Scenic Railway
The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe train was a passenger steam train following the coastline of the Garden Route. The scenic route was 67 kilometres and took 3 hours to complete its journey.
The train passed through the Eastern Cape towns of Victoria Bay, Wilderness and Sedgefield before crossing a bridge over the lagoon in Knysna. The train was the last remaining operating steam train to carry passengers in Africa until 2009. The railway on which the train ran was completed in 1928 and was declared a preserved railway in 1992. During this time, the train carried about 40 000 passengers per year, and a decade later over 115 000 passengers per year.
In those years, trains were pulled by SAR Class 19D steam locomotives. During dry conditions in the summer, the risk of wildfires allowed for SAR Class 32s diesel locomotives to be used instead. In 2006, the railway line was damaged due to flooding, and a few months later the train was rerouted to only run between George and Mossel Bay.
In 2007 the owners of the train, transnet Limited, decided to find a new owner/operator for the train and initiated a tender process. 3 years later, Transnet issued a statement that they were unsuccessful in the finding a new operator. The train’s services was then discontinued. As of 2018, the line is still closed.
For holiday-makers in search of the dichotomy of relaxation and adventure can rest assured that accommodation in Knysna on the Garden Route ...
Knysna lies on the banks of a tranquil lagoon, guarded at its mouth by The Heads and overlooked to the north by the Outeniqua Mountains....