Oosterlyn/ Eastern Line Pretoria to Belfast

System 8

Eastern Transvaal

 Part 3

Pretoria to Belfast

Compiled by Bruno Martin, Les Pivnic and Charlie Lewis ©

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 following colleagues contributed photographs and text to this chapter:

Allen Jorgensen, via Dick Manton Collection; Charlie Lewis; Charlie Lewis, via Dick Manton Collection; Chris Janisch; Dick Manton; Dennis Moore; H Z Ostrofsky; Johannes Haarhoff (Digital Rail Images South Africa - DRISA); Late A E ("Dusty") Durrant, via Dick Manton Collection; Late Dave Parsons, via Les Pivnic Collection; Late Dave Rodgers, via Julie Rodgers; Late Harald Navé via Charlie Lewis (courtesy of Alfred Luft, custodian of the Navé collection); Late Reverend Jim Barrow; Late Mervyn Tunmer, via Les Pivnic Collection; Late Ralph Hardy, via Les Pivnic Collection; Late Roger Perry, via Les Pivnic Collection; Robert Kingsford-Smith; Roger Griffiths; THL via Yolanda Meyer.                                                                                

Our sincere apologies to anyone that should have been acknowledged but was unintentionally missed out.

OVERVIEW

The main line from Pretoria to Komatipoort and Lourenço Marques (now known as Maputo) was, by its very nature, the most important trunk route on the Eastern Transvaal System. Its status has resulted in a wealth of photographic material that needs to be shared with our readers. Hence, this line will be covered in three parts:

3. Pretoria to Belfast

4. Belfast to Komatipoort

5. Komatipoort to Maputo (formerly Lourenço Marques and earlier known as Delagoa Bay)

NAME CHANGES 

Since much of our coverage in 'Soul of a Railway' deals with the time up to the 1980s, name changes have subsequently been made to places, districts, provinces, countries, rivers, and dams.

Here are some of these name changes:

Belfast – eMakhazeni

Crocodile River - Umgwenya

Eastern Transvaal - Mpumalanga (Province)

Komati (River) - Khomati

Lourenço Marques - Maputo

Lydenburg – Mashishing

Machadodorp – eNtokozwen

Nelspruit - Mbombela

Olifantsrivier - Lepelle

Swaziland – Eswatini

The greater Pretoria Municipality - Tshwane.

Waterval Boven – eMgwenya

Witbank – eMalahleni

The Zuid-Afrikaanische Republiek (ZAR) – the South African Republic (also referred to as the Transvaal Republic) - was proclaimed in 1852 by Boers migrating from the Cape Colony in search of territory where they could distance themselves from the British sphere of influence. The ZAR's southern boundary was defined by the Vaal and Klip Rivers forming the border with the Orange Free State; the southwest border with the Cape Colony, the British Bechuanaland Protectorate and the short-lived Republic of Stellaland followed farm boundaries; the Limpopo River formed the boundary with the Bechuanaland Protectorate to the west, and Matabeleland (later Rhodesia) to the north. To the east, the entire coastal area between the Lebombo Mountains and the Indian Ocean, up to 26 degrees 30 minutes South latitude, was recognized as Portuguese territory. However, a precise demarcation did not occur while the boundary with Zululand and the Colony of Natal in the southeast followed rivers and farm boundaries. Being an agricultural backwater that depended on farming for its economic survival and living in a pre-industrial time, the ZAR seemed the most unlikely place to be planning to build a railway in the early 1870s. Moreover, at the time, all goods were transported at great expense by ox-wagon, which took months to bring from the coast to the landlocked country. The ZAR Government avoided using the Cape and Natal seaports, so Delagoa Bay became the preferred port. 

The discovery of alluvial gold in the Lydenburg district of the Eastern Transvaal during 1869-70 provided the impetus for the Government to authorize building a road suitable for 'steam and other traction machines from the border with Portuguese East Africa to one or other place in the Republic'. When the Government's plan came to nothing, it motivated George Piggott Moodie, a land surveyor working for the ZAR, to present his ambitious railway-building scheme to the Government in August 1872. Moodie's proposal envisaged laying a railway from the 'Lebombo Mountains to Klipstapel', a summit on the Highveld at 6012 feet (1833 meters), 26˚20’07” S, 29˚38’24” E, located about 2½ miles south of Breyten. This otherwise unremarkable summit marks the source of three major river systems: the Olifants, the Vaal and the Komati. It was not before March 1873 that Moodie received approval from the Volksraad (House of Assembly) to proceed with the scheme. He was given 12 months to establish a railway company and five years to have the railway up and running. The Government stipulated the gauge was to be 3ft 6in (1067 mm) and offered to subsidize 850 state farms to Moodie's railway company but reserved the right to appoint an engineer to oversee the execution of the work. Details of Moodie's scheme are rather sketchy: it's not known whether he made a reconnaissance of a route following the Komati River valley to estimate length and cost. Since the approval for Moodie's railway project only covered the section within the ZAR, he was left to negotiate with the Portuguese Government for permission to build the continuation crossing their territory from the 'Lebombo Mountains to Delagoa Bay'. Approval was duly received with the proviso that the railway had to be operational within three years. In addition, the Portuguese Government offered to subsidize the construction costs by contributing £2 500 per mile.

When Moodie's scheme failed to show any tangible results after 12 months, the ZAR government decided in 1874 to take the railway-building project into its own hands. The ZAR government commissioned a British civil engineer, Richard Thomas Hall, to conduct a detailed survey and submit an estimate of the cost. It is worth noting that Hall was associated with the setting out in 1865 and the construction of the 2ft 6in/762mm gauge Namaqualand Railway from Port Nolloth to O'okiep in 1869 and was also involved with surveying routes for the Cape Western's main line extension across the mountains into the Karoo in 1872. Hall estimated a railway from 'Delagoa Bay to the foot of the Drakensberg', 106 miles (170 km) in length (he had probably decided on a route following the Komati River valley), would cost £423 470 or an average of £3 995 per mile. His estimate put the railhead well short of its initial target – it needed to be extended another 100 miles (161 km) to reach the Highveld at Klipstapel and then an additional 150 miles (241 km) to reach its ultimate goal, Pretoria. If the railway were to serve the ZAR, it would need to be around 356 miles (572 km) long.

Financing such a colossal undertaking was far beyond the ZAR's slender resources – in the early 1870s, its annual income barely exceeded £70 000. The legislation was enacted to raise a loan of £500 000 to build a 2ft 6in (762 mm) gauge railway from 'Delagoa Bay to the foot of the Drakensberg' as suggested in Hall's report (it seems Hall was infatuated with the 2ft 6in/762 mm gauge: he had also proposed using this gauge for extension of the Cape Western Line through to the Karoo!). President T F Burgers, the elected state president of the ZAR in 1872, persuaded the Volksraad to allow him to travel to Europe in 1875 to secure a loan. But European financiers were reluctant to lend money to some distant country they had never heard of, let alone offer little or no guarantee of any financial return. But not all was in vain: early in 1876, Burgers secured a loan of £93 833 from Insinger & Co. in Amsterdam. Burgers rashly spent £63 000 from this loan to place an order for rails, sleepers, and bridge girders with Société Cockerill of Saraing in Belgium. This consignment was eventually shipped to Delagoa Bay in 1877 and put ashore. After Moodie's concession for the Portuguese section of the line had lapsed, the ZAR government bought it for £5 000 while signing a trade protocol with Portugal. To help finance the railway, the ZAR government imposed in June 1876 a Railway Line Tax of 30 shillings annually on all quitrent farms and continued to collect this tax for years even before the first rail was laid. On 10 August 1876, the 'Lebombo Railway Company' was established to construct the railway line on the Portuguese side. The nominal capital of £110 000 was issued in the form of 4 400 shares, of which the ZAR government possessed 3 300; of the remaining shares, 24 were in the hands of private individuals, while 1076 had not yet been allocated. In November 1876, a provisional agreement was signed with a representative of the Société Cockerill of Saraing in Belgium to build a railway some 200 miles long from Delagoa Bay to Klipstapel. The ZAR government traded in its shares to allow Société Cockerill to take over the ownership of the Lebombo Railway Company.

