 60-metre slide took place. A slide also happened on the Mid Illovo Branch – despite the imminent closure, this was cleared. It remains to be seen where the numerous rolling stock on this branch will be stored. Sad to relate is that two builder’s plates belonging to Nos.49 and 60 (both NG/G13s) at Umlaas Road have gone missing. (Natal Reporter)

Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo narrow-gauge heritage railway preservation project abandoned.

Not deterred by SATS closing the Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo railway, the Preservation Group continued to work behind the scenes to keep the proposal alive. Being located close to Pietermaritzburg and Durban and with easy road access, the narrow-gauge railway was well-positioned to be developed into a tourist attraction. The section of the line that would have ideally lent itself for preservation lay between Killarney Road Halt and Eston. However, the local farming community did not favour the idea; they insisted that the railway remain closed. The NGP presented the SATS Administration with a summary of their plan to restore a section of the abandoned line as a heritage railway project. But with no support forthcoming from the SATS Administration either, the fate of the preservation project was well and truly sealed. The June 1986 issue of the Natal Newsletter reported that the NGP had reluctantly decided to abandon the Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo narrow-gauge heritage railway preservation project.

The end of the Mid Illovo Branch

A report in the 1987 January-February issue of SA RAIL noted that removing the rails on the former Weenen and Mid-Illovo branches had been completed. All wagons on the latter had been sold to scrap merchants and cut up on site. At the time, only a few 'G' wagons had remained at Umlaas Road, but no mention was made of the fate of NG/G13 No.49 (HG10598/1928) and NG/G16 No.115 (BP6925/1939) left stranded on remnants of the track on site.

The 1990 July-August issue of SA Rail reported that action was finally taken to salvage NG/G13 No.49 and NG/G16 No.115, which had, in the interim, been extensively vandalised. Preliminary work had been done to prepare the locomotives for the move to the Springs Loco Depot in Gauteng. However, while No.115 was sold and exported to the Exmoor Steam Railway in England, No.49, which was assigned the lowest number in the NG/G13 class and, therefore, a historically significant locomotive, languished at the Springs Depot for another 12 years to give the branches of a large tree enough time to engulf the locomotive completely. Finally, in May 2002, a team from Sandstone Estates arrived to rescue the locomotive. It has since been restored at the Bloemfontein Mechanical Workshops by Lucas Nel and returned in working order to Hoekfontein in October 2004.

After removing the locomotives from Umlaas Road, all remaining narrow-gauge structures, including the water tank, coal stage, loading ramp, and locomotive shed, were demolished, and all narrow-gauge tracks lifted. Once the site was cleared, the Civil Engineering Department remodelled the standard gauge layout at Umlaas Road. Apart from the remaining trackbed, there is now little to indicate the existence of the narrow-gauge line. Eston's station building was salvaged and moved to Midmar Historical Village, while Mid Illovo's station building was dismantled and moved to the Pineville Junction Historical Village, corner of Stapleton and Josiah Gumede (previously Old Main) Roads in Pinetown.

DURBAN EXPO’85 

Durban EXPO'85 October 1985 to January 1986

An opportunity presented itself for the Narrow-Gauge Preservation Group (NGP) to make its mark with the announcement of Durban EXPO'85 from October 1985 until January 1986. The NGP got off to a strong start when the EXPO's organising committee accepted the group's proposal to operate a narrow-gauge train at the old Durban railway station and workshops for the duration of the event. SATS laid a 2 km circular track, and No.140 was drafted in from the Umzinto shed to provide the motive power and two passenger coaches, the vintage No.4 coach ex-Weenen/Port Shepstone and a converted G wagon providing passenger accommodation. While staff at Durban railway workshops conducted a safety inspection of the passenger vehicles, the Umzinto shed prepared the locomotive for service resplendent in glossy black SAR livery with stainless steel boiler bands 'RSSA Narrow Gauge Preservation' lettered on the coal bunker. Images of 'Smarties' adorned the passenger carriages. SATS did a boiler washout on Friday, 13 September, and on Sunday, 15 September, NGP members gathered to prepare No.140 and the passenger coaches for testing the following day. Laborious polishing and shining were the order of the day to get the train looking its best. On Monday morning at 05:00, members of the NGP attended the locomotive's ‘lighting the fire’ ritual.

The long-time driver of the Estcourt-Weenen Railway, 'Billy’ Bester, was brought out of retirement for driving duties while other qualified volunteer drivers and firemen each took turns running the train for the three months EXPO was open. The train was in operation six days a week (Tuesday to Sunday) from 10 am until dusk (5 pm) and continued until 14 January 1986. The 3-month operation of the ‘Smartie Express’ was a resounding success as far as the NGP was concerned.

Over the Easter weekend of 1986 (28 to 31 March), at very short notice from SATS, the NGP operated the ‘Smartie Express’, but a lack of publicity resulted in a monetary loss. A private member hired the train on 8 May but was given limited coverage in the local press, albeit four days after the event. The train operated on 31 May, Republic Day, which traditionally coincided with the running of the Comrades Marathon (Durban-Pietermaritzburg or vice-versa).

Although Durban’s City Management Board declared it had no objection to a long-term tenure of the little train at the EXPO site, a request by the NGP to make the railway a permanent fixture was turned down by the Durban City Council, who wanted the railway removed. A report in the 1987 January-February issue of SA RAIL noted that the rails at the EXPO site had been removed.

MIDMAR HISTORICAL VILLAGE AND 

TRANSPORT MUSEUM

THE MIDMAR LIGHT RAILWAY

James Hopkins

Although there has been much talk and activity lately on the preservation scene, the Natal Branch of the Railway Society has been actively engaged in what can only be described as the most ambitious scheme for about two years. This is the survey and the design of a 610 mm gauge railway for the Natal Parks Board at Midmar Dam.

The idea came up during one of our outings which was to see the two 1067 mm gauge locomotives the Parks Board have mounted on the grounds of their museum [Midmar Historical Village and Transport Museum] on the northern side of the dam. Our guide, Frank Warwick, mentioned that one of their aims was to lay a length of track along the dam's shoreline and repair the two ex-sugar cane locos they have. We were naturally very interested in the idea, and they, in turn, welcomed the idea of members of the society getting involved, as our knowledge of the railways, while not at all extensive, far outstrips theirs. So, four of us, Andy Anderson, John Hilton, Dave Coutts and yours truly, went to the dam over the weekend, 31 January/1 February 1981, to study the feasibility of the scheme. First, the Parks Board had plans to lay a line to Morgenzon Caravan Park, about 4,5 km from the museum. Then, looking further into the future, the plan was to extend the line to Duku-Duku Caravan Park, some 16 km from the museum and provided a suitable bridge could be found, crossing the Umgeni River at the head of the dam, even further into the game park. The last section will, if ever built, involve heavy earthworks, a major bridge, some steep gradients, and tight curves.

Brian Couzens joined us once we started the actual route survey, which was done over Saturdays or Sundays spaced a month apart. The Parks Board had been promised about 2,5 km of track from the Pongola Sugar Estate, so we initially decided to confine our survey to that section. Quite a lot of bush clearing and tree felling would be required, which aroused displeasure among visitors to the dam who felt we would desecrate the area, but overall, the public generally welcomed the idea of a railway along the shoreline. Plans were prepared from the survey, and a meeting with the assistant director of the Parks Board was arranged.

We presented our ideas to him, and although he liked the idea of the line, he was a bit concerned about the proposed route, which would take the line in front of the restaurant, as he felt that public safety could be endangered. So, he made a counter proposal to take the line over the hill behind the public area. This would involve two long heavy sections, possibly with a loop or a reverse.

That, unfortunately, is as far as things have gone. The Parks Board are still very keen on the idea but is concentrating all its efforts on completing the museum before tackling the line, which will be built by the Parks Board themselves, and funds are hard to come by. It seems that the line will eventually be built, but WHEN? Nevertheless, the idea is still appealing, and it is hoped that members will still be willing to give their time, as the scheme promises to be one of the country's most significant preservation efforts if it comes off.

Finally, a note about the locomotives: there are currently two at the dam. They are in bad condition but are not irreparable. The Parks Board will do the work under the guidance of railway officials. The Railways also promised a Class NG/G11. This is probably No.55 presently at Weenen.

THE MIDMAR STEAM RAILWAY (MSR)

After Durban's EXPO operation had ended, the Narrow-Gauge Preservation Group (NGP) had to turn its energies elsewhere. John Geddes-Page of the Natal Parks, Game and Fish Preservation Board (NPB) and his enthusiastic railway colleague, Ed Smith, who had been suitably impressed with the EXPO ’85 narrow-gauge setup, made a concerted effort to accommodate the NGP in their proposal to retain a portion of Estcourt-Weenen Branch which traversed the Weenen Nature Reserve. But, not surprisingly, the cost factor and difficulty of access put paid to this idea.

The NPB suggested operating a narrow-gauge railway through the established Historical Village at Midmar Dam. Following a meeting of all interested parties, an announcement was made in June 1986 that the NGP and the NPB had agreed to join forces in creating a working narrow-gauge railway at the Midmar Dam Resort adjacent to the Midmar Historical Village.

An update published in the 1987 July/August issue of SA Rail stated that the Narrow-Gauge Preservation Group and the Natal Parks Board had now agreed to establish an operating railway at the Midmar Dam Resort. Initially, a railway circuit of some 4 kilometres would be built in the Midmar Historical Village precinct and into the newly acquired adjacent farmland. Ultimately, it was envisaged that a 25-kilometre-long railway would run, after crossing the Umgeni River in front of the dam wall, along the shoreline and terminating at the Game Park on the southwestern side of Midmar.

Locomotives under restoration to commence the operation included Avonside ‘Uve No.2’, 0-4-0T (2065/1933), ex-Umtwalume Valley Estates, and Orenstein & Koppel (O&K) chain-drive diesel 0-6-0DH (25816/1957), ex-Felixton Sugar Mill. Also available for use were several inspection cars/trolleys, including SAR RT 1413, ‘Doornkop No.5’ (a petrol-driven patrol car) and a unique ganger’s trolley powered by a Sprite engine, originally 2ft 6in gauge, but now regauged to 2ft 0in. Restoration work on ‘Uve No.2’ was presently underway at the NPG’s Durban site whilst the NGP was restoring the O&K diesel. In addition, the NGP hoped to acquire several NG/G13 (Garratt) locos and a total representation of Natal sugar tramway locomotives. The operating name of the railway would be MIDMAR STEAM RAILWAY. Several rolling stock items had already been purchased.

The ’Regional Roundup’ column of the January/February 1988 issue of SA Rail reported: “Also of special interest are the developments concerning the proposed Midmar Steam Railway, adjacent to the Historical Village. An enthusiastic committee has been engaged in the project for some time but faces the inevitable problem – finance. Nevertheless, following their link-up with the Natal Parks Board, three locomotives are already in their possession, the latest being an 0-4-0T donated by the Amatikulu Sugar Mill. Other locos are the former ‘Uve No.2’, 0-4-2T and ex-Reynolds Bros. In addition, O&K 0-6-0DH has already been restored by the Parks Board at Midmar. Finally, an interesting map of the proposed route has recently been published.” 

Meanwhile, ‘Sezela No.1’ 0-4-0T (1719/1915) was removed from its plinth at Orient Park and taken to the Midmar Historical Village.

The outcome of negotiations between the Natal Parks Board and the RSSA’s Natal Narrow-Gauge Preservation Group resulted in establishing a narrow-gauge system at Midmar to serve a dual purpose, firstly, as an attraction to bring in visitors to the public resort and secondly, as a means of preserving a mode of transport that contributed significantly to the development of the sugar industry and in general to the agricultural sector in Natal. Accordingly, the Natal Parks Board convened a meeting on 27 August 1988 at the Midmar Historical Village Workshops to inaugurate the Midmar Steam Railway Society. Thus, the Midmar Steam Railway (MSR) came into being.

The ’Regional Roundup’ in the 1988 September/October issue of SA Rail lists the following locomotives that were already on site:

‘Sezela No.1’   0-4-2T Avonside (1719/1915).

‘Amatikulu’      0-4-2T Avonside (1994/1928).

‘Uve No.2’       0-4-2T Avonside (2065/1933).

‘Sandy’           0-4-2T Fowler (14316/1914).

‘Illovo No.3’     0-4-2T Kerr Stuart (4063/1924).

‘Doornkop No.4’  0-6-0DH 151hp Gardiner Hunslet-Taylor (6355/1964).

Orenstein & Koppel (O&K) 0-6-0DH (25816/1957)

At this time, the earthworks for laying some two kilometres of track were in an advanced stage of preparation. However, the intention was ultimately to extend the track over a much larger area. Accordingly, the Eston Station buildings on the closed Mid Illovo Branch were removed and rebuilt at Midmar Village*.  Over time, other items would be obtained on loan or purchased from the South African Transport Services (SATS).

* There was also mention that the Rosetta Station building would be rebuilt on the line. Can anyone confirm?

Though the central theme of preservation was based on 2ft gauge rail transport, it would not be confined to rail alone but would also include a broader range of transport-related items such as a Sentinel Steam Wagon already on the premises and a Thornycroft wagon being offered.

SA Rail’s 1988 November/December issue reported that “an irregularly shaped circuit was being constructed, incorporating five curves of 60 m radius and two of 90 m radius. About half of the earthworks have been completed, and it is anticipated that track laying will begin shortly.”

The Doornkop Sugar Estate donated a 2ft 6in gauge 0-6-0DH (6355/1964); it was noted to be in poor condition near the car park on 26 December 1987.

MIDMAR STEAM RAILWAY

Narrow-Gauge Railway Preservation Centre at Midmar Historical Village, Midmar. Combination of Natal Parks Board and RSSA Narrow-Gauge Preservation Group. Steam locomotives include 2 x Avonside ex-Sezela; 1 Avonside ex-Amatikulu; Kerr Stuart ex-Illovo; Fowler ex-Free State Geduld (ex-Mount Edgecombe Estates); 2 x NG/G16 Garratts, plus several diesels, motor trolleys and stock. Open days monthly, trackage is presently under construction.

