Part 10: The Cape - Natal: Donnybrook-Franklin compiled by Les Pivnic with assistance from Ashley Peter and Bruno Martin ©

Please note: All photographs, maps and text in Soul of A Railway are protected by copyright and may not be copied or reproduced in any way for further use without prior permission in writing from the compilers of this series, Les Pivnic and Charlie Lewis.

THE CAPE-NATAL: DONNYBROOK ONWARDS COMPILED BY LES PIVNIC

WITH ASSISTANCE FROM ASHLEY PETER AND BRUNO MARTIN©

Extract from Bruno Martin's profile of the Cape-Natal as presented in Part 8.

SOUL OF A RAILWAY PART 10: DONNYBROOK TO FRANKLIN

COMPILED BY LES PIVNIC WITH ASSISTANCE FROM BRUNO MARTIN AND ASHLEY PETER

We revert to the Cape-Natal line at the western extremity of Donnybrook and continue on to Franklin and the sub-branches to Kokstad and Matatiele. I would like to thank the following who have contributed photographs and historical information to parts 1 and/or parts 2&3 of this chapter:

In alphabetical order they are: Eugene Armer; John Carter (via the Dick Manton collection); Org de Bruin; Stuart Grossert; Malcolm Holdsworth; Allen Jorgensen (via the Dick Manton collection); Robert Kingsford-Smith; Charlie Lewis; Bruno Martin; Glen Mills; Charles Parry; Peter Stow and the Transnet Heritage Library (via Yolanda Meyer).

To the above must sadly be added the many deceased who would have enjoyed participating in this project: George Bambery (photos supplied by Robert Kingsford-Smith from his collection); Brian Couzens (from the RSSA Natal Branch collection courtesy Ashley Peter); AE 'Dusty' Durrant (from the collection of Dick Manton); Dave Parsons and Roger Perry (from my own collection). With regard to Brian Couzen's photos special thanks are due to Greg Hart for his skillful scanning of slides that have deteriorated badly in the humid KZN climate.

My grateful thanks also to Bruno Martin for his maps and gradient profiles, Charlie for preparation of the photos you have sent in and Andrew Deacon for formatting our site. As previously mentioned, Bruno has an in-depth knowledge of these lines so it is with much appreciation that I now hand you over to him for his descriptions of the various sections:

Thank you, Les.

For convenience we repeat Bruno's brief history of the whole 'main line' known as the 'Cape-Natal':

PIETERMARITZBURG - FRANKLIN

Few sections on the South African network can compare with this line for its roller-coaster profile crossing four deep river valleys and cresting three watersheds which all adds up to 6214 ft (1894 m) of climbing and 4222 ft (1287 m) of descending over a meandering rail distance of 165¼ miles (266 km) connecting two points that are 86½ miles (139 km) apart in a straight line. The operating severity of the line taxed steam locomotives and crews to their limits.

From a low point of 2150 ft (642 m) crossing the Umsindusi (Msunduze) River, the line follows an easy 1 in 60 gradient to Edendale before it embarks on a continuous climb to gain 2477 ft (755 m) in 35 miles (56 km) to Elandskop – this section was opened on 3 November 1903. The next section from Elandskop to Donnybrook was the most difficult to build: it embodies an initial tortuous descent of 1270 ft (387 m) over 14 miles (22 km) into the valley of the Elands River to Ncwadi and then dropping a further 516 ft (157 m) in 8 miles (14 km) to wind its way down to Deepdale before crossing the Umkomaas (Mkhomazi) River. (refer to the Google Earth image showing the alignment between Elandskop and Deepdale). The river was spanned by three 100 ft (30,8 m) Warren girders which originally carried the Natal main line over the Mooi River. From here the line gains 1689 ft (515 m) in a series of twists and turns to reach Donnybrook over a rail distance of 20½ miles (33 km). This section was brought into use on 1 November 1905. (refer to the Google Earth image showing the alignment between Mnyamana and Donnybrook).

