‘Kitty’ steams in to Maritzburg

JC van der Walt tracks the history of KZN’S first railway

ON OCTOBER 1, 1880, it took six hours and 14 minutes for the first Natal Government Railways (NGR) passenger train from Durban to reach Pietermaritzburg.

On June 10 this year, our two South African Comrades winners ran the distance of 89km quicker.

Bongmusa Mthembu took only five hours and 24 minutes, while women’s winner Ann Ashworth took six hours and 10 minutes.

The colony of Natal experienced an economic boom as a result of British capital investment, entrepreneurship and technical excellence, leading to new job opportunities and better income for whites, blacks and Indians.

Britain annexed Natal in 1843 to stop bloodshed and child slavery. Seventeen years later, on June 26, 1860, the first steam train in South Africa started between the Point and Market Square in Durban.

Thirty-seven years later, on December 1, 1880, the first passenger train from Durban arrived in Pietermaritzburg.

Joseph Welborne initiated a survey in 1869 to provide Natal with a system of 552km of railways. The idea was well received.

On June 13, 1875, a contract was signed in London on behalf of the Lieutenant-governor of Natal and Messrs George Wythes and John Jackson for the contractors. Legislation was passed to raise a loan on the London money market of R2.4million for the project.

Two prominent civil engineers, Arrot Browning and William Ridley, had extensive railroad construction experience in England, Mauritius, Spain, India and America.

Lieutenant-governor of Natal, Sir Henry Bulwer, turned the first sod on January 1, 1876.

On April 1, 1876, 100 Indian labourers from Mauritius arrived on board the barque Acteae.

A shipment of rolling stock, consisting of two Kitson steam locomotives, numbers 12 and 13, 10 carriages and 13 open goods trucks, arrived in Durban on September 14, 1877.

All excavation work was done by pick and shovel. The railway line went through undulating terrain and was engineered to avoid extensive earthworks, major bridges and long tunnels.

The gauge was 3 ft 6 inches (1.07m). No gradient would be steeper than one in 30. The earthworks between Botha’s Hill and Inchanga was very difficult on account of the lack of building stone. There were nine iron girder bridges, nine smaller bridges and 22 culverts, plus a tunnel of 172 feet (52.4m).

About 90 important guests of Left:the Inchanga viaduct was 170m long and the iron girders 27m high. Above:the Kitson No 13 locomotive, ‘Kitty’. Below left:the Natal Witness advertisement on November 30, 1880, announcing the new line between Durban and Pietermaritzburg opening to passenger traffic on December 2.A first-class rail ticket cost 17 shillings, nine pennies. Far left:the inaugural arrival in Pietermaritzburg on December 1, 1880, drew a crowd of about 3000.

the governor of Natal, including the mayor of Durban, seven town councillors, the magistrate, the town clerk, the port captain and the general manager of NGR, David Hunter, boarded the five new carriages and one brake van that departed at 7.45am on an epic journey to Pietermaritzburg. The Kitson No 12 steam locomotive was driven by Hayes and the stoker was Jackson.

The delighted train passengers marvelled at the construction progress made over undulating terrain over a five-year period.

At 8.55am, the Kitson took on water at Pinetown Bridge. At 9.07am, the passengers enjoyed refreshments in Pinetown.

At milepost 29, the Kitson took on water. The passengers then marvelled at the scenery of the Valley of a Thousand Hills. The train reached Botha’s Hill at 10.09am, where they enjoyed refreshments at the station canteen. The summit was passed at milepost 33, at an altitude of 745m. The train then went through the only tunnel and then on to the Inchanga viaduct.

They reached Camperdown at 11.30am for more food and drink. They then reached the highest elevation (931m) at milepost 58.

At 12.32pm, the train passed Richmond and took on more water. At 1.36pm, the train arrived at Pietermaritzburg station.

Reporters of The Natal Witness and The Natal Mercury vividly described the festivities. Thousands of people assembled to celebrate the arrival of the first train from Durban. Many buildings were decorated with banners. Church Street was lined with flags.

At 10am, schoolchildren gave a banner display on Market Square. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed refreshments in the form of ginger beer, buns, sweets and oranges.

At 12.15pm, a procession moved slowly from Market Square along Church Street to the station. The procession included a military band, the children of all the schools, the clergy, the civil service, the town council, the mayor and the town clerk, members of the legislative assembly and the general public.

Eventually, 3 000 people gathered at the station to catch a first glimpse of the train. The military band struck up with See the Conquering Hero Comes. There was loud cheering as the train came to a halt. The governor of Natal, Major-general Sir George Pomeroy Colley, and the mayor of Pietermaritzburg, greeted the guests from Durban.

The mayor of Durban opened the ceremony and Lady Colley was presented with a bouquet of flowers. Sir George then declared the railway open. This was followed by several loud blasts from the Kitson No 12 locomotive. The children then sang a song specially composed by Stephen Stranack.

A splendid meal was served to 200 special guests at the station shed and speeches and toasts were made to congratulate the contractors. In the evening, a giant fireworks display was held in Market Square.

Aftermath

Kitson steam locomotive No 13, better known as “Kitty”, has a fascinating history. Built in 1879 by Kitson & Co of Leeds, England, as works number 2269, by 1993 it was the oldest locomotive in the world still in working order.

This is another example of British engineering.

In 1913 it started industrial service for the Victoria Falls Power Company (later Eskom) after being bought for £600, hauling coal from Modrea railway station to Brakpan power station.

No 13 was moved to Eskom’s Roscherville power station in 1920. Until 1966, it hauled coal trains between Jupiter and Roscherville. It could pull trucks 50 times its own mass of 25 tons.

“Kitty” was declared a national monument on April 29, 1983. In 1979, it became the world’s first steam locomotive to complete 100 years of continuous service – and was still in good working order in 1998.

Sadly, Kitty steamed up for the last time in 2009 because the museum has no money for upkeep. Acknowledgements: Cox, GAS, MA thesis; Martin Bruno, Natalia 10, 1980; The Natal Witness and The Natal Mercury, December 2-3, 1880; South African National Railway and Steam Museum, Krugersdorp. brilliant