System 6, Part 11: The Matatiele & Kokstad branches compiled by Les Pivnic 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: THE FRANKLIN-KOKSTAD AND FRANKLIN-MATATIELE BRANCHES

COMPILED BY LES PIVNIC WITH ASSISTANCE FROM BRUNO MARTIN

The 3rd part of this chapter picks up at the isolated railway town of Franklin from where two branches radiated: to Kokstad and Matatiele. Strictly-speaking the line to Kokstad was not really a branch, although SAR treated it as such.

I would like to thank the following collaborators who have contributed photos, maps and text to Part 3 of this chapter:

In alphabetical order they are: Eugene Armer, Stuart Grossert, Malcolm Holdsworth, Charlie Lewis, Robert Kingsford-Smith (who also provided photos by the late George Bambery), Dick Manton (from his collection of photos by John Carter and Allen Jorgensen), Bruno Martin, Glen Mills, Peter Stow and the Transnet Heritage Foundation library (from my own collection).

My grateful thanks also to Bruno for his maps as well as the annotated Google Earth photos

Thanks also to Charlie Lewis for his restoration work in Photoshop and Andrew Deacon for the formatting of this chapter.

As previously indicated, Bruno Martin has an in-depth knowledge of these branches and it is with much appreciation that I now hand over to Bruno for his descriptions of them:

THE EXTENSIONS OF THE CAPE-NATAL 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 Basotholand (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 a 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.

The Road Motor Services at Kokstad served northern Pondoland and the eastern Transkei which meant that for most of its life the line to Kokstad carried higher tonnages than the Matatiele branch. This declined towards the end of the seventies when the large fuel depot at Cedarville was established. What was quite startling was the way traffic dwindled almost to nothing in the decade following the Road Transportation Act of 1977. We shall begin by following the line to Kokstad and return then proceed to Matatiele.

1. The harder they pulled, the more sure-footed the eights became, a trait they had in common with others of their ilk; an admirable quality on the Cape-Natal where, as we have seen, there was very little level territory. Unfortunately this beautiful photograph by South Africa's greatest railway photographer, taken somewhere between Franklin and Kokstad, got damaged during protests by Publicity Department staff directed at the SA Transport Services' panic-stricken purge in the late eighties.

We are indebted to Peter Stow for his usual erudite observations on the coaching stock:

"The first vehicle behind the engine is a CSAR type L7 Native Coach, one of 20 built in the Bloemfontein Works and placed in service in 1911. They were classified type J-11 by the SAR. These differed from the earlier CSAR batch of 52 vehicles of similar design (which became SAR type J-7) in that they were fitted with a more elaborate toilet system, thus reducing the seating capacity from 120 to 108. They were intended for use between Springs and Randfontein for the transport of mine workers but clearly this one had wandered far off the beaten track (so to speak). By the time this photograph was taken, the future of these vehicles had already been determined, no doubt influenced by the primitive accommodation provided, and by the mid-thirties, all but one not converted to wagon stock or sold to the CFLM, were scrapped. It may be that this was the last one, number 3109, which had got “lost on the branch” and was only withdrawn from passenger service in 1946 whereafter it was used on the Reef electrification project.

The second vehicle is an ex-NGR 36’6”, 7-compartment non-corridor third-class suburban vehicle either to NGR diagram 20 or diagram 38 built between 1897 and 1902. These became type S-2 or S-10 in SAR days respectively, the only difference being in the case of the type S-10 where the middle compartment had been converted to a communal toilet, whilst retaining the side exit doors.

The third vehicle is an ex-NGR 36’ 6”, 4-compartment non-corridor main line coach to possibly one of 5 similarly dimensioned NGR diagrams, namely NGR 25, 26, 14, 15 or 18 built between 1897 and 1903. These became first class coaches of types C-6 and C-7 and composite first and second class of types D-6, D-7 and D-11 respectively. NGR vehicles of this length were subjected to programmed scrapping in the early 1930’s as new corridor main line and suburban coaches were placed in service, with few examples lasting beyond this period. The vehicle in which Frank was riding riding appears to be an ex-CGR coach given the protruding fascia board evident above the windows."

Also of interest is that all three of the pre-1910 colonial systems are represented in this one photograph.

