George – Knysna railway line

George-Knysna
Route length:	68 km
Gauge :	1067 mm ( cape track )
Legend from Oudtshoorn 0.0 George 226 m from and to Mossel Bay Industrial connection N2 11.0 Victoria Bay 47 m Kaaimans River 13.0 Kaaimans River 14.5 Wilderness 8 m N2 Touw River Touw River 18.0 Fairy Knowe Touw River 19.5 Serpentine Duiwe River 22.5 Duiwerivier 27.5 Rondevallei 32.0 Swartvlei Swartvlei lagoon 37.0 Sedgefield 9 m 43.5 Ruigtevlei N2 Goukamma River 51.5 Goukamma 12 m 58.0 Keytersnek 121 m 61.0 Belvidere 71 m 64.5 Brenton 2 m Knysna Lagoon 67.5 Knysna 2 m 68.0 Loading tracks

The George – Knysna railway is a single-track, non-electrified railway line in the South African province of Western Cape , which connects the cities of George and Knysna . It was the last scheduled route in South Africa operated by steam locomotives . The operation, which has been managed by the Transnet Heritage Preservation since 1993 , was discontinued in 2006 after storm damage to the route.

history

The 68-kilometer route was built between 1924 and 1928 and was considered the most expensive route section in the world due to the difficult topographical conditions. The route was mainly used to transport timber from the forests around Knysna to George, where it was loaded onto ships. The railway was officially operated as a museum railway since 1992, so that steam operation seemed to be ensured. The spectacular route along the coast of the Garden Route also makes it a popular destination for tourists and railway enthusiasts.

In August 2006, after heavy rainfall, landslides occurred at the Kaaimans Pass (above the eastern side of the bridge). Since the route is broken, as it will track buckling came and threw masses of rock on the tracks. Furthermore, in November 2007, the tracks on the embankment in the Swartvlei lagoon were washed away. The damage was estimated at 100 million rand (then around 10 million euros).

In June 2016, a consortium led by Classic Rail started to rebuild the line . The aim of the consortium is to start operating between Knysna and Keytersnek by December 2016. A SAR class 32 diesel locomotive is used, which is brought to Knysna on the road. By 2020 the route should be drivable all the way to George.

course

The bridge over the Kaaimans River

In George the branches branch line to Knysna from the main route Cape Town - Port Elizabeth from that pivots at this point to the north into the interior, the branch line further During the coast to the east follows.

Along the coastal mountain range rising directly from the sea, numerous river mouths and lagoons have to be crossed with bridges. From not located directly on the coast in 226 meters above sea George coming, the route gradually falls until after two short tunnels, the nearly 20-meter-high bridge over the mouth of the Kaaimans River is reached, at high water directly into the surf is . This is followed by a third tunnel and after 14.5 kilometers the resort of Wilderness is reached.

The Touw River, which flows into Wilderness, is crossed three times over a few kilometers. The third bridge is a combined road and rail bridge; traffic has to wait when a train crosses the bridge.

The route then passes several lagoons and lakes - about one to two kilometers from the coast. The bridge over the Svartvlei lagoon is the weak point of the route, as no solid ground could be reached when the foundations were being built and the weight of the locomotives and trains that drive over it is therefore limited.

Between Goukamma and Knysna, the route climbs again with the help of tight bends to over 120 meters above sea level, before it drops again to almost 2 meters, crosses the Knysna lagoon on dams and bridges and shortly afterwards reaches the terminus in Knysna.

The route ends at a small freight yard about 500 meters behind the passenger station. Originally, the steam locomotives turned on a triangular track , which was replaced by a turntable .

Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe

The Choo-Tjoe on the bridge over the Kaaimans River

The Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe was a museum train named after the Outeniqua Mountains and the sound of a steam locomotive, Choo-Tjoe being a combination of the English and Afrikaans spelling (both pronounced the same). With the exception of Sundays, two pairs of trains ran every day in summer as pure passenger trains and, if necessary, freight trains. Outside of the season there was usually only one pair of trains in mixed freight and passenger traffic. In 1992 there were around 40,000 passengers a year, in 2002 it was 115,000, around 70% of whom were tourists from abroad.

Class 19D and 24 steam locomotives were normally used . Diesel locomotives were only used when there was an increased risk of forest fires due to drought.

Until the end of operations due to flood damage to the railway line, the train was the last regular passenger train in Africa to be pulled by a steam locomotive . Until September 17, 2010 the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe drove on the George-Mossel Bay railway line, which opened in 1907 and was 52 kilometers long . He crossed the Gwaiing and Malgate Rivers on two large steel bridges.

Picture gallery

• 

  The Knysna Lagoon with the railway
  embankment in the foreground

• 

  19D No. 2694 on the turntable in Knysna

• 

  Track faults near the bridge over the Kaaimans River

• 

  Rock masses at Kaaimans Pass

Web links

• Official website of the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe and Museum (English)
• The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe on YouTube

proof

1. ^ History of the Line and Current Status . www.friendsofthechoo-tjoe.co.za. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
2. ^ Dinner train puts Choo-Tjoe plans back on track . www.georgeherald.com. June 16, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
3. ^ Official website of the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe. accessed on December 2, 2014
4. ↑ Good-bye "Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe" . www.kapstadt.de. August 27, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2010.