ENJOY a nostalgic fun family outing beyond your wildest ‘steams’ on board the Inchanga Choo Choo.
The fabulous Umgeni Steam Railway runs the last weekend of each month and on select holidays – including mid-month trains especially for the July school holidays. Safe parking is offered at The Kloof Civic Hall.
The train takes a three-hour round trip from Stokers to Inchanga Station and back again.
There is a pop-up market and food fair at Inchanga, and one can visit the railway museum and model railway exhibition. One can buy refreshments and souvenirs in the old Inchanga railway station.
The Umgeni Steam Railway runs on a 3ft, 6 inch (1067mm) gauge heritage railway line. The route follows part of the Durban to Pietermaritzburg mainline opened in 1880, and traverses some of the steepest railway gradients in South Africa. The trip includes a 53-metre-long tunnel at Drummond, built in 1878 which is quite possibly the oldest tunnel still in use in South Africa today.
“Wesley” is a Class 19D locomotive which is used for the monthly excursions and was built by Borsig Locomotiv Werke, Hennigsdorf in 1938. The coaches vary in age – some were built as long ago as 1908, most in the 1930s and the youngest was built in 1953. The Umgeni Steam Railway is a non-profit company run entirely by volunteers who maintain and operate the trains as well as the museum and archives. The organisation is dedicated to preserving the heritage of railways in South Africa and they have in their care an array of historically significant locomotives, coaches and various goods wagons.
The train will run on the following dates:
JUNE
Saturday, 26 June – 08:30 and 12:30, Sunday, 27 June – 08:30 and 12:30,
JULY
Saturday, 17 July – 08:30 and 12:30, Sunday, 18 July – 08:30 and 12:30, Saturday, 24 July – 12:30 Sunday 25 July – 08:30 and 12:30,
AUGUST
Sunday, 8 August – 08:30 and 12:30 (Women’s Day Weekend discount diesel special – all tickets R190) Saturday, 28 August – 12:30 Sun, 29 August – 08:30 and12:30.
Booking early is advisable: https://umgenisteamrailway.com/
Refreshments and merchandise for sale on the train, and at the market will be sold on a cash basis. The Umgeni Steam Railway is a proud member of, and supported by, 1000 Hills Community Tourism Organisation.
To find out about these and other things to do in the area – visit 1000 Hills Community Tourism Organisation website at https://www.1000hillstourism.co.za/
Alternatively, watch their promo video:
