World Class Trains: The Blue Train

Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa. While the city turns on the wheels of politics and state administration, it is equally renowned for the stately grace of its sandstone buildings and the profusion of blossoms that justify its fond title of Jacaranda City. Which, when in full bloom, turn the city into a lilac fairyland. Union Buildings, a superb sandstone eagle of a building, swooping with outstretched wings over the city, has been the headquarters of the South African government since 1913 and was where Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president. From its high vantage point on the hill, tiered, well-manicured gardens grace the outer perimeter of Union Building, a peaceful retreat, whilst there are beautiful views of the city. The city prides itself on its many fine statues and museums and its four universities, including Pretoria University, the largest in the country, and the University of South Africa, the world's largest correspondence university. There are a host of good wine bars, restaurants and cafes. A popular evening meeting place is down at the trendy Hatfield Square. Amongst its many historical and cultural attractions, Pretoria is also home to the world-famous Blue Train. Our journey begins at the elite Illyria House, a charming, exclusive, privately-owned guest house. Built in 1954 as a private residence, it stayed in the same family for 40 years, until the property was bought as a family home. In 1994, the house was renovated into an Italian-style guest house to rent out to ambassadors. On realising the collection of antiques would have to be left in the house, the owner decided to open Illyria House to private guests. On arrival, the gates open to a beautiful entrance, where we are met by the hotel's butler. The residence is a celebration of elegant and romantic living, which is evident in the collection of 17th century tapestries and fine antiques majestically displayed throughout the colonial manor. Set in tranquil gardens with exotic plants and brightly coloured golden pheasants roaming the grounds, the experience is a relaxing retreat from the bustle of the city. Down at the railway station, the Blue Train arrives in from Cape Town. As soon as the train comes to a standstill, the passengers disembark and the luggage is unloaded by the butlers. As the train pulls away from the station to make its way to the Blue Train yard, no time is lost as the crew begin to clean and polish the interiors, the first stage of the cleaning up and preparation process ready for the next day's journey back to Cape Town. Washing and polishing a vehicle inside and out, when that vehicle is almost half a kilometre long, is by no means an easy feat, especially when it's done by hand, and the staff in Pretoria carry out this task on each train after each and every journey. The Blue Train has its own dedicated yard, a short distance from Pretoria train station, which houses workshops, storage and kitchens. A team of cleaners with trestles, buckets and hoses move in and begin to wash down the train thoroughly. Windows are cleaned and bags of rubbish are removed. The remaining crew finish for the day to get some rest before the very early start in the morning. Within a short period of time, the dust collected from the dry, dusty Karoo has gone, and the carriages sparkle resplendent with a shiny royal blue and cream livery. Born in an age when airships and ocean liners took long-distance travel into new realms of luxury, the Blue Train is descended from a distinguished line of aristocrats of the tracks. As far back as 1901, a steam-powered train deluxe set the standard for comfort and class in a country whose wide open spaces and infinite sky offered the ideal backdrop for a leisurely journey by rail. Today, the pride of South African rail travel maintains its position as an icon of unparalleled luxury. Keeping pace with shifting definitions of that concept, the Blue Train has twice been completely refurbished in 1972 and again between 1996 and 1998. At 6.30 in the morning, the Blue Train crew begin arriving at the yard, ready to begin preparing the train for its journey back to Cape Town. Food and drink are loaded. Last-minute preparations are made to ensure the train is immaculate throughout, maintaining the train's highest standards. Exotic fresh flower arrangements are prepared and taken aboard. The engineers carry out their final checks. The train is 380 metres long and is designed to carry a staff of 30. The chef, with the assistance of five kitchen staff and a catering manager, has already begun preparing lunch in the well-laid-out galley. Crew begin laying up tables in the dining cars. Clean uniforms are brought in and handed out. The bar is organized. Cutlery and fresh linen are put away. Final touches to the tables are added. The first impression when passengers step aboard the train will be pure, unrivaled luxury. I think the start of the experience on the Blue Train is really centered at the reception desk. When they arrive at the Blue Train lounge, they're welcomed by the butlers, who collect the luggage from the guests. The guests do not have to carry their luggage to the lounge. And then when they get to the lounge, they get booked or checked in, and they will be given the check-in cards. And after that, they will obviously be offered something to drink, coffee or orange juice or champagne. As the guests begin to mingle with passengers, the train departs from the yard and makes its way to the main station. The engine at the helm is resplendent in its bright yellow Admiral stripes with the Blue Train nameplate. The station reverberates with the hubbub of announcements as people board the local trains, which are a startling contrast to the gleaming carriages of the elegant Blue Train. The luggage is quickly transferred to the platform and loaded aboard. It's taken directly to the cabins ready for the guests. The warm colored woods are inviting, and it is apparent from check-in that everyone is going to be well looked after and no attention to detail will be missed. The train manager and crew escort the passengers to their cabins, where they will have time to settle in and familiarize themselves with the rest of the train. Well, the Blue Train is a five-star hotel on wheels. One of the reasons I would say is that you are dedicated a butler as a guest. When they get to the train, they are actually boarded, they are taken to their rooms. So each guest has got a butler assigned to them. So that person who is a butler to that guest would actually show the guest the operating equipment on the train. Good morning, my name is Sheldon. I will be your butler for the duration of the journey. I would like to familiarize you with the room, starting with the remote control. This is for both your TV and the blinds for the window. That little brown button over here, that's your on and off button for the TV. Now the TV is on channel number one. Channel number one is the video camera, which is mounted in front of the driver. Then you can see where you're going. I mean, you will be with your guest for a longer time than in a normal hotel. Because in a hotel, the guests would check in and maybe go into a conference or business. You don't see them. Then you can concentrate on other things. On the Blue Train, you've got these guests from Pretoria to Cape Town. So you always have to concentrate on them because they are part of you. You're always around with them all the time. So the service standards are expected either by the staff and the guests to be of a high standard. We've tried to create Utopia on the way to travel and I think we've actually got there. We're always improving on the product and trying new things. Like we've got a boutique shop on board, which is going to be redeveloped into something even more special. So I think, and trying to improve the actual service that we've got on board now, improving on it, that we've always got new designers coming on board to create a slightly different atmosphere and don't leave it where it is at the moment. If you looked at what we did with the train, we actually, originally the train was 16 coaches long. We redeveloped two more coaches, so we've actually got, this is an 18 coach train set. The first train we built with two lounges, kitchen, dining, car, and then with 11 accommodation coaches. Effectively, we can actually accommodate 84 people on board. The second train, we put a third lounge on board or conference centre on board and you could make it into a conference centre or into a observation coach, which gives it just that uniqueness about it. Our journey will take us from Pretoria, travelling overnight to Cape Town. This is the classic route of the train, neatly bisecting the hinterland from the sprawl of the High Felt Metroplex to the golden mazelands of the North West Province, on to Kimberley, across the Great Karoo, around the mountain chains, and through the fertile valleys that line the way to Cape Town. Shortly after boarding, the train slips free from the station, girding itself for the 1,600 kilometres to be covered to Cape Town. Spoornet, the South African Rail Transport Authority, have two blue trains operating in South Africa, both covering different routes. When the go-ahead was given for a complete refurbishment of the blue train in 1995, the brief was to build a train that would be unequalled anywhere in the world. A travelling masterpiece, representing all that is best about South Africa. The train picks up speed, but because of the air springs used in the secondary suspension, the movement on board is minimal. Considerable attention has been paid to the guests' needs. In the cabins, there is a writing desk next to the window, individually controlled air conditioning, telephone and video monitor, remote-controlled Venetian blinds, and in the luxury suites, a CD player and video. A comfortable sofa converts into a bed in the evening. The wood veneer panelling and storyboard inlays add a texture of imperial splendour to the decor. The window may not open, but lets the world into the suite and extend your horizon to the African sky. The private en-suites are complete with gold-plated fittings, Italian marble tiles and a shower. In the lounge car, guests gather and enjoy a pre-lunch drink or snack. They begin to relax as they settle down and become familiar with the layout of the train. The ambiance of the lounge car is one of warm elegance, where large windows allow for panoramic views of the passing countryside. Subtle