Avontuur Railway

With Avontuur Railway, the railway line between Port Elizabeth and Avontuur in South Africa is called. It is 285 km in length, the longest 610 mm narrow gauge railway in the world and is operated by the South African railway company Spoornet.

Course

The starting point is located in the harbor of Port Elizabeth Humewood Station. From there the route in a westerly direction through the suburbs of Port Elizabeth. After 44 km reaches the coastal mountains rising in the distance, the 77 m high Van Staden's Bridge, which is known as the highest narrow gauge bridge in the world, however, but only the highest bridge for that gauge. Shortly thereafter, the route reaches the breakpoint Sunnyside with 255 m Elevation their preliminary highest point. After 53 km of the city Thornhill was passed, the track drops steeply into the valley of the Gamtoos River from around 30 meters high place to reach after 72 km Loerie where there is a turntable for turning the locomotives.

After the Gamtoos station, the route divides. A branch route turns to the northwest from, follows the Gamtoos River up the valley and reached after 26 km the place Patensie. The main route turns south, approaches in Jeffreys Bay up to 1.5 km of the Indian Ocean, then runs continually rising to the west and at approx 113 km to 153 m high place Humansdorp on the Garden Route.

From here on, the route almost straight Langkloof valley runs up into west-north -westerly direction. However, the topography within the valley is not easy and also requires steeper gradients and numerous tight corners and bends.

In Assegaaibos today ends the regular operation after 164 km. The next stretch to Louterwater will still be operated during the citrus season. The route passes by 214 km Joubertina, the capital of the valley.

The piece between Louterwater and 285 km from Port Elizabeth remote and 871 m above sea terminus at Avontuur is no traffic, but still passable. In Avontuur a track triangle allows you to turn the locomotives.

History

It was built to haul 1899-1906 to connect the fruit growing area in Langkloof Valley to the port of Port Elizabeth. Since the trains transported mainly apples, the name Apple Express has naturalized, under the still Tourists ride trains. In the harbor the fruit could be shipped directly from the narrow gauge wagons on the ships, so that a disadvantage of narrow gauge lines - the need for transhipment to standard gauge (or in this case Cape gauge ) - played no role in this track has.

Since the 1960s, the trains by locomotives of classes 15 and NG NGG were 13/16 drawn, where it is the world's largest and most powerful steam locomotives for the 610 - mm gauge. In the late 1970s took over diesel locomotives of Class 91, the heavier trains, and the Garratt locomotives of classes NGG 13 and 16 were mostly relocated to other roads. The NG 15 remained without exception on the Avontuur Railway, until they were taken in the late 1980s gradually from the service.

Mid-1990s, the fruit trains were discontinued and replaced by trucks, which mostly went straight to Cape Town. This meant setting the regular operation on the largest part of the route. However, tourist trains continue between Port Elizabeth and Thornhill or Loerie, sometimes only up to the Van Staden's Bridge, rarely even further. For this purpose, are each a steam locomotive classes NG 15 and NGG 16 available; because of the risk of bushfires but these may only be used outside the dry season. Freight trains (2006 ), not daily, but several times a week. The main cargo is now wood, for example, is loaded in Louterwater, Assegaaibos and Humansdorp.

Since 1980 shall - with interruptions - a year the so-called " Great Train Race" instead, compete in the between Port Elizabeth and Loerie groups of athletes against a steam train. The route is chosen so that in fact it is unclear whether the train or the runners win. The top running or driving times are around 3:45 hours. The covered with the diesel locomotives of class 91 freight trains need from Port Elizabeth to Loerie about 3:30 hours.

In September 2005, a pulled by a steam engine train reached after a multi-day trip for the first time after 10 years back to the railhead in Avontuur. The as " Avontuur Adventurer " designated action was intended as a public appeal advertisement for a reopening of the entire route. In fact, they are thinking in this direction, and because an operation is not worth only for tourists, is also thinking about a resumption of freight or even a scheduled passenger services.

At the railway stations the track several steam locomotives are positioned as Denkmalloks: one NGG 13 in Patensie and Joubertina and a NG 15 in Avontuur.