Leaving Donnybrook the line enters the deep river valleys of the Umzimkulu (Mzimkhulu) River and its many tributaries emanating from the southern Drakensberg. The next 15 sinuous miles (24 km) from Donnybrook to Creighton (originally Dronk Vlei) descends 1200 ft (366 m). This stretch of line was opened on 16 May 1906. Work on the line paused briefly at Creighton until an agreement with the Cape Government was signed in 1907 which authorised the NGR to build the line across the Cape Colony’s border formed by the Ngwangwane River. The 12 miles (19 km) section from Creighton to Riverside was opened on 4 March 1909 with 3¾ miles (6 km) falling inside East Griqualand. A further 8 miles (13 km) was opened on 21 March 1910 to advance the railhead to Malenge. This opening took place just six weeks before far-reaching political changes saw the three colonial railway administrations merge to become South African Railways with the formation of the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910. Construction of the Natal-Cape Railway continued unabated on the last section taking it from Malenge to reach its highest elevation at Llewellyn 5162 ft (1573 m) before descending into the river valley of the Umzimhlava (Mzintlava) River to its terminus at Franklin. This section of 24 miles (39 km) length was formally opened by the Chief Magistrate for the region, Colonel Stanford, on 1 August 1912.

EXTENSIONS TO KOKSTAD AND MATATIELE

No further work was done until 1922 when the Railway Board authorised extending the line from Franklin to Kokstad and from Franklin to Matatiele. By being located in the midst of highly productive agricultural areas there was every reason for both towns to be connected by rail to Pietermaritzburg and the Natal Main Line. There was plenty of passenger traffic on offer too – the railway provided transport for the mine workers travelling from the tribal lands to the south (Transkei) and Basutoland (Lesotho) to and from the gold mines on the Witwatersrand.

For much of the way, the branch from Franklin to Kokstad follows the west bank of the Umzimhlava (Mzintlava) River resulting in tortuous alignment. By contrast, the branch to Matatiele climbs steadily to Swartberg on 5260 ft (1603 m) elevation and on its gradual descent to the marshes on the Cedarville Plains crosses the Umzimvubu (Mzimvubu) River at Midgley. From Saamloop to Matatiele it runs for most of the way over mainly level terrain in long straight stretches. The 25½ miles (41 km) stretch to Kokstad opened on 3 November 1924 and the 47¾ miles (77 km) branch to Matatiele the following day.

LINKS TO THE CAPE EASTERN SYSTEM

Meanwhile, on the Cape side, various routes were surveyed in 1901. Construction work started in 1904 on two lines, one from Amabele and the other from Indwe, which ultimately could have been linked to the Natal System, but both lines stopped well short of achieving this goal. The line branching off from the Cape Eastern Main Line at Amabele finally reached Umtata in 1916. A sinuous 151½ mile (244km) route from Umtata to Kokstad was surveyed in 1921, but the rugged terrain would have made the railway immensely costly to build and there was very little in the way of agriculture or mining along the route to make it economically viable. Had the connection been completed, it would have shortened the rail distance between Durban and East London by some 350 miles (563 km). The 105 miles (169 km) extension from Indwe terminated at Maclear in 1906.

In 1995 a survey from Mthatha (Umtata) to Kokstad produced a line some 180km long which would require 5 major bridges and 10 tunnels.

1. One of three dual-gauge junctions in Natal: the 2 miles and 47 chains (4.76 km) stretch of line from Donnybrook to Donnybrook Junction was the longest; before 1974 it was possible to photograph Garratts of both gauges along here. The other dual-gauge sections were between Esperanza and Umzinto on the Natal South Coast and a short section from Port Shepstone station to the wharf on the Umzimkulu.

2. An Ixopo engine, NGG16 No 143, with mixed freight on dual gauge between Donnybrook Junction and Donnybrook on 30 August 1974.

3. GMA 4170 with 1212-up on the 3-rail section, April 1974

4. The simple but effective splitting of the gauges at Donnybrook Junction. There are no moving parts. The tumbler and switchblades are for the timber-loading siding on the right.

From here a fabulous 96-mile long 2ft-gauge railway meandered 4,500 feet down the Umkomaas/Umzimkulu watershed to Umzinto, a small town at the end of a 7-mile Cape gauge branch from Kelso Junction on the main South Coast line.

5. NGG16 No 153 sits at Donnybrook Junction with a 2ft gauge works train as GMA 4071 arrives with 1212-up, the Franklin – PMB passenger, June 1974

It wasn't easy to get 'broad' and narrow-gauge trains posing alongside each other at the junction, here made possible only because the NGG16 was at the head of a perway train onto which material for the relaying of the narrow-gauge was being loaded. This was another mammoth project undertaken by SAR during the seventies in preparation for closing the line in 1984. We'll tell you more about it in the forthcoming chapter dealing with the Natal narrow gauge.

