DINING CAR

The Classic and Edwardian trains travel with five beautiful pre 1940 dining cars.

In the early 1920s the chief mechanical engineer of the railways, Mr D A Hendrie, signed off plans for the first in a series of A-22 twin diners, aptly nicknamed the Hendrie Twins. The dining saloons were characterised by seven pairs of carved roof-supporting pillars and arches. This feature would, in time, represent a Victorian atmosphere much sought after by rail enthusiasts who thrive on nostalgia.

These cars served all the top trains, but after the advent of newer types in the 1930s, they were gradually relegated to lesser trains and eventually withdrawn in 1980 after 55 years or so of faithful service. The twin designation came from the fact that the dining car ran with a dedicated kitchen car which could house the pantry, staff and catering equipment.

The first batch of 13 A-22 Dining Cars entered traffic in 1924, and Rovos Rail has a number in its fleet. Coach 195 SHANGANI was found in a scrap yard and purchased from Mr P C Shuster of Johannesburg in 1986. Her severely dilapidated condition required 18 months of painstaking restoration and included replacing three of the carved teak pillars, which had been stolen. SHANGANI ran on the inaugural trip in April 1989. Tragically this coach was destroyed in a fire at the Capital Park headquarters one dismal night in May 2008.

Coach 197 LETABA was originally donated to the Uitenhage Station Museum, but it was subsequently released and sold to Van Ryn Brandy Cellars in Stellenbosch. Acquired by Rovos in 1987, she became the third dining car restored to service.

Coach 205 UMHLALI was sold to John Tanner Construction and became part of its office building in Benoni. The company later became WK Construction and the coach was moved to an industrial yard near Johannesburg from where it was purchased by Rovos Rail. She was fully restored to working order and re-entered service in 2006.

Rovos Rail also has one example of the second batch of 'A" series dining cars. Although this vehicle was a rebuild of an earlier coach, it is the oldest in the fleet and one of the oldest coaches in regular service anywhere in the world. Coach 148 PAFURI was built in 1911 as a type A-17 dining car with 24 seats and a kitchen, colloquially known as a single diner. In 1926, it was converted to type A-22 and a dedicated kitchen car, converted from a dining car, was added.

On withdrawal from service, PAFURI was sold to Mr Liebson of Johannesburg and placed on his plot along the R28, becoming a familiar sight to motorists. It was bought by Rovos Rail in 1995 and returned to service in 1996.

In 1936, SAR introduced the A-28/A-29 series of dining cars. This was a big step forward from the A-22s because the new series had fly-up, fixed seats, large picture windows with ventilators above and no pillars, giving clean modern lines to the interior and exterior. The first batch of four entered traffic in 1936 and Rovos Rail has two of these in the fleet. One, Coach 232 UMVOTI, was sold at an auction to Mr Allen Duff from Natal in 1984 and bought by Rovos Rail in 1998.

231 ZAMBESI, having being withdrawn in 1985, was sold at a public auction in Braamfontein and put into use as a restaurant inside a shopping centre in Middelburg. Her kitchen car, AA-34 286, was sold to Rovos Rail at the same auction. "I didn't have the money to buy both," says Rohan wistfully. He did eventually acquire 231 ZAMBESI in 1999 where she was extracted with difficulty from the centre and returned to service in 2000. During restoration, the ceiling of the coach was improved with extensive use of wooden trimmings while button-leather seats added opulence to the interior. It was fitting that they were reunited several years later and can now be configured into their original pairing.