The Transnet Transport Museum (previously known as the Outeniqua Transport Museum) is a railway museum located in George, South Africa.
The Transnet Transport Museum is one of the Transnet Heritage Assets and Preservation Portfolio's Transport Museums (the second is located in Kimberley). Situated in the former PX-goods shed in George, the museum opened on 24 September 1998.
The museum collection consists of a 21 steam locomotives and 22 coaches among other vehicles.
Model trains Captain John Baxter Captain John Baxter was born in Natal, son of a Natal Government Railways/South African Railways station master whose last station was Sarnia on the old main line. From school, Baxter went to the General Botha naval training ship in Simonstown and served in the South African Navy in World War II. After the war, he joined Clan Line and was master of one of its ships when he took early retirement in 1967 and returned to South Africa with his English wife, June, and children Nigel and Debbie.
Baxter had a substantial British-prototype layout in his loft at Poole, but never lost his love of SAR trains. During the late fifties, he began modelling SAR prototypes to S-scale on 16.5mm gauge, which gave the precise scale-to-gauge ratio. His first SAR model was a long-tender 19D, followed by a 6th class. Then came a complete train of balcony stock with dining car and baggage van and a goods train with old-style wooden guards van with two separate passenger compartments at the rear. While John's modelling technique was as close to perfection as anyone could want, his signwriting left much to be desired. So when the guards van needed lettering he commissioned a competent member of the Poole Model Railway club to do the job. All Hugh (I've forgotten his surname) had to go on was a side-on photo of the Afrikaans side, so, not being proficient in Afrikaans, "Blankes" and "Nie blankes" became "Smoking" and "Non smoking" rather than the correct "Whites" and "Non-whites".
Having returned to South Africa, Baxter was soon signed up by SAR & H who appointed him master of a dredger in Durban Harbour. This left him ample time to continue modelling and over the years a wonderful selection of locomotives and rolling stock was built up which ran on a layout in his garage in Westville. There was a 16E, 8th class, 23 class, class 1, class 14R, class 6J, class H2, class A, class GO, class 12AR, class 6D. Many more coaches and freight wagons were added. All were perfect replicas and were built to run.
Meta Collection The models were required for the Van Riebeeck Tercentenary Exhibition which was held in Cape Town from the beginning of March of the following year, and which transport as used in the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and later Union of South Africa over a period of 300 years was embraced. These models included replicas of the famous Blue Train and Orange Express, a Natal mail train, and a typical coal train.
On the old 4 ft 8.5in gauge there were representative models of the first Cape Railway train, and of the original Natal Railways locomotive named "Natal" with wagon and carriage. There were also eleven complete trains representing the early days of the Cape and Natal Railways. Each train, passenger and goods train had its appropriate locomotive. The Transvaal and Orange Free State were represented by an original locomotive and twin coach, and six complete trains and representative and appropriate locomotives.
Of the modern South African Railways models there was a comprehensive range of locomotives and rolling stock.
Road transport Canadian Brill Bus During 1947, the South African Railways Administration placed an order with the Canadian Car & Foundry (CCF) for 113 model IC-37/41 intercity coaches, costing £7000 each. Intercity coaches were specially designed for long distance journeys, providing maximum travel comfort combined with outstanding mechanical reliability. The JG Brill Company. had been building buses, trolleybuses and railroad cars in the USA for eighty years. In 1944 it had merged with the American Car & Foundry Company (ACF) to become ACF-Brill, and the new company licensed CCF in Montreal to build its bus designs for export to the mainly-righthand-drive British Commonwealth countries.
Thornycroft Thornycroft was a United Kingdom -based vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses and trucks from 1896 until 1977.
Thornycroft started out with steam vans and lorries. Naval engineer John Isaac Thornycroft built his first steam lorry in 1896. Thornycroft's first petrol vehicle was built in 1902 and the company completed the switch to internal combustion engines in 1907.
This vehicle is one of the few remaining four wheel Thornycrofts still in existence.
Rolling stock Private Coach No 5 Type = PrivateName = TafelbergTotal built = 1Built by = ImportedNumber = 5Date in service = 1903Tare = 75,500lbsDRG No = 1682(Date 1941)
Place for 6 people and 1 Attendant
Used by the System Manager Cape Town
South Africa-renamed in 1973 to Tafelberg. Also carried the name Sandveld
Private Coach 14 Type = PrivateName = ConstantiaTotal built = 1Built by =Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Company, EnglandNumber = 14 (CGR NO - 521)Date in service = 1896Tare = 63,200lbs
This coach was also used by the Minister of Railways. An allocation list of July 1928 shows this allocated for use by Minister and General. In the 1970s and 1980s it was used on the Free State Region by the Operating Department
Private Coach 18 Type = PrivateName = MiddleburgTotal built = 1Built by = JJ Beijnes, Haarlem, HollandNumber = 18Date in service = 1897
The original saloon of the late C.A.A Middelberg, Director (1890-1899) of the Nederlandsche Zuid Afrikaansche Spoorweg Maatskappij.