2. An official SAR photographer was on hand at Kokstad to witness the arrival of 1227-down, the overnight sleeper from Pietermaritzburg with a GF Garratt some time in the mid 1950s. The first coach behind the engine appears to be an engineman's caboose. Quite a substantial crowd has turned up to meet the train and if you study the railway policeman on the left you can understand why the public generally referred to them as "blompotte" (=flowerpots). Before anybody accuses me of being a racist let me say emphatically that the name applied equally to railway policemen of all hues!

3. Having disgorged its passengers, GMA 4094 was bringing the empty stock of 1227-down, the 06:34 daily SuX from Franklin, around Kokstad's turning balloon in December 1973.

A relatively posh train by branch-line standards, 1227 actually originated at 19:50 the previous night in Pietermaritzburg but judging by the notice board (next picture, brought to you by our alert photographer), on this occasion she had been running a bit late......

4. Brief and to the point........ Perhaps this footnote in the WTB had something to do with it: "1227―(Mon. to Fri.)―stops when required at 145 miles 15 chains, 154 miles 33 chains and 159 miles 60 chains to pick up schoolchildren."

5. This is the same exact engine and stock as in photo 3, having completed their circuit of Kokstad's balloon (see Bruno's map below). GMA 4094 will leave the empty coaches on the platform road, hook up a load and scoot back to Franklin to fetch an afternoon block load of grain for the breweries at Kokstad.

Bruno Martin has provided the layout of the balloon on this Google Earth image of Kokstad station. These balloons were a feature of both the Kokstad and Matatiele branches and may have been used elsewhere on SAR. Please let us know if any of you are aware of other similar applications of these curiosities, which were very convenient for the railway but used a lot of space that would eventually become valuable.

6. With at least some of the stock it brought in on 1227-down, GMA 4094 was heading back to Franklin.

6. And here is GMA 4094 again, seemingly in no time, back at Kokstad with the block load of grain it fetched at Franklin in the afternoon of 8 December 1973 (see also picture 15).

7. The same train drawing into the station yard.

9. You will have noticed that these midsummer photos by Glen mostly depict GMAs running bunker-first. It was not a hard-and-fast rule but for obvious reasons footplatemen preferred to run bunker-first in summer and chimney-first in winter. This was an Up general freight leaving town behind GMA 4145 in December 1973.

10. Late afternoon on New Years Eve 1972 and 1228-up, the overnight passenger to Pietermaritzburg, was awaiting its 17:40 departure from Kokstad behind GMA 4149. Interestingly, in later years 1228 was classified as Mixed between here and Franklin and Passenger thereafter.

11. GMA 4145 with what looks like 1250-up goods at Kargs Post. The circumstances which required its feeder tank to be pushed ahead of the engine are not known.

12. Like a Budda, Mount Currie presided benignly over the comings and goings of SAR in Kokstad. This was 1250-up up goods in August 1974.

13. For much of its way the Kokstad section follows a winding course along the banks of the Umzintlava river. This is the same 1250-up goods as in the previous photo and, seeing as it is winter, the engine is running chimney first.

14. Near the end of its working life, a grimy GMA 4162 approaching Franklin near Newmarket with freight from Kokstad, 31 August 1974

15. A bit out of place in time but not locality, this was GMA 4094 in Franklin fetching the block load of grain referred to earlier.

Franklin was a pure railway town, but along with the old SAR, most railway towns have perished and this one is no exception, being kept alive by a handful of railway pensioners. Once a lively place with railway activity around the clock, today not a single train visits the place.

16. Franklin's new locoshed, stuffed full of GMAs and GFs in August 1973. The old one was at the end of the original triangle, see the map below.

17. This adaptation by Bruno from Google Earth shows the original layout with its Oirish (i.e. opposite) junction and the new connection, logically facing Pietermaritzburg, completed just in time for the line's last goods train which ran in the late nineties.

18. On a coolish December morning in 1973, GF 2429 with a crammed 1236-up was getting banking assistance from GF 2419 out of Franklin. Train 1236-up, the 05:40 Franklin-Matatiele was officially classified as a mixed but other than the usual FP parcels van it rarely had goods vehicles in its consist. Towards year end the loadings were heavy as mineworkers and other labour returned to their homelands from the Transvaal and OFS for the holidays.