(Published in SA Rail, Events Diary, January/February 1989, page 11)

The 1990 issue of the July/August issue of SA Rail reported that the Midmar Steam Railway had obtained yet another narrow-gauge locomotive: O&K 0-4-0WT (4102/1910) donated in March was delivered to the Midmar Village in May. The locomotive was preserved at West Driefontein Consolidated Mine’s Recreation Club at Carltonville and overhauled before being donated (it had previously worked at the Vogelstruisbult Gold Mining Areas and initially at the West Rand Consolidated Mines Ltd). It became the first locomotive in steam at the new Midmar Steam Railway site.

The MSR fleet:

The MSR fleet, as reported in the January/February issue of SA Rail, comprised mainly SAR NG rolling stock and the following operative locomotives:

Ex-SAR NG/G16 No. 153 (Hunslet Taylor 3898/1968).

Ex-SAR NG/G16 No.113 (Beyer Peacock 6923/1937) was temporarily out of commission.

‘Uve No.2’ Avonside 0-4-2T (2065/1933), the fleet's flagship.

Diesel Hunslet 0-6-0.

Ex-SAR Wickham trolley RT 1413.

Fowler 0-4-2T ex Natal Estates (undergoing renovation).

Ex-Pongola 2ft 6in gauge 0-4-0 diesel (to be converted to 2ft gauge).

O&K is to be fitted with a diesel engine.

Bagnall 4-4-0T ‘Tongaat’ ex-Bulwer Park, Durban (has boiler problems).

Various other non-runners.

Four locos in storage in an area not connected to the MSR were:

Avonside 0-4-0T (1994/1928).

‘Illovo No.3’ 0-4-2PT ‘ISE3’ Kerr Stuart (4063/1924)

O&K (25816) and the ex-Felixton Sugar Mill Funkey ‘Sezela’ No.1 (AE 1719/1915) preserved with some cane wagons.

Nearby were ex-SAR Class 14R No.1718 and Class H2 No.330 on static display at the Midmar Historical Village.

THE SHOCK ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE CLOSURE OF THE

MIDMAR HISTORICAL VILLAGE

Tragically, this narrow-gauge railway preservation venture ended abruptly when the KwaZulu-Natal Parks Board's new management decided to relinquish the Midmar Historical Village and Transport Museum, stating that the “preservation of these relics was no longer a part of their core business”.

Under the heading ‘MIDMAR HISTORY VILLAGE MAY CLOSE’, the 1995 March/April issue of SA Rail, on page 42, carried the disturbing news that the KwaZulu-Natal Parks Board, owner, and operator of the Midmar Historical Village⁴, had called for tenders to take over the whole village, including the Transnet Heritage Foundation’s (THF) railway exhibits, the Shackleton aircraft, the harbour tug and the many generously donated items. Should no offers be received by the end of March, the village will be closed. More disconcerting was that there was no mention of what would happen to the Midmar Steam Railway, which operated its railway through the village. Thus, the Natal Narrow Gauge Preservation Group’s achievements of countless hundreds of hours of voluntary labour provided by its members over the past ten years were about to be undone. For all those concerned, the events that followed must have been a bitterly disappointing end to their hard-earned efforts to save some of KwaZulu-Natal’s priceless narrow-gauge railway heritage.

Under the heading MIDMAR STEAM RAILWAY UNDER THREAT, the 1995 September/October issue of SA Rail reported that the KwaZulu-Natal Parks Board had sold the site to a property developer who, in turn, had received an offer from a Gauteng company to develop the area into a luxury hotel, golf course and commercialised theme park. The future of the railway displays at the village and the narrow gauge Midmar Steam Railway were uncertain, and members of the latter investigated moving their operation to the nearby Umgeni Steam Railway’s (USR) Natal Railway Museum at Hilton Station. While the members of the NGP salvaged and moved some of the equipment to a new home nearby, much of their hard-earned work was auctioned off to the highest bidder.

The historical village's immediate future did not augur well with reports that vagrants had already taken up residence in the Transnet Heritage Foundation-owned wooden passenger railway coaches and dining cars on static exhibit at the village.

The April/June 1997 issue of SA Rail on page 71 carried an update on the developments following the Natal Parks Board's disposal of the Historical Village to a private company. When requested to vacate the village, the ownership of multiple locos, coaches and equipment of the Midmar Steam Railway was questioned. In the interim, the Transnet Heritage Foundation made an offer to the Parks Board but had not received a response, nor had the status of the narrow-gauge railway been resolved.

An update on Midmar was published in the 1997 October/December SA Rail & Harbours issue under the ‘Latest News Items’.

Midmar hopes dashed: THF’s proposal to the KwaZulu-Natal Parks Board regarding the Midmar Historic Village has been turned down. Earlier this year, the KwaZulu-Natal Parks Board announced they intended to close the historic village, which contains several railway exhibits, including the Midmar Steam Railway.

The April/May 1998 issue of SA Rail & Harbours, on page 74, reported on the collection of transport exhibits that were disposed of from the Midmar Historical Village. At a sale on 30 May, the following dispersal took place:

O&K 0-4-0WT 4102/1910 – sold to Swiss buyers*.

Fowler 0-4-2T ‘Sandy’ 14316/1914 – sold to Century City Cape Town (reportedly for R50 000).

Avonside 0-4-0T 1719/1915 ‘Sezela No.1’ – to be returned to Illovo Sugar.

Kerr Stuart 0-4-2PT 4063/1924 ‘ISE No.3’- to SSR.

Bagnall 4-4-0T 2342/1928 ‘Tongaat’ – sold to SSR but subject to codicil re MSR ownership.

Avonside 0-4-0T 1994/1928 – dismantled state, sold to SSR.

Funkey 4wDH /1968 – sold to scrap dealer.

O&K 0-6-0DH 25816/1957 – sold to scrap dealer.

Hunslet 4wDM HE 4398/1953 ex Pongola - sold for scrap.

Hunslet Taylor 0-6-0DH 6355/1964 – sold to SSR.

SSR - Sandstone Steam Railroad (The Sandstone Steam Railroad Company (Pty) Ltd was formed in December 1996).

(*this did not happen; it was later stated in SA Rail)

Most of the narrow-gauge railway went to the Sandstone Estates⁵ near Ficksburg, Free State and Ratanga Junction at Century City, Cape Town⁶. Other owners who had generously donated items for display at the village started withdrawing these. In addition to the two narrow-gauge locomotives, the THF had two standard-gauge steam locomotives and several other historic coaches on static display on the site.

Sandstone Steam Railroad purchased the narrow-gauge balcony coach, open coach, three B-type wagons, and the sugar works trolley/truck. Century City bought the dining car, semi-open coach, cattle, fruit vans, stripped chassis, and approximately 2,5 km of track.

In addition, SSR purchased the Transnet Heritage Foundation (THF) - owned track (about 12 km) and the ex-Weenen steel shed direct from THF. The two NG/G16s Nos. 113 and 153, as well as three tank wagons, two guard’s vans and a wagon and sundry items, would, in the interim, be on loan/lease to a yet-be-formed Section 21 company operating as the Sandstone Estates.

All the items remained in South Africa, with every chance of being returned to service except for two vehicles, which were to be scrapped. Garratt No.153 was in steam during the sale, providing everyone with a nostalgic last run around the village on the Midmar Steam Railway.

With the closure of the Midmar Historical Village and the sale of the late Natal Parks Board’s assets and exhibits from the village, the Midmar Steam Railway (MSR) was compelled to seek a new base and possibly a new identity. The MSR was an integral part of the Railway Society of Southern Africa’s Natal Branch, and the Society was committed to keeping the Narrow-Gauge Preservation Group functioning. As the recipient of 'Uve No.2', one of the Sezela Sugar Estate’s sugar cane tramway locos, the RSSA repossessed the loco from the Midmar site along with several narrow gauge wagons. These were stored on private property at Merrivale until a new base for the narrow-gauge railway was established.

Some parts from Eston Station were salvaged, resulting in a look-a-like building erected at the Outeniqua (now Transnet) Railway Museum in George. However, the only resemblance to the original Eston Station is the rectangular shape with brick columns supporting the canopy.

Other items of interest included an ex-SAAF Avro Shackleton reconnaissance aircraft, which was sold to Mr Desai of KwaDukuza (the town formerly known as Stanger) for R55 000; a rare 1917 Menominee truck that sold for R58 000; a 1912 Hupmobile car for R38 000; and a 19th Century John Broadwood Grand Piano for R22 000. The fate of the old ex-SAR&H steam tug ‘J E Eaglesham’ was not resolved, except it appears to have been saved from being scrapped*.

*Steam in Action (SIA) Newsletter, November 2010, page 5, reported that while Steam Tug ‘Alwyn Vintcent’ has been saved for preservation, ‘J E Eaglesham’ had her bottom cut out to display her at the ill-fated Midmar Dam Museum, which necessitating her scrapping when it closed down.

For the members of the NGP, the turn of events was both emotional and tragic; many found it challenging to come to terms with the situation. However, the NGP’s spirit was rekindled when a temporary home was located at the former Spoornet Inchanga Nursery. Situated midway between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, the old Natal Main Line passed through the property north of Inchanga Station. Built by departmental personnel to provide access to the extensive nursery gardens, it was not the most conventional 2ft gauge railway system serving the potting sheds and fields with a stiff 1 in 9 gradient and three chain radius curves with lots of hair-raising slacks and much of the 1-kilometre-long route running through thick bush. The tramway’s motive power fleet comprised two Hunslet Quarry and a Lenning diesel locomotive, an inspection trolley, a bogie staff wagon and numerous wagons.

The Industrial Column in the July/August 1989 issue of SA RAIL, under SATS Horticultural Department, Inchanga Nursery lists Natal’s last 24-inch gauge operation boasts some 0,5 km of track, two locomotives, HTC 4wDH’s 7946 at present, with the other spare or under repair.  

The present-day Inchanga Nursery (2022): Although now virtually abandoned as a nursery, the site remains Transnet property and has a token contract security presence but is now mostly overgrown and neglected. Much of the narrow-gauge track remains in situ, but virtually all the rolling stock has disappeared.

So, the Natal Narrow-Gauge Preservation Group’s determined effort to save some of KwaZulu-Natal’s narrow-gauge railway heritage was summarily snuffed out. This sequence of events highlights the apathy of governmental or parastatal bodies to ensure items of historical value are preserved. It makes a mockery of the introductory paragraph in the brochure ‘Midmar Museum – talking of time’ issued at the time of the opening in 1979 of the Midmar Museum by the Natal Parks, Game and Fish Preservation Board, which states: “The ‘conservation’ tag tied to the Natal Parks Board dictates far more than just caring for the ‘wild’ and its creatures. Summed up, it means that any present planning undertaken for the future generations should take the experiences of the past into consideration.”

The October/December 1998 SA Rail & Harbours issue reported that the Narrow-Gauge Preservation Group had started rebuilding an ex-Darnall 0-4-0T Avonside sugar cane tramway loco. The restoration project involves completely stripping down, retubing and reassembling the loco. However, its true identity is elusive since several different part numbers have been discovered, suggesting many components have been interchanged. Even an inspection of the frame has not revealed an identifying works number, but it is suspected to be AVE 2018 of 1926. In addition, the group possesses two further ex-sugar cane tramway steam locos. One of these is 'Uve No.2' (AVE 2065/1933) from Umtwalumi Sugar Estates, and still in good running order. The other is ‘Tongaat’, a Bagnall 4-4-0T (WGB 2342/1928) previously stored at Midmar but is unfortunately in poor mechanical condition.

The group has also acquired three 2ft gauge Hunslet diesel locos: two centre-cab and an end-cab. All three are in need of restoration. Furthermore, several motor trolleys and other rolling stock have been added to the fleet.

With acknowledgement to reports published in SA Rail & Harbours, the Natal Newsletter, the information supplied by Eric Lupke and Geoff Pethick's statement on the SAR-List, dated 3 July 2012.

A Google Earth Imagery search reveals that the Historical Village site is labelled the ‘Midmar Dam Self-Catering and Holiday Resort’.

EPILOGUE

However, there is a positive aspect to the story of the Midmar Steam Railway's demise. In the preface of the recently published book 'The Sandstone Steam Railway – the story continues' compiled by David Richardson, Wilfred Mole, the director at the Sandstone Estates, describes how the Sandstone Steam Railway came into being. A phone call from the late Alan Clarke*, an official at the Transnet Heritage Foundation, requesting the assistance of the Sandstone Estates to rescue the narrow-gauge railway at Midmar Historical Village set the wheels in motion.⁵

* Sadly, Alan and his wife, Martha, were tragically killed on 21 January 1999 in a car accident near Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal. Alan was scheduled to move to George to become curator of the Outeniqua Railway Museum.

THE SANDSTONE STEAM RAILWAY

The Sandstone Heritage Trust is located on the Sandstone Estates (Pty) Ltd, a large commercial agricultural enterprise covering over 7,300 hectares in the Eastern Free State province. The nearest town is Ficksburg, 14 kilometres away on the R26. The Heritage Collection encompasses agricultural machinery, stationary engines, the Sandstone Steam Railway and rolling stock, and military and classic vehicles.

Fortuitously, Sandstone's management team had the foresight to spring into action at the dispersal sale on 30 May 1998 to rescue the Midmar Steam Railway's narrow-gauge assets. Likewise, following the Alfred County Railway's demise and Avontuur Branch's closure, many unique items worthy of preservation from South Africa's narrow-gauge railway systems were rescued and are now securely stored. Sandstone's objective is to restore a cross-section of Southern Africa's narrow-gauge locomotives and classic rolling stock to the same condition they were when first taken into service.

Sandstone Heritage Trust's 2ft 0in gauge railway on private land came about in 1997 after a concession to operate the 300km-long 3ft 6in gauge Bethlehem-Bloemfontein line was turned down by Spoornet*. The narrow-gauge railway is now part and parcel of a predominantly agricultural, commercial farm. Operating the narrow-gauge railway to haul thousands of tons of bulk commodities, such as wheat, from the lands to the silos is highly successful and cost-effective.

* Sandstone Steam Railway Company (Pty) Limited was formed to operate the 1065 mm (3ft 6in) gauge line from Bethlehem to Bloemfontein, promoting rail transport as a viable alternative to road haulage in the Eastern Free State.

