On that day, the impossible idea of running a vintage train as a business venture was born …
Several coaches were purchased and taken to the Society’s yards in Witbank to be rebuilt. One of them, Private Saloon 15063, is still in service and another, an engineer’s caboose, stood at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront for many years where it served as the marketing and reservations office for Rovos Rail.
Consisting of a locomotive and seven carriages, the train was launched on 29 April 1989, with four paying passengers, friends and press setting off for the then Eastern Transvaal.
Since then, Rovos Rail has earned an international reputation for its truly world-class travel experiences. In a series of bespoke train journeys lasting from 48 hours to 15 nights, Rovos Rail links…