But just as the project began to take shape, Britain's annexation of the ZAR on 12 April 1877 marked the start of the First South African War (First Anglo-Boer War). During the years of occupation, the British Government took a keen interest in following up the projected rail link to Delagoa Bay – no doubt attracted by the strategic advantage it posed of being the shortest route from Pretoria to the nearest seaport. So, in May 1879, the British Government commissioned a surveyor named Farrell to find a way and inspect the condition of the railway material already landed at Delagoa Bay. Farrell estimated that at a rate of £6 000 to £8 000 per mile, it would cost £2∙5 million to build a 340-mile (547 km) long railway from Delagoa Bay to Pretoria. However, after the British failed to come to an agreement with the Portuguese Government in January 1880, plans for the Delagoa Bay railway were put on hold until peace with the Boers was restored in March 1881.  Meanwhile, the Lebombo Railway Company was dissolved, and the railway material stacked at the docks in Delagoa Bay was left to rust away.

With the ZAR's independence re-instated, the flame was re-ignited to establish a rail link with Delagoa Bay and pursued with even greater determination. The Volksraad approved a concession on 8 November 1881 for building a railway and a wagon road from Pretoria to Lourenço Marques. The ZAR government received several applications from foreign nationals bidding for the railway construction concession, but none succeeded. Most applicants were speculators looking to benefit from on-selling the concession to more prominent financiers. However, turning down the one submitted by an American financier, Colonel Edward McMurdo, later created a significant obstruction, but fortunately, it was resolved by a twist of fate. The Portuguese Government came on board at this stage, cognisant of how a rail link to Pretoria would benefit the prosperity of the port at Lourenço Marques.

After Joaquim José Machado, a Portuguese Army Corps of Engineers major, had completed a survey of the route from Lourenço Marques to the ZAR border, he travelled to Pretoria to discuss the project with the ZAR Volksraad. Machado’s proposal was favourably received, resulting in him being commissioned on 25 July 1883 by the Volksraad to survey a route from the ZAR border to Pretoria, for which he was granted payment of £4 000. He worked on the survey from August 1883 to January 1884 and September to December 1884. 

Whereas a route along the Komati River valley was previously favoured, another way had to be found after Swaziland's boundaries were demarcated in 1881. Machado proposed a route following the valley of the Crocodile River west of the confluence with the Komati River for a short distance and then skirting around to the north to circumvent the gorge (Krokodilpoort) to reach the present-day Mbombela (Nelspruit). From here, the Crocodile River was followed again until branching off into the valley of a tributary, the Sterk Spruit, for the ascent of the escarpment via Schoemanskloof.  Once the Highveld was reached, there were no significant physical obstacles to overcome on the way to Pretoria.

In May 1883, Paul Kruger was elected state president of the ZAR. Kruger's greatest ambition was to secure a passage to a seaport for the landlocked ZAR that did not pass through British territory and played a pivotal role in getting the Eastern Line built. Accordingly, President Kruger, accompanied by Messrs. S J du Toit and N J Smit, left for Europe in the autumn of that year to obtain financial assistance in the Netherlands. The delegation arrived in Amsterdam in early 1884 to revive interest with the Dutch and German bankers to finance the building of a railway from Pretoria to Lourenço Marques. Their efforts to attract the attention of several influential financiers paid off, and Kruger secured a provisional agreement backed by a syndicate of Dutch and German bankers in April 1884. The conditions set out in the contract called for a railway company to be formed within 12 months from the date of approval by the ZAR Volksraad, shares to the value of 15 million Guilders to be released, guaranteeing a fixed dividend of five per cent per annum; and a deposit of 360 000 Guilders was to be lodged by the concessionaire.

President Kruger and his delegation then travelled to Lisbon to seek approval from the Portuguese Government to build the 56-mile-long connection running from the ZAR border to Lourenço Marques.  Unbeknown to Kruger's delegation at the time, the concession to construct this section had already been granted on 14 December 1883 to none other than the American financier Colonel Edward McMurdo, who wasted no time in establishing the 'Caminho de Ferro de Lourenço Marques' as the holding company of the concession in Lisbon. In effect, the Portuguese had placed McMurdo in complete control of a vital section of the railway, which provided access to the seaport at Delagoa Bay. As if this was not enough, the American had a clause written into the concession giving him the power to block any competing railway built within 62 miles (100 km) on either side of his railway corridor. However, Kruger's delegation did not come away completely empty-handed from their meeting with the Portuguese Government: an arrangement to allow the ZAR to build a steam tramway from the port to the border for transporting material should McMurdo's line not be ready in time was given tentative approval, but later amended to allow only a horse-drawn tramway after McMurdo had objected to the former. Despite the impasse, the syndicate of bankers in Amsterdam put their signatures – perhaps somewhat reluctantly - on the provisional agreement. At the time, the European money market was suffering from a bout of economic woes so that by October 1884, shares only to the value of 2 228 700 Guilders had been taken up, which was deemed insufficient to execute the project successfully. It appeared the whole project was doomed in November 1884 when the provisional committee in Amsterdam, looking after the monetary interests of the ZAR, decided to disband. Negotiations for updated terms with the Dutch and German financiers in 1885 kept the scheme alive by offering a six per cent return on the money invested and scaling back the railway's length to be built from the PEA border only to extend as far as Nelspruit. McMurdo's concession continued to be a significant obstacle for attracting investors who were put off because the railway's starting point was nearly 56 miles (90 km) from the nearest seaport, and that access to the port hinged on the goodwill of one individual.

Following the proclamation of the world's largest gold-bearing reef on the Witwatersrand in September 1886, the fortunes of the ZAR changed overnight, and its creditworthiness improved immeasurably. The 'Rand' became the focal point, and the race was on to see which of the colonial Government-owned railways, the Cape Government and Natal Government Railways, under construction at the time, would reach the goldfields first. It was soon realized that rail transport was not only needed to serve the rapid development of the gold mining industry on the Witwatersrand but became even more pressing when coal deposits were discovered in 1887. Kruger was acutely aware that the ZAR would have difficulty holding back the Cape and Natal Government Railways from gaining entry to the Witwatersrand, and swift action was needed to construct the Eastern Line. Another intense round of negotiations with German and Dutch financial institutions led to the formation on 9 June 1887 of a partnership between Berliner Handelsgesellschaft, Robert Warschauer & Co., and Labouchère Oyens & Co. to underwrite the capital needed. The controlling company, the 'Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij' (NZASM, but also abbreviated to ZASM) – the Netherlands South African Railway Company was floated in Amsterdam on 21 June 1887 on a loan capital of 2 million Guilders (about £166 666 [Pounds Sterling]) and debentures to the value of 6 million Guilders (£500 000) was offered on the public market. The public float of debentures proved so popular that it was fully subscribed ten times over.

SURVEYING THE ROUTE

The terrain through which the railway had to be built traverses two completely different physiographic regions, the Lowveld and the Highveld, separated by the Transvaal Drakensberg escarpment. The Lowveld presented the most engineering challenges with its mountain country, which is thickly wooded with numerous significant rivers and tributaries. In contrast, besides some prominent ridges standing out on the gently undulating landscape, the barren Highveld plateau provided far fewer obstacles in the railway’s path.

In November 1887, a team of Dutch engineers set up camp at the 'zero-kilometre point' on the border with Portuguese East Africa to start a detailed survey of the route. Unfortunately, unaware – or perhaps ignorant - of the prevalence of malaria in the Lowveld, it was not long before two engineering team members, Messrs Van der Meulen and Van Ijsendijk, contracted the fever and died. The other three engineers making up the team decided to leave the area and return to continue their work in the autumn.

Pages 52 to 54 in the NZASM Gedenkboek: 'Opening van den Delagoabaai Spoorweg 1895' detail the methodical approach adopted by NZASM’s Dutch surveyors in setting out the Eastern Line’s route (translated from Dutch):

A general reconnaissance of the terrain, sometimes accompanied by barometric observations, preceded each survey.