19. On Saturday 16 December 1968 GF 2399 departed from Franklin for Matatiele with 1234-up. The train this day consisted of 16 coaches, 15 of which were of clerestory stock while the van was a modern steel one from Wegman with an elliptical roof. Imagine the photographer's surprise when he saw that the train was banked by another class GF, number 2375. Its smoke can be seen in the distance. The builders had closed for the holidays on the 15 December which explained the heavy train. The banking engine only assisted as far as Swartberg, the highest station on the line and some 16km from Franklin, before returning light engine to Franklin. The Matatiele branch was the last where class GF’s worked scheduled passenger trains consisting of main line stock.

The train was just entering a stretch of line that was done away with c 1980 to do away with the necessity to reverse direction at Franklin. A very handy deviation one might say as it did away with an anomaly that hindered the operation of this branch for almost 60 years. A pity that it was completed when traffic was nosediving, giving the brand-new diesels little to do.

20. The same train about half-a-mile further crossing the mielie field where the line was deviated in the early 1980s (see Bruno's annotated extract from Google Earth above)

21. 1240-up goods toiling up the winding final stage of the climb to Swartberg, highest station on the Matatiele branch, in May 1973.

22. The overnight train from Pietermaritzburg, 1236-up hauled by GF 2400, approaching Swartberg on 23 May 1974. By this time UCW's tin carriages were making serious inroads.

23. The load of train 1236-up of 11 coaches filled with workers returning home for the Summer holidays, seen here climbing towards Swartberg, was one over the WTB maximum for one class GF as it climbed toward Swartberg in December 1972.

24. GF 2417 climbing towards Swartberg with a Franklin to Matatiele freight on 31 August 1974

25. Drifting into Midgley siding, 1238-up T&P was the designated train for conveying fuel to the East Griqualand depot at Cedarville. Until Transnet decided to give it away they conveyed almost 500,000 tons of fuel per annum to the depots at Creighton and Cedarville. Turns out some gent in head office with a shiny suit and an MBA degree decreed that anything less than 5,000,000 tons/year was not worth the trouble (and even that was doing the customers a HUGE favour).

26. GF 2401 bringing 1236-up towards Saamloop, about a mile west of Midgley. Most great contemporary photographers would probably turn up their noses at this image, but in our humble opinion this one sits right up there with the best of their work.

27. A GF leaving Saamloop with 1236-up, the 05.40 daily passenger from Franklin to Matatiele, in September 1974. The Matatiele passenger was the last proper passenger train worked by GF's and until 1972 the last passenger train on the SAR with a full set of clerestory stock. Diesels took over within months of this picture being taken.

28. There's little to add to John/Dick's caption for the previous photo except that on this morning in August 1973 it was cooler, which produced a cumulonimbus exhaust from GF 2417. The name of the siding from which this train is departing is Saamloop (= confluence), where the Umzimvubu, main river of Pondoland, picks up the Tswereka, main drain of the Cedarville levels. Flowing as they do through properly farmed regions of East Griqualand the water here is beautifully clear.

29. The same train shown crossing the Umzimvubu at Midgley (photo 25) attacking the short bank out of Saamloop. Those three loaded tankers are much heavier than they look.

30. What a picture a passenger train makes.... 1236-up strongly en-route to Cedarville, August 1973.

31. Moments later, the same train as in photos 27 and 29. Note the burnt out hillside. It's a sure bet the farmers weren't so keen on the steam as the hordes of photographers who came to see or travel behind them.

32. This was another 1236-up on the day before the snow at Donnybrook when we recorded the annual church special on the Underberg branch in Part 8 of this chapter. Of interest is that although it was early in the day the weather was already hot, rising to almost 30 degrees C in the afternoon. A berg wind was blowing strongly from the North-west producing the cloud effect.

33. That night we camped in Donnybrook station and awoke in the midst of a quiet whiteness. A week later the trains on the Matatiele line were still producing vapour trails.

34. The District Engineer's inspection trolley, SAS RT 1053, crossing the marsh known as the Cedarville Levels on the Matatiele branch. Nominally, this is the course of the Tswereka river referred to in caption 27. The deviation on the right was built so that the regular bridge could be maintained.

35. Photographed from the front porch of farmer van der Merwe's farmhouse overlooking his lands on the Cedarville Levels..... well, not really. But this would have been a good place to build one's homestead when the railway was still active.

36. The SAR had a policy, not always adhered to, whereby older main line stock was to be used on the branch lines while the more modern coaches were to be used on the main line. The Natal System seemed to get it right on the branches out of Pietermaritzburg up until the early 1970's but the flood of new steel bodied elliptical roofed coaches from Union Carriage and Wagon at Nigel put an end to neat rakes of clerestory roofed trains.

