"Recent reports seem to have created a perception that the Choo Tjoe has stopped operating altogether — but this is incorrect,” said Mossel Bay Tourism’s chairman, Louis Cook.

He added that, although feasibility studies were currently under way to decide whether it would be possible to reopen the George-Knysna line (the train’s traditional route — which was damaged by the floods of 2006), the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe was nevertheless definitely still in operation.

“In fact, it’s been running on the Mossel Bay line since April last year and it continues to entertain thousands of visitors from South Africa and abroad six days a week,” he said.

Mossel Bay has a proud tradition of steam. The presence of the harbour provided the impetus for the opening of the line to George in 1906 and the Voorbaai Yards, just east of the town, remain the public sector’s only steam maintenance facility.

The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe is South Africa’s last scheduled steam passenger service. It now offers a unique, scenic, 52-km (two hour) journey through the farmlands outside George, across trestle bridges on the Gwaiing and Malgate rivers, past the Outeniqua siding and down to the seaside near Glentana.

From here, the train follows the coast to Voorbaai and Mossel Bay — and passengers are often lucky enough to see whales and dolphins from the comfort of its old-fashioned carriages.

Museum-to-Museum Tour

“The beauty of the scenery and the novelty of traveling on a steam train create an enormous attraction — but the added value of the fact that the George-Mossel Bay line links two of the biggest museums in the Western Cape provides a unique opportunity for exploring the history of transport in South Africa,” said Mr. Cook.

“We call this the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe’s Museum-to-Museum Tour.”

The tour begins at the Outeniqua Transport Museum in George, which houses an important collection of old cars, buses, horse-drawn carriages and trains — including 13 locomotives, a coach from the White Train (used by the British royal family for their tour of the country in 1947) and Paul Kruger’s personal coach and private saloons from the South African War.

In Mossel Bay, the train ends its journey at the Dias Museum Complex Station, which lies directly alongside the beach at Munro’s Bay and across the line from the Complex itself.

The Dias Museum Complex includes a maritime museum (which houses a modern-day replica of the caravel in which, in 1488, Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to touch South African shores), a shell museum, a Braille trail, an ethno-botanical garden and the famous Post Office Tree under which sailors of the 16th century left written messages for one another.

Ample time to explore Mossel Bay

For passengers wishing to return to George by train, the Choo Tjoe has a 2-hour lay-over in Mossel Bay, which allows sufficient time to explore the Museums and, perhaps, enjoy a dip in the ocean or lunch at one of the local restaurants.

“Mossel Bay Tourism introduced the Museum-to-Museum tour at last year’s Tourism Indaba in Durban and continues to market it aggressively to international tour operators and to domestic and foreign visitors,” said Mr. Cook.

“The result has been more than encouraging and hotels in the area have reported that tour operators have begun adjusting their itineraries to accommodate the new schedule. The train also drew massive interest at tourism shows that we attended in Europe earlier this year.

“Mossel Bay is proud of its success as a host to the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe, which is an important attraction for the Garden Route, the Western Cape Province and the country as a whole,” he said.

More information at www.visitmosselbay.co.za/play/train.html