Five things you may not know about trains
Posted on Tue October 20, 2015.
There are a few ways to get to Matjiesfontein: one of them is of course by railway. The original station here opened on 1 February 1878 as the railway made its way north, reaching Lainsburg later the same year.
The current station opened in December 1890, and has been welcoming our guests and day visitors ever since.
We’re christening today Train Tuesday, and to inaugurate it here are five things you may not know about trains:
1.The first ever passenger train service, which opened in 1807, was drawn by horses.
2. National Rail Timetables’ is an anagram of ‘All trains aim to be late in’.
3.The word ‘train’ originally meant tarrying or delay
4.The railroads also gave us standardised time zones.
5. The first steam locomotive (1804) averaged less than 10 mph.
Tip: pop into the Railway Museum when visiting Matjiesfontein. Just outside you'll find a station master's office dating back to the late 1800s as well as the original signal room. Also, in The Transport Museum explore inside a steam train and carriages.
Further Reading
Olive Schreiner
Wed October 16, 2024
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Olive Schreiner (1855–1920) is remembered as one of South Africa’s most influential literary figures and a pioneering feminist. Her works and activism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries left a lasting impact on literature, politics, and social reform in her home country and beyond.
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