The Natal Railway Company was formed in January 1859 for the construction of a railway in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

. The Natal Railway Company made use of broad gauge. The was only adopted in Natal in 1876 when the

Natal Government Railways The Natal Government Railways (NGR) was formed in January 1877 in the Colony of Natal. In 1877, the Natal Government Railways acquired the Natal Railway Company for the sum of £40,000, gaining the line from the Point to Durban and from Durban ...

was established. The railway's first steam locomotive, the ''

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

'', started operations on 26 June 1860. Up until that time the railway had been operated using ox-drawn wagons. The inaugural run was across a stretch from Market Square in Durban to the newly built Point station at Durban harbour.Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, vol 1: 1859-1910, (D.F. Holland, 1971), p11, 20-21, Alexander McArthur, the

mayor of Durban Below is a list of mayors of Durban, South Africa. In 2000 Durban became the seat of the newly created eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. 1854-1910 * , 1854–1856 (Includes portraits of mayors) * Edward Snell, 1856, 1867–69 * Savery Pinsen ...

described the new line in a letter to Sir

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

. The Natal Railway Company's initial rolling stock consisted of six wagons, two travelling cranes and one passenger coach. By 25 January 1867 the line had been extended a further to Umgeni, from where stone, quarried from the

Umgeni River The Umgeni River or Mgeni River ( zu, uMngeni) is a river in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It rises in the "Dargle" in the KZN Midlands, and its mouth is at Durban, some distance north of Durban's natural harbour. The name is taken to mean "the r ...

, was transported to the harbour.The South African Railways - Historical Survey (Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd, Circa 1978) All the assets of the Natal Railway Company, including its locomotive fleet of three, were purchased for the sum of £40,000 by the Natal Colonial Government in 1876. The railway continued to operate under the Natal Railway name until it became part of the

with effect from 1 January 1877. The Natal remained in service for fifteen years, but since the newly established Natal Government Railways adopted Cape gauge in conformance with the railways in the Cape Province, the existing lines were also converted to Cape gauge.

References

{{reflist Defunct railway companies of South Africa Standard gauge railways in South Africa History of Durban Transport in Durban Railway companies established in 1859 Railway companies disestablished in 1877 1859 establishments in South Africa 1877 disestablishments in Africa

See also

References