Premier Classe trip report, Cape Town to PE

[Graham Luppnow]

When it was announced that the Premier Classe would start doing the Cape Town to Port Elizabeth route, my eyes lit up. This must surely be the one of the most spectacular routes available to rail travelers in SA and I took the opportunity to experience it for myself on 6 February 2009 routing from Cape Town to PE.

The Premier Classe lounge at Cape Town station is conveniently located off Old Marine Drive and one does not have to weave through the usual commuter entrance. Upon arrival, luggage is taken from you and placed into your compartment. The train is brought into the station (platform 24) at 14h15. Tea/coffee or juice is offered while you wait for boarding at 14h30. The door of the lounge opens directly onto the platform so get to see the purple beast if you are like me and can’t sit still while waiting to get going!

The train for our trip was made up as follows: 2x loco, Power van, Smokers lounge/Conference room, 3x Sleepers, Lounge car, Dining Car, Kitchen car, Dining car, 3x Sleepers, Crew sleeper, Baggage Van; thus making a total of 14 carriages.
The Smoker’s/Conference car seemed to be converted from an Economy Sitter type coach with wider spacing between the windows. The Sleeper coaches appear to be all ex-Tourist 4 (old 1st class) carriages while the crew sleeper car seemed to be a standard Shololoza Meyl Sleeper 4 coach. Shame, this is the only coach in the consist (besides the Power and Luggage Van) that does not have air-con. Didn’t envy the crew on a very hot two days along the way!
The baggage van at the rear had a guard’s compartment and a storage area that I assume could accommodate bicycles, or even motorcycle if necessary. On our trip however, it was empty. On the Jo’burg to Cape Town and Jo’burg to Durban routes there is a car carrier but at this stage there is still no news as to when the car carrier(s) will be added to this new route.

Having 6 sleeper coaches makes for normal capacity of approx 72 passengers with 5 compartments (doubles) and 2 coupes (singles) , ie 12 passengers, per coach. Actual capacity for each coach is slightly more with the “H” compartment in each coach having 2 extra bunk beds, and the “G” compartment having one extra bunk bed. These are obviously used for groups travelling with children. We had a “G” compartment and I really like the option of the bunk bed for the easy storage of baggage. I estimate that on our trip that there were about 30 to 40 passengers with the majority I’m sure paying the special February price of R950.

The two locos for the first leg of the route were rather surprisingly 2 Class 35 diesels, Orange duo 35-414 and 35-054. I say surprising because I am led to believe that normally the Premier Classe is electrically hauled to Worcester and then only diesels take over. Never-the-less, we pulled away exactly on time and maintained a cracking pace all the way to Worcester, arriving there a few minutes early. Here the Class 35’s uncoupled and disappeared up the line and around the corner. A few of us stood around at the head of the train wondering in great anticipation for our “new” locos to come and hitch on and take us into the night. Half an hour later and still no locos and with the 7pm (sharp!) call for dinner by the dining room chief we found ourselves in the air-conditioned sophistication of the Dining Car.

Supper on Premier Classe is a grand affair and the food (and there’s lots of it!) is out of this world! It’s a full 5-course, 5-star meal! We were finishing up dessert when we finally started moving again, nearly 2 hours after arriving at Worcester. Up front once again were the exact same duo of Class 35’s. The reason for the delay as given to us by the train manager was due to “servicing” of the locos. I assume that means re-fueling, but how long does it actually take to refuel a diesel loco? Perhaps there was some other problem that needed to be attended to?

Just north of Worcester we left the main line and continued on the single track towards the Cape south coast. The difference between the two lines is quite noticeable from a passenger point of view with the main line being a lot smoother! Evidence that the line is not often used comes from the occasional screech of overhanging tree branches touching the sides of the relatively wide passenger coaches. In fact, much of the exterior of the train bears testament to this fact with some scratched paintwork. At about midnight we stopped at Buffeljagsrivier, just past Swellendam. I put my head out the window and was somewhat puzzled to see the locos uncouple and proceed further up the line light-engine. I noticed that we only began moving again somewhere after 2am. I have no idea where the locos disappeared to or what the reason was. Perhaps it had something to do with the earlier problem at Worcester if there was such a thing.