White Coach 49 Type = PrivateName = Total built = 1Built by = Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Company, EnglandNumber = 49 (Old no126)Date in service = 1947
It was specifically ordered for use on the Governor-General's White Train and was built by the Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Company, England. It was placed in service as Car No.126 in June 1947.
This coach was neither intended nor ordered for the 1947 Royal train. It is often incorrectly linked to the 1947 Royal Train in the historical sense, but this is probably due to the fact that the car was intended for the White Train but only after the Royal Tour had been completed. This car being intended for specialised use on the White Train is undoubtedly one of the most luxurious diners in service on the South African Railways (SAR), but it was not used for general passenger service
The car's saloon contains one large longitudinal table which can accommodate sixteen persons. The kitchen is fitted out in stainless steel and the whole vehicle is air-conditioned. The wall paneling is satin-finished figured timber. A small bar is provided at the end opposite to the kitchen. The exterior profile is identical to the present Drakensberg stock.
The coach which was renumbered 49 in 1969, served on the White Train from June 1947 to 1975, when the State President's special train was officially withdrawn from service at the personal request of president Nico Diederichs.
This coach is notable as it was the central conference coach of the train which was placed in the centre of the Victoria Falls Bridge in August 1975 in one of the early abortive attempts to bring about peace in Rhodesia.
Coaches used for on State President's Train Type before used on State President's Train Old number before renumbering Coaches used on 1947 Royal Train State President's Coaches Numbers when train was withdrawn 1975 Disposal Motor Car Wagon Motor Car Wagon Non-White staff & Equipment K-45 4343 46 White accommodations C-34 8445 47 White accommodations C-34 8453 48 Dining Car White Train 126 49 Owned by Transnet Heritage Foundation (Outeniqua Transport Museum) Personnel staff car Governor-General's White Train 38 R6 50 State President's coach Governor-General's White Train 39 R7 51 Owned by Transnet Heritage Foundation (Outeniqua Transport Museum) State President's Wife coach Governor-General's White Train 40 R8 52 Owned by Greg Mclennan (Germiston Locomotive Depot) Baggage Vane K-45 4338 53
White Coach 51
Coach R7 (Princesses and Ladies-in-waiting)
The Royal Tour 1947
For this momentous occasion, eight new air-conditioned coaches were ordered from (Metro-Cammell Carriage & Wagon Company) In England. J. Stone & Co. Ltd. Provided the 'Stone-Carrier' air-conditioned equipment for the coaches. Under normal conditions, delivery of such luxury vehicles would be effected in about two and a half years but in this instance the contractors were given nine months to do so! They rose to the occasion and in doing so they certainly did not compromise on quality workmanship! Two Senior SAR Draughtsmen and a Senior Electrical Engineer were sent to England to Supervise the construction of the coaches
Five of the eight coaches ordered, were specialised luxury saloons while the remaining three, were built to standard (C-31-A/B Blue Train) design. The luxury saloons included the accommodation for the Royal Family and other dignitaries.
Use after Royal Tour
Saloon R7 for the Princesses and ladies-in-waiting, was also made available for the (White Train) as coach no.39) renumbered No.51 in May 1969 and used as the (Governor-General/State President saloon). When the 'White Train' was withdrawn from service in August 1975, this saloon was handed over to the S.A. Railway Museum for the National Collection.
134 Kafue
Type = A-12 (ex CGR type R4)
Built in = Salt River
Total built = 6
Numbers = 129 to 134
Date in service = 1906-1964
These cars were destined to serve the South African Railways for a considerable period of time. As inherited from the (Cape Government Railways), they were not fitted with a bar - instead they featured a wine cellar. In 1922, approval was obtained to convert the cellar into a bar to bring these cars more into line with standard practice.
The last of the A-12s, No. 134 became departmental coach No. 14002 in January 1964. Four years earlier in 1960, consideration had actually been given to converting No. 134 for specialised use on non-white trains. The proposed alternative layout can be scrutinized on the appended diagrams. However, due to the vehicle's age it was decided not to proceed with the alterations. Thus the family of A-12's also dropped into pages of history.
168 Palala
Type = A-18 series 2Total built = 27Built in = Pretoria Shops Numbers = 165 to 194 (207)Date in service = 1914-1982
172 (frame & bougie) was used to build 207.
The second generation A-18 (series 2), with four exceptions, all entered into service in 1914. Three were placed in service in 1918 and the last vehicle in 1921. With D.A. Hendrie as Chief Mechanical Engineer it was understandable that all these cars should bear a strong resemblance to their NGR predecessors - SAR type A-16. Notwithstanding their obvious NGR ancestry, these vehicle's could lay claim to being the first dining cars built purely under the auspices of the SAR. Unlike the Series1 A-18s, they were in no way (apart from influence in design) connected with any pre-Union system. Thus 1914 became a red letter year in the history of SAR dining cars in that it witnessed the introduction of the first SAR design and engineered vehicles. Rather appropriately, the first car of this type to actually enter service was also numerically the first No. 165 placed in traffic in March 1914.
196 Tewani Twin Dining Cars
Type = A-22/AA23Total = 13 (Series 1)Number = see table below (Series 1)Built = Pretoria shops (195-200), Durban shops (201-206)(211 Built by Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, EnglandDate in service = 1924-1980