SA-65401 The Blue Train of South Africa

In South Africa, the luxurious Blue Train (“a magnificent moving five-star hotel”) travels about 1,600-kilometer (990 mi) between Pretoria and Cape Town. It boasts butler service, two lounge cars (smoking and non-smoking), an observation car, and carriages with gold-tinted picture windows, in soundproofed, fully carpeted compartments, each featuring its own en-suite.

Originally there were the two trains, known as the Union Limited and the Union Express.  They started in 1923 and these two trains took passengers from Johannesburg to the ships departing from Cape Town to England.

In the early days, the discovery of gold and diamonds attracted thousands to South Africa’s Witwatersrand. The railway lines were utilitarian and provided very basic service. But the Witwatersrand’s mineral wealth soon funded a burgeoning upper-class, one that came to expect a more opulent mode of transport. The Union carriages became standard-bearers of the easy-living heyday of the 1920s, boasting everything from card tables to ceiling fans as well as hot and cold water on tap.

After World War II, the Union trains resumed service in 1946. They began to be called “those blue trains” because of their distinctive royal blue and cream shades. In 1997 the Blue Train was relaunched.

Prior to 2002, the Blue Train operated on four distinct routes. In current times, the Blue Train operates only one regular route Pretoria-Cape Town. However special package tours to Durban or the Bakubung Game Lodge as well as other variations are sometimes offered.  Current operations require two Blue Trains in operation. One operates in the northern direction and the other in the southern direction, allowing for daily departures from both ends of the route. The first train accommodates 74 guests in 37 suites. The second accommodates 58 guests in 29 suites and features a conference or observation car at the back of the train.

The trains travel at a speed of 90 kilometres per hour (58,2 mph).

This postcard came from Juliette (5 February 2015) Postcrossing.