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The Blue Train runs between Cape Town and Pretoria with a stop in Johannesburg. First started back in the 1920s, the Blue Train has become well-known around the globe for offering 5-Star rail accommodation.
The picture above depicts the mid-1950s Blue Train drawn by the then current locomotive - a Class 15F 4-8-2 built by the North British Locomotive Co. - leaving Cape Town northbound (with Devil's Peak (left) and Table Mountain in the background.
DevillEars
Follow Ups:
In late 1979, I was transferred from Cape Town to Johannesburg and had to investigate the permutations for the re-location.This re-location process included two major components: one, moving myself plus car in early January 1980 to start in the new assignment and to hunt for a house; two, once a house had been found, the moving of the rest of the family plus furniture. After gathering the costs for various options, the company accepted the following two "moves":
1) Self+Car: Self via the Blue Train; Car via Trans-Karoo express
2) Family+cat: 2-hour flightNeedless to say, wife was a bit green-eyed... :)
This was eventually set right about 10 years later when the annual company sales 100% Club (spouses included) was held in Cape Town with the travel component via the Blue Train (both ways). I was fortunate enough to have qualified and the wife and I enjoyed our travel and stay in Cape Town.
The Blue Train trip covers around 1,600 km from Johannesburg to Cape Town and the duration (in 1980) of the trip was just under 24 hours. Departing mid-morning, a brunch is served at around 11am with a tea&snack in mid afternoon before the formal dinner at sunset. A breakfast is served the following morning before arrival in Cape Town. All coaches are air-conditioned and have a suspension set-up designed to minimise rocking and clackety-clacking. The compartments are luxurious with either single of double sleeping accommodation and with either bath or shower.
For those interested in trains (as opposed to just the locomotives that pull them), see the link below.
DevillEars
Edits: 02/05/16
Sounds like fun!
I like comfortable rail travel.
When I was in Australia many moons ago I travelled exclusively by train and enjoyed every minute!
No idea of the total mileage but the first leg was on the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth (4500km), back to Adelaide where we took the Ghan to Alice Springs and back, then to Melbourne and from there to Sydney and finally to Brisbane and back.
Great way to experience the vastness of Oz if you got the time but I wouldn't wanna do it in coach class if you paid me. ;-)
Does this qualify for "Locomotive of the Day"?
DevillEars
Yes Indeed!
Happy Listening
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