The Sandstone Steam Railway started with two Garratts rescued from the Midmar Steam Railway: NG/G16 No.153 (HT3898/1968) and No.113 (BP6923/1939). No.153 required a complete boiler overhaul and attention to the engine units, while No.113 was in poor condition. It was overhauled at the Bloemfontein Steam Depot, requiring extensive rebuilding, boiler repairs and a new chimney. Rails and sleepers salvaged from Midmar provided sufficient track to build a 2ft gauge railway, 2,5 km long, from Hoekfontein, on the farm Mooihoek, turning around on a 'balloon' on the farm Grootdraai close to the Lesotho border.

The first train, hauled by NG/G16 No.153 with a few coaches, operated over the long weekend of 9, 10 & 11 April 1999 in conjunction with 'The Great 100 Event' to set a world record for the maximum number of pre-1960 tractors in one field at one time. The event attracted international attention and was awarded a Guinness World Record certificate.

Meanwhile, the operational centre was established on the farm Hoekfontein where the main station and locomotive depot equipped with repair and maintenance facilities are located, together with sidings, a turntable and a triangle. 

As more rails became available, the 2ft gauge railway was extended by 8,3 km to Vailima Siding adjacent to the siding with the same name on the Bethlehem-Bloemfontein line. Although it was initially intended as a transshipping point, traffic on the Spoornet-operated Bethlehem-Bloemfontein line had since ceased. NG/G16 No.153, hauling the inaugural train from Hoekfontein on 1 February 2002, is recorded to have easily negotiated the 1-in-22 graded Pandora Bank en route to Vailima Siding.

In August 2003, the 2,4 km extension was opened from Vailima Siding to Vailima Halt, the "mountain section" embodying a fearsome gradient of 1-in-20, reached 1644 metres asl, the highest elevation on the Sandstone Steam Railway.

A 1,8 km tortuous descent was opened in 2005 from Vailima Halt to Pandora Junction to complete the scenic mountain circuit known as the "Vailima Loop". This section embodied a descent of 1 in 22, which demanded considerable skill from even the most experienced drivers. It was the fifth extension built on Sandstone's railway and completed the circuit, which enabled roundtrips without the need to run the locomotive around the train. Sandstone's earthmoving division undertook the earthworks and civil engineering, while the track-laying tender was awarded to professional contractors. It was the most scenic section of the route with the best panoramic views of the Eastern Free State's countryside.

An alternative gradual descent to bring the line from Vailima Halt to a junction closer to Mooihoek Loop was planned, and a tunnel was proposed through the mountain above Pandora, but this stretch was not built. 

Then, in February 2011, heavy rainfall severely damaged the track formation around the hill, and it was initially feared that the "mountain section" would need to be abandoned. However, repairs and a track realignment were carried out, and the line was re-opened in March 2012.

Following unprecedented rainfall in 2022, causing extensive erosion to the track formation, the decision was taken to lift Sandstone's "mountain section". Scrap metal thieves had also frequently targeted this section of the railway despite patrols being carried out two or three times daily. As a result, train journeys now operate to the balloon at Grootdraai and terminate at the passing loop at Vailima Siding.

Before the closure of the mountain section, the Sandstone's 2ft gauge railway totalled 25,6 km route km with the track distance amounting to 15,7 km. In addition, the sidings amount to about 4 km and a 750 m long spur from the Hoekfontein triangle to the locomotive workshops and storage sheds. A 2,48 km circuit was added in mid-2016 to operate the diminutive, smaller and lighter locomotives separately, named Seb's Railway ("Children's Railway"). The beautifully restored Hoekfontein Station building is located within the operational hub of the Sandstone Estates.

The rescue operations were not confined to South African 2ft gauge railways; rescue missions were made to Angola and Moçambique, where several abandoned rare steam locomotive gems previously employed in the sugar estates were salvaged and transported to the Sandstone Estates for restoration. As a result, the Sandstone Estates has the most extensive collection of 2 ft gauge steam locomotives worldwide. Of the 50 locomotives on site, 30 are fully operational. 

Sandstone Estates' extensive railway collection includes locomotives and rolling stock of 'Cape' gauge (3ft 6in/ 1065mm) acquired over many years. These are on public display on the property.

SANDSTONE EXTENDS ITS LINE

After the Stars of Sandstone 2019 event, the famous mountain section, with its double-headed NGG16 Garratt hauled trains, had suffered major damage from the inclement weather of that year. The line was in need of major repairs.  The very nature of the terrain and ongoing changing weather patterns meant there was no guarantee that similar damage would not occur again. Towards the end of 2021, it was decided to lift the whole loop and terminate the line at Vailima Siding.

The loss of this exciting section of the 2ft narrow-gauge railway will be sorely felt by many Sandstone visitors, particularly the many photographers who filmed it and the few steam drivers who demonstrated their skills in driving trains around it.

However, exciting news was to emerge from this! A rail project that had been shelved many years ago came back into the future planning of the railway. When the mountain section was lifted, 200 metres were left in situ beyond Vailima Siding, and a view down that line looked straight at a historic landmark of railway photography in years gone by. Sekonyela!

Probably one of the most photographed landmarks in South Africa, Sekonyela was a magnet for steam photographers in the heyday of the Bloemfontein to Bethlehem line when operated by the South African Railways Class 25NC 4-8-4 locomotives. The numerous photographs have led many to believe that the strange-shaped mountain in the pictures was named Sekonyela, but not so. The lineside location was at the site of Sekonyela Station. The mountain became Sekonyela as the backdrop in thousands of photographs but is correctly known by the locals as Soutkop. It is this area of Sandstone Estates that includes the farm Sekonyela. With a large amount of unused 2ft Narrow gauge track after the mountain section was lifted, it was decided to extend the line in a westerly direction towards Sekonyela, terminating with a run-around loop in the main portion of Sekonyela Farm.  Planning has begun, with construction to begin soon. The line follows the old remaining piece of the mountain section as far as the sharp left Horse Shoe Curve, her the new line will now veer slightly to the right halfway around the curve and then swing further to the right in a northerly direction and head towards Sekonyela farm where it will terminate, 4,3km from Vailima Siding. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

(Notification: Sandstone extends its line, 22 March 2023) 

FOOTNOTES

¹ Natal Newsletter has been published bi-monthly since 1982 by the Natal Branch of the Railway Society of Southern Africa (RSSA).

² Elected to the steering committee were Des Eatwell, Grant Miller, Dick Collyer, Peter Baker and Derek Spavins. Des Eatwell was elected chairman and Grant Miller as secretary, with the chairman of the RSSA Natal Branch, Terry Hutson, being ex officio.

³ No documentation of the proposal made to SATS can now be traced. As far as can be established, the ambitious plan for preserving the Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo branch had envisaged setting up the operational headquarters at Eston Station and working the line as far as Killarney siding as a heritage/tourist railway.

⁴ It is not publicly known what agreement was made between the Natal Parks Board and the SAR regarding the ownership status of the static exhibits. On 9 October 1979, the following rolling stock was moved to the Midmar Dam, where the Natal Parks Board had established the Midmar Historical Village:

Ex-SAR Class 14R No.1718; Class H2 No.330; 2 types of A22 Hendrie twin-dining cars No.210 ‘Umgwezi’ and No.216 ‘Caledon’; 1 suburban side door coach; 2 mainline saloons and one passenger guard’s van.

Station exhibits included a scaled-down replica of the NGR Umsindusi Station building and the top of the Cato Ridge Signal Cabin operating the signals.

⁵ Fortuitously, all the narrow-gauge items went to Sandstone Estate, Free State, which formed the nucleus of what now represents the world’s largest collection of narrow-gauge locomotives and rolling stock. Class 14R No.1718 went to Bloemfontein, while Class H2 No.330 and the mainline rolling stock went to the Outeniqua (now Transnet) Transport Museum in George.

⁶ Century City is the complete development by Monex of a large chunk of previously unused land east of Cape Town and immediately bounded on one side by the N1 highway, which consists of Ratanga Junction ‘Theme Park’ (RJ), Century City Business Park, Canal Walk (CW) shopping centre and the Century City Wetlands. A 2ft (610 mm)-gauge railway was planned to run as an internal transport system between the various development hubs.

This multi-million Rand retail development opened in December 1998, comprising a vast shopping mall incorporating Africa’s largest cinema complex. A narrow-gauge railway was planned to be one of its main attractions. Accordingly, five locomotives were acquired, including four Garratts (NG/G16s Nos.86, 110, 112 & 128) and Fowler 0-4-2T ‘Sandy’, formerly from the Midmar Steam Railway.

THE SAR/SATS NARROW-GAUGE CLASS 11, 13 & 16 GARRATTS

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

THE PIONEER NARROW-GAUGE GARRATTS

CLASS NG/G11 2-6-0+0-6-2

Nos.51, 52 & 53

In 1914, five Garratts comprising three different designs were ordered from Beyer Peacock & Co. Ltd., Gorton Foundry, Manchester, England. Two were standard gauge (3ft 6in ‘Cape’ gauge) locomotives – one for main line and one for branch line working – while the other three were for the 2ft (narrow)-gauge branch lines. However, the First World War delayed the construction of these locomotives*. The narrow-gauge Garratts were subsequently only delivered late in 1919 and placed into service in March 1920.

* During the war, locomotive production stopped at the Gorton Works and switched to manufacturing guns and munitions.

The first series of 2ft-gauge Garratts were landed at Port Elizabeth in late 1919* and were erected in March 1920 at the Uitenhage Workshops. Classified as NG and numbered 51 to 53, these locomotives had Belpaire boilers that were not superheated and featured slide-valve cylinders. While No.51 took to the rails for testing on the Avontuur branch, Nos. 52 and 53 were trialled on the tortuous Stuartstown Railway (Esperanza-Donnybrook & Ixopo-Madonela) in March 1920. They were joined by No.51 in 1922, but this Garratt was returned to Humewood Road by 1946.

 * No.51 on 21 November 1919 (works number 5975) and Nos.52 (works number 5976) and 53 (works number 5977) on 20 December 1919.

Three of the five pioneer Garratts have survived: No.52 of the first order works at the Sandstone Estate, while No.54, from the second order, is in secure storage at the Sandstone Estate. No.55 was fully restored from near scrap condition in 2005 but is once again in a derelict state at Paton’s Country Narrow-Gauge Railway (PCNGR), Allwoodburn (Ixopo), Natal.

NGG11 No.51 (BP5975/1919)

Landed at Port Algoa Bay on 21 November 1919, and erected at the Uitenhage Railway Workshops in March 1920.

NG/G11 No.52 (BP5976/1919)

Landed at Port Algoa Bay on 20 December 1919, and erected at the Uitenhage Railway Workshops in March 1920.

THE TRANSVAAL PRESERVATION GROUP (RPG)

*The South African National Railway and Steam Museum (SANRASM), also known as the Railway Preservation Group, Transvaal or RSSA PG, was intended to be the national railway museum. Accordingly, a General Meeting was called on 28 July 1988 to adopt the new South African National Railway and Steam Museum (SANRASM) constitution. Following the acceptance and adoption of this Preservation Group applied for corporate membership of the RSSA.

The site for this organisation was at the former Randfontein Estates Gold Mine (REGM) No.2 North Shaft accessed from sidings at the REGM Processing Plant and Workshops. This site was referred to as the North Site. Following the realignment of the C02-L701 line between West Rand (Junction) and Battery, access to the North Site was severed. SANRASM opened a second site to the south of the new alignment, named the ‘South Site’. As the collection of donated locomotives grew, a new site was developed alongside the siding that ran from Krugersdorp Station to the Chamdor Industrial Estate.

NG/G11 No.53 (BP5977/1919)

Landed at Port Algoa Bay on 20 December 1919, and erected at the Uitenhage Railway Workshops in March 1920.

CLASS NG/G11 2-6-0+0-6-2 (SECOND SERIES, 1925)

Nos.54 & 55.

The performance of the first series of Garratt articulated locomotives was considered extraordinarily satisfactory on trials, with the result that a follow-up order for a second series, comprising two engines, was placed with Beyer Peacock. These locomotives arrived on 9 February 1925, were erected in April at the Durban Mechanical Workshops, and carried road numbers 54 and 55 (works numbers 6199 & 6200, also referred to as Class NG/G11A). They were superheated, fitted with piston valves and externally distinguishable by their longer smokeboxes. Their slightly larger cabs were an improvement on the first series. The weight of the second series of NG Garratts was given as 48 tons 4¾ cwt. They had the same tractive rating as the first series but carried an additional 60 gallons of water in the front tank, while the bunker's capacity remained the same to hold 2½ tons of coal.

NG/G11 No.54 (BP6199/1925)

Landed at Port Natal on 9 February 1925 and erected at the Durban Mechanical Workshops in April 1925.

Advertisement in SA Rail

Humerail Museum, Humewood Road: SATS’ official Narrow-Gauge Museum, open daily 7:30-16:00 Mon/Fri; Sat/Sun 10:00-16:00 in season, 13:00-16:00 out of season.

DIAS EXPRESS: From Campanile Halt to King’s Beach Halt & return.

APPLE EXPRESS: From Humewood Road to Loerie & return. Dep. 09:00, returns 16:05, every Saturday between 9/12/89 – 30/12/89, at other times, first Saturday of the month. On Thursdays only, a goods train (Trains 998/999) service operates, departing at 08:00 and returning at approximately 18:37, on which passenger accommodation is available.

Closure of the Humerail Museum

Railway Museum “Rationalisation”

The Humerail Museum, a division of the Transnet Museum, will, unfortunately, be closing at the end of March 1992. This step was taken due to a lack of funds for museum activities. The steady drain of prestige or museum locos from Port Elizabeth over the last few months indicated this. Nevertheless, it was hoped that some effort would be made to keep the narrow-gauge part of the museum intact.

As if the announcement of the closure of the Humerail Museum was not enough, more shock waves were sent to the narrow-gauge railway preservation fraternity when Spoornet revealed plans to withdraw early in 1993 the famous ‘Apple Express’ and ‘Dias Express’ tourist trains. A follow-up report in the 1993 May/June issue of SA Rail described the ‘Apple Express’ ending its official Spoornet service in a blaze of (un) glory on 27 March, sparking eight bushfires which caused R750 000 damage to grazing land. Finally, the Nov/Dec 1993 issue of SA Rail reported that the Apple and Dias Express are running again under the auspices of the Alfred County Railway (ACR).

A photo of NG/G11 No.54 in operation at Humewood Road before a run out to Chelsea Junction in March 1997 featured in SA Rail & Harbours, April/June 1997, p.69.

