On a Geocaching trip around the Bluewater Bay and Redhouse area the other day we went looking for a cache next to the railway bridge across the Swartkops River. On the way back to the car I thought Chaos Boy walking on the railway track would make for a cool picture which it did.
A railroad switch on the narrow gauge line west of Port Elizabeth. So sad that there is no Apple Express running along this historic line at the moment, but from what I hear there are a lot of people working hard behind the scenes to get her back on the line.
Geocaching is taking me to all kinds of places I haven't been to before. And here I was thinking I've been everywhere. This specific Grannynasty cache took me a bit off the beaten track along a dirt road just west of the Van Stadens Bridge to the old Sunnyside Station, 29 1/2 miles from Port Elizabeth. The station is on the narrow gauge railway line that runs from Port Elizabeth all the way to Avontuur in the Langkloof. The line which used…
One of the little trains at the Port Elizabeth Model Locomotive Society in Londt Park crossing the Great Grass River Bridge
The beautiful old Victorian Railway Station in Port Elizabeth has existed on the present location since 1875 when the first line was constructed to Uitenhage about 40 kilometres away. The original building was designed by the then Resident Engineer of Harbour and Public Works in Port Elizabeth, James Bisset, with extensive additions, including the cast-iron supported roof of the main concourse, being completed by 1893. The round painted panels depicting scenes from the city were painted by Bernard Horn in the late 1980's.
As the main railway station in the townships, the New Brighton Station saw a lot of action during the apartheid years. Visiting the station today you can still see the railing that divided the bridge across the rail into "Europeans Only" and "Blacks Only" sections. On 26 June 1952, the volunteers for the Defiance Campaign which was due to start the next day, camped at the New Brighton Civic Centre and proceeded in the wee hours of morning to the station…
This narrow guage railway bridge (if I can call is that), crosses one of the old unused South End Roads below Beach Road close to the Humewood Station. I was just curious to see it from up close and ventured down to it. It made for a nice window towards the harbour.
Visitors to the Old Railway Museum in Uitenhage will find an old yellow railway trolley hooked to the rolling stock at the museum. The trolley belonged to James "Jumper" Wide who was a signalman at the Uitenhage Station when the line to Port Elizabeth was established in the late 1800's. Jumper lost both his legs when he slipped and fell under a train. One day he saw a baboon lead a team of oxen into town and Jumper bought the…
At the bottom of Market Street in Uitenhage railway enthusiasts will find the Old Railway Museum. The museum is housed in what is reputed to be one of the oldest railway stations in the country. The museum is quite quaint and has two vintage locomotives, a variety of coaches and lots of period furniture and equipment. Now if only the guy in his run down blue bakkie would leave while I wanted to take the photo, but he just sat…
The narrow gauge Humewood Station has been in the news lately because of its rundown state. Although it always have had a bit of "character", it has deteriorated of late and fell into disrepair. Spoornet has now decided to demolish all the old structures on the property and to clean it up. I don't know if they have any plans to redevelop another station (for the Apple Express to use), but anything will look beter than what its been like.…