Natal Government Railways

The Natal Government Railways ( NGR) was a railway company in today's South Africa and one of the previous tracks of the later South African Railways.

History

The NGR created in 1878 through the acquisition, which was founded in 1859 private Natal Railway by the management of the then British colony of Natal. The Natal Railway Company had taken in 1860 within the city of Durban, the first public railway line in South Africa today in operation, first in standard gauge ( 1435 mm). From the founding of the NGR Cape gauge was used ( 1067 mm).

Main line of the railway was known as Natal Main Line connection from Durban via Pietermaritzburg, Ladysmith and Newcastle to the Transvaal. Other main routes led from Durban along the coast to the north and south.

Four branch lines were built as 610 mm narrow gauge lines.

Although Natal stood as the Cape Colony under British administration, the NGR were an independent path and no " offshoot " of the Cape Government Railways ( CGR). The web developed and procured their locomotives therefore their own responsibility, and there was no shared by two webs series.

After the founding of the Union of South Africa in 1910, the NGR were merged together with the Cape Government Railways and the Central South African Railways (CSAR ), the South African Railways (SAR ) emerged.