1876 in South Africa

New lines

• Construction begins on the East London-King William's Town line.^[5][6]
• In Natal construction begins on the Cape gauge railway line inland from Durban.^[5]

Railway lines opened

• 1 January – Namaqualand – Kookfontein to O'okiep, 32 miles (51.5 kilometres).^[7]
• 1 April – Cape Midland – Addo to Sand Flats, 22 miles 30 chains (36.0 kilometres).^[8]
• 16 June – Cape Western – Ceres Road to Worcester, 24 miles 38 chains (39.4 kilometres).^[8]
• 14 September – Cape Western – Bellville to Muldersvlei, 13 miles 37 chains (21.7 kilometres).^[8]
• 18 December – Cape Eastern – East London to Breidbach, 38 miles 73 chains (62.6 kilometres).^[8]

Locomotives

Cape

Six new locomotive types enter service on the Cape Government Railways (CGR):

• The first ten of eighteen 1st Class 2-6-0 Mogul goods locomotives on the Western system.^{[1][9]: 28–29 [10]}
• A pair of Stephenson's Patent back-to-back 2-6-0 Mogul type side-tank locomotives on the Cape Midland system.^{[1][11]: 118–121 }
• The first of eight 2-6-0 Mogul tender locomotives on the Midland system, also designated 1st Class, all later rebuilt to saddle-tank shunting engines.^{[1][9]: 28 [11]: 118–121 }
• A single experimental 0-6-0+0-6-0 Fairlie locomotive and a pair of 0-6-0 Stephenson's Patent permanently coupled back-to-back tank locomotives for comparative trials on the Eastern system. The Fairlie is the first articulated locomotive to enter service in South Africa.^{[9]: 25–28, 31–32 [12][13][14]}
• The first of three 1st Class 0-4-0 saddle-tank locomotives with domed boilers on the Eastern System.^{[1][11]: 118–119 }

Natal

• In January the Natal Railway Company obtains its third and last 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) broad gauge locomotive, a side-tank engine named Perseverance.^{[9]: 20–22 }