During September and October 1973, 20 class 91 Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives were delivered by General Motors in the USA to supplement the motive power on the Avontuur Branch. After they were off-loaded at Port Elizabeth harbour and lifted onto their bogies in the narrow-gauge transfer yard, No.54 had the honour of towing each new arrival to the purpose-built Humewood Road Diesel Depot for commissioning.

After the narrow-gauge tourist train ventures folded at the end of December 2010, No.54 was staged out-of-service at the Humewood Road depot and, left standing in the open exposed to the ravages of the sea air for many years, suffered severe corrosion damage. A photo of NG/G11 No.54 appeared in the 2007 Vol.45 No.3 issue of SA Rail on page 13 on a short section of track at Humewood Road, Port Elizabeth, “awaiting transfer to a museum – 27 April 2007”

Finally, in July 2011, following discussions with the PE Apple Express and Heritage Railway Association of South Africa (HRASA), lend/lease No.54 was moved from Humewood Road on two of Sandstone Estates' low beds. It arrived on 20 July at the Sandstone Estates and was placed in undercover storage. Engineering work was carried out to stop the extensive rust from progressing further.

NG/G11 No.55 (BP6200/1925)

Landed at Port Natal on 9 February 1925 and erected at the Durban Mechanical Workshops in April 1925.

The motive power allocation records show that NG/G11 No.55 was assigned to the Stuartstown Railway in 1927. In 1940, it arrived in Estcourt to work on the Weenen Branch. After that, No.55 was transferred to Humewood Road in February 1966 and was relegated to shunting duties until it was withdrawn from service in October 1974.

A directive was issued on 23 September 1965 by the Natal System Manager’s Office in Durban:

To Locomotive Foreman, Mason’s Mill.

TRANSFER OF CLASS NGG ENGINES SYSTEM TO SYSTEM

The General Manager, per his TL.869 of the 17th September 1965, has instructed that engines 54 and 55, Class NGG 11, are to be transferred to Humewood Road, and two engines, Class NGG 13/16, are to be transferred to Natal.

In order that this may be arranged, Engine No.60, at present at Umlaas Road, must be transferred to Estcourt, after which Engine No.54 is to be loaded and despatched to Humewood Road. The same runners will convey a Class NGG13 from Humewood Road to Estcourt, and then 55 is to be despatched to Humewood Road, which will then despatch a Class 13/16 engine from Humewood Road to Port Shepstone; this engine will replace Engine 60, which is to be transferred to Estcourt.

Please arrange accordingly in so far as you are concerned.

Addressed:- Locomotive Foreman, Mason’s Mill, Port Shepstone.

Copy:- General Manager, Johannesburg. (Attention Chief Supt. Technical).

Chief Mechanical Engineer, Pretoria

Chief Accountant, Mileage Section, Johannesburg.

Mechanical Engineer, Durban, Pietermaritzburg.

Boiler Inspectors, Durban, Pietermaritzburg.

THE WEENEN GARRATT SAGA

After the Estcourt-Weenen railway closed at the end of August 1983, the locomotive was donated or leased by South African Transport Services (SATS) – there seems to be uncertainty over the arrangement – to the townspeople of Weenen. However, the 1989 January/February issue of SA Rail reported under the preservation column “Narrow-Gauge Garratt NG/G11 No.55 has been donated to the Weenen Town Council, under the direction of ex-Weenen [Railway] driver, Mr 'Billy' Bester, will be mounted for display in the town.” The railway was made world-famous by its legendary driver, Mr ‘Billy’ Bester, who lived in Weenen after retiring and also once served as the town’s mayor.

In 1993, the locomotive was moved from Weenen Station to the 'Lilliputian Train Hotel'* and themed restaurant near the town’s sports complex.

*The Events Diary and Notice Board supplement included in SA Rail, May/June 1994, under Hotels & Restaurants adjacent to railway lines provided the following information:

Lilliputian Train Hotel, “The Locomotion”, Weenen:

Theme restaurant consisting of railway coaches with accommodation facilities for 40 guests, Andries Pretorius St., Weenen. NG/G11 locomotive on site. Close to Weenen Game Reserve. “The Locomotion” is soon to move to the old station building in Weenen, where it will be expanded. Watch his space!

Under the mailbag of the 1995 November/December issue of SA Rail, Neville Whitford from Estcourt reported that the hotel and restaurant had gone insolvent. However, the coaches were still on site.

While the Garratt hauling the train carried the ‘Liliputian’ name board, the hotel spelt the name correctly with two lls.

After the Lilliputian Train Hotel business venture had failed, the passenger coaches were purchased by a local Weenen interest group, the 'Weenen Biosphere Reserve', offering accommodation for tourists visiting the area to view animals at game farms and the Weenen Game Reserve (previously Weenen Nature Reserve). The historic Garratt, part of the ‘theme’, was reported in early 1996 to be still in surprisingly good condition, having escaped much of the vandalism that is often the case with abandoned steam locomotives.

The 1997 April/June issue of S A Rail & Harbours in its ‘Round and About’s Newsline’ carried the story headlined ‘WEENEN GARRATT SOLD’ reporting that the Garratt had been sold to a British preservation group (later identified as the Exmoor Steam Railway in England) “for the sum reported to be in the region of R15 000”. But first, the background of how the sale came about needs to be contextualised. Acting in his private capacity, the curator of the Natal Railway Museum at Hilton had put a British preservation group searching to purchase a South African 2ft gauge locomotive in contact with the Weenen Town Council.

According to the Weenen Town Clerk, the council was all too happy to see the locomotive go to ‘someone’ who would take care of it. But, the onus on the ‘someone’ that was supposed to look after it was non-other than the Weenen Town Council. That being said, it turned out that the Transnet Heritage Foundation (THF) was unaware that this historic locomotive had been offered for sale. Furthermore, the THF was unsure whether anything could be done to halt the deal at this late stage. Transnet had created an organisation named SASLOC* to oversee and control all donations and scrapping of railway rolling stock. However, neither this organisation nor any Railway Society of Southern Africa (RSSA) members knew that the Weenen Garratt was up for sale.

* SASLOC; at a meeting in Johannesburg in September 1995, held under the auspices of the Transnet Heritage Foundation, the future operation of steam locomotives in South Africa by private preservation clubs was discussed. The South African Steam Locomotive Operators Committee (SASLOC) was established at this meeting. (SA Rail, Sep/Oct 1995, p.152)

SLAC: SA Rail’s 1989 September/October issue editorial announced the formation of the STEAM LOCOMOTIVE ADVISORY COUNCIL (SLAC) and SATS Preservation Plans at an inaugural function in Johannesburg in May 1989.

In the interim, the THF requested the Weenen Town Council to put the sale on hold pending further correspondence. Consequently, the South African Monuments Council stepped in and declared the locomotive a 'National Treasure', thereby preventing the Weenen Town Council from proceeding with the sale. Understandably, the Exmoor Steam Railway appealed against the ruling.

WEENEN GARRATT RESCUED

In March 1998, the Transnet Heritage Foundation (THF) offered Weenen Garratt No.55 to the Alfred County Railway (ACR) on a lease/lend agreement for Port Shepstone's proposed rail and maritime museum.

Despite being declared a National Treasure, the loco remained on its plinth in Weenen, exposed to the elements. Finally, on 10 June 2003, two Sandstone trucks and staff arrived at Weenen to uplift NG/G11 No.55. The boiler was taken to a contractor in Pretoria for specialist examination and repair. After an initial inspection, considerable corrosion was found outside the bottom of the boiler barrel after being on static display for 27 years.

It was restored from near scrap condition at Bloemfontein workshops under the supervision of Lukas Nel. The 6 July 2004 saw the successful steaming of NG/G11 No.55 since its retirement in October 1974. After an intensive two days of trial runs with varied loads on 24 and 25 July 2004, No.55 was declared fit for its transfer from Sandstone Heritage Trust to Paton's Country Narrow-Gauge Railway (PCNGR) based at Allwoodburn, near Ixopo in KwaZulu-Natal.

Class NGG13 2-6-2+2-6-2

Nos. 58, 59 & 60 (1927), Nos.49 & 50 (1928)

Nos.77 – 83 (1929)

Monopolising Natal's narrow-gauge branches were the NG/G13 and the more numerous NG/G16 Garratts, the world's most powerful 2ft-gauge articulated steam locomotives. The introduction of the Garratt articulated locomotives gave the narrow gauge branches a new lease of life. There were appreciable savings in working expenditure employing Garratts to haul significantly increased trainloads without relaying the track with heavier rails and strengthening the bridges.

Designed to SAR specifications, the Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG (Hanomag), Hannover-Linden, Germany, delivered twelve Class NG/G13 Garratts that were placed in traffic between 1927 and 1929 on the Humewood Road-Avontuur and the Port Shepstone-Harding narrow gauge lines. The initial order in November 1927 for three locomotives carried road numbers 58, 59 and 60 (works Nos.10549, 10550 & 10551); this was followed by two more, Nos.49 and 50 (works Nos.10598 & 10599), ordered in 1928, all of which entered service in Natal. A subsequent order from Hanomag for seven more saw numbers 77 to 83 (works Nos.10629-10635) take to the Avontuur branch's rails in 1929. In this batch, the capacity of their coal bunkers was increased from 4 to 5½ tons.

In 1930, Nos.49 and 50 were transferred for a trial run on the Otavi Railway in South West Africa, where they were said to have performed well and were returned to Natal by 1934.

Of the 12 NG/G13s manufactured by Hanomag, ten have survived, of which three are operational. A further two have been restored but are not actively working, and the one stored at the Sandstone Estate is potentially restorable. The one on static display in Berlin is in good external condition, while the two Garratts on plinths at Joubertina and Patensie are probably rusted past redemption.

NG/G13 No.49 (Hanomag WN 10598/1928)

Although No.49 was assigned the lowest road number of the NG/G13s, it was not the class leader; it was the fourth loco of the second order supplied by Hanomag in 1928. In 1930, No.49 and classmate No.50 were transferred for a trial run on the Otavi Railway in South West Africa, where they were said to have performed well and returned to Natal by 1934.

NG/G13 No.50 (Hanomag WN 10599/1928) 

Assigned the second lowest road number of the NG/G13 class, it was the fifth loco of the second order supplied by Hanomag in 1928. In 1930, No.50 and classmate No.49 were transferred for a trial run on the Otavi Railway in South West Africa, where they were said to have performed well and returned to Natal by 1934.

Hempstead & Northern Railroad Company, Crossroads, Houston, Texas, USA.

Ex-SAR Class NG/G13 No.50 now operates on the Hempstead & Northern Railroad Company, Crossroads, in Houston, Texas, USA. No.50 ran for the first time at its new home on 22 December 1978. It carries the boiler of NG/G16 No.116 (Beyer Peacock, WN 6926/1939), installed in January 1973.

The track layout comprises ~0.625 miles of mainline, a 300ft passing loop on one end, and ~0.3 miles of yard track. The next goal is to build a balloon loop on the end opposite the passing loop, which will be about 0.625 in length resulting in a continuous run of 1.75 miles. The top of the hill requires a 4ft deep cut and, at the bottom, a 2ft fill. It will result in a 1-in-45 up for half the loop and a 1-in-45 down for the other half. With most of the loop being a 340 ft radius curve, it will act more like a 1-in-35 gradient. (Photographs and information kindly supplied by Robert L Bucher III)

THE LONE STAR STATE

The love and passion for 2ft narrow-gauge railways is a worldwide event. However, finding a 2ft gauge railway with rolling stock and locomotives from South Africa in a small town in Texas is not so likely.

Robert Bucher, a local businessman, has a passion for SAR narrow-gauge and particularly Garratt locomotives and has built his own railway, the Hempstead & Northern, in the town of Hempstead, some 80 kilometres west of Houston. With his two sons, one appropriately named Garratt, he has built up a collection mainly sourced from the long-closed Estcourt to Weenen line in KwaZulu-Natal.

In his collection is NG/G13 No.50, named "Billy Bester" after the long-time driver on that line till its closure. This Garratt was one of the first ex-SAR 2ft gauge locos sold out of service. Also in the collection is Class NG15 No.18 (Henschel WN21906/1931), acquired from Humewood Road, sister to Sandstone's Nos.17 and 19 of the first batch of this class built in 1931.

Garratt Bucher has visited the Sandstone Estates and updated us on the progress on the line in the last few months. No.50 has had a steam test after some years out of use, and a new track has been laid from the loco shed to the running line. No.18 is still stored but is kept in good condition. The railway is a private project and not open to the public, but we hope to see more of its development in the near future.

(featured in the Stars of Sandstone Newsletter 7, 2015)

NG/G13 No.58 (Hanomag WN 10549/1927) 

Designed to SAR specifications, No.58 was the first of three 2ft-gauge Garratts initially ordered from Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG (Hanomag), Germany and the class leader of the NG/G13s. Representing the first of a powerful design of narrow-gauge Garratt which, with the later NG/G16s, became the standard on Natal's 2ft/610 mm gauge branch lines.

All three NG/G13s (Nos.58, 59 & 60) entered service in November 1927 on the Stuartstown Railway. No.58’s service history from 1927 to 1959 is a blank page other than having been photographed on the Harding Branch in the 1940s. From 1960 onwards, No.58 was the main locomotive assigned to the Mid Illovo Branch.

NG/G13 No.59 (Hanomag WN 10550/1927)

After entering service in November 1927 on the Stuartstown Railway, no detailed allocation history has come to light of where this locomotive was worked until 1960, but after that, Leith Paxton’s motive power allocations spreadsheet shows it was one of five Garratts pooled to work on the Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo and the Estcourt-Weenen branches.

NG/G13 No.60 (Hanomag WN 10551/1927) 

After entering service in 1927 on the Stuartstown Railway, there are blank gaps in the service record, with No.60 popping up in 1947 on the Harding Branch. In 1964, No.60 briefly appeared on the Mid Illovo Branch.

A directive was issued on 23 September 1965 by the Natal System Manager’s Office in Durban:

To Locomotive Foreman, Mason’s Mill.

TRANSFER OF CLASS NGG ENGINES SYSTEM TO SYSTEM

The General Manager, per his TL.869 of the 17th September 1965, has instructed that engines 54 and 55, Class NGG 11, are to be transferred to Humewood Road, and two engines, Class NGG 13/16, are to be transferred to Natal.

