Railway History

In the article below, Graham Ross and Tony Murray celebrate the achievements of Richard Thomas Hall, the man responsible for the railway line connecting Okiep and Port Nolloth. The piece first appeared in the publication 'Past Masters: Pioneer Civil Engineers who contributed to the growth and Wealth of South Africa'. Click here to view the stories of other great engineers.

Ore from the Namaqualand copper mines was shipped to Cornwall for treatment, so it was perhaps natural that the Cape Copper Company appointed a Cornishman to investigate its transport problems. Richard Thomas Hall, the engineer who conceived, designed and built the narrow gauge railway through the forbidding country from Port Nolloth to Okiep, was born in Falmouth, Cornwall in 1823. His experience as Superintendent of the narrow gauge Redruth to Chacewater Railway and of its conversion from horse to steam traction stood him in good stead when it came to tackling the transportation problems of the Namaqualand copper mines.

The Port Nolloth to Okiep railway line (DRISA)

He arrived in Namaqualand in 1865, enlisted the help of surveyor Patrick Fletcher, and carried out extremely thorough investigations into the various options for getting the copper to the coast. He did not exclude road transport from his studies, but he must soon have become aware of the difficulties attached to this mode, particularly...

Picture this, the year, around 1915 - Surrounded by an atmosphere of dust and the noise of motor trolleys and mule wagons stood this old wood and iron building which for many years housed the staff of the South African Railway (SAR) photographic works attached to the then publicity department.

The dilapidated exterior of the building portrayed no indication to the outsider of the amount of activity and photographic creativity that took place amongst its walls.

The building referred to here was situated on the roadside of the great yard of Kazerne goods station in Johannesburg.

This article attempts to acknowledge and honour those men who were attached to early the South African rail photographic section, based in this building following a merger of rail services during 1911.

1. Introduction

Early South African photographers can simplistically be divided into three broad categories, namely professional / commercial, non-commercial (typically government departments) or the amateur photographer.

To date, historians have not awarded early non-commercial South African photographers the recognition and acknowledgement they deserve.

In a recent article on the history of South African Photography (click here to view) to which an updated register of South African professional/commercial photographers from before 1915 was attached, it was pointed out that the list excluded photographers employed within governmental entities – such as those employed by the police and prison services, medical institutions, agricultural services, military, aerial or railway photographers.

The primary intent with this article is therefore to record non-commercial photographers who were active within...

In the article below, Tony Murray profiles civil engineer John Scott Tucker. The piece first appeared in the publication 'Past Masters: Pioneer Civil Engineers who contributed to the growth and Wealth of South Africa'. Click here to view the stories of other great engineers.

Tucker was born in England in 1812, the son of a naval surveyor. He was in the forefront of the many talented young men who joined the exciting emerging profession of civil engineering, and after being articled to John Rennie and serving his pupillage on the construction of the new London Bridge, gained experience on railway work on the Great Western Railway under I.K. Brunel. Thereafter he was engaged in harbour works in the Azores, Bermuda and Malta, and between 1857 and 1858 he was employed on railway construction in Brazil.

Brunel (Wikipedia)

In 1857 a select committee of the Cape Government met to investigate the construction of a railway to the interior. Tucker, acting on behalf of a consortium of London businessmen, appeared before the committee with a proposal to build a line from Cape Town to Wellington with branch lines to Malmesbury, Wynberg and Stellenbosch. His most important submission was that, in order for the project to be viable, any private railway company should be guaranteed 6% interest on capital by the Colonial Government. The government accepted this proposal, thereby gaining...

Inspired by the series on the 'Pioneer Civil Engineers who contributed to the growth and Wealth of South Africa' (click here to read), I feel that it is worth mentioning that the South African Railways & Harbours employed several Mechanical Engineers who distinguished themselves by designing railway locomotives, passenger coaches, dining cars etc., of the highest calibre – equal to anything similar worldwide.

All of this was achieved on what is, in world terms, a narrow gauge railway operating on a gauge of 3ft 6in. Even more remarkable is the fact that the SAR’s locomotives were larger and considerably more powerful than those operating in, for example, the United Kingdom. The SAR’s coaching stock was also considerably wider than those in use in the UK.

But, even before their time, the pre-Union railways had very capable mechanical engineers who distinguished themselves in the field of mechanical engineering. Amongst those were:

• Cape Government Railways: Mr.H.M. Beatty – Chief Locomotive Superintendent.
• Natal Government Railways: Messrs.: W.M. Milne; G.W. Reid and D.A. Hendrie all successively in the post of Chief Locomotive Superintendent involved with the design of steam locomotives.
• Central South African Railways: (covering the Transvaal and OFS): Messrs.: P.A. Hyde and G.G.Elliott were successively appointed to the new post of Chief Mechanical Engineer – 1902 – 1910. 

Of the three pre-Union Colonial Railways, the last mentioned – CSAR – was by far the most advanced in mechanical Engineering. Hyde and Elliott designed steam locomotives and passenger coaches of far superior design which could comfortably rate...

Sometimes one longs for bygone days when one encounters a rare relic of a functioning and proud South African transport system that ran a complex railway and air network effectively as a business enterprise run by government.

I recently obtained a copy of this unusual 1954 railway map of South Africa showing each and every railway station throughout South Africa, South West Africa (now Namibia), Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and the Bechuanaland Protectorate (Botswana). The map also shows the principal air routes of Southern Africa. It was issued by the Publicity and Travel Department of the South African Railways and was printed by the Government Printer in 1954. The map was designed and drawn for the SA Railways by the Trigonometrical Survey Office in 1947 and revised in 1953 (I wonder if there were earlier versions of this map?). It folds out measuring 28.5 x 38 inches and folds up into 4 segments across five divisions. It is enclosed within grey paper covers.