I still had my alarm set for 5am for the great scenery for when we should have been near George, but instead we found ourselves at Riversdale. This confirmed that the train was now 5 hours late. I really didn’t mind as it meant we would see the best part of the route during full daylight conditions. The first nice bonus that we got to see what crossing the Gouritz River and getting to see the old railway bridge that is now used by bungi jumpers. We got to Voorbaai at around 8am during which we were seated for breakfast. I couldn’t really see much of what was happening ahead but I was quite concerned when I saw our Class 35’s that had been with us since Cape Town moving off to the shed. I thought we might be in for another delay like we had at Worcester but we soon started moving again. Up front we now had two powerful orange class 34’s at the helm; 34-460 and 34-457

I really think that Shosholoza Meyl needs to take a good look at the timing of this particular route. The normal schedule puts the train at George just after 5am. I found that even in February it is still fairly dark at that time. For me the best part of the route was the section between Voorbaai and Oudtshoorn. I noticed that even the train staff were glued to the windows during the section from Voorbaai to George as this section is usually passed in darkness. By simply rescheduling the train to depart Cape Town 2-3 hours later, it would really make a huge difference. The argument to this point I guess would be that if you really wanted to see the route from Voorbaai to George you could do it on the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe. However, if recent media reports are true, this sadly may not be an option for much longer.

At 10am at George we crossed the only other two trains that we would see along the entire section from Worcester to Port Elizabeth. Rovos Rail was standing in the main platform having been scheduled to arrive in George about 9am the same morning also from Cape Town. Perhaps this was the reason for our delay along the way during the night? Rovos was already facing south in anticipation for its return journey to Cape Town later that day. (Question, where and how is the Rovos train turned around? Is it perhaps done using the portion of the closed line towards Knysna?) We also crossed the scheduled Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe which departs from Outeniqua railway museum. Sadly on this hot, dry day the train was diesel and not steam hauled. There were very few passengers aboard, which I guess was partly because of the diesel traction. Therefore for one brief moment George station had three passenger trains occupying its three platforms. Wonder when last this occurred?

Leaving George signaled the start of the magnificent Montagu Pass. The sun was now shining brightly and made for some awesome photography from both inside the train and I’m sure of the train from outside. This was truly the highlight of the trip for me as I had read so much about this section in Boon Boonzaaier’s book, Tracks Across the Veld, which I am proud to say accompanied me on the trip. I was awesome to have my own “tour-guide” with me and I really enjoyed pointing out the various points of interest to those in my travel group.

A stop for coach water at a really hot and dry Oudtshoorn allowed us to stretch our legs and inspect and take some shots of the class 34 locos in charge. Lunch (a four course meal) was served between Oudtshoorn and the spectacular Toorwater Poort, which is yet another section that is well documented in Boon’s book. From there the scenery is pretty bland all the way to PE but yet the Klein Karoo is beautiful in its own right. South Africa truly is a diverse and beautiful landscape that changes constantly. I took the opportunity for an afternoon nap, partly because of the heat (the aircon doesn't seem to be as effective in the compartments as it is in the dining/lounge car) and partly due to all the food laid before us over the 3 meals thus far. The food service was hardly over though and afternoon tea and biscuits were available in the lounge car. Due to our late arrival, the Dining car chief announced that an extra “light” meal would be served at about 6pm. This light meal was in fact roast chicken with rice and veggies followed by Cheese Cake dessert (served while still in the desert! Well, Klein Karoo but you get my drift!) Some remarked that this was probably the best meal on the trip. Hats off to the chef for putting together this unscheduled meal. I guess extra food needs to be carried in the event of delays such as ours and I suppose chicken is a safe and sensible option for this. That said, the chief of the dining car always came around to each group prior to all the meals to discuss the food on offer and to enquire if there were any special alternative diet requirements.

As we closed in on the Uitenhage area the train picked up speed and we pulled into Port Elizabeth station at 9pm. The station was unsurprisingly quiet at this hour on a Saturday evening. I did notice that there appears to be a reasonably decent waiting lounge at the station. I’m not sure if this is a dedicated Premier Classe lounge or if it is also used by Shosholoza Meyl’s tourist sevices to Jo’burg.

Summing up, it was a really wonderful trip and really recommend the Premier Classe experience. For those who haven’t done a Premier Classe trip before it’s a really pleasant surprise. Having done the Jo’burg to Cape Town trip last year I knew what to expect, but if like me you are a returning enthusiast, this is the route that will hook and get you begging for more.