In order that this may be arranged, Engine No.60, at present at Umlaas Road, must be transferred to Estcourt, after which Engine No.54 is to be loaded and despatched to Humewood Road. The same runners will convey a Class NGG13 from Humewood Road to Estcourt, and then 55 is to be despatched to Humewood Road, which will then despatch a Class 13/16 engine from Humewood Road to Port Shepstone; this engine will replace Engine 60, which is to be transferred to Estcourt.

Please arrange accordingly in so far as you are concerned.

Addressed:- Locomotive Foreman, Mason’s Mill, Port Shepstone.

Copy:- General Manager, Johannesburg. (Attention Chief Supt. Technical).

Chief Mechanical Engineer, Pretoria

Chief Accountant, Mileage Section, Johannesburg.

Mechanical Engineer, Durban, Pietermaritzburg.

Boiler Inspectors, Durban, Pietermaritzburg.

From 1966 to 1974, it worked continuously on the Weenen Branch. After that, it was one of five Garratts pooled to work on the Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo and the Estcourt-Weenen lines.

Driver John Gilberthorpe mentioned No.60 had 'hollow' coupled wheels on the front engine and slipped at the slightest provocation but steamed well - he named No.60 'Susie'. 

NG/G13 No.77 (Hanomag WN 10629/1928)

NG/G13 No.77 was one of seven Garratts ordered from Hanomag that took to the rails during 1928/29 on the Avontuur Branch. Following its transfer from Humewood Road to Natal in 1966, this Garratt was allocated to work on the Port Shepstone-Harding Railway. From 1973 to 1976, it was seen working on the Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo branch and then in the ensuing years, from 1976 to 1985, it alternated working on the Weenen and Mid Illovo Branches.

NG/G13 No.78 (Hanomag WN 10630/1928)

NG/G13 No.78 was one of seven Garratts ordered from Hanomag (SAR road numbers 77 to 83) that took to the rails during 1928/29 on the Avontuur Branch. Following its transfer from Humewood Road to Natal in 1966, this Garratt was allocated to work on the Estcourt-Weenen Railway, which remained one of the line’s regular locomotives until 1983 but was periodically replaced by either Nos.59, 60 and 77 during maintenance rotation.

NG/G13 No.79 (Hanomag WN 10631/1928)

NG/G13 No.79 was one of seven Garratts ordered from Hanomag (SAR road numbers 77 to 83) that took to the rails during 1928/29 on the Avontuur Branch. It spent its entire working life on the Avontuur Branch. 

The 1970 locomotive allocation places Nos.79 at Loerie, with its operating range from Loerie to Patensie and from Loerie to Chelsea Junction.

In 1973, No.79 was at Uitenhage Workshops undergoing an intermediate overhaul and returned from the shops in tip-top condition with no regular work to do. However, it was drafted into service at Assegaaibos for use on ballast trains to upgrade the line between Humansdorp and Assegaaibos. The track was being relaid with 60lb/yd rails replacing the 30 and 45lb/yd to accommodate the 12-ton axle-loading of class 91 diesel-electric locomotives. During September and October 1973, 20 class 91 diesel-electric locomotives were placed in service to take over the general traffic so that by November 1973, four NG/G13s (80. 81, 82 & 83) were withdrawn and stored at Humewood Road leaving No.79 as the sole NG/G13 left in service.

In March 1974, No.79 was doing ballast duties between Assegaaibos and Louterwater.

NG/G13 No.80 (Hanomag WN 10632/1928)

NG/G13 No.80 was one of seven Garratts ordered from Hanomag (SAR road numbers 77 to 83) that took to the rails during 1928/29 on the Avontuur Branch. It spent its entire working life on the Avontuur Branch.

The 1970 locomotive allocation places No.80 at Loerie, with its operating range from Loerie to Patensie and from Loerie to Chelsea Junction.

After the class 91 diesel-electric locos took over the general traffic in November 1973, No.80 was withdrawn from service on 26 July 1975 and plinthed at Joubertina.

NG/G13 No.81 (Hanomag WN 10633/1928)

NG/G13 No.81 was one of seven Garratts ordered from Hanomag (SAR road numbers 77 to 83) that took to the rails during 1928/29 on the Avontuur Branch. It spent its entire working life on the Avontuur Branch.

The 1970 locomotive allocation places Nos.81 at Loerie, with its operating range from Loerie to Patensie and from Loerie to Chelsea Junction.

After the class 91 diesel-electric locos took over the general traffic in November 1973, No.81 was withdrawn from service on 25 July 1975 and plinthed at Patensie.

NG/G13 No.82 (Hanomag WN 10634/1928)

NG/G13 No.82 was the second-last of seven Garratts ordered from Hanomag (SAR road numbers 77 to 83) that took to the rails during 1928/29 on the Avontuur Branch. It was withdrawn from service on 26 July 1975.

NG/G13 No.83 (Hanomag WN 10635/1928)

NG/G13 No.83 was the last of seven Garratts ordered from Hanomag (SAR road numbers 77 to 83) that took to the rails during 1928/29 on the Avontuur Branch.

After it was withdrawn from service on 25 September 1976, No.83 was on static display at Avontuur Station. Following its sale to the Museum of Transport and Technology in Berlin, it was removed from its plinth. It was shipped in May 1988 via Port Elizabeth to Germany.

Class NG/G16 2-6-2+2-6-2

Cockerill Nos.85 – 88 (1936)

Beyer Peacock Nos.109 – 116 (1939)

Beyer Peacock Nos.125 - 131 (1951)

Beyer Peacock Nos.137 – 143 (1958)

Hunslet Taylor Nos.149 – 156 (1967/68)

Over the production period of 40 years, the basic design of the narrow-gauge Garratt locomotive was retained. However, as each generation of new builds took to the rails, there were notable mechanical improvements and subtle differences in their outward appearance. The bogie design significantly differs between the NG/G13 and NG/G16. Whereas the NG/G13s pony trucks are fitted with axle boxes on the Gölsdorf system with plain bearings allowing lateral movement of the axles, the NG/G16s had roller-bearing axle boxes for the leading and trailing wheels. The pre-war NG/G16s have a rivetted front tank, whereas the later deliveries have a welded tank with a flat top. A barely noticeable difference in the outward appearance of the NG/G16s is the slightly larger cab, which hardly felt less cramped and hot by the crew. One of the more noticeable later modifications was moving the sandbox mounted on the top of the water tank and placed in pairs on the ends of the coal bunker and water tank. Having been placed next to the trap doors, water cascading over the tank top inevitably wetted the sand. Other changes involved replacing the Stone Tonum headlight with twin-sealed beam lights.

One might have expected the newer NG/G16 locomotives to be more powerful than the earlier NG/G13s, but this was not the case. Instead, they operated at 180 psi boiler pressure and developed a tractive effort of 18 850 lbs at 75 per cent boiler pressure. These 'little' Garratts were rated to haul a load of 183 tons up a 1-in-33 gradient and, on easier-graded sections, could handle loads of up to 425 tons.

Between 1937 and 1968, the South African Railways placed 34 class NG/G16 locomotives in service. They were allocated to the Avontuur branch and the Natal Branches. Although ostensibly a standard class, there were various detail differences between the five batches of NG/G16s ordered from three manufacturers. All three batches of NG/G16 locomotives placed in traffic from 1937 to 1951 weighed 59 tons 2 cwt each in working order and were rated at 18 850 lbs at 75 per cent boiler pressure.

The original twelve NG/G13s from the German manufacturer Hanomag were followed by four locomotives manufactured in 1936 under a license arrangement with Beyer Peacock by the Belgian Company Société Anonyme John Cockerill, Seraing. On delivery in 1937, they were allocated road numbers 85 to 88 (works Nos.3265-3268). Due to some design differences with the earlier NG/G13s, they were the first to be classified as Class NG/G16. The most notable was the pony trucks at both ends of the engine units fitted with roller-bearing axle boxes and having a marginally longer margin wheelbase. Class leader No.85 and classmate No.86 were placed in traffic on the Stuartstown Railway (Umzinto-Donnybrook) in March 1937, while Nos.87 and 88 went to work on the Alfred County Railway (Port Shepstone-Harding) in April.

Delivery was taken in 1939 of the second order of eight NG/G16 locomotives from Beyer Peacock's Gorton Works. They were practically identical in design to the Cockerill engines but with modifications to the outer pony truck suspension. On the motion, there were oil cups in place of grease lubrication and changes to the lower inside corner cut-outs on the front tank. In addition, the cab was enlarged by five inches to the rear, including a window to the rear of the doorway. They were numbered 109 to 116 (works Nos.6919-6926). Nos.112 and 113 were taken into service on the Stuartstown Railway in May 1939 and No.114 in June – the former became a resident of the Humewood Road shed from 1956 until 1961. No.109 did not place its wheels on the Natal 2ft gauge branches until the mid-1970s.

In 1951, Beyer Peacock delivered another seven locomotives, numbered NG/G16 Nos.125 to 131 (works Nos.7426-7432). Many significant improvements to the earlier pre-war batches were incorporated, including attaching the sandboxes to the front of the water tank and the rear of the bunker. In addition, some thought was given to the footplate crew's comfort by moving as many hot steam fittings as possible outside the cab. Of this order, Nos.129 and 131 spent most of their lives working on the Umzinto-Donnybrook line and the Madonela Branch. No.129 worked on the line until 1980, while No.130 was transferred to Port Shepstone in 1958. Their distinguishing feature was the flatter profile to the top of the front water tank.

When the decision was taken in 1957 to broaden the northern 600 mm-gauge lines to Cape Gauge in South West Africa (now Namibia), an arrangement between the Tsumeb Copper Corporation and the administration of the SAR saw seven Garratt locomotives ordered by the mining company from Beyer Peacock (works Nos.7862-7868) – incidentally, the last steam locomotives built by that company –  delivered new in 1958 to work on the SAR's narrow gauge lines. Between September and October 1958, four of the 'Tsumeb' Garratts, TC Nos.6 to 9 (SAR Nos.137-140), were delivered to Durban: TC137 on 5 September, TC7 on 19 September, TC8 on 29 September and TC9 on 10 October, while TC Nos.10 to 12 (SAR Nos.141-143) arrived in Port Elizabeth on 29 October (TC10) and 11 November (TC11 & 12). The SAR changed their TC cab side plates to Nos.137 to 143, but the Natal locomotives, Nos.137 to 140, were prefixed with an 'E'. Two of the Natal locomotives, Nos.E137 and E138, were allocated to the Port Shepstone shed, while Nos.E139 and E140 went to the Umzinto shed. In 1964, Nos.141, 142 and 143 migrated from Humewood Road to Natal. Nos.141 and 142 went to Port Shepstone, whereas No.143 was stationed in Umzinto and remained there until 1986, when it was moved to Port Shepstone to join the ACR fleet.

While the 'Tsumeb' Garratts were mechanically similar to the previous orders of Class of NG/G16s, the main difference was in the coal and water carrying arrangement: no water was held in the rear bunker but instead, an additional 2 tons of coal (total 6 tons 4 cwt) while the water capacity in the front bunker was increased by a mere 40 gallons (from 1285 to 1325 gallons). The main water supply, 3 200 gallons, was carried in a bogie tanker coupled to the locomotive's rear – the overall length of the Garratt and tanker arrangement was 76ft. The 'Tsumeb' Garratts sent to Humewood Road ran with the auxiliary water tanks while working the Avontuur line. Upon their transfer to Natal, they operated without the additional tankers except in times of drought (a practice also adopted by ACR) – thereby enabling a much-needed increase in haulage capacity. In Moir 'Twenty-four Inches Apart', a diagram on page 136 illustrates the Type NG-X-6 Tank Wagons, converted from Type NG-DZ-9 Wagons (built in Durban and Uitenhage in 1959) with running numbers 2197-2203 and water capacity ranging from 3160 to 3200 gallons.   The 'Tsumeb' Garratts weighed 61 tons 8 cwt in full working order and were rated at 18 850 lbs at 75 per cent boiler pressure.

The final order for eight NG/G16 locomotives was placed in 1965 by the SAR. However, since Beyer Peacock & Co. was about to close down and none of the other traditional overseas manufacturers of Garratt locomotives was available to fulfil the contract, a South African company, Hunslet Taylor Consolidated (Pty) Ltd, in collaboration with the parent company, the Hunslet Engine Co. of Leeds, England, was awarded the contract. The eight locomotives carried SAR numbers 149 to 156 (works Nos.3894-3901) and were placed in traffic between January and October 1968, of which Nos.149, 154-156 went to Port Shepstone and Nos.150-153 to Umzinto.

Of the 34 locomotives belonging to the NG/G16 class, nine are currently in operation; fifteen are unrestored (two are under restoration, some are described as in 'scrap condition'); four are on static display, and six have been scrapped. 

NG/G16 No.85 (Cockerill 3265/1936) 

NG/G16 No.86 (Cockerill 3266/1936)

No.E 86 took to the rails on the Stuartstown Railway (Umzinto-Donnybrook) in March 1937. Except for 1948, when E 86 was stationed at the Port Shepstone shed, this Garratt remained allocated to the Umzinto shed until withdrawn from service in 1985. It was sold to Century City, Cape Town. This Garratt is currently stored at the Sandstone Estate.

NG/G16 No.87 (Cockerill 3267/1936)

In April 1937, No.87 was delivered new to Port Shepstone, but there are significant gaps in allocation history spanning the intervening 31 years until 1968 when it joined classmates 85 and 86 on the Stuartstown Railway.

NG/G16 No.88 (Cockerill 3268/1936) 

Taken into service by the SAR in April 1937, No.88 was a long-term stalwart of the Harding Branch. The 'Banana Express' received a facelift when No.88 was assigned to provide the motive power. Following a heavy overhaul at the Pietermaritzburg Mechanical Workshops, the locomotive was returned to service on 8 June 1984, resplendent in Brunswick Green livery and sporting brass headboards 'Banana Express' and 'Snowy' complete with a polished brass dome cover and Teutonic Spike. 'Snowy' referred to Port Shepstone's station master, whose hair had turned white prematurely and thus earned him the nickname.

