The Railway to Adventure

Due west out of Port Elizabeth, the largest city in South Africa's Eastern Cape, a 2 foot gauge railway meandered for 177 miles to the tiny hamlet of Avontuur ('Adventure' in Afrikaans). For over 100 years this served the deciduous fruit growing region known as the Langkloof, and two other branches served, firstly citris groves and a second, movements of limestone. It was this that provided the base traffic of the railway into the 21st century.

Motive power was Garratts and then chunky 2-8-2s for many years, latterly replaced by 700hp diesels, which running as a trio, were handling 700 ton limestone trains.

It is a fascinating history, and there is a lot more to it that the above. Here is a 2' gauge gauge line running through tremendous scenery - is it any wonder that two of its locomotives now work on the Welsh Highland Railway?

266 page hardback with vast numbers of B&W and colour photograohs and superb maps.

Published in 2020 at £37.50 - NOW AT THIS SPECIAL PRICE of £29.95!