Stationary …

For most of the twentieth century SA had a brilliant railway transport infrastructure. Popular and safe for both freight and passenger transport most who lived through the nineteen thirties (even earlier) to the late eighties will have some fond memory of at least one trip on a locomotive run by the SA Spoorweg. Sadly, as in many other countries efficiency declined and road-freight took over, with commuter services suffering a similar fate as the need for speed and safety were no longer met by passenger services. There is a still robust, privately operated luxury train service, as well as the legendary state run Blue Train, but they are more tourist attraction than mainstream service today. It also means that many of the quaint old railway stations have fallen into a state of neglect and decline – especially those in the small country towns and villages that once demanded at least a postal stop if not one for a passenger embarking or disembarking. I was pleased to find that the small station at Lions River stands more or less intact, still in use by Rovos Rail – that private preservation tour company I mentioned earlier. Visitors to the area will know this stop where they are taken for a day’s touring to local Midlands attractions.

Not quite Victorian, and certainly not an historical building, this reminder of those bygone days still makes a charming record, where you can imagine there may once have been a queue for tickets. Or maybe not.