In general, global measurements were then first made and mapped on a scale of 1:50 000. These were sometimes limited to investigating a few surveyed lines with traverses over ridges and outcrops, including the most significant slopes of the terrain, so an overview of the landscape was obtained with contours sketched on the map.

A second survey was then done over an approximately 1 000-meter wide corridor and mapped at a scale of 1:10 000. After carefully studying this, the final detailed survey was made over a 300-meter wide strip and mapped at a scale of 1:2 000.

The railway centre line was plotted on the site relative to the survey line.

All measurements were made with the tacheometer, which enabled work to be undertaken quickly and accurately.

It goes without saying that several measurements were needed in the challenging terrain, such as in the Krokodilpoort and at the Elandsspruit waterfall, while one measurement was sufficient for some parts of the Highveld.

In the beginning, barometric observations were also made, taken roughly over large parts to give a general impression of the expected heights and possible grades to use.

The first global measurements with the tacheometer* usually let the surveyor determine the ruling grade. Only in a few cases was this changed later, but then to a minor extent.

*Tacheometric survey: tacheometric method (optical distance measurement) Tacheometric surveying is a method of angular surveying in which a tachometer is used to determine the horizontal and vertical distance between two points, thus eliminating the tedious process of chain surveying to measure horizontal distance.

Grades: On the Highveld (west of Belfast), it is 18 mm per meter or 1-in-55.

On the Lowveld (east of Belfast), 20 mm per meter or 1-in-50 with two short stretches of 25 mm per meter or 1-in-40 and a rack section of 4 km (2½ English miles) with 50 mm per metre or 1-in-20.

On the Highveld, the minimum radius for curves was set at 200 meters or 650 feet, and in the mountain areas, it was set at 150 meters or 490 feet.

Alternative route surveyed: NZASM’s Chief Engineer W Verwey was not convinced that Machado had chosen the most practical route in the Lowveld, initiating further surveys during 1888-89, which provided alternatives that deviated substantially from Machado's surveys.

1. Whereas Machado's proposed route from Hectorspruit to Nelspruit took the line further north to circumvent Krodilpoort by following the valley of the Mohlumbunguana (Mlambeni) and across Krugersnek to Nelspruit. Verwey's alternative through Kokodilpoort was not only 16 miles shorter but allowed a uniform 1-in-50 grade to be adopted instead of 1-in-30. It also avoided building several tunnels totalling 10 000 feet and did not require two crossings of the Crocodile River.

2. From Nelspruit, Machado’s proposed route took the railway along the north bank of the Crocodile River and then into the valley of a tributary, the Sterk Spruit, for the ascent of the escarpment via Schoemanskloof.  Verwey’s revised route from Nelspruit continued following the south bank of the Crocodile River for about 12 miles. Then, it diverted into the valley of the Eland Spruit (now Elands River). The short but steep ascent of the escarpment presented the only major engineering challenge.

Once the Highveld was reached, two routes were assessed: a more southerly one running along the watershed to Springs, while the other included Middelburg and passed close to the coalfields on a more direct route to Pretoria. The detailed survey for the latter was completed by 1 November 1889.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE OOSTERLIJN / EASTERN LINE TO THE PEA / ZAR BORDER

Although the customary 'cutting of the first turf' ceremony was performed at Lourenço Marques on 2 June 1886, work on the railway did not start until April 1887, when Thomas Tancred was appointed chief construction engineer. A month earlier (March 1887), McMurdo, who had difficulty raising funds to build his part of the railway, used his concession to underwrite the 'Delagoa Bay and East African Railway Company' floated in London with a capital of £750 000. By 2 June, the track infrastructure was sufficiently advanced to allow the first locomotive* 'Don Luíz Filipe', named after the Prince Royal of Portugal, to be paraded before a large crowd in Lourenço Marques.

 * This 4-4-0T was one of five built by Nasmyth, Wilson & Co., Patricroft, Manchester, in 1887 for the New Zealand Midland Railway. The NZMR seemed in no hurry to receive its locomotives, unlike the new Delagoa Bay and East African Railway, which needed motive power in a hurry. So, two locomotives were diverted to Delagoa Bay, becoming the railway's No.1 'Don Luíz Filipe' and No.2 was named 'Paul Kruger'. (Quoted from 'The Kruger Locomotives', article by AE Durrant, SA RAIL, Vo.37, No.2, April/June 1997)

Construction from Lourenço Marques across the flat terrain was reasonably straightforward, with no significant engineering features. When the railhead reached the point believed to demarcate the border between the Portuguese territory and the ZAR on 14 December 1887, Tancred arranged for an inaugural train to convey dignitaries and guests to the terminus to attend a picnic banquet. But not all went to plan: the train following behind was hijacked by the Irish navvies further down the line, who consumed all the food and drank the liquid refreshments intended for the official celebration! As it turned out, the celebrations were somewhat premature when it was discovered that an error in the survey* had the rails stopping some 6 miles (9,6 km) short of the actual border. Subsequently, no further work was done on the railway line after Tancred's contract expired on 25 December 1887.

* In early 1883, the Portuguese Government commissioned Senhor Joaquim José Machado, a Portuguese Army Corps of Engineers major, to survey the railway connection from Lourenço Marques to Komatipoort. He later discovered he had miscalculated the distance and duly notified the Portuguese Government in early 1885, after he had completed the survey to Pretoria, that the revised length of the Lourenço Marques-Komatipoort section of the railway, instead of 81,970 km (51 miles) long, should be almost 10 km (6 miles) longer. It appears that the railway concessionaire who was awarded the contract, American financier Edward McMurdo, was not informed about the distance discrepancy, although 90 km was mentioned as the length of the Lourenço Marques-Komatipoort section in the prospectus issued in 1886.

BORDER DEMARCATION

The Transvaal surveyor-general G R von Wielligh describes in his report the sequence of events that settled the demarcation of the border. On 12 August 1887, the Transvaal Executive Council appointed a commission headed by the surveyor-general to send two representatives, J. Abel Erasmus and Pieter de Villiers, to Komatipoort to erect border beacons with Major Machado. Flooded rivers delayed the arrival of the Transvaal delegates, and at their first meeting, Major Machado declared that he had already carried out the survey work and could now present his impartial results to the Transvaal Commission. The document was written in French, and Von Wielligh refused to sign it because his knowledge of French was limited. Major Machado's knowledge of English was insufficient to translate the document's contents into English.

Furthermore, Von Wielligh first wanted to see the poort (gorge) and visit the location of  Machado's beacon. Major Machado declared his beacon was erected in the middle of the poort, but Von Wielligh disagreed and suggested the major's beacon be placed "one kilometre lower down in the poort to be in the middle of Komatie Poort". It was resolved that if the distance between Von Wielligh's suggested position and Major Machado's beacon were halved and accepted as the correct location, the so-called Von Wielligh beacon was erected 600 'paces'* outside the poort or 1 200 (paces) from Machado's beacon in Portuguese territory. After an exchange of letters between the two governments on the issue, an agreement was reached on 24 October 1887  to recognize Von Wielligh's beacon. In October 1888, the Portuguese Government determined that the end point of the railway's third section was at km 88,300.

*Translation of the term 'treë' used in J Ploeger's article 'Die afbakening van die grens tussen die ZAR en Mosambiek by Komatiepoort [sic] (1887)'.

(THL reference 142-0015-04)

THE MISSING LINK TO THE PEA / ZAR BORDER

In a rush to beat the deadline set by the Portuguese Government for completing the line, the contractor resorted to shoddy workmanship and using sub-standard rails. These factors contributed to the line's infrastructure failing to withstand the heavy seasonal rain undermining the formation. Consequently, by the end of 1888, the line had fallen into a state of disrepair, while the issue of who was financially responsible for building the missing link to the border still had not been resolved*. The Portuguese Government took the initiative to set 24 June 1889 as the completion date, and the penalty for failing to comply would result in the withdrawal of McMurdo's concession. With the deadline just seven weeks away came the news on 8 May that Edward McMurdo had died. The Portuguese Government gave McMurdo's company two days' grace after the deadline had passed before confiscating the unfinished railway. This turn of events placed the ownership of the railway firmly in control of the Portuguese Government, and work could finally be resumed, much to the delight of the ZAR Government.

