South African steam in 2021

[John Ashworth]

From Thomas Kautzor on the sar-l io group

The last time I was in South Africa, Friends of the Rail, Reefsteamers and Atlantic Rail were all still operating steam trains and Rovos Rail still occasionally had a loco in steam to shunt at Capital Park. Since then there have been tremendous changes. I’ve tried to draw a list of current and possibly future steam operators, could anyone please help correct/complete/add to it ?

GAUTENG :

Wonder Steam Trains (WST, ex Friends Of The Rail) / Memysons (MISLPT), planned steam trains out of Hermanstad (Pretoria) or Millsite (Krugersdorp)

Rovos Rail (RVR), Capital Park (Pretoria) : static steam ?

Reefsteamers, Germiston : operations ceased in 2019, any successors found ?

FREE STATE :

Sandstone Heritage Trust (SHT), public and charter narrow gauge trains at the Sandstone Estates (Ficksburg)

EASTERN CAPE :

Port Elizabeth Apple Express (PEAE), planned narrow gauge trains out of Humewood Road (Port Elizabeth)

KWAZULU NATAL :

Hilton Steam Heritage Association, steamings at Hilton Station ?

Umgeni Steam Railway (USR), steam trains Inchanga to Kloof

Paton’s Country Narrow Gauge Railway (PCNGR), steam trains Creighton to Riverside

Paton’s Country Narrow Gauge Railway (PCNGR), narrow gauge diesel trains from Allwoodburn (Ixopo) to Carisbrooke

NORTHERN CAPE :

Steamnet 2000, planned steam out of Beaconfield (Kimberley)

WESTERN CAPE :

Atlantic Rail, Cape Town : operations suspended ?

Ceres Rail Company (CRC), planned steam trains from Cape Town to Elgin

Classic Rail, planned steam trains from George to Knysna & the Montague Pass

New Cape Central Railway (NCCR), planned steam trains in the Robertson / Ashton region