Natal Government Railways
The Natal Government Railways (NGR) was a railway company in the former British colony of Natal in what is now South Africa and one of the predecessor railways of the later South African Railways .
history
The NGR was created in 1875 when the Natal Government Railways Act was passed by the Natal legislature. It had the task of building railway lines from Durban to Pietermaritzburg , Verulam and Isipingo . Due to the difficult terrain in the interior of the country, it was decided to build the lines in Cape Gauge, the gauge of which is 1067 mm.
The NGR took over the private Natal Railway , founded in 1859 , which started operating the first public railway line in what is now South Africa within the city of Durban from 1860 . The standard gauge line (1435 mm) was in operation until May 11, 1878 and was then converted to Cape gauge.
The connection known as the Natal Main Line from Durban via Pietermaritzburg , Ladysmith and Newcastle to the Transvaal was the main line of the railway. Further routes led from Durban along the coast to the north and south. Four branch lines were built as 610 mm narrow-gauge lines. Four branch lines were built as 610 mm narrow-gauge lines.
Although Natal like the Cape Colony was under British administration, the NGR were an independent railway independent of the Cape Government Railways (CGR). The railway developed and procured its locomotives independently.
After the founding of the South African Union in 1910, the NGR were merged with Cape Government Railways (CGR) and Central South African Railways (CSAR) to form the South African Railways (SAR).
literature
- Leith Paxton, David Bourne: Locomotives of the South African Railways . C. Strui (Pty) Ltd., ISBN 0-86977-211-2
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Michael Cottrell: The first public railway in South Africa: The Point to Durban railway of 1860 . In: Natal Society Foundation (ed.): Natalia . No. 40 , 2010, p. 20-31 ( pdf ).
- ^ A south African Railway History