For me, and I’m sure for most people this route is not about getting between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, but rather the journey. I really hope that the management of the train come to realise this and provide a more user friendly schedule. This route really has the potential to become a really popular tourist attraction if marketed correctly. Perhaps there could there should be thoughts of extending the journey on the odd occasion, perhaps once a month or so it a two night trip. This can be done by following the schedule that the Blue Train used to follow until about 2005 when it plied the Garden Route. The train could depart Cape Town late afternoon/early evening and then allow for one or more tourist stops in the Mossel Bay/George/Oudtshoorn areas to allow visitors to visit attractions such as Mossel Bay/Outeniqua transport museum/Cango caves and/or one of the various Ostrich farms. Departure from Oudshoorn could be towards evening will arrival in Port Elizabeth in the morning.

There seems to be a dedicated Premier Classe set for each of the three routes on offer by Premier Classe. (Ie Jo’burg – Cape Town, Jo’burg-Durban and Cape Town-PE) There is currently only one departure in each direction between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth per week. There is therefore enough time during the week to add an extra frequency (with an extra night possible on one of the legs) to this route. There have been rumblings of a Premier Classe service between Jo’burg and PE which could be achieved with the current three Premier Classe sets by juggling departure days around or by adding a fourth set. Anyone heard any more about the extra services perhaps?

[John Ashworth]

Thanks, Graham, for a very comprehensive report. I've done the Johannesburg-Cape Town Premier Classe journey several times and it sounds as if the Cape Town-PE trip is just as good but with better scenery. I'm jealous!

[Stefan Andrzejewski]

Yes I second that. We have done the JHB - CPT in both directions and found the service superb. It is strange that you departed Cape Town behind Class 35's. THis job is normally done by the 6E family. From Worcester its normally Class 33's. I saw them operating last year in March and June on my trips to George. I travelled to George by train in 2000. We departed Cape Town at 6pm and arrived at Voorbaai at 05h30 the next morning allowing us to see the scenery from there onwards. The difference in Main Line and branch line is like driving on the N1 and turning onto a gravel road. I would love to do that trip, but I have to kids at Varsity at present and the cash flow aint what it should be

[Graham Luppnow]

I seem to be having a few problems uploading my pictures to this forum, but I'll keep trying.

In the meantime you can view the pictures here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9 ... 54&l=7f89b

[John Ashworth]

Graham, maybe stating the obvious, but photos can only be uploaded to the photo gallery sections of the forum, so you can't add photos to this thread. You'd need to open a new thread in the South Africa photo gallery section.

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

Thanks you very much for a great report on your trip - and for all your pics which see you have started to load!

[Graham Luppnow]

Thanks! For those who haven't seen the pictures yet, there are here:

http://www.friendsoftherail.com/phpBB2/ ... 143&t=3908

http://www.friendsoftherail.com/phpBB2/ ... 143&t=3909

http://www.friendsoftherail.com/phpBB2/ ... 146&t=3913

[Graham Luppnow]

Here is the current schedule for the route:

Cape Town to PE

Cape Town Friday 15:00
Worcester Friday 19:00
Voorbaai Saturday 03:40
George Saturday 05:10
Oudtshoorn Saturday 07:30
Toorwater Saturday 09:27
Uitenhage Saturday 15:21
Port Elizabeth Saturday 15:57

PE to Cape Town

Port Elizabeth Sunday 08:45
Uitenhage Sunday 09:33
Toorwater Sunday 15:11
Oudtshoorn Sunday 17:20
George Sunday 19:28
Worcester Monday 06:30
Cape Town Monday 09:30

I have a full schedule for the route showing all the times for all the stops if anyone is interested, just send me a PM.

[fanie kleynhans]

Hi all, some info i can add here, i was at Albertinia now for a short holiday. The first Sunday evening 15 Feb i went to the station at about 10pm wanting to get a night shot, the train came past at 23pm, 2 orange 35's with 14 coaches. The following Sunday it came past a bit later, just before midnight, again 14 coaches but the surprise was up front, 3 x 33's, not sure why they would need 3? Anyway they made quite a nice sound comming up the hill just outside town, i will post some pics in the pics section later.

Something i have noted is they dont blow the horn at night when they go through town, why would that be?

[John Ashworth]

Welcome to the FOTR forum, Fanie - I think this was your first post. Thanks for the information and we look forward to seeing the photos.

When we did our Train Assistant course with Spoornet (as it was called then), we learned that during the day (basically 0500 to 2300) the horn must be sounded before a crossing. At night (2300 to 0500) it is up to the driver's discretion whether it is necessary to sound the horn or not, but he doesn't have to do so.