Take a Train Trip with Friends of the Rail (Pretoria)

Friends of the Rail offers fun vintage steam train outings for the entire family. Friends of The Rail brings the old SA railway history and technology alive in a living museum that is located in a real working railway environment. Ride our train: we promise an absorbing educational and entertaining experience.

We provide a variety of destination choices. Our regular vintage steam train trips run in and around Pretoria-Tshwane as well as to Rayton, Cullinan and Bela Bela. An ideal outing for families, birthday parties, anniversaries, corporate functions and more. Friends of The Rail itself is a non-profit heritage club that comprises a group of willing members who voluntarily tackle jobs, both large and small, to preserve and keep our heritage steam trains running for the education and enjoyment of future generations. We are also always welcome new members.

Address: Friends of the Rail Depot, Just off Van der Hoff Road, Hermanstadt North Pretoria.

Telephone: +27 (0)12 548-4090 or +27 (0)82 293-4616

Source: SA Venues.com

Steam Trains in South Africa

Travel by Steam Train in South Africa - South Africa has astounding escarpments and terrains so take the opportunity to view it from a unique perspective: steam train trips. Encounter a range of scenic splendours such as the stark beauty of the Karoo region, the flourishing cane fields of KwaZulu Natal and the lush South African Garden Route.

There are numerous places in South Africa where one can go on a steam train trip and observe picturesque scenery whilst sipping on refreshing cocktails. Travel through the Drakensberg range; view the shimmering Magaliesberg waterfalls, the dazzling Johannesburg lights and the lush Cape Winelands.

KwaZulu Natal is home to several special trains where one can re-live the sights, sounds and smells of the old steam train times. For example, the Umgeni Steam Railway runs trips from Kloof up to Inchanga on the first and last Sunday of every month. The stations are set up to offer food to the hungry travellers or you can take your own picnic baskets.

In Port Elizabeth, be sure to ride on the Apple Express which will take you through the attractive city to Van Staadens where one can enjoy a lovely picnic and dazzling scenery. A steam train trip through the Garden Route in South Africa is an awesome experience, with its varying natural beauty, indigenous forests and glistening lakes.

South African Tour Companies will tailor-make your personal South African steam train trip to suit your interests. Whether you are looking for a tasty tour of the winelands, the thrill of the big 5 safari or an expedition through the lush Garden Route, these tours promise an unforgettable steam train experience.

Acknowledgement:

DanieVDM

If you wish to see the best of South Africa in style, then JB Train Tours in association with Friends of the Rail is definitely for you. Join Friends of the Rail on an incredible 15-day train adventure that will take you for a unique and interesting ride through South Africa. Also on the menu are visits to steam-train locomotive yards and the delight of travelling on steam trains. Many of the popular tourist destinations in our beautiful country will be visited namely Table Mountain, Robben Island and Spier Wine Estate in Cape Town, Durban and the uShaka Marine World, the friendly city of Port Elizabeth and the mystifying and famous Cango Caves at Outdshoorn.

If you wish for more luxury and to ride in style throughout South Africa then take a luxurious train safari on the magnificent Rovos Rail, the splendid Shongololo Express and for true lavishness, take a trip with the luxurious Blue Train. The Rovos Rail is one of South Africa's finest luxury trains and offers you a supreme luxury train safari. Rovos Rail operates 2 classic trains of 20 superbly restored coaches, half of which date back to the 1920s. It has over 36 luxurious suites in which to relax in.

No matter what your preference, be sure to ride on a steam train in South Africa. This gorgeous country promises picturesque views and an unforgettable time! Just relax, sip on a cocktail and enjoy the scenery.

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Waterval-Boven and Waterval-Onder

The towns of Waterval-Boven and Waterval-Onder are situated at the foot of the escarpment east of Machadadorp, a two-hour drive from Gauteng.

The area around the Elands River Falls was given the names "Waterval Boven" and "Waterval Onder" which means "above the falls" and "below the falls" respectively. The history of the area is closely tied with that of the railway that was built between Pretoria and Delagoa Bay, and the Nederlandsche Zuid Afrikaansche Spoorweg, the Dutch rail company, who established a railway supply depot here in 1895. A section of the rack rail, which was used to pull the locomotive and carriages up the steep gradient, can still be seen at the entrance to the railway tunnel.

The towns of Waterval Boven and Waterval Onder are rich with South African (Anglo-Boer) War history and the area was fiercely contested by the British towards the end of the war. Visitors can see a memorial at the station which commemorates the many men who lost their lives while building this section of the railway, while it is still possible to take a walk through the historic ZASM tunnel through which the trains used to pass.

At the end of the tunnel is a beautiful waterfall that moves along the Elands River. Krugerhof, now a provincial heritage site in Waterval Onder, is where President Paul Kruger lived for a month before going into exile in Austria in 1900. Both the old railway tunnel and the five-arched bridge have been proclaimed provincial heritage sites.

The malaria-free Waterval Boven and Onder are situated within Mpumalanga's Highlands Meander, which is a nature lover's paradise. Bird lovers will not be disappointed, while the wild flower displays in summer are spectacular and of particular interest is the fact that this area is home to Africa's only breeding community of wild Black Leopard. The highveld reaches a dramatic end at Waterval Boven, at the Mpumalanga Escarpment, where the landscape drops abruptly into the Lowveld.

There are many activities to keep travellers happy, and some of these include excellent trout fishing opportunities, walks and hikes, horse-riding and backpacking. One of the best ways to see the countryside is by steam train. The historic Oosterlyjn Express steam train retraces President Kruger's route between Machadodorp and Waterval Boven, and includes a cosy pub lunch. On the last Sunday of every month, visitors can enjoy some of the most scenic locomotive routes in South Africa, by taking a vintage train trip from Waterval Boven to Waterval Onder.

Waterval Boven is renowned for its awesome rock climbing and abseiling, as well as other adventure sports like paragliding, handgliding and hot-air ballooning. The Boven area boasts three well-stocked dams and six kilometres of fine river fishing and is a fly-fishing mecca.

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