lighting adds warmth, gently highlighting the beautifully detailed burled wood panelling and original South African artwork. For the journey to Cape Town, we have the added luxury of the observation car, which is also used as a conference facility. On this occasion, the car will be a dedicated observation car, offering panoramic views of passing landscapes. It proves to be a popular retreat for those who are content just to sit and watch the changing scenery. Travelling by train gives a unique way of seeing the passing countryside. Sitting there watching the kaleidoscope of dramatic scenes unfurl one after the other, it was almost as though you were watching a big motion picture in CinemaScope, in the privacy of your own home, each window offering a different vista. Should the relaxing ambiance of a gentleman's club appeal, the train's second lounge, the club car, offers impeccable service with its card tables, reading chairs, small library and fully equipped bar. A high-definition television provides guests with a fast-moving picture of the route ahead, on the closed circuit system. In the classically romantic ambiance of the 42-seater dining car, lunch is an elegantly casual affair, while dinner is more formal. Each table has individual lamps, fresh flowers, crisp linen, fine bone china and classic silver cutlery, which make the setting as memorable as the dishes to follow. In the heat of the kitchen, hemmed in by pots, pans, trays and gleaming stainless steel fittings, the chef and his assistants are preparing the meals for lunch. Sealed off from the scenery, the kitchen obliges its crew to look in for inspiration to the gas stove, bain-marie and the electric deep fryer and grill that flank the narrow walkway. Gastronomic feasts are prepared, all within the confines of the narrow galley. The standard of cuisine is everything one would expect from a five-star establishment. However, when you consider the difference in size from the hotel's kitchen, to the cramped size of a galley on a train, preparing dinner for 70 or so guests at the same time cannot be an easy task. The first sitting for lunch is called. The train operates two sittings each mealtime. The highly trained silver service waiters, the fine wines for which the Blue Train has won awards, combine to provide the highest standard that can be found in any fine restaurant. As some passengers dine and others relax in the lounge cars, the gold fields give way to the maze belt and provides a perfect backdrop to relax. The train pulls into Klerksdorp, where passengers whose flight have arrived late at Johannesburg join the train. Klerksdorp station also marks the changeover of the Blue Train's locomotives to diesel engines. We glide gently out of the station with the new passengers on board, continuing south to Kimberley. Our adventure had begun. Although we had traveled on many of the world-class trains before, the thrill and excitement of setting off into the unknown aboard a train of gleaming carriages brimming with nostalgia and sheer luxury never changes. It's always as if you're doing it for the first time and you know that whatever experience lies ahead of those parallel steel rails, it will be very different from the last time. As the train pulls into Kimberley station, passengers are waiting to disembark to join the waiting coaches. Entering into the station, guests are offered a local sherry and a quick look at the local museum before being taken to the centre of town. We board an antique street tram and with a clang and a lurch it moves off toward Kimberley Mine for a short excursion to a hole in the ground, where the discovery of diamonds in 1871 led to one of the world's most lucrative mineral rushes. In 1869, diamonds were discovered in the walls of a farmhouse. In the rush that followed, the house was pulled to the ground. Less than two years later, diamonds were discovered on the slopes of a nearby hillock. The hillock was pulled to the ground, then the digging began. Down at the sorting tables, we watch the gravel being washed. The huge rotary washing machine is turned by hand and the gravel is poured into buckets. The gravel is laid out on the sorting tables, along with three marked stones, which were ours to find to lay claim to a prize. We make our way down towards the hole and there, reflected on history, when men clawed at the earth with their bare hands, scraping aside gravel and shale, chiselling up the walls, spanning strands of rope across the chasm, as their frenzy built a mountain out of negative space. The hole became a pit, the pit became a shaft, the shaft became the mine that built De Beers, the world's largest diamond mining conglomerate. By 1914, when war and economic depression led to the mine's closure, the hole was a kilometre deep and the ground had yielded more than 14 million carats. A stroll through the streets of Kimberley's Mine Museum evokes the flavour of the digging days, and in particular, the spirit of one remarkable man, Cecil John Rhodes. Rhodes was a sickly 17-year-old when he journeyed from England. As a businessman, Rhodes ended up running De Beers. As a politician, he ended up running the Cape Colony. But as a visionary, he died with his greatest dream unfulfilled, building a railway from Cape Town to Cairo. We leave