18 November 2004

By Mogale City Reporter

WITH the holidays around the corner, why not consider a trip back though time with what promises to be a fascinating visit to the South African National Steam and Railway Museum, in Mogale City.

Here you can admire the craft of the country's early mechanical engineers - their steam-driven locomotives, steamrollers and long disused mining equipment - and recall a bygone era when steam trains chugged along through the countryside.

The museum is currently in the process of moving to a 23-hectare site north of Chamdor, made available by the Mogale City Council on a 99-year lease. Until now, it has been situated at the Randfontein Estates Gold Mine.

Beryl Bosniak, from the Museum's fundraising office, says: "We are moving to what will be a purely operational base."

There are currently around 100 machines on display at the Museum, some dating back over 100 years. Many of the exhibits, from the steam-driven locomotives, steamrollers and steam cranes, to the diesel locomotives and underground electric locomotives, are still in good working order.

According to Bosniak, 23 locomotives have already been moved to the new site, while others remain at the previous location. "We will move the other pieces to the new location as funds are made available," she says.

Five or six of the locomotives at the Museum are kept in working order.

Apart from a steam locomotive built in 1879 - and in still in working condition - other remarkable pieces of machinery on view include the oldest diesel-electric and articulated steam locomotives in South Africa, as well as a large collection of Natal Government Railways locomotives.

Bosniak says the 1879 locomotive has a Kitson engine, reputed to be the oldest on the continent and now listed as a national monument.

In addition to the engines, a number of antique passenger coaches, wood and iron wagons, coal hoppers and other rolling stock can also be found at the Museum.

Real gems are the only surviving remnants of a NZASM (the railway authority operating during Paul Kruger's administration) passenger coach, a three-foot six-inch gauge locomotive from Jersey Island Railways and the only example of a Table Bay Harbour board locomotive.

This remarkable collection has been gathered together over a number of years. In August 1988, the Railway Society was launched as the SA National Steam and Railway Museum, with the objective of preserving steam locomotives in working order and operating them.

The objective of the Museum is the establishment and operation of a working railway and steam collection covering all areas of their development in South Africa.

The Museum also emphasises education and research into steam and railways, with regard to the social, political and economic environment in which they were developed and looks at the contribution they made to South Africa's transport system.

In order to maintain the equipment, the Museum has a large workshop for restoration and repairs.

Assistance to the Museum has come mainly from the private sector, particularly mining companies, who have donated locomotives, carriages, crushed stone and even nuts and bolts.

Besides the displays, the Museum also runs rail tours to the Magaliesberg and a ramble on working tracks in Mogale City. These trips are used to raise funds for the Museum.

"Additional funding is raised by opening the Museum for use by the public, as well as for film contracts," says Bosniak.

The Museum also undertakes restorations and repairs on a contract basis for other museums and conservation bodies.

The SA National Steam and Railway Museum is open on the first Sunday of each month. Entrance is R7 for adults and R5 for children. Curios are also on sale.

The Magaliesberg Express travels from Park Station, Johannesburg, to the foothills of the Magaliesberg.

The train ride is a fun-filled experience for the family, with passengers encouraged to bring their friends and relatives, and of course, the picnic basket filled with favourite snacks and refreshments.

The final destination is the picturesque Magaliesburg Country Hotel, where ample space is available for picnics. The area also has stands for those interested in the more traditional and social braai.

To keep the young ones busy, swings, slides, and jumping castles are located nearby.

For those who prefer a more formal meal the hotel offers scrumptious buffet meals, as well as picnic baskets filled with various goodies and braai packs, though these have to be ordered in advance.

The Magaliesberg Express has been making trips between Johannesburg and Magaliesburg for the past two decades. While the carriages used to be pulled by a steam train, a diesel locomotive is currently used to pull a string of modern coaches.

The train leaves from platforms 13 and 14 and runs on the first Sunday of each month. Tickets are R110 for adults, R85 for children (six to 12 years) and R45 for children under five.

Creating the feeling of yesteryear, the Rambles Steam Train is a leisurely three to four-hour ride driven by steam power. The trip includes stoppages for turning the train around and for stoking and removing ash from the locomotive's boilers.

Because the train runs on an operating gold mine route, freight trains carrying ore to or from crushing plants are given preference on the train lines.

The Rambles Steam Train leaves from the Museum on the first Sunday of each month and tickets cost R23 for adults and R15 for children. Arrangements can be made to eat in the dining car.

Visitors who want to take either of the train rides must first contact the Museum to find out about availability and book their place.

The SA National Steam and Railway Museum can be contacted on 011 888 1154/5 (mornings only), while the Magaliesburg Country Hotel can be contacted on 014 577 1109.