Old and new at Rovos

[John Ashworth]

Newly-renovated coaches stand next to the bogies from the coaches destroyed by fire at Rovos Rail

Photos by John Ashworth, 25th July 2009

[Tom Macrery]

John, That's an interesting logo in the third picture. It does not look typical South African, or typical anything else I'm aware of. Where did that come from?

[Chris Janisch]

These are for the Sisonke Stimela train, which will start running in November, between Pietermaritzburg and Underberg/ Creighton. It is a product of the Ingwe Municipality, and brainchild of Dudley Smith. Funding was obtained from the EU and local govt and 12 coaches are being restored to Rovos standard. A GMAM is being leased from USR and is currently under full overhaul at Mason's Mill.
The train will be based at Masons, and depart on a Friday, returning on a Sunday. It is aimed at tourist attractions in Southern KZN, and is a very worthwhile project. Hoperfully this venture will stimulate further rail tourism.

[Tom Macrery]

For those who are interested, "Sisonke" means "It's all of us", and "Stimela" is the shortened form of the Zulu word for train, "isitimela", which is the logical Zulu form of the word "steam". In the past, of course, it WAS a steam train; these days the word refers to any train. The intended meaning of the phrase "Sisonke Stimela" is undoubtedly that it is a "train for all of us". Many will be familiar with the short song "Shosholoza", a phrase in the song goes "isitimela siphume South Africa", meaning "the train comes from South Africa".

[allanroy]

found this regarding the train

What Alan Paton so beautifully described is now being brought to life with the development of the Sisonke Stimela Steam Train. This magnificently restored luxury steam train will offer a chance to experience the beauty of the KwaZulu-Natal midlands and Southern Drakensberg, while the off train experiences will touch the hearts of all people fortunate enough to enjoy this journey.

The train is pulled by one of three lovingly restored steam locomotives, and consists of 21 luxury suites with handsome wood paneling, and airconditioning. Each suite accommodates two passengers in either twin or double beds and has a lounge area with Edwardian furnishings and an ensuite bathroom with a hot shower.

and according to the tender the steam locomotives are
GF2416 ,GF2380 and GMAM 4074

Here is the link to the two tenders
http://www.witness.co.za/classifieds/20 ... spage5.pdf

[Chris Janisch]

The Sisonke District is a governmental regional area covering the KZN Midlands south of Maritzburg.