George – Oudtshoorn railway line

George – Oudtshoorn
Route length:	75 km
Gauge :	1067 mm ( cape track )
Legend from Mossel Bay and Knysna 0 George to Outeniqua Transport Museum National roads N9 and N12 Tunnel 1 Camfersdriftrivier 15th power Tunnel 2 Power Stream Tunnel 3 Tunnel 4 Tunnel 5 Tunnel 6 Montagu Pass Tunnel 7, 2x Montagu Pass 24 Topping 29 Oupad 34 Camfer National road N9 42 Holgate National road N12 52 zebra 55 Blossoms 63 Kandelaars 69 Friesland Olifantsrivier National road N12 from Calitzdorp 75 Oudtshoorn to Port Elizabeth and East London

The George – Oudtshoorn railway is a single-track, non-electrified railway line in South Africa . The 75-kilometer route connects the city of George over the Montagu Pass with Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape Province .

history

The construction of the line started by George in December 1908 and Oudtshoorn in 1911. The course was designed by Sir Sir David Graaff opened on 6 August 1913 and represented a significant shortening of the rail link from East London and Port Elizabeth with Cape Town is. It the 1500 meter high Outeniqua Mountains are crossed. A total of seven tunnels were created. The total cost was £ 465,000 . On March 1, 1947, the White Train traveled the route with the royal family .

course

Coming from George train station, the route crosses the N9 and N12 national roads and runs through the northern districts of George. At the end of the city the climb into the Outeniqua Mountains begins. The first tunnel is passed before the Power station. This station is on a loop around the Sentech Tower. Shortly before the apex, the route leads over a bridge. Until the construction of the railway line, the pass road ran at the location of the route. 100 meters after the bridge, the pass road crosses the route. The seventh tunnel is at the top of the pass. This is followed by the Topping and Oupad stations. Camfer train station is on the N9 national road. The route follows the national road to Holsgate station. The route now runs north along the Kliprivier and serves the Zebra, Blossoms, Kandelaars and Friesland stations. The Olifant River is crossed by a long bridge. The route then reaches the city limits of Oudtshoorn. Shortly before the train station in the south of the city, the railway to Calitzdorp branches off, on which there is no longer any operation today.

business

At the time of the South African Railways , steam locomotives of the classes GL , GEA and GMAM were based on the route . Today the route is only served by Rovos Rail for passenger traffic. Excursions to the Montagu Pass are offered with the Outeniqua Power Van , a motorized trolley .

literature

• Franz Baltzer : The colonial railways with a special focus on Africa. Reprint-Verlag-Leipzig, 1916, ISBN 978-3-8262-02339 .
• George Museum Society: Montagu Pass. George Museum Society, 1992, 2004, ISBN 0-620-31928-3

proof

1. ^ The Queen's Diamond Jubilee & 1947 Royal Visit to South Africa . In: south-african-hotels.com . Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 1, 2014. 
2. ^ Royal Train in The Montagu Pass, Cape Province . In: fluidr.com . Retrieved April 1, 2014.
3. ↑ PASSENGER SERVICES 2009 . In: sa-transport.co.za . Retrieved April 1, 2014.
4. ↑ African Golf Collage . In: rovos.com . Retrieved April 1, 2014.
5. ↑ Outeniqua Power Van . In: discover-sedgefield-south-africa.com . Retrieved April 1, 2014.