the mine and return to Kimberley Station, where the blue train lingers, waiting to continue its journey south. In a wash of early evening light, we slowly pull away from Kimberley. In the warm glow of soft lighting, the guests relax in the now familiar surroundings, enjoying a pre-dinner drink. At the back of the coach, there is a balcony and observation deck, where you can sit and watch some of the most spectacular scenery in Africa pass you by. The rich colours inside the lounge complement the beautiful desert sunset. Men, elegantly dressed in jacket and tie, and women in their finery, make their way to the dining car. In the kitchen, the chef and his crew continue with their preparations. All of the food served on the train is freshly prepared and cooked on board. Over 300 gourmet meals are prepared each day by the kitchen crew. The menu varies on each trip, but you are likely to be given a choice ranging from grilled duck breast or rainbow trout, or beef wellington, or maybe the South African kingflip fish, served with a choice of the very finest South African wines. Dinner is an elegant affair. Delicious cuisine and the atmosphere. The recipe is simple. Glittering crystal, crisp linen, polished silver, surrounded with low lighting to create the perfect romantic experience. Even at night, this is an incomparable way to travel through one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Whilst dinner is being served, the bed in the suite is being unfolded from the wall and the room is turned down into an evening setting. Just as when you walk into a five-star hotel for the first time, first impressions are very important. This promise to have all the hallmarks of railway travel at its very best. With dinner over, the comfortable chairs in the lounge cars are inviting to end the evening with a quiet drink before retiring to the suites, where we will be lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking movement of the train. Early morning and the stillness on board gives you the feeling of being anchored to the landscape at the same time as moving through it. The rising sun reveals a landscape of majestic desolation. More than half of South Africa's interior plateau is occupied by the immense basin of the Karoo, a seemingly endless felt with such blurred boundaries that a precise geographical definition is almost impossible. It is 200 years since the great herds of migrating springbok thundered across its empty dry and dusty plains in search of fresh grazing land. Now tiny towns are set hundreds of miles apart. The crew are up early and the smell of freshly brewed coffee floats through the carriages as the dining car awaits the early risers for breakfast. An exotic array of fresh fruit followed by a choice of eggs in every which way you can imagine. We are leaving behind the thirsty plains of the great Karoo as the railway cuts across a landscape hemmed in by shoulders of towering granite. Driven by the dream of a Cape to Cairo line, the engineers of the British Empire began to make tracks from Cape Town in 1859. Four years and 34 kilometers later, the line had reached the Easter River valley. Cairo was a long way off. The granite ranges to the north seemed unreachable, then Wells Hood found a way. He etched a pass across the Hex River mountains, allowing the parallel lines to begin their climb from Didournes, 477 meters above sea level. By the time the narrow gauge track had reached 960 meters above sea level, it had embraced enough curves for 16 complete circuits with an average gradient of 1 in 31. Today, the tortuous twists and turns of the Hex River pass have been bypassed by a tunnel system that eases the gradient to 1 in 66 as the train travels through more than 16 kilometers of tunnel on the southbound route. Shortly after exiting through the final tunnel, there was relief in the bright green vineyards in contrast to the earthy browns and bleached vegetation of sun-hardened Karoo. Lush valleys were spiked with wooden trellis. Lush grape plant gives way to wild tangled vines growing in the sweep of chiseled mountains. South Africa is currently the eighth largest wine producer in the world and has the oldest wine industry outside of Europe and the Mediterranean. The first grapes were planted in this area in 1655 and the very first pressings took place four years later in 1659. The white wines include Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the more specialist muscatels known locally as Hanaput. The reds from this area include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Hermitage and a local hybrid Pinotage. We are on our final approach into Cape Town and the scenery has changed dramatically from the previous day. Travelling through industrial zones the blue train slips into Cape Town station. This section of the journey is over and the crew are on hand to transfer the baggage ready for collection. The passengers make their way to reception to gather their belongings and bid their farewells to those who they've met briefly and shared an experience. It is still the beginning of the day and there is work to be done. No time at all the train pulls out of Cape Town station passing Table Mountain on its short journey to the yard where the cleaning up process will begin and it will stable overnight