* It took 12 years to resolve the issue of who was financially responsible for building the missing link to the border. Arbitrators appointed in Bern, Switzerland, settled the dispute by vesting the railway's ownership with the Portuguese Government and entitling the shareholders of McMurdo's 'Delagoa Bay and East African Railway Company' to almost £1 million in compensation.

While waiting for the missing portion of the line to be completed on the Portuguese side of the border, work on the Eastern Line in the ZAR started on 1 November 1889, preparing a short piece of track bed from the ZAR/Portuguese East Africa boundary to the Komati River bridge and building the bridge abutments.

THE 'RAND TRAM'

In the interim, attention had shifted to the Witwatersrand, where the rapidly developing mining industry desperately needed efficient transport. A railway seemed the obvious solution, and the NZASM was quick off the mark to enter into negotiations with the ZAR government. On 20 July 1888, the NZASM was awarded the contract to build a steam tramway, the 'Rand Tram', from Braamfontein to Boksburg, followed by the extensions from Braamfontein to Krugersdorp, from Boksburg to Springs and from Krugersdorp to Roodepoort. The 49-mile (79 km) long 'Rand Tram' was opened from Roodepoort to Springs on 10 February 1891. In addition to the 'Rand Tram', the NZASM was awarded the contracts to build 405 miles (652 km) of railways within the ZAR over four years: the Portuguese East Africa border to Pretoria, the Vaal River bridge to Pretoria and the branch from Kaapmuiden to Barberton. The scale of the undertaking was matched with the equally challenging task of raising almost £4 million on the European money market to fund the company's commitments. Despite the depressed state Europe's money market was in at the time, a loan of only £2 million was secured from Rothschild Bank in London, which was not nearly enough to meet the NZASM's short-term financial needs. With resources strained to the utmost in December 1891, NZASM's Chief Engineer W Verwey had to cast aside his company's deep-seated antagonism towards the Cape Colonial Government and arrange a loan to tide over the company. Enter Cecil John Rhodes, the Cape premier, who negotiated a deal in December 1891 whereby a loan was made available to the NZASM to complete the railway from the Vaal River to Elandsfontein (later Germiston). With all kinds of conditions attached, including giving the CGR access to the line and demanding that half of the traffic from the coast to the Rand pass through the Cape ports. The loan provided the company with sufficient funds in the short term to meet its most pressing needs while allowing more time to raise a substantial loan in Europe to complete the Eastern Line.

Meanwhile, the Cape Colonial Government pursued its expansionist tactics to ensure it captured the lion's share of traffic destined for the 'Rand' by coming to an arrangement in 1889 with the Government of the Orange Free State to finance, build, equip and operate the territory's railways. The Cape Government Railways (CGR) extended their Midland System line from a junction near Colesberg to Norval's Pont, on the south bank of the Orange River, and then on to Bloemfontein by December 1890. Construction was pushed forward with such vigour that the south bank of the Vaal River was reached eighteen months later.

On 21 May 1892, the rails were extended across a temporary bridge over the Vaal River and joined to NZASM's line to connect it to the 'Rand Tram' at Elandsfontein (later Germiston), which opened to traffic on 15 September 1892. The extension from Elandsfontein to Pretoria was taken into service on 1 January 1893 and, together with the section from the Vaal River bridge to Elandsfontein, was operated by the CGR until the completion of the Eastern Line. And so, the CGR succeeded in reaching the Witwatersrand goldfields first. At this juncture, it would still take almost two years before the Eastern Line was opened from Lourenço Marques to Pretoria.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE OOSTERLIJN / EASTERN LINE FROM KOMATIPOORT TO PRETORIA

Construction of the Eastern Line finally started in earnest after the Portuguese builders had brought the railhead up to the ZAR border in February 1890. A substantial bridge was required to cross the Komati River, comprising seven 30-metre spans supported by six piers in the riverbed bed and two abutments. The contract for constructing the bridge was awarded to the Dutch engineering firm J C van Huttum & Kie, renowned for undertaking several large civil engineering projects in other foreign countries.  Masonry blocks for the piers were obtained in Belgium and shipped to Delagoa Bay. By mid-November 1890, the abutments and piers had been completed so that the erection of the iron superstructure could begin.

Meanwhile, a temporary bypass timber bridge was built, allowing construction trains carrying building materials to proceed while the permanent bridge was erected. The first locomotive crossed the completed bridge over the Komati River on 14 May 1891, and the railway opened from the border to Komatipoort on 1 July (3 miles).

J C van Huttum also won the contract to build the first 60-mile section of the railway line, and after the contract was signed, the company engaged many subcontractors to construct the formation. By 10 March 1892, the line was in use to Kaapmuiden. From this point, an alternative route was investigated to divert the line along the Kaap River valley to Barberton to provide rail access to the Kaap goldfields. This route was quickly ruled out because of the ascent of the mountains to the west, which would have entailed heavy and expensive engineering work. The preferred way lay through the narrow gorge of the Crocodile River, known as Krokodilpoort, requiring significant earthworks over a distance of sixteen miles, where the steep mountain slopes descended almost vertically to the river bed, which was covered with thick scrub and thorn trees. When J C van Huttum backed out of the task, horrified by the terrain that lay ahead, W Verwey, NZASM’s chief engineer, immediately had to look for another contractor to take on Krokodilpoort.

The contract for this challenging section was awarded to George Pauling*, a civil engineering contractor of international repute who vividly describes in his book 'The Chronicles of a Contractor' the appalling conditions he faced while carrying out the work: "These consisted notable of fever amongst the men, which we had been led to expect of the tsetse fly, which prevented ox-wagon transport, and of lions which found frequent and apparently satisfying meals among the donkeys. It was excruciatingly hot in the Crocodile Poort, and all my work had to be carried out by foot…".

* George Craig Sanders Pauling (1854-1919), a British-born civil engineer, came to South Africa aged 20 and, in 1877, founded the firm Pauling & Co., backed by the d’Erlanger banking house. In addition to building railways in Southern and Central Africa, his company expanded its civil engineering activities globally to Greece, Syria, South America, Great Britain, India and China.

The malaria-infested region claimed the lives of hundreds of men constructing the railway - that there was a body for every sleeper laid might well be a gross exaggeration of the toll*. While fever claimed many casualties, the heat, attacks from wild animals and dangerous reptiles also added to the death toll. The section from Kaapmuiden to Nelspruit was opened on 20 June 1892. Nelspruit remained the railhead for almost 12 months because the NZASM's financial resources had been severely depleted.

*In the 12 months during the construction of the line through Krokodilpoort, 127 deaths were recorded. On average, 135 men in every 1000 died of malaria.

On 1 June 1893, the line was handed over to traffic from Nelspruit as far as Alkmaar and then opened in short stages until Waterval Onder was reached on 20 January 1894. To overcome a climb of 682 feet (208 metres) over a rail distance of only 4½ miles (7,2 km) to Waterval Boven required an 11 096 feet (3 382-metres) long Riggenbach ladder-type rack system on a gradient of 1 in 20. Embodied in the alignment was a curved tunnel, 233 yards (213 metres) long, blasted through the Elands River Mountain, the only tunnel on the Eastern Line. Work on the tunnel started on 18 October 1892 and was holed through on 9 September 1893. The rack-assisted section from Waterval Onder to Waterval Boven was taken into service on 20 June 1894. This rack-equipped section was cumbersome to operate from the outset and soon led to congestion as traffic increased. However, construction proceeded without further engineering difficulties over the Highveld plateau, reaching its highest point near Belfast station, 6 279 feet (1 914 metres) above sea level.

Another substantial bridge was built across the Olifants River at Kilometre Post 342. It comprised three 30-metre spans supported by masonry piers and abutments.

