This museum is the largest transport museum of its kind in South Africa under the curatorship of Transnet SOC Ltd and houses a variety of steam locomotives, railway passenger coaches and other rail related items, poetry, photographs, a model train room, a harbour exhibition, model passenger planes and display of crockery and cutlery used on the SAR&H. A tourist gem in the heart of the Garden Route.
The first locomotive, a Class G - no 221, arrived on Saturday 23 August and the second locomotive, Class A- no 103, arrived on Thursday 28 August. Both locomotives were transported by road on a low bed from Witbank and Krugersdorp respectively and followed the route via Colesburg, Middelburg, Graaff-Reinett and Uniondale to George. On Thursday the weather lasted just long enough for the locomotive to be offloaded and placed safely on the track before the rain started coming down.
History of Class G - no 221
This was the first locomotive to be designed in 1903 by Mr DA Hendrie, the locomotive superintendent of the Natal Government Railways. They were mainly use on the main line out of Durban for hauling passenger trains. A total of 25 locomotives were supplied in 904 by DUBS & Co, Glasgow and were known on the Natal Government Railways as the DUBS B locomotives. No 221 is the last survivor of the G type locomotive.
History of Class A - no 103
This locomotive is the oldest class A locomotive and is a 125 years old. What may well have been the first locomotive of the 4-8-2 wheel arrangement in the world, the 'Mountain type' was introduced by the Natal Government Railways. One hundred of these tank locomotives were built by DUBS & Co between 1888 and 1889 for use on the heavily graded sections of the Natal Railway.
It would most likely have been an A class locomotive that hauled Gandhi on his journey to Pietermaritzburg that is widely considered to have started his path of passive resistance after he was removed from a first class compartment.
The Class A locomotives were used to haul armoured trains during the Anglo-Boer War.
Both locomotives will be restored and form part of the already extensive display of various classes of steam locomotives at the Transnet Transnet Museum.
Click here for photo gallery.
In the air and ready to be lowered onto the track.
Locomotive still on the trailer with lifting gear set up.
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