Evidence of the Cape Government Railway
Well its been awhile since I’ve posted anything on my blog so I will start of with what become my almost obsession, the Hopefield Railway or also now known as the Hopefield Branch a term that came into use after ’Union’ as the saying goes.
I have just recently return from a holiday in the West Coast ,Velddrift ( about 150km north of Cape Town) where this railway lies. I was able to spend sometime away from the family exploring the branch which is still in use ,just and of coarse being re-gauge to 3’6”,but you know all that and if you don’t read some of my earlier postings.
Well while going over Hopefield Station ,its buildings and yard ,I came across some fence post made from old railway line near the station building and small goods shed. Three of the posts had clear embossing showing the CGR of the Cape Government Railway, what was also interesting is that the one fence post had an embossing showing that the rail was manufactured in the USA.
As I’ve said in previous posts is the Station building and the small goods shed next to it are more than likely to be the original CGR buildings built for the line when it first opened in 1903,but I have mentioned that before and will do so again in future postings. I have posted some photos showing the CGR embossing.
