Train project steams into life
Apple Express locomotive wheels roll again
LIKE the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, the iconic Apple Express made its first appearance in seven years when the refurbished locomotive – the NG 15 No 119 – was unveiled at the weekend.
The event – held at the Transnet narrow-gauge head office depot on Saturday and attended by about 50 members from the Port Elizabeth Historical Society and the Model Locomotive Society of Port Elizabeth – saw the locomotive in steam for the first time since 2010.
The guests were also taken on a tour of the workshop to check the overall progress on the Apple Express.
On Friday, in a report to the economic development, agriculture and tourism portfolio committee, plans to revive the iconic transportation asset were given further steam.
In his report, the city’s economic development executive director, Anele Qaba, said the shutdown of the train had affected tourism in the Bay negatively.
Qaba said the immediate plan was to run the train from the Humewood station to Kings Beach during the December-January holiday season.
Apple Express Rail Company chief executive Nerina Skuy said it was a massive achievement for her and the group of volunteers who had worked tirelessly to ensure the locomotive was restored to its former glory.
She said the volunteers shared the same vision she did – to have the train running in Port Elizabeth and, at the same time, open up opportunities in terms of job creation.
Skuy said the volunteers had worked tremendously hard in getting to this point, with 17 of the 19 coaches already refurbished and a second locomotive – the NG 15 No 124 – scheduled for completion in mid-September.
“The only vision we have had was to get this train up and running again,” Skuy said.
“It’s not about money or recognition. We owe it to the people of Port Elizabeth and its [Apple Express’s] following around the world to get this train running again.”
Since the takeover by Skuy and her crew four years ago, at least R1-million has been pumped into the project – funded mostly by her – fully equipping the workshop with engineering equipment used to fix the locomotives and coaches.
“When we took over the operations of the Apple Express in 2013, we secured both the locomotives and coaches,” she said.
“They were in serious need of total restoration.”
Skuy emphasised the importance of getting the youth involved in the operation, as the specific skills set which accompanied steam train engineers was fading away.
“There are skills invested in steam trains that are being lost.
“We need to preserve those skills and pass them on to the younger generation – those building blocks are not available anymore.
“It is the skills bank in steam that we need to invest in if we want to create more skills.”
Skuy said they were compiling a vital safety management system for the train as no train could operate without one.
That would take about 12 weeks to complete.
Justin Wood, 22, who has been a volunteer since the age of 14, started out as an Apple Express Kids ambassador – until the train was halted in 2010.
When Skuy embarked on the restoration project, he said, he was “stuck”.
Asked what made steam trains so special, Wood said: “It’s a living, breathing machine.
“It’s a man-made machine with a soul which cannot be started up with a key.
“It takes time to get her going, and if you treat the machine with respect, it will do the same.”
Wood, who took a sabbatical after completing school to do volunteer work, said he would like to continue working in the field for as long as he could.
PE Historical Society committee member Rinus van den Berg said he could not describe his excitement at seeing the locomotive coming out of the shed at the weekend. “It took my breath away.” Van den Berg said a steam locomotive on a narrow-gauge line had a strong attraction for tourists and Port Elizabeth needed this kind of exposure.