THE ALFRED COUNTY RAILWAY

Following the cessation of operations by the South African Transport Services (SATS) on 31 October 1986 of the Port Shepstone-Harding Railway, Allen Jorgensen, a well-known professional photographer and industrial communications consultant, joined forces with Charlie Lewis, a SAR/SATS senior civil engineer and lifelong railwayman, to create an organisation to restore the railway.

On 19 August 1986, the Alfred County Railway Committee was formed in Harding to restore the railway. A letter from the Committee was forwarded on 7 October to the Minister of Transport Affairs, Hendrik Schoeman, the Railway Board and the South African Transport Services (SATS) management outlining the business plan to operate the railway as a commercial enterprise. However, protracted negotiations between the Alfred County Railway Committee and South African Transport Services continued for 14 months until an agreement was signed on 3 December 1987 to bring the plan to fruition.

Before the first revenue-earning freight train could run, flood damage to the track and formation had to be repaired. The repair bill immediately took an R300 000 slice from the share capital raised. Consequently, it was not before 1 March 1988 that the first test and material train operated as far as Izingolweni. Then, on 29 March, NG/G16 No.88 powered the first freight train to Harding. It embarked on its return journey the following day with a load of timber, stopping at Izingolweni for the night and arriving in Port Shepstone on 31 March. The full goods service was scheduled to begin on 6 April.

NG/G16 No.109 (BP6919/1939)

No.109 was the first of three pre-war NG/G16s from an order for eight locomotives from Beyer Peacock’s Gorton Works in Manchester to arrive in Port Elizabeth on 7 March 1939.  Before the transfer of the NG15s from the Otavi Railway in South West Africa (now Namibia) in 1960, No.109 was based at Assegaaibos, working trains to Louterwater and Misgund. In the latter days of steam, it powered the heavy limestone trains from Loerie to Chelsea Junction.

It received many modifications over the years, including replacing the sandbox mounted on top of the water tank, which was vulnerable to getting the sand wet, with sandboxes attached in pairs on the ends of the bunker and water tank. Other changes saw the original rivetted water tank and coal bunker replaced with all-welded fabrications; the Beyer Peacock chimney exchanged for a SAR flower pot variety and the characteristic Stone Tonum headlight with twin sealed-beam lights.

Following the introduction between September and October 1973 of 20 General Electric class 91 diesel-electric locomotives on the Avontuur line, No.109 was transferred to Natal and allocated to the Umzinto shed. In the last five years of working on the Stuartstown Railway, No.109 spent most of its time assigned to the Ixopo sub-shed.

NG/G16 No.110 (BP6920/1939)

It was the second engine of the order of eight pre-war NG/G16 locomotives delivered from Beyer Peacock's Gorton Works to arrive in Port Elizabeth on 14 March 1939. No. 110 worked on the Avontuur Branch from April 1939 until 1974. Prior to the transfer of the NG15s from the Otavi Railway in South West Africa (now Namibia) in 1960, No.110 was based at Assegaaibos, working trains to Louterwater and Misgund. Then, following the introduction of 20 General Electric class 91 diesel-electric locomotives on the Avontuur Branch, No.110 was transshipped for use on Natal's narrow-gauge lines. It spent the remaining years of service with the SAR/SATS working on the Harding Branch until its closure in 1986.

NG/G16 No.111 (BP6921/1939)

No.111 was delivered to Port Elizabeth on 18 March 1939 and entered service on the Avontuur Branch in April. Before the transfer of the NG15s from the Otavi Railway in South West Africa (now Namibia) in 1960, No.111 was based at Assegaaibos, working trains to Louterwater and Misgund. Following the arrival of 20 class 91 General Electric diesel-electric locomotives between  September and October 1973, No.111 was transferred to Port Shepstone. Here it remained for the next 13 years up to the closure of the Harding Branch and then staged at the Port Shepstone Loco Shed.

*The Events Diary and Notice Board supplement included in SA Rail, May/June 1994, under Hotels & Restaurants adjacent to railway lines provided the following information:

Gold Reef City, Johannesburg: Theme village similar to Midmar but with live exhibits at Northern Parkway, Booysens. Located on an old gold mine which closed in 1971, the park is themed around the gold rush that started in 1886 on the Witwatersrand. The buildings are designed to mimic the same period. Includes a working (but not steam) narrow-gauge railway and static locomotive display.

Static locomotive display: 0-4-0T NG20 ‘Taff’ (the ‘y’ is missing) is under a specially built awning for protection. RPM 1 ‘Jack’ 0-4-2T is also displayed near the entrance but in the open. Sub-Nigel No.2 0-6-0T is on display near the mine shaft, as is a 4wWE (GE 28582/1947) and a 4wBE (battery-electrified underground loco with no markings). An HT diesel loco (green) is behind the 0-4-0T ‘Taff’ but not undercover. Some 3ft 6in gauge track has been laid on which sits restored passenger baggage van 9094 (there is room for two more coaches or one 3ft 6in gauge locomotive). (SA Rail, March-April, 1990, p.63)

Motive Power notes (SA Rail, March-April 1991). In February, two locos were sent on long-term loans to Gold Reef City: 19D No.3345 (ex-Millsite) and NG/G16 No.111 from Springs.

NG/G16 No.112 (BP6922/1939) 

No.112 arrived in Durban on 25 March 1939 and was allocated in May to the Stuartstown Railway. It spent all of its years working on the Stuartstown Railway until withdrawn from service in 1985 and staged at Umzinto shed.

NG/G16 No.113 (BP6923/1939)

No.113 arrived in Durban on 1 April 1939, and from the time it was allocated in May 1939 to the Stuartstown Railway, it spent 45 years working on the same line, bar one in 1973, when it was based in Port Shepstone.*

*The narrow-gauge locomotive allocations 'correct to March 1962', published under Narrow-gauge News in 'The Newsletter', No.2, May 1962 of the Railway Society of Southern Africa, page II.2.3 lists NG/G16 No.113 operating on the Weenen Branch. This information needs verification.

NG/G16 No.114 (Beyer Peacock WN 6924/1937)

No.114 was one of eight pre-war NG/G16s ordered from Beyer Peacock to arrive in Durban on 4 April 1939. It was first allocated to the Stuartstown Railway in June 1939, then spent 1952-1954 on the Harding Branch. After that, the loco was recorded working on the Avontuur Branch from 1956 to 1961 before returning to Umzinto shed in 1962.

NG/G16 No.115 (Beyer Peacock WN 6925/1937)

No.115 was one of eight pre-war NG/G16s ordered from Beyer Peacock to arrive in Durban on 14 April 1939. After working on the Mid Illovo and Harding Branches, No.115 was allocated to the Stuartstown Railway in 1948.

In 1984, No.115 was transferred from Umzinto to join the trio of NG/G13s Nos. 60, 77 and 49 at Umlaas Road. After withdrawal from service in March 1985, the locomotive was stored at Umlaas Road. 

NG/G16 No.116 (Beyer Peacock WN 6926/1939)

This Garratt was the last of the second order of eight NG/G16 locomotives delivered from Beyer Peacock's Gorton Works in 1939 and assigned road numbers 109 to 116. They were practically identical in design to the Cockerill engines but with modified outer pony truck suspensions. On the motion, there were oil cups in place of grease lubrication and changes to the lower inside corner cutouts on the front tank. No.116 was delivered to Durban on 18 April 1939 and allocated to the Harding Branch in June. Besides a brief interlude during 1958/59, it spent 45 of its 47 years working on the Harding Branch until the railway's closure at the end of October 1986.

PORT SHEPSTONE AND ALFRED COUNTY RAILWAY COMPANY LTD

The company was a pioneering endeavour in South Africa to take over the rail service on a previously South African Transport Services (SATS) operated branch line as a private-public partnership company. After SATS closed the railway at the end of October 1986, it took 14 months of protracted negotiations between the Alfred County Railway Committee and SATS before an agreement was signed on 3 December 1987 to bring the plan to fruition. Starting its operations on 4 December in an atmosphere of optimism and determination, the company sought to turn around a loss-making rural branch line into a business-orientated commercial venture.

Preceding the signing of the formal agreement with SATS, the operation of the 'Banana Express', the popular tourist train between Port Shepstone and Izotsha, was restarted. SATS granted permission for the 'Banana Express' to run for 15 days during the July school holidays (11 to 26 July 1987) on the 13 km long section from Port Shepstone to Izotsha. Initially, NG/G16 No.88 (Cockerill 3268/1936) provided the motive power. But on the last two days, No.116 took over the operation from No.88.

NG/G16 No.125 (Beyer Peacock WN 7426/1951)

The Beyer Peacock Works delivered No.125 new to Cape Town on 12 January 1951, and it entered service on the Avontuur Branch in April 1951. This Garratt worked on the Avontuur Branch until 1962; after that, there was a gap in the records of its work history until 1973.

An undated THL photograph of NGG16 No.125 at Van Stadens River Bridge on the Avontuur Branch.

Between 1974 and 1986, No.125 appeared on the Port Shepstone shed locomotive allocations up to 1985 and was listed as staged in 1986.

After Spoornet closed the Harding Branch at the end of October 1986, No.125 did not appear on the list of 17 Garratts offered for sale, presumably because its boiler certificate had expired. It languished at Port Shepstone shed until 1992, when between 3 and 25 June, it was among the ten Locos towed to Paddock for storage. Over the years, as the locos were sold and moved elsewhere, the 2012 stocktake still listed No.125 as one of eight locos stored at Paddock.

NG/G16 No.126 (Beyer Peacock WN 7427/1951) 

The Beyer Peacock works delivered No.126 new to Cape Town on 12 January 1951, and it entered service on the Avontuur Branch in April 1952. On 30 June 1963, it was transferred to the Stuartstown Railway.

NG/G16 No.127 (Beyer Peacock WN 7428/1951)

No.127 was landed in Cape Town on 12 January 1951 and placed in traffic on the Avontuur Branch in April 1953. It spent 20 years working on the Avontuur Branch, based at Humansdorp, until ousted in 1973 by the General Electric class 91 diesel-electric locomotives and transferred to Port Shepstone. It remained in service on the Harding Branch until the railway's closure at the end of October 1986.

2012: NG/G16 No.127 GOES TO AUSTRALIA

NG/G16 No.128 (BP7429/1951)

No.128 was one of a batch of seven post-war Beyer Peacock-manufactured Garratts delivered to Cape Town on 12 January 1951. It was allocated to the Avontuur Branch in April 1954 and based at Humansdorp until displaced following the arrival of the class 91 General Electric diesel-electric locos during September/October 1973. After that, it spent the remaining years of its working life with the SAR/SATS on the Harding Branch until its closure in 1986.

NG/G16 No.129 (Beyer Peacock WN 7430/1951)

No.129 arrived in Cape Town on 8 January 1951 and was taken into service on 27 April on the Stuartstown Railway, where it worked until transferred to Port Shepstone on 16 February 1981. After two years, it returned to Umzinto for a year and then went to Port Shepstone again in 1985.

NG/G16 No.129 GOES TO AUSTRALIA

PUFFING BILLY MEDIA RELEASE

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE… RESTORED NG/G16 No.129 LOCOMOTIVE BACK IN STEAM

What started as an innocent meal table discussion amongst fellow enthusiasts of the Puffing Billy Railway is now a dream realised, with the South African class NG/G16 No.129 Garratt locomotive restored to its former glory rolling from Belgrave Station after 23 years of fundraising and restoration works.

Built by Beyer Peacock & Co. of Manchester, England, in 1951 for the South African Railways, the NG/G16 was a class of steam locomotive used to deliver agricultural and mineral products across the hilly terrain and tight curves of South Africa's rural railways.

Two men spearheaded its purchase in 1996 for the Puffing Billy fleet — Peter Ralph and Alan Gardner — with a dogged determination to obtain a highly regarded Garratt locomotive that would support the surviving  Victorian  Railways  Garratt, G42, which was being restored at the time.

Having saved GS2 from the scrapped's torch in 1964, the subject of a second Garratt locomotive would always surface in the lunchroom as a necessary backup.

As luck and a pinch of persuasion would have it, the Alfred County Railway in South Africa had a surplus of Garratt locomotives and, in 1995, was persuaded to sell one to the Puffing Billy Railway.

Not missing a beat, Peter Ralph took it upon himself to ask the Emerald Tourist Railway Board (ETRB) during an annual general meeting if they would consider the purchase of the NG/G16 No.129 locomotive, but the Board were unable to invest at the time.

Undeterred, Peter knew the Garratt would be a valuable addition to the Puffing Billy Railway locomotive collection and sought, with Alan Gardner, to approach Puffing Billy Preservation Society (PBPSJ members for assistance.

It wasn't long before the South African Garratt Appeal was born, and with it, the idea that if the Society could get  50  of its members to donate $2,000 each, they could raise the funds required to secure the purchase of NG/G16 129. This concentrated effort grew, with Society members committing over $80,000 in funds over the space of three months. Finally, a $30,000 contribution from the PBPS saw this long-term project come to life.

One on-site survey trip to South Africa later and direct negotiations resulted in purchasing R1,189,525.40 (A$120,000 including shipping costs). Once the locomotive arrived in Belgrave in August of 1996, it was exhibited for the benefit of fundraising contributors and photographers before being disassembled. There it stayed for 15 years while fundraising and donations continued to build for the estimated $2·5 million restoration.

It wasn't until 2005 that a feasibility study was requested, and Puffing Billy’s NG/G project engineering team, John Brady, Harry Hibgame and Russell Hicks, were tasked with conducting this study and later planning the never-before-done re-gauging of a two-foot gauge Garratt locomotive to two foot six inches and its complete restoration.

Finally, as momentum built in 2011, a dedicated team of volunteers and workshop crew, including John, Harry and Russell, commenced full re-gauging and refurbishment works.

Its first fire was lit on 26 September 2019, and the engine moved under its own steam on 6 November 2019; final tests are underway to welcome the polished black Garratt back to the track.

A labour of love for those who persisted with this 23-year-old project has finally paid off, with the NG/G16 No.129 returning to traffic on 18 December, the same date as Puffing Billy's 119th birthday.

John Brady, who led the feasibility study, says that although it has taken some two decades to get to this moment, he is proud to see it on the track.

"It's been a long time coming, but I am enormously proud of what has been achieved. It is so important that these locos are kept as they are, which is why it was crucial to get this right the first time. My sincere thanks go to the volunteers, workshop crew, Puffing Billy Preservation Society and the Emerald Tourist Railway Board, but most importantly, Peter and Alan, for whom this restoration project would not have been possible."