Note also the interesting profile of the GF, particularly the conspicuous gap between the coal bunker and the first coach. For 50 years this useful class carried that gap around, even for years after the lines they worked on were upgraded for heavier power. A pity no one thought to upgrade these very well made and useful machines to carry more coal and water.

37. The Christmas rush was over and the short train from Franklin was more than adequate for the patronage offering. This was a most beautiful line, especially so in this December 1972 view with lush green pastures. With a neat rake of closed vestibule timber bodied coaches the GF was approaching the gap in the mountains just south of Matatiele.

38. GF 2400 just outside Matatiele rolling 1236-up down-grade into the town with the passenger train from Franklin on 23 May 1974. This is the same train as in photo 22.

39. A rather fuzzy view of a dependable pair of CGR class 7s drawing the first train into a crowded platform at Matatiele on 4 November 1924. Bruno has provided his edited account of the occasion:

THE OFFICIAL OPENING TO KOKSTAD ON 3 NOVEMBER AND MATATIELE 4 NOVEMBER 1924.

"Construction of the lines to Kokstad and Matatiele started in Franklin in September 1922. On 3 November 1924, a crowd of around 3000 gathered at Kokstad station - probably the largest crowd seen in town - to witness the arrival at 11 am of two special trains from Durban conveying around 300 visitors for the official opening of the line.

A long whistle from the locomotive signalled the train’s arrival shortly after 11:00 am. The train came to a halt a short distance from the station, where the Mayor of Kokstad, Councillor Nel, and the assembled crowd looked on as the Administrator of Natal, Sir George Plowman stooped down to perform the ceremonial ‘tightening of the last bolt’. As the train pulled in to the station, the Mayoress broke a bottle of champagne on the front of the leading locomotive after which detonators were exploded to herald the arrival of the inaugural train. After the customary speeches, the Administrator of Natal declared the line open.

The festivities in Kokstad culminated with a ball held in the evening in the Town Hall. After midnight the special train departed for Matatiele which was reached at 11 am where the guests were welcomed by the Mayor, Councillor R Rogers and a large crowd assembled at the station. Following the opening ceremony, light refreshments were served after which guests were invited to a ride by motor car to the nearby Kenegha Valley to take in the majestic view of the Drakensberg.

The special train departed Matatiele at 2:30 pm, stopping briefly at Cedarville, before resuming the long journey back to Durban at 5:00 pm."

(Based on the account of the arrival of the inaugural train in Kokstad on 3 November 1924 and at Matatiele the following day published in the South African Railways and Harbours Magazine on pages 26 to 30.)

40. Matatiele used steam traction for almost exactly 50 years. This is Charlie's take of the Franklin train's arrival at 08:28 some 50 years later.

41. Upon arrival at Matatiele the usual drill after the passengers had disembarked was to simply run the complete empty train around the balloon (see map below) so it and the locomotive were ready for the return run to Franklin later in the day.

42. This is the point just north of the station where the balloon track begins. See Bruno's map below:

The points in the middle of the map are the same ones depicted in Glen's photograph above.

43. A bit of grease, some water and a fire clean and all would be ready for the departure of 1243-down at 16:50. But the GF would most likely return to Franklin on 1237-down goods, leaving the passenger to return with the engine off 1244-up goods. Theoretically the booked departures from both Franklin and Matatiele allowed for two return trips daily for a crew and their engine but we cannot say whether or not this was common practice.

44. About as typical a Natal country dorp as you could see, thanks to Glen climbing the Koppie opposite to record 1241-down leaving town behind GF 2416 in December 1973.

45. Only three loads of livestock for 1241-down leaving Matatiele in August 1973. In Cedarville she would pick up some empty tanker wagons.

46. GF 2417 with 1243-down a mile out of Matatiele, August 1973.

47. The Pietermaritzburg-Matatiele service was the last to employ GFs to haul hand-me-down main-line passenger stock. As you can see, they looked entirely at home doing it.

48. As you may have observed, the situation of the Matatiele branch is on an altogether grander scale, its setting is not confined to one river valley as on the Kokstad section.

49. Another view from farmer van der Merwe's imaginary front porch. This is the same train as in photo 45.

50. 1243-down departing from Cedarville. The tracks of the private siding serving the oil depot are curving off to the right. This is where those tanker wagons in photo 28 were heading.