6. Rag's picture was so rare that Charlie decided to get in on the act too. Those are poplar logs being loaded for delivery to the Lion Match private siding at their factory in Umgeni.

7. Diesel-hauled Franklin Pietermaritzburg passenger train 66624-up photographed at Donnybrook Junction in July 1986. All train numbers were remarshalled c 1980 and a whole fleet of brand-new UCW day/sleepers ordered in preparation for the drastic pruning of passenger services in 1985/86. While most branch line passenger services were discontinued nationwide in March 1986, there was only a once a week passenger service remaining in 1987 on the Cape-Natal Line starting from Durban on Friday and returning from Matatiele and Franklin on Sundays - a thumping come-down for a once-thriving business.

8. The meandering Umzimkulu River lies spreadeagled below this GF bringing 1201 T&P cautiously down to the river on 29 August 1974. From Donnybrook Junction the descent to the Umzimkulu begins in earnest. Including the three-rail section the railway loses 1140 feet of altitude in 11 miles. Since the prevailing traffic was uphill this was a huge challenge for motive power - whether it was steam or diesel.

9. Some of the most spectacular views along the Cape - Natal were to be had on this stretch. From where Rags took photo 8 above the line looks down on a seemingly never-ending series of loops and reverse curves. No tunnels though. The line was built (but not operated) on the cheap. This was GMA 4073 with 1213-down mixed in May .

10. If you know where to look you can see the line winding up the opposite side of this valley. We sat listening to the performance of GMA 4146 bringing a fully-loaded 1212-up for some 20 minutes before getting this photo (smoke by arrangement - sorry Les).

11. Although those tankwagons in the consist of 1222-up Tranship and Pickup were empty, this GF was giving the fireman plenty to sweat about as they toiled their way out of the Umzimkulu valley.

12. Hard on the heels of 1208 goods came 1212-up (seen here about 3 miles east of Mjila) the daily day-time mixed which was most of the time a pure passenger - especially at weekends.

13. Washed out embankment next to Nkonzo River Bridge: During May 16-17, 1959, two weather systems collided over the upper reaches of the Umzimkulu River basin. The result was some 250 mm of rain, with lesser amounts further afield. The rain caused many rock slides and washouts on the Cape-Natal line, one of the worst being some 200 m of the embankment on either side of the Nkonzo River Bridge being totally washed away. The ballast was damaged for an additional 200 m. The washout required some 186 DZ bogies of loco ash to rebuild the embankment, plus fresh ballast over the whole length before trains could pass again under a 15 km/h speed restriction.

14. Restricted working space meant that only 6 DZ bogies could be unloaded at a time. These were shuttled back and forth between the washout and Donnybrook Junction by this GMA. Driver Sukkels and Fireman Jonck did this on a continuous shift between 23:00 on Thursday, May 21 and 17:00 on Monday, May 25 when all fill and ballast was in place. Each load was run under a train number, from 3001 to 3077. Periodic trips were made to Donnybrook loco where the GMA was serviced. Work progressed around the clock in two shifts. Nkonzo siding was used to stage passenger cars to provide food and sleeping quarters for the workers. (These details were extracted from an Official Report to the Natal System Manager in Durban).

15. Fuel for East Griqualand: GF 2415 on its hands and knees dragging 1201 T&P up the short uphill away from the Nkonzo River into Creighton, 24 August 1974. The spectacular exhaust is a result of having done no work before it reached the Nkonzo bridge (about 200 yards behind the train); the engine had been drifting for more than 40 minutes since it left Donnybrook - in fact until it crossed the river it had done no real work since lighting up that morning.

16. 1201-down T&P again, with loaded petrol tankers again, struggling up the same bank again. What made crews anxious about this short grade were the invariably icy rails, on this particular morning the temperature was minus 15 Celsius.

17. The same location in the afternoon, with GMA 4074 pulling hard with 1213-down mixed up the bank into Creighton.

18. Only another 150 yards and we're on the level again. 1201-down T&P's fuel load was a real challenge.

19. Just after sunrise and 1201 was running early so plenty of time for shunting and some coffee before the Up mixed comes through.