The Map

It was meant to be a tourism promotion item with enquiries being directed to the London and New York commercial liaison officers of the South African Railways. At one time such maps must have been handed out as part of the travel planning advice for potential tourists who could have travelled entirely by rail throughout Southern Africa, or have been more...

Kenneth Charles ‘Ken’ Bath (1915-1985) was a professional photographer in the 1930s and went on to run the photographic division for Anglo American. The family of Ken Bath have made his collection of photographs available to The Heritage Portal (click here for details of the collection). The photographs selected for this article are of the Braamfontein Yards and the impressive Braamfontein Coal Stage used for filling the coal tenders of the outgoing trains. It is estimated that the photographs were taken in the late 1940s or into the 1950s.

 Class S shunter in the Braamfontein Yards. The building in the upper centre of the image is the Market Cold Storage building which is still in existence. (Bath Family Archive)

Massive Braamfontein Coal Stage (Bath Family Archive)

When the Witwatersrand started its rapid development following the discovery of gold in 1886, industrial infrastructure was almost totally absent in the Transvaal because of its agrarian economy. It soon became clear...

Try turning away when the Kaaimans River Railway Bridge comes into view. You can’t; it is the very definition of eye-catching. You’re intrigued. Located between George and Wilderness in the Western Cape, the bridge crosses the Kaaimans River as it enters the Indian Ocean. Whether you spot it from the river below, the Dolphins Point viewpoint above, or the N2 as you navigate its curves, the bridge and the undeveloped forested hills as they rise above both sides of the river mouth present an awe-inspiring picture. Together, they reflect the past era of railways as well as the challenging natural landscape through which the rail traversed.

The famous bridge from the river below (Wikipedia)

So in February 2021 I was surprised to learn that there was an application to construct a home on the hillside next to the bridge. The request was seeking permission to clear vegetation and undertake earthworks in order to build a dwelling, two guest rooms, and associated infrastructure on the property. For this, the owner needed an OSCA permit. The Outeniqua Sensitive Coastal Area process is the most significant tool to protect the environment in delineated parts of the Wilderness area. OSCA, however, does not cover all properties in the area by any means; in fact, it excludes many oceanfront and other properties that need such...

What do Rod Stewart, Elton John, Phil Collins, Jools Holland and Pete Waterman have in common? Before stating the obvious, just try and think of what shared interest other than music they could possibly have. Well it may be hard to believe but the fact remains they all share a love for model railways and have their own layouts.

Railway modelling or in American parlance model railroading, is a hobby that has had an enduring appeal for over 130 years and to define it one could say it is “the art of creating in miniature a replica of a full-size railway”. The term “Toy Train” to describe a model railway is demeaning as it does not do justice to the hobby, as the railway modeller is not only concerned with the engine and carriages (the train) but also with the other aspects of railway operation such as trackwork, signalling, stations, lineside structures and civil engineering works, all of course in miniature.

The first introduction to the hobby is usually when a child reaches the age of six and it is when he or she receives the “Big” present from “Father Christmas” – the “Train Set”, this being a boxed starter set containing all that is needed to run a train on an oval track, which after opening is laid out on the floor or on a table top. Dad is usually the more enthusiastic one and takes charge of the power controller, leaving the child wondering who the present was really meant...

It was as recently as 140 years ago that our forebears’ lives were scarcely touched by electricity, bar the occasional lightning strike in a summer thunderstorm. Back then lighting, heating and cooking all entailed a naked flame, whether it emanated from a source fuelled by wood, coal, oil or gas and refrigeration for the lucky few was by ice in the “Ice Box”. Nineteenth century scientists would unlock the secrets of electricity and magnetism, which would lead the way for electricity to be harnessed for the benefit of Mankind; if you like the Second Industrial Revolution.

Electricity has created our modern world and the first fruit of its use was the electric telegraph, the precursor of the telephone and the internet, which from the 1840’s would enable a message, in Morse code, to be sent along a wire; hence the saying “to send a wire”. Lighting by electricity would be the next goal and by the 1870’s the race was on to perfect the incandescent light bulb. It was Thomas Edison who would take the plaudits but it was in fact Joseph Swan who would beat him to it and they would later come to an agreement to form a company, in 1883, with “Ediswan” as its trade mark.

Power generation, whereby a power station could supply electricity to a neighbourhood, was Edison’s aim and he heavily invested his time and money in developing Direct Current (DC) technology, however he would have a keen competitor in George Westinghouse who championed Alternating...

South Africa was one of the last bastions for steam locomotives and they attracted many tourists from across the globe to travel on our trains or watch them go by, camera at the ready. Steam engines have an enduring appeal to railway enthusiasts (buffs & gricers will also do) as they seem to live and breathe just like a wild animal. In fact it was seriously considered to make a “Reserve” for steam engines along the Garden Route, in the province of the Western Cape, centred on the city of George, where a Steam Museum resides. Alas Mother Nature intervened, when a land slip, after torrential rain between the 1st & 3rd August 2006 (300mm), closed indefinitely the 42 mile (67km) long branch line from George to Knysna, on which the  steam hauled “Outeniqua Choo Tjoe” ran. The branch was the showpiece for the Transnet Heritage Foundation and it was run on similar lines to a “Preservation Line” in the UK and it was often referred to as “the world in one branch line”. Its closure was a great set back, let us hope that one day it will re-open again.

Outeniqua Choo Tjoe crossing the Kaaiman’s River bridge (Peter Ball)

The reason for the longevity of the steam engine in South Africa is due to politics and economics. South Africa was blessed...