SANTA will be on board some of the holiday trips planned at the Umgeni Steam Railway. Known for its railway history, the 85-year-old steam engine will be meandering along the Valley of 1000 Hills on selected days during the festive season.

The organisation is run entirely by volunteers and is self-funded, relying almost exclusively on revenue generated from running public and charter trains to continue operating and preserving the railway history.

Also read: Vintage train rides cancelled due to R1.5 million flood damage

Trains run through the picturesque Valley of 1000 Hills between Inchanga and Botha’s Hill on the last weekend of each month, with occasional additional trains during school holidays and for special events, such as carols by candlelight.

Apart from the rides, the station offers a wild variety of information of the South African train history in the Inchanga Railway Museum in the old station master’s house. The house was built in 1895 above Jagger Station, which also dates back to 1895. It is run by volunteer members of the Railway History Society. The elevated museum grounds also provide a bird’s eye view over the station in the yard environs.

Explaining their plans for the holiday, Bruce of the organisation said, “We will be running special trains and welcoming a lot of visitors locally and outside the province. This is the time of the year when we collect money to keep us running throughout the year.”

Following the damage to their trail due to the floods in 2022, Bruce said they have since been trying to get back on their feet.

Also read: Take a ride on the Umgeni Steam Railway for the holiday season

“We have had massive flood damage on our tracks and cannot run our normal operation because half of the track is still bogged away. We have had to use all our resources just to get some tracks running. We are trying to replace that money in the bank so we can keep other projects running, and some on the side for the rebuilding and to get back onto full operation. We have been able to recover 12km of the 25km trail lost due to the flood damage, which is what we are currently using with the hopes to gain more of our track and operate normally,” he said.

The organisation has planned for Santa to board their trains from December 15 to 24. There is also a carols by candlelight on December 15 and 16 after the 17:00 rides.
These are the following dates and times

Holiday schedule trips departing times:
Friday, December 15: 11:00 • 13:00 • 15:00 • 17:00 (Santa on board)
Saturday, December 16: 09:00 • 11:00 • 13:00 • 15:00 • 17:00 (Santa on board)
Sunday, December 17: 09:00 • 11:00 • 13:00 • 15:00 • 17:00 (Santa on board)
Saturday, December 23: 09:00 • 11:00 • 13:00 • 15:00 • 17:00 (Santa on board)
Sunday, December 24: 09:00 • 11:00 • 13:00 • 15:00 (Santa on board)

Also read: Hop onto the Inchanga Station

Tuesday, December 26: 09:00 • 11:00 • 13:00 • 15:00 • 17:00
Saturday, December 30: 09:00 • 11:00 • 13:00 • 15:00 • 17:00
Sunday, December 31: 09:00 • 11:00 • 13:00 • 15:00
Saturday, January 6, 2024: 09:00 • 11:00 • 13:00 • 15:00
Sunday, January 7, 2024: 09:00 • 11:00 • 13:00 • 15:00

Please ensure you bring cash or use Zapper as there are no card facilities nor ATMs. Please arrive half an hour prior to departure to collect your tickets. Ticket Prices for the Return Train Trip: Adults are R170 per person, pensioners (+60) and children (ages 2 to 12) are R110 per person. Book and pay within 48 hours to guarantee seats.

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