It is 7am on a Saturday at the Harbour Bridge platform near the V&A Waterfront. Tourists, some in family groups, are brimming with excitement waiting to board the steam train to Elgin in the Overberg. Many passengers are eager to get a takeaway coffee before the train leaves. We are soon shown to our seats.
This is a throwback to a bygone era. The check-in and registration are seamless, as is getting to your seat where your name is ticked off a list. There is also an online check-in option the day before the journey, which passengers are encouraged to use.
There are several seating options on the train. We are seated in the bar lounge, which includes seats that allow you to swivel and look out of both sides of the train. There are also day-sitter coaches and family compartments.
The train departs the station in Cape Town just after 8am; the route to Elgin is 160km there and back. The first part of the journey takes you through the industrial part of Cape Town. You see cranes loading containers on and off ships. It swings east through Woodstock and Salt River before heading towards the northern suburbs.
The communication once on board is impeccable. Soon after departure, passengers are invited to join a temporary WhatsApp group. It provides information on some of the stops and what you can buy from the vendors on the train.
Our train driver this morning is Justin Wood, at 30 the youngest on the team that helps drive the Ceres Rail Company excursions to the Elgin railway market. He tells the FM that he’s always had a passion for locomotives.
“I’ve got a very keen interest in the maintenance of these locos and ensuring that they come into the future,” he says. “Every steam engine I saw, I just had to be there. It’s a huge responsibility. The skills that go into it, it doesn’t just come. You learn a lot from the older generation and you try to add to that.”
He says the train trip is a great day out for families. “Our lives have become so technologically based so this is a way to take a step back and enjoy what was, and the slower pace.”
He says it is important for younger people to be involved. “You need to ensure that there is a base so that it moves forward. My whole thing is to ensure that younger people get involved. Everybody’s got a story to tell. About operating different locomotives, the different lines ... you take all that and put it together.”
Depending on the section of line, says Wood, you can travel up to about 60km/h. Otherwise up the steep mountain at Sir Lowry’s Pass over the Hottentots Holland Mountains, the train travels at about 15km/h.
The driver’s seat is also a hot place to be. The firebox reaches a temperature of about 400°C. Fortunately, says Wood, there is a breeze when the train is in motion.
The train makes its way through the suburbs. There is a short signalling stop just after Bellville station to allow a Metrorail train to leave the station. But this takes only five minutes.
We arrive at Blackheath station shortly before 10am. Here there is an ice delivery to ensure the licensed bar is fully stocked for the rest of the trip. It’s a good thing too, as it proves to be one of the most popular spots on the train throughout the journey.
We arrive at Van der Stel station in Somerset West about 15 minutes later where more passengers board. The train is full, with about 400 people on board. After that, the ride gets a little rocky as the train approaches Sir Lowry’s Pass for the big climb. One passenger says to his friend: “Hold on to your beer, not the chair.”
As we travel through Somerset West, about a 40-minute drive from Cape Town’s city centre, and Sir Lowry’s Village, eager children and adults wave to the train. It is obviously an event every time the train passes through. Not all are friendly; the WhatsApp group carries a warning from the local community police forum to be aware of potential “recusant youths and children stone-throwers”.
“As watch members we regard our presence at the track as an opportunity to remind the community how dangerous it can be to be in close proximity of the tracks when the train passes through,” it says. The message concludes by wishing the travellers well.
The views as the train travels slowly up Sir Lowry’s Pass are spectacular. For some, it reminds them of their first view when they drive into Cape Town. The Gordon’s Bay and Strand beaches can be seen, even across False Bay to the mountains beyond. Passengers crowd that side of the train and many selfies capture the moment.
“It is a beacon of life,” says Wood. “We’ve gone through a very rough past, especially with Covid. But we are on a rebuild. [The train] has brought a lot of upliftment to the area. It brings people together, not just people on the train but the locals [in Elgin] as well. The train just adds to that whole atmosphere and puts smiles on everyone’s faces.”
The company says its mission is to “preserve and promote South African rail heritage, which involves restoring and refurbishing old locomotives and coaches”.
This trip marked a special occasion, the reopening of a railway bridge just before the market. The train stopped at the crossing and was greeted by cyclists. There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony after which the cyclists followed the train into Elgin.
The bustling railway market was originally an apple warehouse built in the 1940s.
When we arrive around lunchtime the market is already a hive of activity. The food stalls are busy as they try to get their orders out. There is also wine on offer (something the area is well known for) and craft beers on tap.
Corlie Esterhuyse, co-founder of Corlie’s Italian, runs one of the many food stalls at the market. They are busy, preparing wood-fired pizzas for locals and train passengers alike.
She agrees with Wood that the train benefits the area. “When the train comes there are a lot of customers. It’s a good market. It’s 400 people who enter the building at one time,” she says.
After lunch and time to explore the craft shops, passengers get a WhatsApp notification to remind them to be at the station just after 2pm.
As we make our way back to Cape Town, some passengers play cards, others read and one even knits. It is indeed an old-fashioned way to travel.
A couple on holiday from Germany enjoy the mountains. The man has been on train trips in Russia and Australia and rates this trip highly.
There is a volunteer group for those interested in working on the locomotives, says Wood. You start as a cleaner or assistant fireman. The fireman’s job is to light the fire and build up pressure slowly throughout the night before the trip. It takes eight to 12 hours to build up enough pressure to allow the locomotive to operate — and take on that steep climb.
Wood says they have a good relationship with the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa and Transnet.
Stops at some stations allow smokers the chance to get out and stretch their legs, as smoking is not allowed on board. After a short stop, a call comes over the radio: “It looks like all the smokers are happy.”
The train arrives back in Cape Town around 6pm. It is an experience that none of the passengers will soon forget.
Ceres Rail has a number of trips planned in January. The route from Cape Town to Simon’s Town was also reintroduced in 2024. For more information visit www.ceresrail.co.za.
*Hirsch was a guest of Ceres Rail
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