During the intervening period, the line was also being extended from Pretoria to meet the railway coming from the east. The rails of the eastern and western sections were joined at Balmoral, some 90km east of Pretoria, on 20 October 1894, and at a ceremony performed at Brugspruit on 2 November, the last bolt was put in place by President Kruger. An introductory service, comprising three passenger trains a week, was inaugurated on 18 November, followed by the full service beginning on 1 January 1895. The formal opening was a lavish affair conducted in Pretoria on 8 July 1895.

Initially, there were 24 stations and three halts between Pretoria and the Portuguese East Africa border. Of these, only Pretoria and Komatipoort were the main stations fully equipped with all the facilities. The names of the stations were taken from rivers or gorges, as in the case of Komatipoort, Kaapmuiden (mouth of the Kaap), Krokodilpoort, Nelspruit, Elandshoek, Godwan River, Groot-Olifantsrivier, Bronkhorstspruit and Elandsrivier; while others the names of farms such as Alkmaar, Nooitgedacht, Dalmanutha, Belfast and Balmoral. Hectorspruit was named after the faithful dog of one of the engineers. Waterval Onder (initially Waterval Beneden) and Waterval Boven referred to the waterfall in the Elands River Valley and Machadodorp, after Major J J Machado, the Portuguese surveyor who set out much of the route the railway ultimately followed. Tenbosch was named after the Dutch Royal Palace Het Huis Ten Bosch. Alkmaar was named after a small town in Holland.

STATIONS AND HALTS

Portuguese East Africa

Lourenço Marques (10 m/ 0km

Motalla (45 m/26,4 km)

Moamba (127 m/56 km)

Incomati (116 m/77,5 km)

Movene (- m/81 km)

Ressano Garcia (135 m/90 km)

South African Republic (Transvaal)

Border (168 m/0 km)

Komatipoort (188 m/4,362 km)

Tenbosch Halt (365 m/14,016 km)

Oorsprong Halt (339 m/23,500 km)

Hectorspruit (317 m/34,200 km)

Doornheuvel Halt (338 m/47 km)

Malelane (364 m/54,150 km)

Kaapmuiden (410 m/73,650)

Krokodilpoort (555 m/92,975 km)

Nelspruit (714 m/116,175 km)

Alkmaar (754 m/134,550 km)

Elandshoek (889 m/157,675 km)

Godwanrivier (980 m/172,175)

Nooitgedacht (1101 m/186,730 km)

Waterval Onder (1265 m/202,400 km)

Rack section 3382 m long, tunnel 211 m (207,800 km)

Waterval Boven (1474 m/210 km)

Machadodorp (1621 m/222,476 km)

Dalmanutha (1822 m/238,300 km)

Belfast (1967 m/253,380 km)

Wonderfontein (1845 m/274,250 km)

Pan (1688 m/299,150 km)

Middelburg (1518 m/320,157 km

Groot-Olifantsrivier (1486 m/343,650 km)

Brugspruit (1584 m/365,100 km)

Balmoral (1500 m/382,825 km)

Bronkhorstspruit (1428 m/408,300 km)

Elandsrivier (1586 m/426,475 km)

Eerste Fabrieken (1369 m/451,750 km)

Pretoria (1404 m/472,500 km)

(NZASM Gedenkboek: 'Opening van den Delagoabaai Spoorweg 1895')

WAR AND DESTRUCTION

Although the Eastern Line fulfilled its prime objective of providing the ZAR with an independent rail link to a seaport free from British control, this situation was short-lived. After being in operation for only five years, the British seized control of the railway within a year following the start of the Second South African War (Second Anglo-Boer War) in 1899. However, the ZAR did not give up the Eastern Line without a fight – Boer combatants launched a campaign of sabotaging trains and systematically damaging embankments, blowing up bridges and culverts to stem the advance of the British forces. On the section from Waterval Boven to Kaapmuiden, the 'Rack Tunnel' was spared destruction; however, the five-arch bridge over the Dwaalheuwelspruit suffered damage, and one of the spans over the Kaap River was brought down. The irony of the situation was that the cherished railway, which had taken such a prolonged effort to finance and build, was rendered inoperative within weeks.

When the British forces under the command of Lord Roberts advanced on 29 May 1900 on Pretoria, the capital of the South African Republic (ZAR), the country's government and its ageing President, Paul Kruger, were evacuated by rail to Machadodorp. The climate of Machadodorp affected the health of the President, so a month later, on 30 June, he went to live in a house called 'Krugerhof' at Waterval Onder (See Photo 89 in Part 4). After the battle of Dalmanutha, Kruger had to leave Waterval Onder on 28 August and move to Nelspruit, where he resided in a railway coach. Shortly after, the President travelled to Lourenço Marques, where he boarded the Dutch warship 'Gelderland' and left for the Netherlands on 20 October. He died in self-imposed exile on 14 July 1904 in Clarens, Switzerland. His body was repatriated and laid to rest next to his beloved wife, Gezina, in Pretoria in December 1904.

1901 Railway Map of Southern Africa (from the CGR General Manager's Annual Report)

THE END OF AN ERA: THE NZASM LIQUIDATED

On 11 September 1900, all 715 miles (1 150km) of the railways operated by NZASM came under the control of the Imperial Military Railways (IMR), and on 1 July 1902, they came under the Central South African Railways (CSAR) administration. Although the war spelt the end of the railway operations for the Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij in the ZAR, it was not until 18 July 1908 when, after many years of negotiations between the British and Netherlands Governments that an agreement was reached that brought about the end of the NZASM. Dissolution followed on 13 October 1908; on 3 April 1909, the final liquidation account was presented to the shareholders' general meeting. 

8. This NZASM 46-Tonner 0-6-4T, according to the 'Industrial Locomotives of South Africa – 1991' (John Middleton & Huw Williams), displayed at Pretoria station on platform 4 was restored as NZASM No.242* after being in service at Consolidated Main Reef Mines & Estate Ltd as No.3. Originally the locomotive was SAR Class B No.47 (ex-NZASM No.236). The locomotive was donated to the SAR on 17 November 1965 by Consolidated Main Reef Mines & Estate Ltd.

*Restored as 'No.242', but the correct number is believed to be NZASM No.236 (SAR Class B No.47).

Parked behind the loco is the personal coach of Mr G A A Middelberg, who was the director of the Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NZASM, but also abbreviated to ZASM – the Netherlands South African Railway Company) from 1890 to 1899.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

(late) Jim Barrow

In 1893, the NZASM introduced the well-known "46 Tonners" (later SAR Class B), described by Espitalier & Day on page 845 of the November 1944 issue of SAR & H Magazine. The final order for such engines was in the process of delivery when the IMR came into being in 1900.

These engines were not amongst the most successful in South Africa, but seeming to exude an indefinable aura of romance, they hold a peculiar fascination for many enthusiasts.

A few 46 Tonners still exist; the one that engages our attention numbered 242, was placed in 1967 on static display at Pretoria station. There appears to be some difference of opinion on its true identity.

The book 'NZASM 100' (de Jong, van der Waal & Heydenrych) claims on page 246 that it is No.203, which is erroneous. Another mistaken theory is that the engine is the original No.236.

On 31 December 1987, however, the question of identity was referred to the Chief Mechanical Engineer, who replied on 12 April 1988:

"Inspection of locomotive No.242 on Pretoria station revealed that several components on this locomotive are stamped number 33, which was the CSAR number of locomotive No.242."

Also of interest in this connection is the article WERKSPOOR NV & SOUTH AFRICA, by M S Kort, which appeared in SA RAIL, November/December 1990, Vol.30, No.6, page 220, supporting the number 242.

The same article sheds some light on another problem, the fate of engines 249-255, which do not figure in any known South African records. It is stated that they ended their days in Lourenço Marques. In the absence of any information to the contrary, it seems that they may, in fact, have been diverted new to CFLM. Interestingly, CFLM imported four engines to this design directly from the builders as late as 1903. 

(SA RAIL, Vol.32, No.2, March/April 1992, p.51)

THOSE TANTALIZING 46-TONNERS

(late) Jim Barrow

Some enthusiasts have found the ZASM 46-tonners an intriguing batch of locos. Between 1893 and 1899, the ZASM Administration placed 177 of these engines in service, running numbers 61-237.