20. The up T&P (that's tranship and pick-up, by the way, not perishables as we've being telling youse - thanks to Ashley for the correction) train No 1220, departing from Creighton with a big load of livestock and dairy (in the TZ wagon behind the engine - hence the 'perishables' mistake).

21. On Friday 9 May 2003, 35-629 leads 35-626, 35-650 and 35-624 eastbound through Creighton station. By this time the train service had been reduced to one goods train a day on this section of the line. Work was in progress to develop tourism in the area by running a steam train from Creighton and the Municipality established their offices in the station precinct, hence the presence of building activity around the station.

22. By contrast, this photograph records the arrival of the first train to Creighton on 16 May 1906. It seems the whole town turned up to witness the event dressed in their Sunday best.

The engine appears to be No 35 (the number is very faint), a Kitson 4-6-0 which (if it is #35) became SAR class C in 1910 and, according to Holland, was later renumbered #74. Also of interest, the locomotive as built by Kitson & Co in 1884 had Salter safety valves on the dome and a stovepipe chimney. During the nineties the NGR replaced these items with Ramsbottom safety valves and a copper-capped chimney.

23. GF 2417 approaching Creighton with the Franklin-Donnybrook pick up, 24 August 1974. Well, 1220-up was scheduled to run; that's why it ran. Can you imagine a multi-million rand 35-class diesel being wasted on such a train? Let alone four of them? You've guessed it: by the 90s it was happening almost every day......

24. The first stage of getting out of the Umzimkulu valley was Centocow to Creighton, a hard pull mostly at 1/40. This was GMA 4146 with 1212-up performing immaculately in May 1973.

25. The bridge over the Umzimkulu at Centocow is the lowest point on the railway between Donnybrook and Franklin (and the western termini: Kokstad and Matatiele). Eastbound trains were faced with almost unrelenting upgrade to Donnybrook from here; 'almost' because there is a brief descent to the crossing of the Nkonzo river just east of Creighton (photos 15 to 18). The confluence of the Umzimkulu and the Ngangwane rivers is about 150 yards to the left of this bridge. From that point on the Umzimkulu is no longer just a mountain stream but one of the great rivers of Natal.

26. The eastbound mixed about to leave the Ngangwane Gorge and cross the Umzimkulu, but not before pausing at the oddly-named Centocow halt. Once-upon-a-time the Cape Province was just across the river.

26a. Sorry, dear reader, Charlie forgot to put in the map of this stretch. There is still another, between photos

27. Although the sun had disappeared behind a bank of clouds, the daily except Sundays southbound train 1213 from Pietermaritzburg to Franklin still looked good in the Ngwangwane River gorge between Centocow and Riverside. Fortunately the front of the class GMA was silhouetted against the river. Winter of 1974.

28. Getting this picture involved an icy ford across the swift-flowing Ngangwane stream.....

29. Three well-known railway photographers making sure they didn't get their equipment wet; from the left: A E (Dusty) Durrant, Allen Jorgensen and Peter Stow. Jorg was the only professional among us so he brought all his equipment along (his portable darkroom is strapped to his back).

30. Although many lines in South Africa follow the courses of rivers, very few are this close to the river itself as shown here in the Ngwangwane River gorge, making it beautiful and spectacular at the same time. The GF hauling 1201-down T&P to Franklin was running early giving a very pleasing steam effect in the winter of 1974. The place where we waded across is about where the shallow cutting is (about 100 yards behind the guards van).

31. The grandeur of the gorge is apparent in this view of 1201-down from much higher up.

32. At this bridge trains crossed the border between Cape Province and Natal. Peter's picture shows 1212-up coming back into Natal in 1974.

33. GF XXXX had just brought 1201-down across the border bridge and was now on the right bank of the Ngangwane that belonged firstly to the Cape Province, then Transkei and now KwaZulu-Natal.

34. Peter's picture introduces a series of aspects of the same stretch of the Ngangwane gorge. He has zoomed in on the train but not sufficiently to crop the traditional huts and a domestic scene that at this time had existed since time immemorial.

35. 1213-down on another day but this is a wider angle view of the same location as photo 35, with the Mondi mountain dominating the horizon.

