The vicious flooding of recent weeks has left its mark on the Old Main Line between Kloof and Inchanga, severely undermining the train tracks and causing thousands of Rands worth of damage, suspending the uMgeni Steam Railway (USR) trips for the foreseeable future.
Ashley Peter, Chairman of uMgeni Steam Railway, said he was incredibly disappointed and frustrated about the damages. He said: “We were just finding our feet again, recovering financially and regaining momentum after the long Covid-19 lockdown, with great plans for all the April and May holidays, and now we have this extraordinary set-back.”
According to Peter, parts of the track have been severely undermined and are requiring round the clock extensive and expensive rehabilitation, which will prove to be a monumental task involving large teams of workers and hundreds of tons of landfill material to rectify,
“There are many places where landslides have occurred, sinkholes developed and the foundation under the railway line was washed away, leaving the lines hanging in the air. There are various stretches of the track which have been damaged. Four sections in particular – two in the vicinity of Inchanga. One 350m to the west and the other about 2kms to the East; another on Botha’s Hill and a fourth near Gillitts, requires major interventions. The team have started with the one 2km`s East of Inchanga using second hand railway sleepers to erect a retaining wall and the other by removing slip material in the Everton road cutting,” he added.
The rehabilitation will cost a whopping R1million, which Peter said is a crippling amount for the USR to come up with. USR is looking for additional landfill material, sand, rock and clean builders’ rubble. If anyone can help they are welcome to dump landfill material at Inchanga Station off Thousand Hills Road (MR485 Rd opposite D732).
“The USR volunteers would also really welcome the use of a TLB, Bobcat or similar on select days to help with the process. And of course, we look to the public to support our glorious trains once they are up and running again, so we can replenish our coffers and continue to provide the fabulous attraction which is the Umgeni Steam Railway!” said Peter.
The USR is a non-profit company run entirely by volunteers who maintain and operate the trains, the tracks, museum, library and archives. The organisation is dedicated to preserving the heritage of railways in South Africa. Public who wish to lend a hand in restoring the iconic USR are welcome to visit their website at donations@umgenisteamrailway.com or message them on their various social media pages.