When the British Forces took control of the ZASM, 18 engines of this class were still on order from Werkspoor, of which 11 were delivered to the Imperial Military Railways (IMR) and later passed into the possession of the Central South African Railways (CSAR), The numbers 238-248 were already allocated to these engines; in IMR service they became 27-37 in the reverse sequence. The CSAR retained these numbers. The remaining engines, which were to have been numbered ZASM 249-255, were diverted to Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique Lourenço Marques division (CFLM), where A E 'Dusty' Durrant has deduced they became Nos.36-42.

Dusty and I are both delving into the history of the 196 engines of this class associated with the ZASM – he from the angle of engines that eventually went to CFLM (either second-hand or new), and I, from the angle of the SAR register. Neither of us yet has a clear picture, but we believe we are "getting there". What does seem evident at present is that the CFLM eventually came into possession of 40 of these engines as follows:

19 ex-ZASM/CSAR/SAR (SAR class B); 17 diverted from IMR, and 4 supplied direct contract from Esslingen.

(Quoted from SA Rail, Vol.34, No.4, July/August 1994, page 123)

FROM NZASM TO IMR, CSAR AND SAR

Les Pivnic

Continuing from the Republican days, the Imperial Military Railways (IMR) assumed control of the railways in the Transvaal and Orange Free State from 1900 as a result of the British Forces occupying Pretoria at that time. The IMR continued to use the NZASM and Pretoria Pietersburg Railway (PPR) equipment but also brought in locomotives from the Cape Government Railways (CGR) to assist in moving traffic. However, the IMR control only lasted for two years – in 1902, they handed over control to the Central South African Railways (CSAR) – a civil Administration that would, in technology, revolutionize railway development in the Transvaal and Orange Free State. 

In my opinion, the European suppliers of railway equipment to the old Transvaal Republic, unfortunately, misread the requirements of a railway that would cover a distance of no less than 291 miles from Pretoria to Komatipoort at the border with Mozambique. Apart from various smaller tank locomotives, they supplied the NZASM with 46-ton 0-6-4 tank engines to work a main line! 

It is in the design of motive power that the CSAR excelled beyond belief! Within two years of taking control, they introduced 4-6-2 Pacific's with 5ft-2in drivers - weighing over 122 tons (class 10) and 2-8-2 goods engines (class 11) weighing over 128 tons in working order. They didn't stop there – passenger coaches with Gould knuckle couplers and closed vestibules with concertina connections were introduced. These were of two major types – corridor saloons, which included dining and parlour cars (with panoramic windows) for the express service between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and similar coaches for long-distance services to Cape Town. All this modern equipment placed the CSAR ahead of either the Cape Government or Natal Government Railways regarding technical advancement. 

EAST OF PRETORIA TO BELFAST

We start our coverage from Pretoria Station and follow the Eastern Line through the suburban stations to Koedoespoort. From there, we head east to Pienaarspoort, Panpoort, Rayton, Bronkhorstspruit and Witbank.

CLASSES 15CA/CB

CLASSES 15CA/CB

Their extremely crisp bark could be heard along the Eastern Line working out of the depots at Capital Park Pretoria, Witbank and Waterval Boven.

The following information was extracted from the SOUTH AFRICAN RAILWAYS AND HARBOURS MAGAZINE, MAY 1946, pp. 373-375:

On 15 December 1924, the Administration placed an order with the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, U.S.A., for four experimental locomotives - two 15th Class ‘Mountain’ and two 16th Class ‘Pacific’ types. As far as was consistent with SAR requirements, these locomotives embodied the latest American practice observed by Mr G E Titren (then Motive Power Superintendent) whilst on an official tour of investigation in America in 1924. They were specially designed for the long runs of the Union Limited and Union Express trains between Cape Town and Johannesburg. These engines introduced many features new to South Africa, such as self-cleaning smoke boxes, top boiler feed, Sellar's drifting valves and grease lubrication. This method of lubrication was applied to the coupled wheel axle boxes and crank pins, including connecting rod big ends. Some other important features were flexible side stays in the firebox and arch water tubes to support the brick arch end and improve circulation. The tenders were arranged with a self-trimming type of coal bunker.

The first two Class 15CB locomotives had a wheel arrangement of 4-8-2 and were numbered 2060 and 2061. They represented a considerable advance in power over Classes 15, 15A and 15B. They had 5-inch wide bar frames and large high-pitched boilers with a 6ft 2¼in barrel diameter. The total heating surface was 2 780 sq ft.  The superheater area was 676 sq ft, and the grate area was 48 sq ft. There were 143 tubes, 2½in diameter, and 30 flue tubes, 5½in diameter. The distance between the tubeplates was 20ft 0½in, and the steam pressure was 200lb per sq in. To reduce the length between tubeplates, a combustion chamber, 2ft 3in long, was provided. The boiler centre line was 8ft 6in from rail level and was the highest then employed on any South African locomotive. Three Coale-type safety valves and the Schmidt-type superheater were fitted. The cylinders were 23in by 28-inch stroke. The 12-inch piston valves were actuated by Walschaert gear, with a maximum valve travel of 5½in. The coupled wheel diameter was 4ft 9in. The coupled wheels have since been increased to 5ft diameter, the fixed wheelbase was 15ft 9in, and the maximum coupled wheel axle load was 17 tons 13 cwt. The tractive effort at 75 per cent boiler pressure was 38 980lb.

A further order was placed with the Baldwin Locomotive Company for ten Class I5CB locomotives, which were put into service in 1926. They were numbered 2062-2071 and were fitted originally with copper fireboxes, but several are now equipped with steel fireboxes in accordance with present SAR practice.  Locomotives, Classes  15CB and 16D, were fine-looking engines and have given good service, this being particularly true of Class 15CB and its later development, Class 15CA, both of which have always been justifiably popular with traffic, running and engineering staff.

Following the success of Class 15CB, it was decided to order a number of similar locomotives. These engines were designated Class 15CA. The second order, Nos.2840-2857, built by the North British Locomotive Company (NBL), was fitted with 24-inch diameter cylinders by the makers. They were designed for heavy goods traffic and were first placed in service in 1926. The American Locomotive Company (ALCO) built engines Nos.2039-2059 and  2072-2073, the North British Locomotive Company (NBL), Nos.2811-2839 and 2840-2857, the Società Italiana Ernesto Breda (Italy), Nos.2801-2810, and the Baldwin Locomotive Company, Nos.2074-2077. In all, eighty-four Class 15CA engines are in service in the Orange Free State and Transvaal.

Improvements in detail have been made from time to time, and various modifications have resulted in improved engine performance. The cylinder diameter was increased from 23in to 24in, the coupled wheel diameter from 4ft 9in to 5ft 0in. and the boiler pressure from 200 to 210lb per sq. in. The maximum weight of series Nos. 2840-2857 is 106 tons 6 cwt. The tractive effort at 75 per cent boiler pressure is 42 340 lb.  The ‘KT’ type tender attached to these engines has a coal capacity of 14 tons and holds  6 000 gallons of water. The total weight of the tender in full working order is 69 tons 8 cwt.

As Class 15CA and 15CB require new boilers, they are fitted with a new type designed by Dr M M Loubser, Chief Mechanical Engineer. The total heating surface of the new boiler is 3 152 sq ft, and the grate area is 48·3 sq ft. There are 117 tubes, 2¼in diameter, and 34 flue tubes, 5½in diameter. The boiler pressure is 210lb per sq in.

The class 15CA locomotive allocation Eastern Transvaal System depots on 31 October 1983:

Capital Park (Pretoria)

Nos.2827; 2829; 2833; 2841; 2845; 2849; 2850; 2854 and 2857.

Witbank:

Nos.2053; 2056*; 2057; 2058; 2059; 2072; 2077; 2801; 2802; 2803; 2804; 2808; 2809; 2810; 2811; 2812; 2813; 2814 and 2817.

