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{{short description|Railway line in South Africa}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{infobox rail line
|color =27404E
|name=Avontuur Railway
|image = Map of Avontuur Railway.png
|image_width = 340px
|caption = Avontuur railway map

|map={{routemap|inline=1|map=
\exKDSTa~~0,0~~[[Port Elizabeth railway station|Port Elizabeth]]~~ ~~4 m
\exBHF~~1,5~~[[Humewood Road railway station|Humewood Road]]~~Actual terminal~~21 m
\exHST~~4,4~~Valley
exSTR+l\exABZgr~~Junction ''Walmer Branch'' (1906–1928)
exSTR\exHST~~7~~Emerald Hill
exKBHFe\exSTR~~Walmer (14th Avenue)
\exHST~~10~~Bog Farm (Walmer Road)
\exHST~~14~~Lorraine~~ ~~150 m
\exHST~~17~~Theescombe
\exSKRZ-Bu~~[[N2 road (South Africa)|N2]] road crossing over line
exSTRl\exABZgr+r~~22~~Chelsea~~Junction ''EPPC Branch'' (1927–2001)
\exHST~~24~~Greenbushes
\exHST~~27~~Progress
\exHST~~30~~St Albans
\exHST~~37~~Geduldrivier
\exHST~~40~~Witteklip
\exBHF~~43~~Van Stadens~~ ~~249 m
\exhKRZWae~~44~~[[Van Stadens Railway Bridge]]
\exHST~~47~~Sunnyside~~ ~~255 m
\exSKRZ-Bo~~Bridge over [[N2 road (South Africa)|N2]]
\exBHF~~53~~Thornhill~~ ~~221 m
\exSKRZ-Bu~~[[N2 road (South Africa)|N2]] road crossing over line
\exHST~~59~~Summit~~ ~~228 m
\exHST~~67~~Kwaaibrand
\exBHF~~72~~[[Loerie, Eastern Cape|Loerie]]~~Last station on the ''Apple Express''~~30 m
\exHST~~76~~Melon
\exBHF~~80~~Gamtoos~~ ~~7 m
exSTR+l\exABZgr+r~~Branch line to Patensie
exSTR\exhKRZWae~~81~~Bridge over the [[Gamtoos River]]
exHST\exSTR~~83~~Togo
exSTR\exHST~~85~~Mondplaas~~ ~~92 m
exHST\exSTR~~85~~Bodker
exSTR\exSKRZ-Bu~~[[N2 road (South Africa)|N2]] road crossing over line
exSTR\exhKRZWae~~Bridge over the Kabeljous River
exHST\exSTR~~90~~Wagon Drift
exHST\exSTR~~92~~Duplex
exSTR\exHST~~93~~Kabeljousrivier~~ ~~14 m
exHST\exSTR~~93~~[[Hankey]]~~ ~~22 m
exSTR\exHST~~100~~[[Jeffreys Bay]]~~ ~~100 m
exHST\exSTR~~104~~Goonakop
exSTR\exHST~~104~~The Burns
exKBHFe\exSTR~~104~~[[Patensie]]~~ ~~55m
\exHST~~108~~Drie Werve
\exBHF~~113~~[[Humansdorp]]~~ ~~153 m
\exHST~~117~~Kruisfontein
\exSKRZ-Bu~~[[N2 road (South Africa)|N2]] road crossing over line
\exHST~~124~~Kerkplaas~~ ~~247 m
\exHST~~130~~Billson
\exHST~~135~~Howley~~ ~~50 m
\exhKRZWae~~Bridge over the Dieprivier
\exSKRZ-Gu~~[[R62 road (South Africa)|R62 overpass]]
\exHST~~140~~Salielaagte~~ ~~204 m
\exHST~~146~~Two Streams~~ ~~280 m
\exHST~~153~~Essenbos
\exHST~~161~~Majoorskraal~~ ~~189 m
\exBHF~~164~~Assegaaibos~~End of Regular operation~~204 m
\exHST~~170~~Melkhoutkraal
\exHST~~177~~Jagersbos
\exHST~~183~~Kammiebos
\exHST~~191~~Kompanjiesdrif
\exHST~~201~~Heights~~ ~~533 m
\exHST~~209~~Tweeriviere
\exBHF~~214~~[[Joubertina]]~~ ~~544 m
\exhKRZWae~~215~~Bridge over the Wabooms River
\exHST~~225~~Krakeelrivier
\exBHF~~232~~Louterwater~~Last station during Citrus Season~~659 m
\exhKRZWae~~235~~
\exHST~~238~~Bruinklip
\exHST~~243~~Nuweplaas
\exHST~~251~~Misgund
\exHST~~256~~Gaviota
\exHST~~261~~Ongelegen
\exHST~~269~~Haarlem
\exHST~~273~~Siesta
\exKBHFe~~285~~[[Avontuur]]~~ ~~871 m
}}
}}
The '''Avontuur Railway''' is a closed railway line between [[Gqeberha]] and the town of [[Avontuur]] in the [[Western Cape|Western]] and [[Eastern Cape]] provinces of [[South Africa]]. It is the longest {{Track gauge|2ft|lk=on|first=met}} [[Narrow gauge railway|narrow gauge]] route in the world at a length of {{convert|285|km|mi}}.<ref name="Soul of A Railway">{{cite web | last = Lewis | first = Charles |author2=Pivnic, Les | title = Soul of A Railway | work = System 3: Cape Midland, based in Port Elizabeth| url = https://sites.google.com/site/soulorailway/soul-of-a-railway/system-3-cape-midland }}</ref> "Avontuur" is the Afrikaans and Dutch word for "adventure".