With its original wheels and cylinders, silver boiler bands, gleaming polished copper piping and a brand-new enlarged cab complete with windows, doors and seats, the NG/G16 will readily haul 16 full-length carriages full of smiling passengers.

"The patience and perseverance of those involved cannot be forgotten. To see it sitting away for so many years while we all lobbied for funds to support its restoration can now be celebrated in full as it makes its big debut on the Puffing Billy Railway," said Harry Hibgame.

"I wasn't sure if 129 would be completely restored and returned to service, so this locomotive symbolises our lifelong passion lot the railway and our united commitment to see something through from start to finish, despite the odds, " said Russell Hicks.

NG/G16 No.129 was spotlighted in a special unveiling moment at Belgrave Station on 18 December at 12:30 pm, with all cherished volunteers, workshop crew, contributors, and the public invited along to witness its first public appearance in 23 years and give thanks for their generosity.

https://puffingbilly.com.au/news/media-releases/restored-ng-g16-locomotive-back-in-steam/

NG/G16 No.130 (Beyer Peacock WN 7431/1951)

No.130 was landed in Cape Town on 17 January 1951 took to the rails on the Stuartstown Railway on 11 April, but its stay there was of short duration because, by 1958, the loco had joined Port Shepstone’s fleet of locos, where it stayed until the Harding branch was closed at the end of October 1986. The locomotive allocation at Port Shepstone on 22nd March 1986 listed No.130 as staged.

NG/G16 No.131 (Beyer Peacock WN 7432/1951)

No.131 was landed in Cape Town on 19 January 1951 but was not placed in traffic on the Stuartstown Railway until 1 April 1952. It spent 33 years working on the Stuartstown Railway allocated to the Umzinto Shed.

No.131 was given a complete overhaul in August 1984 and temporarily staged at Umzinto from 24 September 1984 (99 days on 31 December 1984). Listed as staged ‘ex-works’ (reported in the January/February 1985 issue of SA Rail), it probably did not turn a wheel after returning to Umzinto from its overhaul. However, all train services were suspended after heavy rainfall in May 1985 on the Umzinto-Highflats section breached the track at eight locations.

It is unknown whether No.131 was moved from Umzinto to Port Shepstone in late 1985 or early 1986. However, it was on Port Shepstone’s loco allocation in 1986 and remained working on the Harding Branch until the railway's closure at the end of October of that year. In late 1986, No.131 was transferred to Humewood Road, Port Elizabeth, becoming the sole serviceable NG/G16 on the Avontuur Branch. In April 1987, a special train was photographed with NG15 No.119 piloting No.131 over van Staden’s Bridge.

It retained its standard black SAR livery with its water tank, cab and bunker sides outlined in red.  Transfers of Port Elizabeth’s coat of arms were applied beneath the curved lettering ‘Oubaas Ray’ on the water tank and bunker. ‘Oubaas Ray’ (Afrikaans for ‘Old Boss Ray’) honouring Ray Enslin, the Regional Engineer (Mechanical) at Port Elizabeth, who was instrumental in modernising the Avontuur Railway’s infrastructure and introducing the fleet of 20 GE diesel-electric locomotives in the early 1970s. On his retirement, the Eastern Cape Herald published a photograph of Ray Enslin standing on the footplate of No.131.

142. NG/G16 No.131 ‘Oubaas Ray’ with the famous rail bridge in the background spanning 195,7 m (642ft 3in) between abutments over Van Stadens Gorge. Its claim to fame is that it is the world’s highest narrow-gauge railway bridge towering 77,4 m (254ft) over the river bed at its highest point. From this vantage point, the gorge’s immense depth is not apparent until standing at the edge of the precipice to look down at the river below.

The total weight of the steelwork is 574 tons; the four 80ft long main spans weigh 10·5 tons each, the five 40ft spans weigh 3·95 tons each, while the two 56ft long side spans weigh 5·56 tons each. With a mean height of 220ft, Pier No.2 accounted for 123·45 tons, while the slightly lower 207ft high Pier No.3 absorbed 114·6 tons of steel. The bridge was designed to carry the weight of ‘Cape’ gauge rolling stock.

After some sprucing up, No.131 shared duties with NG/G11 No.54, hauling the ‘Dias Express’. A new timetable for the ‘Dias Express’ came into operation at the beginning of October 1990. The service change saw the train start from Kings Beach instead of from the Campanile end.

After the Humerail Museum in Port Elizabeth was closed in March 1992, No. 131 ‘Oubaas Ray’ was housed out of service at the Humewood Road steam shed shared with Garratts Nos.54, 79, 85, tank loco NG4 No.16, and tender loco NG10 No.61.

The ACR was the successful bidder to operate the ‘Apple Express’ and ‘Dias Express’ over the Christmas holiday season from 8 December 1992 to 15 January 1993.

In 1995, the six locos available for operating the ‘Apple Express’, although not necessarily all in steam, included No.131 ‘Oubaas Ray’.

However, in 1997, No. 131 was reported out of service, with boiler repairs pending. The restoration suffered a setback when new brass tubing and piping were stolen (reported in the 1997 July/September issue of SA Rail). Finally, on 12 June 1999, No.131 was returned to service, having passed its boiler test and undertook its first post-overhaul trip on 13 June to Chelsea Junction.

Then, Spoornet banned all Club Steam Train operations from 30 September 1999 following two accidents in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. This ban also affected running ‘Apple Express’. However, the ‘Apple Express’ ran again from the beginning of November, albeit under temporary Spoornet management, until the Steam Club ban was resolved. Load restrictions were imposed, with No.131 restricted to 13 coaches, but with double heading, all coaching stock could be used on one train. No.131 worked all the December holiday trips but was taken off in January 2000 due to the increased risk of lineside fires in dry and windy conditions.

143. A returning Steam and Safaris special from Patensie in May 2001 with No.131 arriving at Gamtoos whilst the donkey waits patiently to cross the tracks.

144. No.131 was photographed by Dick Manton heading the Union Limited Maluti Tour on 22 June 2002. The train ran as a Transnet Heritage Foundation (THF) operation.

More problems loomed when Spoornet announced a ‘Steam Exit Plan’ would take effect from the end of May 2002. Without restructuring the Apple Express Society and getting assistance from experienced professionals, the ‘Apple Express’ could no longer continue operating under the new regulations of the ‘Steam Exit Plan’. Therefore, after No.131 headed the 2002 ‘Great Train Race’ train at the last weekend of August, the Apple Express Society was dissolved in November 2002, and in its place, a temporary committee, ‘Save the Apple Express’, was formed in the interim. To comply with Spoornet’s Steam Exit Plan and the Rail Safety Regulator’s (RSR) introduction, a new section 21 Not-for-Profit-Company, the  Apple Express Association was established in February 2003. A lease on the premises at Humewood Road and an operating agreement were entered into with Spoornet. On 15 April 2003, the newly constituted company launched the ‘PE Apple Express’ at a ceremony held in the cooling sheds at Port Elizabeth Harbour.

After an overhaul, stalwart No.131, the sole serviceable loco, provided the motive power for the ‘PE Apple Express’. The steam curator granted a three-month temporary operating permit, but no trains could run because no qualified steam drivers were available in the Port Elizabeth area. Train services recommenced after externally recruiting a certified driver, fireman, and other maintenance support staff vacancies were filled.

After that, the train service settled down with regular ‘Apple Express’ trains running to Thornhill and special excursions operating further up the line as far as Avontuur. In August 2004, No.131 hauled the train when the 25th Annual ‘Great Train Race’ was run, recorded as the last time the event was held. Towards the end of 2005, No.131 was withdrawn for boiler repairs.

No.131 was back in service in late 2006, confirmed by a photo taken by Bryan Brinkman and published in SA Rail (Vol.45, No.3, 2007) of the Garratt approaching Sunnyside with a Saturday morning PE ‘Apple Express’. However, a photo of No.131 in June 2007 mentions that the loco was scheduled for restoration in the coming months. Also, a name change had occurred- now called ‘Oom Ray’.

The June 2007’s sighting of No.131 ‘Oom Ray’ appears to be the last time it was seen in service. The PE Apple Express Association sought donors/sponsors to support the restoration of No.131 for the Centenary of Garratt operations in 2009.

Due to the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Transport's withdrawal of funding assistance to the narrow–gauge railway, the ‘Apple Express’ ceased operating after the last trip on 29 December 2010 using stalwart NG15 No. 119. Consequently, the potential rehabilitation of No.131 was also stopped.

After many setbacks, a new operator, the Apple Express Rail Company (Not-for-Profit) PE, announced plans to get the iconic ‘Apple Express’ narrow-gauge train back on track. An agreement to lease workshop and administration space at the Transnet Humerail Diesel Depot was concluded with TFR Real Estate Management. This lease allowed the Apple Express technical crew to work on-site, refurbishing 17 coaches, maintaining NG15 No.119 due for its three-year boiler inspection, and restoring NG15 No.124 to continue.

Following the return to service of NG15s Nos.119 and 124 in 2018, the AER technical team’s attention has turned to restoring No.131. Accordingly, on 4 March 2019, No.131 ‘Oom Ray’ was shunted from its temporary home in the diesel-running shed at Humerail into the main shed. Newly restored Class 91-005 had the honour of doing the lion’s share of the work, while NG15s Nos.119 and 124 were also in steam to assist.

The loco was then stripped into its various compartments, including the boiler, main cradle, cab, water tank, coal bunker, and power units. The boiler was waiting for an in-depth evaluation by the boiler inspector.

On 27 March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic sent South Africa into total lockdown. Since the lockdown was lifted in 2021, no train services have operated. Despite not running any trains, the Apple Express Rail team continues restoring, refurbishing, and maintaining its locos and carriages.

NG/G16 No.137 (BP7862/1958)

When the decision was taken in 1957 to broaden the northern 600 mm-gauge lines to Cape Gauge in South West Africa (now Namibia), an arrangement between the Tsumeb Copper Corporation and the administration of the SAR saw seven Garratt locomotives ordered by the mining company from Beyer Peacock (works Nos.7862-7868) – incidentally, the last steam locomotives built by that company – delivered new in 1958 to work on the SAR's narrow gauge lines. Between September and October 1958, four of the 'Tsumeb' Garratts, TC Nos.6 to 9 (SAR Nos.137-140), were delivered to Durban.

145. IMAGE OF No.137 REQUIRED

The Jan/Feb 1985 issue of SA Rail reported that NG/G16 No.137 was transferred from Port Shepstone to Umzinto.

In March 1998, three NG/G16s, Nos.137, 150 and 152, stored at Umzinto on the closed Umzinto-Donnybrook line, arrived in Port Shepstone. They were purchased from the Transnet Heritage Foundation (THF) by the ACR but were unlikely to be seen in service.

NG/G16 No.138 (BP7863/1958)

When the decision was taken in 1957 to broaden the northern 600 mm-gauge lines to Cape Gauge in South West Africa (now Namibia), an arrangement between the Tsumeb Copper Corporation and the administration of the SAR saw seven Garratt locomotives ordered by the mining company from Beyer Peacock (works Nos.7862-7868) – incidentally, the last steam locomotives built by that company – delivered new in 1958 to work on the SAR's narrow gauge lines. Between September and October 1958, four of the 'Tsumeb' Garratts, TC Nos.6 to 9 (SAR Nos.137-140), were delivered to Durban. From the time of its delivery on 2 December 1958 to Port Shepstone until the end of October 1986, No.138 spent all of its working life under the SAR/SATS on the Harding branch.

146. In this panoramic view in its African setting taken in April 1986, NG/G16 No.138 negotiates a 3-chain-radius curve over the P58 district road near Godloza between Booker and Antioch Halts.

Under the Alfred County Railway (ACR) administration, No.138 re-entered service in January 1988 in Port Shepstone. However, between 3 and 25 June 1992, No.138 was one of eleven locomotives deemed surplus to requirements or non-operational that was sent for storage at Paddock. The culmination of lengthy negotiations resulted in the sale of two NG/G16 locomotives, Nos.138 and No.143, belonging to an ACR shareholder, to the Ffestiniog Railway (FR) in Wales for use on the Welsh Highland Railways (WHR). Accordingly, NG/G16 No.138 was taken out of storage in Paddock and brought to the Port Shepstone workshop on 26 October 1994.

CME Phil Girdlestone was joined by Shaun McMahon as assistant mechanical engineer to carry out the restoration work of these two Garratts. The overhaul (read rebuild) of No.138 included conversion to oil-firing (burning diesel fuel) using a rotary burner designed by ACR Mechanical Engineer Phil Girdlestone. History was made on 23 February 1996, when the first oil-fired test was completed. However, further fine-tuning was needed before the locomotive could be thoroughly steam tested. Then, on 8 March, No.138 moved out of the shed under its own power for the first time since 1991, followed on 12 March with a running-in trip, light engine, to the Dawn View Hotel. A similar run followed on 13 March, whilst the first run under load took place on 14 March when No.138 took seven coaches to Izotsha. All these trips were successful except on 15 March on the run to Paddock with a load when No.138 partially failed at Renken and limped back to Port Shepstone on three cylinders.

Constrained by a tight schedule, long hours were worked by ACR staff comprising 15 artisans and 17 assistants to get both Garratts, Nos.138 and 143, ready for the return trip to Harding booked for 18 and 19 March for a group of over forty Ffestiniog Railway/Welsh Highland Railways Management and supporters. As No.143 was not ready to run, No.155 was rostered to run with No.138 for the trip to Harding on 18 March 1996. The consist was made up of two water tankers, 11 empty timber trucks, a breakdown van and six passenger coaches.

With the overhaul of NG/G16 locomotives, Nos.138 and 143 for the Ffestiniog Railway in Wales completed, the locos left Port Shepstone for export via Durban on a special train on 2 December 1996, arriving in North Wales on 14 January 1997.

NG/G16 No.138 was the first Garratt to enter service on the WHR and to haul the first steam-operated passenger train from Caernarfon to Dinas on 12 October 1997.

No.138 is listed as “awaiting overhaul” at Dinas on the WHR website (2022).