*No.2056 ‘Julie’ (Julie van Rensburg)

CLASS 21 

Name changes of the SAR & H and the ‘LM Mail’ passenger service

In October 1981, after seventy years under the banner of South African Railways and Harbours, the name was changed to South African Transport Services (SATS). Under SATS, the international passenger train 'Komati', Train 78303, conveyed 1st, 2nd and 3rd Class between Johannesburg, Pretoria, Komatipoort and Maputo. The return service operated as Train 87300. (Note: in Moçambique, between Ressano Garcia and Maputo, or vice versa, only 1st and 2nd Class passengers were conveyed.)

The 3 November 1986 to 3 May 1987 Intercity Timetable shows two services, Train 78091 (daily, all classes) from Johannesburg via Pretoria, terminating at Komatipoort and Train 88001 Fr/Sa from Pretoria to Komatipoort. The return services are daily Train 87092, all classes, Komatipoort to Johannesburg and Mo/So Train 88002, all classes, Komatipoort to Pretoria. Following the withdrawal on 2 November 1987 of 24 intercity and 52 regional passenger services, only seven regular intercity services were left operating, which included the 'Komati'. This service continued working daily, all classes, as Train 78091 from Johannesburg to Komatipoort and returned daily as Train 87092 from Komatipoort to Johannesburg.

After the incorporation on 1 April 1990 of South African Transport Services as a company, Transnet Limited (the state as the sole shareholder), the railways division was named 'Spoornet'. Under Spoornet, intercity passenger train services were branded InterPax, and some coaches sported a blue and grey/white livery, and the various named trains had their identities stencilled on the sides of each coach. The traditional First, Second and Third classes became SuperPax, LuxPax and EconPax. In 1994, Spoornet's passenger train services were revamped again under the banner 'Main Line Passenger Services' (MLPS). A new orange, blue and white livery for intercity passenger stock was introduced. The 'Komati' Johannesburg – Pretoria – Komatipoort – Maputo and return service was back in the timetable. However, the 1998 'Komati' schedule as Train 78091, with 1st, 2nd and economy classes and a full dining car service, departing daily at 5:45 pm from Johannesburg but terminated at Komatipoort. The return service from Komatipoort to Johannesburg was Train 87092.

In 2001, the tradition of named trains was dropped and replaced with 13 'Shosholoza Meyl' main line passenger services, sporting a new colour scheme of yellow, turquoise and purple. Shosholoza Meyl trains were separated into two classes, 'Tourist' offering 4 and 6-berth sleeper coaches and 'Economy' offering only sitting accommodation. In addition, the former 3rd class-only trains were operated as a public obligation service. 

The timetable issued in July 2006 advertised only sitter accommodation on the daily, except Saturdays, Johannesburg-Komatipoort and return service. 

In 2009, the 'Shosholoza Meyl' main line passenger service became a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA)*. A PRASA press statement in November 2014 announced the discontinuation Johannesburg-Komatipoort service, motivated by financial losses. Four months later, Prasa announced reintroducing its most recently withdrawn train services…… From here on in, keeping track of the on-again and off-again reinstatement of the scheduled passenger train services on the Eastern Line becomes difficult.

* 20 March 2009 marked the launch of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA). The agency took over the running of all passenger train services. A new logo and ‘Prasa Blue’ livery were introduced to the coaching stock and motive power.

At the time of compiling this segment of SoAR (December 2023), there appears to be a revival of PRASA long-distance passenger services - Johannesburg to Musina, Johannesburg to Khomani (Queenstown), Johannesburg to Durban and Johannesburg to Cape Town but no mention of the service to Komatipoort being resumed.

PRETORIA - KOEDOESPOORT RECONSTRUCTION

Major civil engineering works involving lowering the line between Mears Street and Richard Street to eliminate all street-level crossings were carried out between 1946 and 1951. The new lowered section on the Pretoria-Rissik Street section, including Lynnwood Road and Walker Street subways and the new halt at Colleges (later Loftus Versveld Park), was in use by January 1949, and the whole project was completed in 1951. Some stations/halts were resited in the process, while others, such as Main Street, Celliers Street, Bourke Street and Richard Street, were removed, and Duncan Street was replaced with Hartbeesspruit. The duplicated track from Pretoria to Koedoespoort was opened on 26 November 1956, and electric traction was introduced as far as Eerste Fabrieke in 1958.

Further major civil engineering work was undertaken with the building of the Johannesburg (Park Station)-Pretoria Gautrain Rapid Rail Project, which saw the 1435 mm gauge track laid parallel to the Metrorail formation between Pretoria Station to a new Gautrain-dedicated station at Hatfield. The Gautrain service between Marlboro and Hatfield was opened on 2 August 2011.

PRETORIA TO KOEDOESPOORT – THE LAST FIVE YEARS

Chris Janish

When our family came to Pretoria in 1980, we moved into a house only 150 metres from the Pretoria-Witbank line, near Rissik Station. I was at Pretoria Boys High then, very near the tracks, and I was able to monitor the workings on this line very consistently. The last five years of steam operation on this line were very special to me, and it is only fitting that this history be exposed and preserved.

Starting at Pretoria, the line climbs out of the station on a curve to the left before entering a cutting, which runs through the city until just after Walker Street. Here, the line runs above ground level to Loftus Versfeld Park Station, where it enters another cutting before coming to Rissik. This is quite a large station, having a side loop and a full Station Master's office. From here, the line ambles down to Hartebeesspruit and meanders through a valley before entering Koedoespoort, the junction for the line from Capital Park. In 1980, the Pretoria-Koedoespoort line had heavy timber sleepers, with a few small sections of the line at the Koedoespoort end laid with concrete sleepers. Most of the traffic on this line is suburban passengers, with a couple of mainline passengers to Komatipoort and some goods trains. The steam operation included the Cullinan passenger, ballast, pick-up goods trains, light engine running, and a few appearances by the 'Red Devil' No.3450, which was undergoing testing in Pretoria.

The Cullinan train workings are summarized as follows:

Tuesdays: Pretoria: Arr: 07h35 — Dep: 14h05

Saturdays: Pretoria: Arr: 07h35 — Dep: 13h05

Sundays: Pretoria Arr: 16h05 — Dep: 20h30

Tuesdays: Cullinan: Dep: 06h15 — Arr: 15h30

Saturdays: Dep: 06h15 — Arr: 14h30

Sundays: Dep: 14h45 — Arr: 21h50

The Class 15CAs were the mainstay of this service. Most often used on the morning trains were No's. 2821, 2837, 2852 or 2857, although other CAs were occasionally used. The Saturday afternoon train was usually reserved for the immaculate No.2850, always sparkling and with driver Syfert usually at the regulator. The 15CAs put on a good show on this line and were often driven hard to maintain the schedule on the train, which consisted initially of 6 coaches but later increased to 8. It was magical to stand near Loftus Station on a Saturday morning and hear the crisp opening bark of the engine leaving Rissik Station, storming around the curve and blasting through the cutting before the driver cut off for the drift into Loftus. The exhaust beats of the CA's were so loud that several nearby residents complained about being rudely awakened at twenty-past seven on Saturday mornings!