36. And even wider......

37. Now you can see why 1213 was classified as a mixed, even though freight wagons in the consist were not common. The river is present in all of the preceding three photos but the gorge at this point is deep enough to hide it unless you are in it.

38. This was truly rural countryside.....

39. 1218-up goods was a regular doubleheader, seen here in the Ngangwane Gorge in May 1974

40. 1213-down mixed on the same ledge as 1218 in photo 40. Note the short livestock trucks marshalled ahead of the passenger coaches. Not only was this practice frowned upon, it was downright inconsiderate in winter when heated carriages were essential to avoid arriving in Franklin with frozen corpses instead of passengers.

41. This was 1224-up the afternoon 'fast' freight which conveyed through general goods and livestock from East Griqualand to Pietermaritzburg and beyond.

42. On Saturday 18 September 1971 class GMA 4081 with train 1213 from Pietermaritzburg takes on water at Riverside. Peter was a passenger on this train, he writes:

"Over and above being one of the most interesting railway journeys I have ever undertaken from an operating and scenic point of view, it was amazing to see the additional service the train provided to the local community. At Pietermaritzburg the suburban coach adjacent to the main line 1st & 2nd composite coach was loaded with loaves of bread, groceries and victuals in one of its sections. These were then sold at the various stations to locals who clearly knew of the service although I had never seen it advertised. It appeared as if this service may have been provided by the SAR’s catering department, as the custodian of this valuable cargo wore a white cap with a uniform of sorts. Unfortunately there was no on-board catering for the passengers on the train, although Geoff Gooderham recalls as a youngster the buffet service provided on trains 1206/7 between Donnybrook and 'Maritzburg when the only type A-35 Buffet Car built number 341 was used for a while. The advent of the minibus taxi no doubt contributed to the demise of this passenger service but it is unlikely that they served all the remote communities as well as the train did."

43. Pride in the railway by both staff and management is evident in this view of Riverside showing a GF about to do some shunting with 1201-down T&P in August 1974.

44. Towards the very end of its career this rather leaky GF was making a midwinter start out of Riverside with 3½ wagons in 1974.

45. GMA 4148 between Riverside and Malenge with No. 1213 passenger, 8 June 1974.

46. You can see those 4-w livestock wagons much clearer in this picture of 1213-down mixed, its GMA thrashing up the hill to Malenge in April 1974. It wasn't quite cold enough for steam-heating in the daytime but from Malenge onwards, with increasing altitude and the sun reaching for the horizon, the approaching dusk would bring rapidly plummeting temperatures.

47. The difference between the present day, with its seriously overcrowded and overstocked countryside, riddled with dongas, is apparent in this scene at Malenge in July 1958 where an ox-cart had been sent to the station to collect some mysterious-looking cardboard boxes off 1213-down (no, Briggs, they are not TVs). Those still pristine hills in the background will close right in on the railway between here and Llewellyn, resulting in some of the most remote and dramatic scenery on the Cape-Natal. Interesting to reflect that horses and oxen provided local passenger and freight transport along here right into the sixties.

47a. And here's the other missing map.

48. After Malenge the railway gains altitude in a series of sweeping loops with the hills becoming more menacing by the mile. This was a late afternoon in August 1973 and it'll soon be time to turn on the steam heating in 1213-down's carriages.

49. A relaxed study of GF 2391 with 1201-down about to enter the inaccessible gorge formed by the Malenge river in the 14 miles between Malenge and Singisi.

50. This GMA with 1231-down goods was climbing out of the Malenge River gorge on the approach to Singisi with timber for the sawmills there.

51. GF 2425 west of Singisi on the final stage of the 28-mile climb from the Ngangwane at Riverside to the summit at Llewellyn; with 1201-down, the Franklin pick up. 31 August 1974.

52. 1201-down again with about three more curves to go before the fireman can put his shovel away.

53. This has been an epic journey. From Rag's wonderful photograph of 1213 leaving Pietermaritzburg at 08:00 (picture 1 part 8) to this, the last before sunset between Llewellyn and Franklin we have had fun that is unrepeatable. We'll give the train away here and go back to the siding and camp for the night.

In the next and final part of the Cape-Natal we'll cover Franklin as well as the Matatiele and Kokstad lines which originate from there. If you're still there, thank you for sticking with us.

Les Pivnic