==History==
[[File:SAR NGG class 13-No80-002.JPG|thumb|left|[[South African Railways NGG 13 class|SAR Class NG G13]] No 80 plinthed at [[Joubertina]]]]
[[File:Datei-Urlaub Südafrika 2009 458.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Spoornet]] [[South African Class 91-000|Class 91-000]] on the Avontuur Railway near [[Humansdorp]]]]
[[File:Kabeljous-Avontuur Railway-bridge-001.jpg|thumb|left|The {{RailGauge|2ft}} narrow gauge rail bridge over the Kabeljous River outside [[Jeffreys Bay]]]]
The railway was built by the government of the [[Cape Colony]] between 1890 and 1906, to connect the [[Langkloof]] fruit growing industry with the new port at Port Elizabeth.<ref name="sellick-194">{{cite book|last=Sellick|first=W.S.J.|title=Uitenhage, past and present : souvenir of the Centenary, 1804–1904|year=1904|url=https://archive.org/details/uitenhagepastpre00sell|page=[https://archive.org/details/uitenhagepastpre00sell/page/194 194]}}</ref> The section of line between [[Humewood Road railway station|Humewood Road]] and [[Humansdorp]] was opened for public traffic on 1 November 1905.<ref name=report-1906>{{cite journal|title=Report of the general manager of railways (1910)|year=1906|publisher=Cape Town |url=https://archive.org/stream/reportgeneralma00railgoog#page/n132}}</ref>

In 1903 a request was laid before the then government in order to add a branch line to Patensie. This branch was commissioned on 3 April 1914.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mescht|first=J|title=Proceedings of the 22nd Southern African Transport Conference (SATC2003)|date=July 2003|isbn= 0-9584609-6-5|hdl=2263/6834}}</ref>

In 1906 a branch line was opened to the Port Elizabeth's suburb Walmer and in 1928 a twelve mile long private branch was constructed to the [[Two foot gauge railways in South Africa#Eastern Province Cement Company (EPCC)|Eastern Province Cement Company (EPCC)]].<ref name=NGW-49-1>{{cite journal|title=Narrow Gauge World & Modeling|date=January–February 2007|issue=49|page=1|url=http://www.sandstone-estates.com/index.php/railway-heritage/39-railway-heritage/886-rn308-narrow-gauge-world-magazine-no-49-janfeb-2007-qlimestone-to-port-elizabethq-by-david-payling|author1=Payling, David |author2=Paxton, Leith}}</ref>