51. 1235-down T&P galloping across the Cedarville levels. The doors of the TZ wagon were open indicating that there was no danger that the cream would go off on this chilly morning.

52. No water treatment needed here. Being pumped straight out of the Umzimvubu the water at Midgley was sweet and clear water - those GFs loved it.

53. The fireman of 1237-down has only one more horseshoe to go before the summit of the line at Swartberg from where he can put his scoop away and scrub off some of the grime during the 10-mile coast down to Franklin.

54. GF 2417 had just taken water at Midgley and was winding up for the banks up to Swartberg away from the Umzimvubu River.

55. Penultimate photograph of what seems to have been a rewarding day for the Expurgandians.

56. Not often is the best of the day the last one. 2143-down heading away from New Amalfi and the sunset en route to the end of its journey at Franklin and the end of our very brief account of activities on the Matatiele line. 31 August 1974.

At the end of the day we would go to the minus 3-star pub at Franklin down a few beers and talk railways. This was a contribution by Australian Glen Mills who took many of the photos in the preceding few chapters:

"On 20 December 1973 I signed on at 22:45 at Pietermaritzburg station and caught the railway bus* to Mason's Mill for a scheduled 00:52 departure to Donnybrook on Train No 1203. As we had to wait for a late-arriving load of livestock, departure was not until 02:48 which meant that we had to wait at Edendale for three passenger trains (No's 1228 ex Matatiele, 1230 ex Kokstad and 1200 ex Elandskop) and perhaps a freight as well, so the departure from there was after sunrise. At Sizanenjana, last station before Donnybrook that had engine servicing facilities, the ash was dumped on the track as we entered the siding without stopping over the pit and we then took water at the departure end. Immediately cutting off from the train at 11:55, one minute after arrival at Donnybrook, we proceeded to the locomotive depot to take coal where we were stationary for a total of 5½ minutes! Departure from Donnybrook on train 1206 was at 12:36, taking water at Sizanenjana again and arriving at Taylors at 18:05 to be relieved by taxi. That day I was booked on for 20 hours and fifteen minutes but was hoping to continue on to make the shift 24+ hours long. Most of the jobs I did, especially the overnights, all saw a sunset and the next sunrise. On Christmas day we were booked to run No 1218 from Franklin, departing at 02:04 hours, arriving at Mason's Mill at 11:53. We had waited in a loop to cross four passenger trains (each was in two divisions) and a freight."

* the two-coach shuttle between Pietermaritzburg and Mason's Mill was replaced by a bus in the late 1960s.

And so we come to the end of our coverage of the Cape-Natal railway and its branch lines. Like the Greytown line and the Richmond branch it was based on Pietermaritzburg, but was the most impressive in terms of the length of its gradients, the altitudes it reached and above all, the grandeur of the countryside it served. In freight terms less busy than the Greytown line, it made up for lower tonnages with heavy and persistent passenger traffic (four each way on weekdays and Saturdays and five as far as Elandskop), frequently run in two sections at weekends and public holidays; good business that only began to fade in the 1980s with the growth of the Combi-taxi business. The mineworkers, construction workers and builders holidays during December and early January were hectic times for the railway as they struggled to sustain the normal flow of goods traffic along with many passenger extras.

We have received the following note from Charles Janssen Schmidt of the Netherlands (who has been with us since the start of Soul of A Railway) which is much appreciated:

"The present spate of Soul of a Railway episodes are soul food. The main lines and their big engines are impressive, but each train is a glimpse and then gone. To me the secondary and branch lines are the soul of a railway intended for the ordinary man, the farmer and the rural communities, their (often) small locomotives and shorter trains impart a leisurely air. There was an order and pride and efficiency but especially there was a courtesy and an openness. Your record honours (to my mind) those attributes and recalls a more unhurried time. I savour each episode and the times they reflect."

Thank you Charles

For our next instalment we shall be leaving Natal for the time being in order to carry on from where we got off the train at Power, on Montagu Pass, which also happens to be the start of the Outeniqua trail. We are planning to complete our trip along the Garden Route, carrying on as far as Klipplaat*, after which we shall proceed to Port Elizabeth to ride some suburban trains and tugs in the harbour.

*The section from Klipplaat to Port Elizabeth was covered in System 3, Part 13.