The steam train between Cape Town and Elgin is back at the end of the month
The Ceres Rail Company's iconic steam train will resume its travels between Cape Town and Elgin on 28 November, after being halted since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Ceres Railway track, which carried its first steam locomotive through the fertile Elgin Valley in 1912, has fallen silent for the past 20 months. Prior to the pandemic, the vintage steam train provided a regular weekend escape back in time, departing from Dockrail Road in Cape Town and chugging its way to the Elgin Railway Market.
The trip takes about four hours, with the train winding its way up Sir Lowry's Pass before descending into Grabouw and the valley below best known for its green tapestry of apple and pear orchards.
After a prolonged absence, the Ceres
Rail Company is hosting a grand reopening of the route on the last
Sunday of November. It's a special opportunity for media and invited
guests to experience the rail and market. Thereafter, regular trips will
resume every Saturday and Sunday.
Passengers aboard the Class 19 D steam locomotive – affectionately known as "a Dolly" – will have around three hours to explore the Elgin Railway Market. Originally an old apple warehouse built along the tracks in the 1940s, the present-day market has a steampunk aesthetic, with copper fixtures, ornate balustrades, and old brick walls.
The market hosts a variety of food stalls and retail booths, selling jewellery, genuine leather goods, and even bespoke braai tools. There's a bar that serves local wines, beer, and cider and a wine shop stocked with Elgin and Bot River wines.