==Passenger traffic==

===Scheduled trains===
Scheduled passenger trains were discontinued in the 1940s, although limited space was available on scheduled freight trains until the mid-1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geoffs-trains.com/reportavontuuradventurer.html |title=Avontuur Adventurer |publisher=geoffs-trains.com |accessdate=2009-07-12 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221214729/http://www.geoffs-trains.com/reportavontuuradventurer.html |archivedate=21 December 2008}}</ref>

===Walmer Branch===
From 1906 to 1928 a passenger only branch line, from Valley junction near Port Elizabeth, to the suburb of Walmer, serviced up to 22 trains a day between Port Elizabeth and the terminus at 14th Avenue in Walmer.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sa-transport.co.za/trains/media/evening_post/saga_apple_express.html|first=Richard|last=Rollison|title=Saga of the Apple Express|work=Evening Post|date=1973-11-23|accessdate=2011-12-26}} a-b.</ref> It was closed as a result from competition from a bus service.

===Apple Express===
The line was best known for its tourist train, the '''Apple Express,''' which commenced operations in 1965 to Loerie, later to Thornhill or Van Stadens River, the highest two-foot narrow-gauge railway bridge in the world. The motive power for the Apple Express was retained as steam, normally a [[SAR NGG16 Class]] [[Garratt]]. The Apple Express ceased operations in 2011.

Today, there is a new effort to restore a partial, limited, service in 2016 / 2017 from Port Elizabeth to Van Stadens Station – if not Thornhill - with two NG/G15 and one NG/G16 Garratt along with a fleet of passenger cars under restoration inside the former Humewood Road narrow Gauge diesel depot in Port Elizabeth.

From 2011 onward a volunteer team undertook the restoration of the [[South African Class NG15 2-8-2|NG15 NG119]] steam locomotive, returning the locomotive to running order during 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=Full steam ahead for iconic train|url=http://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2017/07/15/full-steam-ahead-iconic-train/|publisher=HeraldLIVE}}</ref> Restoration of the [[South African Class NG15 2-8-2|NG15 NG124]] steam locomotive was started in 2016.

After running a test Apple Express train on 24 December 2017, using the restored [[South African Class NG15 2-8-2|NG15 NG119]] locomotive, the Apple Express started running a summer holiday special service between King's Beach halt and a point near the [[Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Delight as Apple Express hits the tracks once more|url=http://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/top-news/2017/12/28/delight-apple-express-hits-tracks/|publisher=HeraldLIVE}}</ref>

==Freight traffic==

===Fruit and agriculture===
The presence of the railway contributed significantly to the development of agriculture in the Lankloof and Gamtoos Valley, enabling farmers to transport their produce conveniently to the warehouses and harbour at Port Elizabeth.<ref name=Green-n115>{{cite book|last=Green|first=Lawrence|title=Harbours of Memory|chapter-url=http://www23.us.archive.org/stream/HarboursOfMemory/Harbours#page/n115/mode/2up|chapter=Chapter Seven - Bay of lost cargoes}}</ref> Unfortunately, agricultural transport was lost due to competition from road haulage.<ref name="apple-express.co.za">{{Cite web |url=http://www.apple-express.co.za/files/apple_express_history.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=6 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904055329/http://www.apple-express.co.za/files/apple_express_history.pdf |archive-date=4 September 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Limestone===
In the 1920s a [[limestone]] quarry was opened near Loerie to serve the [[Two foot gauge railways in South Africa#Eastern Province Cement Company (EPCC)|Eastern Province Cement Company (EPCC)]] in New Brighton near Port Elizabeth via the EPCC owned private line branching off at Chelsea. The limestone traffic ceased in 2001 when the quarries were closed.<ref name="apple-express.co.za"/>

==Operations==
The railway was operated by the South African national railway company [[Spoornet]].