before the return journey to Pretoria. The second train to Port Elizabeth has just departed and we're looking forward to joining the train for the second part of our journey along the garden route in a few days. We make our way to the Cape Grace Hotel, voted leading small hotel in the world. The Cape Grace occupies its own key in Cape Town's renowned Victoria and Alperd waterfront and Table Mountain with its famous tablecloth as its majestic backdrop with seals lounging in the water in front of the hotel. The hotel's gentle elegance provides a unique experience of hospitality. Cape Town is one of the world's prettiest cities famously cocooned into a shallow bay by the looming bulk of Table Mountain. Its tiny center neat and elegant. If it can be compared to anywhere else Cape Town is most akin to San Francisco. Although it is the legislative capital of South Africa Cape Town does not seem like part of Africa. Its climate is Mediterranean, the buildings European. The city has real magic and charm providing plenty of mellow history. It provides fascinating museums, monuments, good shopping and enchanting gardens. There is pleasant walking and the pace of the city is leisurely from the streets of Government Avenue to the many well-tended parks. Cape Town is the mother city of South Africa being the site of the first European landings and settlements in the country and it has now grown into one of the six most beautiful cities in the world. The subtle interplay of sea and mountain moved the intrepid explorer Sir Francis Drake to call it the fairest Cape in all the circumference of the globe. Green Market Square is nestled in the heart of the central business district. This area has served as a slave market, a fruit and vegetable market hence the name Green Market Square and in the late 50s as a popular parking lot. Today it offers the opportunity to earn a living amidst a friendly vibrant cosmopolitan atmosphere. There are handmade couriers being sold from all over Africa. High on a hill with spectacular views overlooking the city is a memorial to Cecil John Rhodes. The memorial stands near the University of Cape Town campus and Rhodes' former home Groote Schuur. Victoria and Alfred Waterfront was given a new lease of life in one of the world's most successful urban reclamation projects. It now hums as the heartland of the city with the working fishing boats, yachts and harbour cruise boats, shopping malls, South Africa's largest craft market, restaurants and a fascinating maritime museum. It is also the departure point for the boat trip across to the famous Robben Island. Robben Island is situated just off the coast of Cape Town harbour and is now a world heritage site. The island is one of the world's most potent symbols of freedom, sometimes described as humanity's sacred shrine. Ahmed Kathrada said while we will not forget the brutality of apartheid we will not want Robben Island to be a monument to our hardship and suffering. We would want Robben Island to be a monument reflecting the triumph of the human spirit against the forces of evil. The maximum security prison when Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and for many this is the main reason for visiting this historic island. It leaves us with some lively traditional culture. Once again the blue train glides gracefully into Cape Town station. It would be easy to mistake this train as the same we travel down from Pretoria on but inside the carriages the change in decor is unmistakable. Following more in the style of the Orient Express the style is European. Leopard print upholstery has been replaced with leather and soft coloured upholsteries which bring a deep rich glow from the rose coloured wood panelling. Elegant ornaments such as these exquisite deep blue and gold vases sourced from around the world grace the corners of the lounge cars. The passengers gather in the blue train lounge while their luggage is taken to the cabins. We had been told that the 400 mile route we were taking between Cape Town and Knysna was one of the most beautiful railway routes in the world. The journey to Knysna was going to take just over 24 hours spending one night on board the train traveling along the famous garden route through the Hottentots Holland mountains then passing through the vineyards to Ashton. It was time for the passengers to board the train. The guests are invited to high tea in the lounge car. The train departs and once again the ever changing scenery will begin to unfold before us. From Ashton we travel overnight reaching Mossel Bay during the early hours of the morning. From there we follow the coastal line overlooking the ocean until arriving in the town of George where we transfer to a steam locomotive for the run into Knysna. Our journey will take us from Cape Town along one of South Africa's most popular routes the garden route past the coastal landscapes to George through green forests and fertile meadows to Port Elizabeth. High tea is served in the lounge car on departure and we once again sit back and enjoy the views. We are leaving Cape Town late afternoon and the train races against the twilight's glow to meet the sun the next morning before we reach the village of George blossoming capital of the garden route. It is situated in a picturesque