Pretoria-Pietersburg railway line
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The Pretoria-Pietersburg railway line was built between 1897 and 1899 from Pretoria to Pietersburg (now Polokwane) by the Pretoria Pietersburg Railway Company with British capital. Five months after the railway was completed, the Second Anglo-Boer War broke out and the ZAR government took control of the railway.
After the war, it came under the control of the Central South African Railways.
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Construction started in 1897 and on 1 July 1898, the first 132 km between Pretoria and Nylstroom was opened. Three months later, the next 90 km between Nylstroom and Potgietersrus was opened and on 31 May 1899, the last 63 km between Potgietersrus and Pietersburg was opened. The railway begins at Pretoria Station, where it connects to the NZASM railway network. It passes the city to the west and follows the Apies River to Hammanskraal. As the Apies River and Pienaars River turn west, the railway continues northwards to Warmbad, where it ascends to Nylstroom. It then turns northeast and follows the Nyl River to Potgietersrus. From there, it crosses the Waterberg and descends to Pietersburg.[1]
On 31 May 1902, when the railway came under British control, its official length was 176 miles and 58 chains (284.4 km).[2]
Second Anglo-Boer War
On 12 October 1899, a few months after the railway had been opened, the Second Anglo-Boer War broke out. The ZAR government took control of the railway and placed it under the management of the NZASM with Mauritz de Wildt as manager. De Wildt was also the chief engineer of NZASM at the time.[3] After British forces under the command of Lord Roberts occupied Pretoria on 31 May 1900, the ZAR government moved to Machadodorp and railway carriages were used as government offices and also to store state archives.[4]
After President Kruger left for Europe, the ZAR government moved to Pietersburg.[5] Carriages on the Warmbad-Pietersburg section of the railway were used by the ZAR government until 30 March 1901. At the same time, repairs were made to the Pretoria Warmbad section of the line.[6] On 1 April, Nylstroom was occupied by the Australian forces, Potgietersrus was occupied on 5 April, and Pietersburg was occupied on 8 April. The railway then came under the control of the Imperial Military Railways (IMR). In addition to normal railway services, the trains also provided a mobile post office service.[7]
The IMR trains were attacked at least twice by Boer commandos. On 4 July 1901, a Boer commando under the command of General CF Beyers attacked a train at Tobiasspruit, 8 km north of Naboomspruit. On 10 August 1901, another Boer commando, this time under the command of Captain Jack Hindon and Captain Henri Slegtkamp, attacked an armoured train at Haartebeeslaagte, 11 km south of Naboomspruit.[8] After the Treaty of Vereeniging (31 May 1902), the railway line came under the control of the Central South African Railways.[9]