In 1981, several GMA Garratts were overhauled at Capital Park for operation on the Vryburg-Mafikeng line and were used around Pretoria for a while. Capital Park was actually a very interesting shed in 1981, with over 70 locos, including 35 15CAs and about 7 or 8 Garratts for a short while. In April 1981, Garratts took over the operation of the morning trains to Cullinan on Tuesdays and Saturdays and the Sunday night train, lasting about a month. Often seen were No's 4055, 4064 (with two water tanks), 4065, 4111 and 4117. It was fascinating watching them working a suburban train, their double-chuff starting sound an added attraction. But they were soon on their way to Vryburg, and the last Garratt working of the train was on Saturday, 1 August 1981, when it was specially arranged for 4117 to work the afternoon train. She ran front tank forwards on this run, the first time one had seen this on the Cullinan train. After this, No.2850 returned to the Saturday train until the next surprise in October 1981, when blue 19D No.2749 took over the working (presumably for photographs at Cullinan during the Jacaranda season). From December, No.2850 was back, working the Saturday return trip almost every week. This, unfortunately, led to a slight boredom on my part; maybe I was too spoilt by the variety of 1981! I began to watch the train less and less and did not even witness the final Saturday run in September 1982, but I remember hearing it come past and thinking that this was the end of the train. Its withdrawal left a big gap in the line; it was also the beginning of the end for steam on the Pretoria-Koedoespoort line. The Cullinan train was, however, not the only steam-hauled passenger train on this line since 1980. In March 1981, the 'Red Devil' came to Pretoria for testing and worked the daily return Pretoria- Komatipoort passenger between Pretoria and Witbank on several occasions. These were on 9 and 10 October 1981 and twice during November. The train leaves Pretoria at 08h40 and returns at 18h00. Watching this engine work was fascinating, and I was sorry to see it go, but a few months into 1983, she was back and tested extensively on passenger trains. She worked an empty passenger consist between Pretoria and Witbank on most weekdays for one month. After the testing, she worked the Komatipoort train and its return on a Saturday in July 1983 as a farewell before returning to Kimberley.

Moving to other workings, steam trains were prevalent on the line. Ballast working was most frequent; on many weekends between 09h00 and 11h00, a 15F would run from Koedoespoort ballast sidings with a load of 6 to 10 ballast trucks to Pretoria Station, from where it was used in various locations in the area. Material trains also occasionally ran, usually coming past about midday and most often 15F-hauled. These workings were variable; in 1983, a 15CA brought empty DZs into Rissik each day for a whole week and stood there while labourers shovelled soil into the wagons.

Before 1984, most odd jobs were steam, and occasionally, there was a steam train at ten o'clock at night. Once, the Pretoria-Capital Park line was blocked due to a derailment, and about 10 steam locos were diverted to the Pretoria-Koedoespoort-Capital Park line over a period of 12 hours. But by mid-1983, after the 'Red Devil' had left, steam trains became rare, sometimes a week passing between steam workings on the line. Surprisingly, in 1984, steam workings picked up to about 2 or 3 a week, sometimes even six a week. Apart from a few light 19D movements, they were nearly all 15F-hauled ballasts and pick-ups, and by this stage, the massive transfers of 15CAs from Capital Park to Germiston and the Northern Cape had been completed. On Saturday mornings, the usual Koedoespoort-Capital Park pick-up was occasionally diverted to the Rissik line, and during November 1984, I saw a fairly clean 15CA No.2841 (with its regular driver) on this duty coming past Rissik. However, by the start of 1985, the writing was on the wall for steam in Pretoria. In mid-January, the last steam ballast train ran from Koedoespoort to Pretoria behind 15F No.3039, with senior driver Syfert at the regulator. Not long after this, nearly all operational 15Fs and l9Ds were withdrawn from Capital Park and dumped, with a few 15CAs going to Rustenburg Platinum Mine. The last few steam workings in Pretoria before 16 February 1985 were handled by 19Ds Nos.2749, 3334 and 3360; 15CA No.2850; 15F No.3075; and Class 24 No.3624, although the Blue Train Shunt still remains steam. During February and March, No.3360 performed this shunt and returning from work on Sunday, 10 March, came past Rissik Station at about 13h00 en route to Capital Park, a rather unexpected occurrence. Since then, blue 19D No.2749 has worked the shunt and has come past Rissik Station a few times when returning from work, although this is rare and only happens when the Pretoria-Capital Park line is blocked.

Another era ended when, in May, gangs moved in and began replacing the timber sleepers with concrete. The relaying is complete and seems to have changed the entire face and atmosphere. Nevertheless, on 10 October 1985, a steam passenger returned to the line, the special to Waterval Onder. I was up at 05h00 to see an immaculate 15F No.3075 (now of Witbank) storm through Rissik, even shooting some sparks. At about 23h00, 15CA No.2850 returned to the line for the first time in three years, sounding a little weary as it headed up the grade from Hartebeesspruit to Rissik but giving a good run through the station. Hopefully, more specials will be run in the future to ensure that steam does not disappear from this beautiful line.

(Published in SA Rail, Vol.26, No.4 July-August 1986, p.74, and permission was obtained from Chris to reproduce it)

KOEDOESPOORT - EERSTE FABRIEKE - PIENAARSPOORT - PANPOORT - RAYTON

RAYTON - FORFAR - BRONKHORSTSPRUIT - WILGERIVIER - CROWN DOUGLAS

CROWN DOUGLAS - BALMORAL - WAKEFIELD - CLEWER - WITBANK

WITBANK – OLIFANTSRIVIER - MIDDELBURG - DERWENT

PAN - WONDERFONTEIN - SUNBURY - BELFAST

The story of the Oosterlijn/Eastern Line continues in Part 4: Belfast to Komatipoort.

REFERENCES FOR PARTS 3, 4 & 5: 

BULPIN T V., 'Lost Trails of the Transvaal', The Eastern Line. Cape Town, Howard Timmins, 1956.

De JONG R C, VAN DER WALT G M and HEYDENRYCH D H. ‘NZASM 100 1877-1899. The buildings, steam engines and structures of the Netherlands South African Railway Company'. Pretoria, Chris van Rensburg Publications, 1988.

DULEZ, J A, 'Railways of Southern Africa 150 Years – Locomotives and Trains', Vidrail Productions, 2012.

DU TOIT, H J L, 'Transvaal se eerste kusspoorweg', South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, May 1940, pp.601-605.

ENGELENBURG, F V, 'De Delagoabaai Spoorweg. Een Terugblik'. Photocopy. Stigting Jan van Riebeeck (Suid-Afrika), Pretoria 1987.

ESPITALIER, T J, & DAY, A J, 'The locomotive in South Africa', Chapter IV – The NZASM, SAR & H Magazine, November 1944, pp.843, 844.

HAARHOFF J, 'Conquering the Escarpment - Railway Engineering in the Elands River Valley', Civil Engineering May 2017, pp.20-30.

HAINE G S, 'Through the Transvaal's first tunnel'. South African Railways & Harbours Magazine, October 1953, pp 733-745.

HOLLAND D F, 'Steam Locomotives of the South Africa Railways'. Cape Town, Purnell, 1971, Vol. 1, 1859-1910.

JEHAN D, 'Rack Railways of Australia'. Sydney, David Jehan (Publisher), 2003.

LEWIS, C P, JORGENSEN, A A, 'The Great Steam Trek', Struik Publishers, Cape Town, 1978.

LOMBARD, W A, 'Waterval Boven 1894-1952'. Gedenkboek van die Vanriebeeckfeeskommissie/Memorial Album of the Van Riebeeck Festival Commission.

MESSERSCHMIDT W, 'Zahnradbahnen–gestern-heute - in aller Welt'. Stuttgart, Franck’hsche Verlagshandlung, 1972.

NZASM Gedenkboek: 'Opening van den Delagoabaai Spoorweg 1895'.

PLOEGER J, 'Die afbakening van die grens tussen die ZAR en Mosambiek by Komatiepoort (1887)', translated from Afrikaans and Dutch.

Report of the Departmental Senior Officers 'Enquiry Board into the circumstances attending the derailment of mixed (Natives) Train No.513 in the section Waterval Boven - Ondervalle on the 15 November 1949', pp.37-47. (Copy in THL)

Report of the General Manager of South African Railways, UG 54, 1949, pp.4 & 5.

Report of the General Manager of South African Railways, UG 59, 1965/66, p.50.

STEPHAN, H B, 'Civil Engineering Improvements prior to the electrification of the Eastern Transvaal Main Line from Witbank to Komatipoort'. The Civil Engineer in South Africa - Die Siviele Ingenieur in Suid-Afrika, June/Junie 1967.

RSSA NEWSLETTER/NUUSBRIEF, Summary of CFLM Locos, plus notes, August 1973, pp.135-136.

Dutch Footsteps web page, accessed on 16 July 2023. https://www.dutchfootsteps.co.za/Khomatiriverbridge.html