environment on a coastal plateau between the Indian Ocean and the Ootanikwa mountains which give it its year-round temperate climate similar to that of Mossel Bay. Early morning and we are due to arrive in George at 8 30. We are arriving at the town of George the capital city and geographical hub of the garden route. The train lingers in verdant splendor on the platform while its guests board the awaiting coach for a full day of excursions. Our first stop is the coastal town of Segafield to the home and studio of Sheila Cooper. Sheila an artist has a unique business producing gift cards and limited edition prints on scarab paper which is handmade paper produced from elephant and rhino dung. The paper making process is explained there is a brief opportunity to purchase some of the beautiful cards and artwork before we depart for the coastal town of Knysna. Knysna lies in the heart of the garden route nestled on the shores of a lagoon surrounded by indigenous forests the Ootanikwa mountains and rugged coastline. The town is built around the hilly shores of a huge blue lagoon which is now a protected area known as the Knysna national lake. Knysna has a lot to offer both recreationally and historically but its uniqueness lies in its people and this is reflected in the many arts and craft shops and the vibrant cultural life of the town. A walk around town will reveal a treasure trove of interesting people and unusual places. There are galleries and flea markets workshops and buskers to delight even the most world-weary visitor and there is a friendliness not found in the larger towns. The Knysna oyster farm and seafood restaurant provides the setting for lunch where we taste the delectable Knysna oyster. The oysters are freshly harvested from the oyster farm outside and from the lagoon. The lagoon runs out to sea between the two sheer red sandstone cliffs called the heads the eastern of which is easily accessible by land and gives splendid views over the town the ocean and the coral reef. From the restaurant there are magnificent waterfront views. After lunch we board the Atenikwa Chujo for the journey back to George. The Chujo more formally known as a class 24 locomotive is one of the few steam trains still flying South Africa's rails. Stoking the passions of railway enthusiasts and romantics alike the Chujo competes only with scenery for attention as it thunders gracefully over bridges through tunnels and past breathtaking lagoons cliffs lakes and evergreen woodlands. The scenery is the most stunning we have experienced on the journey so far and we are treated to some of the most beautiful coastline in South Africa. But even this is only an appetizer for the journey this evening once we have returned to the blue train. The Atenikwa Chujo steams across the great lakes between the town of Sedgefield and wilderness a protected wetlands area and a sanctuary for hundreds of different varieties of birds waterfowl fish and wildlife. This was a return to the golden age of steam at its very best something out of every school boy's daydreams and a scene which could have been taken from any picture book on the bygone days of railway travel. Finally the Atenikwa Chujo steams onto the platform at George station the end of the line for this section of track. The guests settle back onto the train sipping pre-dinner cocktails in the comfort of the lounge cars and discussing the full day's events. This has been just one of the many adventures you can take on this outstanding train and one of the shortest. We begin zigzagging and tunneling our way around a mountain range that takes its name from the Khoikhoi word for people who carry barrels laden with honey. The pass climbs to an altitude of 715 meters before its descent into the moody mesmerizing thirst land of the Little Karoo. Snaking through the spectacular mountain range the sun begins to set and the train shimmers in the light as it approaches the top of the range. After a long day off the train the comfort and elegance of the Sofidep restaurant is welcome before retiring to the bar to enjoy an after dinner drink. Our journey is almost over and we dream of possibly traveling in such unsurpassed luxury again perhaps up to Victoria Falls. Early morning and as the sun rises the scenery again begins to change. Before long we've left the beautiful coastline and lush mountains behind us. As we enter the outskirts of the city there is evidence of city life on either side of the train. We crawl into Port Elizabeth station. As the passengers disembark most will have transport arranged to hotels and airports. We are sorry the journey has ended so quickly. The experience both on and off the train has been wonderful and the scenery is some of the most spectacular you would find anywhere in the world. The luggage is unloaded and the passengers are eager to continue with the The accommodation was of the highest standard and the very last word in comfort and style. The service and courtesy of the staff was impeccable and we have experienced an adventure through wondrous vistas in a manner which can be experienced in no other way. We say goodbye to the blue train as it leaves Port Elizabeth knowing we have been fortunate enough to experience truly one of the most impressive and luxurious trains in the world.