3 The Apple Express
PORT ELIZABETH
There is something magical about travelling on a steam train … going-on-anadventure-facing-dragons-wizards-andelves magical. Part of that magic was lost when the Apple Express stopped running in 2010. People yearned for the iconic little train and through the efforts of a dedicated group of steam enthusiasts and volunteers, along with partnerships with Transnet and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, a rabbit was pulled from a hat and part of the magic returned. I joined about 100 other magic-seekers down at Kings Beach on a warm Saturday morning. Young and old waited in anticipation for the arrival of the train from the overnight shed. At the first sight of smoke and steam, coupled with the sound of the whistle, necks started craning. Who would spot her first? She could just as well have been a smoke-breathing dragon, and that was when it really dawned on me: the ol’ girl is back. Under the watchful eye of the volunteers, we boarded and took our places for the hour-long trip up to Port Elizabeth airport and back. With the smell of smoke and burning coal, we departed the beachfront and all you could see were heads hanging out the windows, fingers pointing and cameras (and phones) clicking away to capture the moment. Phase one of the Apple Express’s comeback is meant to quench the thirst for steam of those who’ve known her from years past, and to nurture a new relationship with steam among the younger generation. The next phase will hopefully see the train puff out as far as the Baywest Mall, with long-term plans seeing it do the traditional Port Elizabeth to Thornhill trip again. Construction on the narrow-gauge line the Apple Express runs on started in 1902 and reached Avontuur in 1907. It was used to transport apples and other fruit from the Langkloof to PE for export. The main line covers 284 kilometres, which makes it the longest narrow-gauge railway in the world, and it crosses Van Stadens Bridge, the highest narrow-gauge railway bridge in the world. The present-day journey covers just five kilometres of that. ‘Something just went in my eye!’ shouted my daughter as she pulled her head back through the window. Ah, more memories of steam: the ash being blown back as the train puffs along. It was amazing to see how many passers-by took photos as the train passed, waved at us and hooted their cars. Who needs brooms and wands and a castle named Hogsomething-or-other when you have a steam train?