As the [[South African Government]] has deregulated the road transport industry, a large amount of traffic has moved from the railway to the roads. Spoornet has hence designated the line as "low density," and always had the threat of closure hanging over it.

After all major freight traffic ceased, only the Apple Express continued operations but finally ceased in 2010.

In 2014 a team of volunteers started working to recommence the running of the Apple Express.

After running a test Apple Express train on 24 December 2017, with locomotive NG15 NG119, the Apple Express began running a summer holiday special service between King's Beach halt and Valley Junction near the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport.

Since then, negotiations have been on going to recommence the Apple Express in the near future, but until such a time the Apple Express remains closed.

==Motive power==

===Tender locomotives===
The first locomotives entering service on the [[Langkloof]] line were the [[South African Class NG8 4-6-0|NG8]] class from 1903 to 1931.

From 1915 to 1935 the [[South African Class NG6 4-4-0|NG6]], from 1915 to 1939 the [[South African Class NG9 4-6-0|NG9]] and from 1916 to 1948 the [[South African Class NG10 4-6-2|NG10]].

The final and largest class to be employed on the Avontuur Railway were 21 [[South African Class NG15 2-8-2|NG15's]] from 1960 to the mid-1980s.

===Tank locomotive===
Class [[South African Class NG3 4-6-2T|NG3]] performed yard duties around [[Humewood Road railway station|Humewood Road Station]] in Port Elizabeth from 1939 to 1946

===Garratt locomotives===
The first Garratt locomotive to be introduced was the [[South African Class NG G11 2-6-0+0-6-2|NGG11]] class, soon to be followed with the [[South African Class NG G13 2-6-2+2-6-2|NGG13]] class in 1927, the latter setting the standard for motive power on the Avontuur railway for the next decades, to be followed with the [[South African Class NG G16 2-6-2+2-6-2|NGG16]] class, very similar to the NGG13.

The smaller Garratt classes [[South African Class NG G12 2-6-2+2-6-2|NGG12]] and [[South African Class NG G14 2-6-2+2-6-2|NGG14]] performed yard duties at [[Humewood Road railway station]] in [[Port Elizabeth]] until the 1950s.

===Diesel locomotives===
From 1973 the [[South African Class 91-000]] [[General Electric]] diesels were introduced, the most powerful 2 foot gauge diesel in the world.

==See also==
* [[Alfred County Railway]]
* [[Sandstone Estates]]
* [[Welsh Highland Railway]]
* [[South African Class 91-000]]
* [[Langkloof]]
* [[Two-foot-gauge railways in South Africa]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hay |first1=Richard |title=The Avontuur Railway |series=South African Two Foot Railways No 1 |date=2023 |publisher=Mainline & Maritime |location=Chippenham, Wilts, UK |isbn=9781900340748 |url={{GBurl|TRrczQEACAAJ}}}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* [http://www.apple-express.co.za/ Apple Express Official Site]
* [http://www.sa-transport.co.za/trains/narrow-gauge/apple_express/apple_express_map.html Map of Apple Express]
* [http://www.009dutch.nl/narrowgauge.nl/site/english/avo1.htm A 1976 ''Day trip to Loerie'' on the Avontuur Railway by Ted Polet, with photos, audio and video]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110904055329/http://www.apple-express.co.za/files/apple_express_history.pdf Apple Express History]
* [https://sites.google.com/site/soulorailway/home/system-3-1 Soul of A Railway - System 3 Cape Midland, based in Port Elizabeth]
* [http://www.railwaysafrica.com/blog/2014/06/10/apple-express-rail/ possible reopening of the line]
{{clear}}

[[Category:2 ft gauge railways in South Africa]]
[[Category:Railway lines in South Africa]]
[[Category:Transport in the Eastern Cape]]

Avontuur Railway - Revision history

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