The ''Outeniqua Choo Tjoe'' was the last remaining continually-operated passenger

steam train A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, ending operation in August, 2006. The line on which it operated links the towns of George and

Knysna Knysna () is a town with 76,150 inhabitants (2019 mid-year estimates) in the Western Cape province of South Africa. and is one of the destinations on the loosely defined Garden Route tourist route. It lies at 34° 2' 6.3168'' S and 23° 2' 4 ...

in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 202 ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

, and was completed in 1928. The scenic route from George took 3 hours, following the rugged coastline of the

Garden Route The Garden Route (Afrikaans: ''Tuinroete'') is a stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa which extends from Witsand in the Western Cape to the border of Tsitsikamma Storms River in the Eastern Cape. The name comes from the verdan ...

,and passing through Victoria Bay,

Wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

, Goukamma, and Sedgefield before crossing a bridge over the Knysna Lagoon and ending at the Knysna station. The line and steam service were declared an officially preserved

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

in 1992. At first carrying about 40,000 passengers per year, the train was carrying 115,000 passengers per year by the early 2000s. 70% of passengers were foreign

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

s. The trains were usually pulled by SAR Class 19D steam locomotives, of

4-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels. This type of steam locomotive is commonly know ...

wheel arrangement In rail transport, a wheel arrangement or wheel configuration is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed under a locomotive. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and c ...

with Vanderbilt-like "torpedo" tenders, although

SAR Class 24 SAR or Sar may refer to: Places * Sar (river), Galicia, Spain * Sar, Bahrain, a residential district * Sar, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran * Sar, Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region of China * Šar Mountains, in southeastern Europe ...

steam engines were also used occasionally. When dry conditions in the summer increased the risk of

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

s, diesel locomotives ( SAR Class 32s) were used instead. During August 2006 the line was damaged by heavy flooding, and train services were suspended. In November 2006 the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe was temporarily rerouted to run between George and Mossel Bay (with a stop at Hartenbos). This service was discontinued on 17 September, 2010. In 2007, the train's owners, Transnet Limited, announced that the train was not regarded as part of its core business, and initiated a tender process to dispose of the train to a new owner/operator. In August 2010, Transnet announced that they had not found an operator, and the train would cease operating. The Western Cape Provincial MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde, said that he was resolved to keep this heritage tourism asset operational. In May 2018 it was revealed in the British Magazine "Heritage Railway" that while there was ongoing discussion between Transnet and a private enterprise called "Classic Rail," there remained no agreement to franchise the line and re-open it for tourist traffic. In December, 2021, Transnet Freight Rail put out a Request for Proposals for the management and operation of the line. This tender closed in April, 2022. In September, 2022, Classic Rail announced that it was one of only two bidders in contention for the appointment.

Popular culture

In 2008, the train and the Kaaiman's River Bridge were featured in a television advertisement for

Stella Artois Stella Artois ( ) is a pilsner beer, first brewed in 1926 by Brouwerij Artois in Leuven, Belgium. In its original form, the beer is 5.2 per cent ABV, the country's standard for pilsners. The beer is also sold in other countries like the UK, Ir ...

References

External links

Official Site of the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe

Friends of the Choo-Tjoe
{{coord missing, South Africa Transport in the Western Cape Heritage railways in South Africa Named passenger trains of South Africa Tourist attractions in the Western Cape Railway services discontinued in 2009