NG/G16 No.139 (Beyer Peacock WN 7864/1958) 

Taken into service on 19 December 1958, No.139 spent all of its working life on the Stuartstown Railway until the closure of the Highflats-Umzinto section in May 1985. This Garratt was one of four new 'Tsumeb' locomotives (T.C. No.8 delivered to Durban on 29 September 1958), allocated to Natal, initially fitted with brass side-cab plates displaying E 139. In 1986, No.139 was transferred to Port Shepstone.

NG/G16 No.140 (BP7865/1958)

Taken into service on 23 January 1959, No.140 spent all of its working life on the Stuartstown Railway until the closure of the Highflats-Umzinto section in May 1985. This Garratt was one of four new 'Tsumeb' locomotives (delivered to the Durban Mechanical Workshops on 10 October 1958 as TC No.9) allocated to Natal, initially fitted with brass side-cab plates displaying E 140. Later, the 'E' plates were replaced, showing just 140, and subsequently, another set of plates was cast, reading NG/G16 140. 

NG/G16 (A) No.141 (Beyer Peacock WN 7866/1958)

No.141 was one of the last three Beyer Peacock-built class NG/G16s delivered to Port Elizabeth (Humewood Road) in 1958; it was landed on 29 October and taken into service on 23 January 1959. However, its service on the Avontuur Branch was short: in 1963 No.141 and classmates Nos.142 and 143 were dispatched to work in Natal. Accordingly, nos. 141 and 142 were allocated to Port Shepstone and No.143 to Umzinto.

THE 'RED DRAGON'

On 5 September 1988, Phil Girdlestone filled the key position of Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) at the ACR. He brought a wealth of experience in modern steam practice from his engineering projects on the Ffestiniog Railway at Boston Lodge and Hugh Phillips Engineering in South Wales. A significant innovation was introducing the Gas Producer Combustion System (GPCS), designed by Argentinian engineer L D Porta to improve steam efficiency and reduce coal consumption. Two Garratts, No.141 (BP7866/1958) in 1989 and No.155 (HT3900/1968) in 1990⁵, were modified with the technology introduced by Dave Wardale to the SAR on his modified 3ft 6in ‘Cape’ gauge Classes 19D No.2644 and 26 No.3450 – the famed 'Red Devil' on the SAR.

The stage was set for implementing Phil's design work to improve the efficiency and power of the Garratts, which had never been modified in this fashion before. First, the condition of Garratts ‘mothballed’ (read gently rusting) at Port Shepstone was carefully assessed. Although ostensibly a standard class, there were various detail differences between the five batches of NG/G16s built since 1936. However, after considering boiler age, condition, and tyre profile, the choice was narrowed down to the Beyer Peacock engines built in 1958 and the most recent 1967/68 from Hunslet Taylor incorporating the final SAR developments. Finally, thirty-year-old No.141 (BP7866/1958, one of the ‘Tsumeb’ Garratts, originally TC10, landed in Port Elizabeth on 29 October 1958) was chosen as the most suitable.

At its last overhaul at the Pietermaritzburg Mechanical Workshops in May 1981, No.141 was fitted with a new steel firebox and boiler No.7109 from the Hunslet Taylor order. Only a few lower tubes needed replacing, the driving wheels were in good condition, and the tyre wear was within acceptable limits. Work on the loco started in January 1989 in the Port Shepstone workshop, and it was not before long that it was disassembled into its major components. The rebuild took several months until the red-letter day arrived on 15 August 1989, when the fire was lit for the first time and the first member of a new (unofficial) class of Garratt, the NG/G16A*, was born. The loco was painted red like its 3ft 6in gauge cousin, Class 26 No.3450 'Red Devil', because no other colour was striking enough to mark the occasion that, in 1989, a new class of Garratt had arrived. After two months of trials and fine-tuning, NG/G16A No.141, nicknamed ‘Red Dragon’, went into regular service in December 1989.

*Termed unofficial because it was not an SAR classification.

Coal consumption trial runs were undertaken in March 1990 between Izingolweni and Harding, with NG/G16 No.116 as the controlling locomotive. Although working over the easier 1 in 60 grades, NG/G16A No.141 saved 20 per cent per ton/km. The only initial downside of the NG/G16A was that the front engine unit tended to slip, which was attributed to mechanical issues related to the loss of adhesive weight as the water in the front tank was consumed during operation. This was soon resolved by increasing the adhesion weight on the front unit driving wheels.

† Sadly, Phil Girdlestone died in 2016 at the age of 61.

NG/G16 No.142 (Beyer Peacock WN 7867/1958) 

No.142 was one of the last three Beyer Peacock-built class NG/G16s delivered on 14 November 1958 to Port Elizabeth (Humewood Road) and taken into service on 24 January 1959. However, after working on the Avontuur Branch for just four years, No.142 was transferred on 8 February 1963 to Natal. It was allocated to the Harding Branch, where it stayed until 1986, hauling timber trains.

NG/G16A No.143 (Beyer Peacock WN 7868/1958)

This Garratt was the last steam locomotive built by Beyer Peacock in 1958 and now enjoys a second lease of life at the Welsh Highland Railway. It was delivered to Port Elizabeth on 14 November 1958 and placed in traffic on the Avontuur Branch on 1 February 1959. After working on the Avontuur Branch for just four years, No.143 was transferred to Natal, arriving at Umzinto on 8 February 1963. 

THE SALE OF NG/G16 No.143 TO THE WELSH HIGHLAND RAILWAY

The culmination of lengthy negotiations resulted in selling two NG/G16 locomotives, one of which was No.143 (the other was No.138), to the Ffestiniog Railway (FR) in Wales for use on the Welsh Highland Railway (WHR). Despite being in poor mechanical condition and with an expired boiler hydraulic certificate, No.143 was chosen because of its historical significance. In early 1995, No.143 was moved from Paddock to Port Shepstone for overhaul by the ACR. Nos. 138 and 143 left Port Shepstone for export via Durban on a special train on 2 December 1996, arriving in North Wales on 14 January 1997.

At an Enthusiasts’ Weekend of 19-20 September 1998, No.143 made its first appearance in steam.

NG/G16 No.149 (HT3894/1967)

The final order for eight NG/G16 locomotives was placed in 1965 by the SAR. However, since Beyer Peacock & Co. was about to close down and none of the other traditional overseas manufacturers of Garratt locomotives was available to fulfil the contract, a South African company, Hunslet-Taylor Consolidated (Pty) Ltd, in collaboration with the parent company, the Hunslet Engine Co. of Leeds, England, was awarded the contract. The eight locomotives carried SAR numbers 149 to 156 (works Nos.3894-3901) and were placed in traffic between January and October 1968, of which Nos.149, 154-156 went to Port Shepstone and Nos.150-153 to Umzinto.

159. No.149 is seen in this photo in 1987 after being in service for nine years, basking in the sun outside Umzinto shed. According to motive power allocation records, it appears to have been moved from Port Shepstone to Umzinto by April 1970*.

* The April 1970 loco allocation for Umzinto shed: NG/G16 Nos.85, 86, 87, 112, 113, 114, 115, 126, 129, 131, 140, 143, 149, 150, 151, 152 and 153.

Operations on the Umzinto-Highflats section ceased after sections of the track were breached at eight locations after heavy rainfall in May 1985.

No.149 was moved to Port Shepstone and listed as active on 22 March 1986 on the shed’s allocation schedule.

After SATS ceased operations on the Port Shepstone-Harding Railway at the end of October 1986, No. 149 was on the list of 17 Garratts offered for sale.

Under the administration of the ACR, a major shareholder in the company purchased in March 1990 eleven Garratts which included No.149. However, following the replacement of steam by diesel-electric locomotives, Garratts surplus to requirements were sent for storage at Paddock. No.149 was moved to Paddock in December 1992.

On 10 November 1993, No.149 was brought back to Port Shepstone. The intention was to overhaul No.156 using No.149’s engine units to enable the withdrawal of No.155 for major mechanical work.

160. The sad remains of NG/G16 No.149 at Paddock in March 2017.

Following the termination by Spoornet of the PCNGR's operation of the 'Banana Express', it did not take long for 'informal scrap merchants' to start helping themselves to the rich pickings before steps were taken in 2012 to move eight locomotives Nos.114, 125, 126, 139, 142, 149, 151 and 156 and the ACR's passenger coaches for 'safe-keeping' at the Classen's property near Paddock. No.149 was scrapped in mid-August 2017.

NG/G16 No.150 (HT3895/1967) 

NG/G16 No.152 (HT3897/1968)

NG/G16 No.151 (HT3896/1968) 

NG/G16 No.153 (HT3898/1968)

This Garratt was delivered new to the SAR in May 1968 and based at the Ixopo sub-shed with five other Garratts.

NG/G16 No.154 (HT3899/1968)

NG/G16 No.154 was allocated to the Harding Branch new in July 1968 and remained in service until the line’s closure at the end of October 1986. 

NG/G16 No.155 (Hunslet Taylor WN 3900/1968)

It entered service on the Harding Branch in August 1968 and worked on the railway until its closure by SATS at the end of October 1986. 

Modified NG/G16A No.155 (Hunslet Taylor WN 3900/1968)

Under the Alfred County Railway (ACR) administration, No.155 was one of eight Garratts listed in service in 1988. In March 1990, a major shareholder of the Alfred County Railway bought eleven Garratts - No.155 was one of them.

The success of NG/G16A No.141 resulted in the early start of converting Garratt, No.155, carrying a boiler in good condition. The modified No.155 re-entered service on 1 January 1991, and after some initial teething troubles were sorted out, the Garratt performed satisfactorily.

At the end of 1992, No.155 was one of only four Garratts still in left service with the ACR. 

THE RESTORATION OF NG/G16A No.155

In 2001, Sandstone Estates purchased NG/G16A No.155 from its Swiss owner, and the objective was to bring No.155 back to working order and fully represent the modified NG/G16A Class. The restoration project entailed swapping the modified engine units from No.141 (donated by the owner*). In return, Sandstone Estates undertook the complete cosmetic restoration of No.141 for its owners using the engine units from No.142 and place the locomotive on display. However, NG/G16 No.142 carrying No. 155’s engine units stored at Paddock complicated matters. Unfortunately, repeated attempts by Sandstone Estates to purchase the locomotive from its owner were declined, and ultimately the locomotive was scrapped in 2017.

* "Phil Mortimer came to the rescue of number 141, not aware it would be the key to the restoration of 155. 6 May 2008 was more than just a normal day; no one ever knew how important it was to rescue number 141 and to enable us to rebuild No. 155 with the modified engine units. At that time, 155's original modified engine units were still there, but the owner rather decided to sell it to the scrap metals merchants, preservationists?"

In July 2020, the boiler was assembled with modified engine units from locomotive No.141. Work then proceeded on the boiler cladding and making patterns for the numerous pipes and fittings required. Restored No.155 was steamed on 12 June 2021 for the first time since 2004. “She steamed with a candle, it took only 12 shovels of coal to get her going, and she did not want to stop steaming. It was a very pleasant experience to listen to her coming to life after 21 years.”

NG/G16 No.156 (Hunslet Taylor WN 3901/1968)

The final order for eight NG/G16 locomotives was placed in 1965 by the SAR. However, since Beyer Peacock & Co was about to close and none of the other traditional overseas manufacturers of Garratt locomotives was available to fulfil the contract, a South African company, Hunslet-Taylor Consolidated (Pty) Ltd, was awarded the contract. While the overseas parent company, the Hunslet Engine Co. of Leeds, England, supplied nine boilers (one spare), including many other components for the assembly of the locomotives at Hunslet-Taylor Consolidated. The eight locomotives carried SAR numbers 149 to 156 (HT 3894-3901) and were placed in traffic between January and October 1968, of which Nos.149, 154, 155 & 156 went to Port Shepstone and Nos.150, 151, 152 & 153 to Umzinto.

* Although the work plate states ‘Johannesburg’, the Hunslet-Taylor works were actually situated within the municipality of Germiston.

OTHER PRESERVED FORMER NATAL NARROW-GAUGE LOCOMOTIVES

SAR Class NG 4-6-2T 1913 / NG4 No.16 

NG4 No.16 has a fascinating history. Built by Kerr, Stuart & Co., Stoke-on-Trent, England, works number 1344, it was the last engine of the third order placed by the SAR in June 1913. Upon delivery, it was taken into service on the Estcourt-Weenen Branch in July 1914.

Long-time driver, Mr J 'Billy' Bester, recalls that as a schoolboy, he would go to the Weenen loco shed after school to help clean out the ash pan of engine No.16. "I thought this was a marvellous job cleaning the ash pan and the loco. It was the privilege of being on the loco that I enjoyed very much."

Leith’s motive power allocation records show No.16 was working in Port Shepstone in 1944 and later relegated to shunting duties - photographed in 1949 (published in Sandstone Newsletter) and by Charlie Lewis in July 1954. It was sold on 26 July 1956 to Surtees & Sons, acting as agents for the Rustenburg Platinum Mines.

REFERENCES:

Girdlestone, P, ‘Here be Dragons. A journey with Steam to the end of the World’, 2017.

Middleton J & Williams, H, ‘Industrial Locomotives of South Africa 1991’.

Middleton J, ‘Railways of Southern Africa. Locomotive Guide’, 2002. Edition.

Lewis, C & Payling, D, ‘The Railway to Adventure’, 2020.

Paling, D, ‘Garratts and Kalaharis of the Welsh Highland Railway’, 2012.

Richardson, D, ‘The Sandstone Steam Railway – the story continues’, 2022.

SA Rail, various editions, 1973-2022.

Natal Newsletter, various editions, 1982-2022.

NATAL NARROW-GAUGE IN MINIATURE

NGR NG No.4/SAR NG3 No.4

Ian Parry’s Garden layout modelling Natal narrow-gauge in miniature deserves a special mention to close the Natal narrow-gauge chapter.

IN CONCLUSION

Here, we come to the end of the Natal Narrow-Gauge chapters. It’s been a nostalgic journey and a realisation of just how unique the narrow-gauge railways were. To the photographers and colleagues, past and present, thank you one and all for the information and photographs you so generously contributed to illustrate the seven parts of the Natal Narrow-Gauge Railways posted on the Google ‘Soul of a Railway’ site.

Last but not least, thank you to Charlie Lewis and Les Pivnic for assigning me the task of compiling the Natal Narrow gauge chapters for SoAR.