Happy birthday, Rovos Rail!

Brenda 1 Comment Apr 29,2024 Guests, Journeys, Our Team, Station

Another clickety-clack around the sun! We can hardly believe it. Happy birthday, Rovos Rail! 35 years. What an achievement.

Some of you are familiar with our story but, for those who aren’t, we’re a small family-owned and operated business that launched our first overnight journey on 29 April 1989. When we celebrated our 30th birthday in 2019, we produced a short film where you will meet the family and team members who narrate the Rovos Rail tale and now, five years later, we have so much to add to our story.

Since resuming our services post-pandemic, we introduced the new 15-night African Trilogy journey. We have now operated this trip four times and on the last sojourn we sent a film crew to capture its magic (click here). We’re proud of this adventure because we feel the African Trilogy shows our guests a true cross-section of Southern Africa from its east coast to Namibia in the west.

We also sent trains all the way to Angola and back on our Trail of Two Oceans and Copper Trail trips. And wow, what a challenge these journeys are to operate given that water, electricity and any kind of formal tourism are in short supply. But we succeeded and our brave band of intrepid travellers had a good time, which is all that matters.

Unfortunately some of you reading this would have experienced delays and other obstacles due to infrastructure failures within South Africa. Transnet (national railway authority) and Eskom (national electricity provider) are in a bind, which has presented problems for all trains on the railway network. To combat these issues, our formidable CEO, Rohan, and his problem-solving COO daughter, Tiffany, treated the company to its biggest birthday presents ever by purchasing combination electric and diesel locomotives. Should there be power outages or other challenges, we can seamlessly switch from electric to diesel for the journey to continue. This has not been an inexpensive endeavour and the business of hauling our trains with our own locomotives is not something we ever wanted but, with South Africa currently navigating significant crises, we figure the less reliant we are on parastatals the better it will be for our passengers and our team.

*Rohan and Anthea Vos with Rohan’s late mother, Marjorie, and Brenda, Bianca, Shaun and Tiffany*.

Since we last celebrated a significant milestone, we have said farewell to long-serving staff who either moved on or retired. We have also welcomed many new members to our team who took up key positions in human resources, sales, marketing, reservations, finance and in our workshops. We had to rebuild our staff complement after the pandemic and it finally feels like we once again have a robust team in place.

Over the past five years, our incredible workshop team has built two new train sets in between renovating and repairing existing stock, so we now have six full train sets! There have been some moments over the past few years where our yard at Rovos Rail Station has been empty of carriages because they have all been out on various journeys; these moments have felt rewarding and certainly made us feel proud.

We remember back in 1988 when we first put the word out that we were launching a vintage luxury train in South Africa, many people thought Rohan was crazy and didn’t believe he would succeed. We don’t blame them; sometimes we feel the same but, here we are, 35 years on, and we have Rohan and his wife, Anthea, to thank. Working at Rovos Rail is a wild ride with no day ever the same. To not be bored or feel stuck on a hamster wheel is a gift and, although the stress can feel overwhelming at times, there is never a dull moment and for that we are grateful. We are a quirky and eclectic bunch who care deeply about Rovos Rail and who genuinely love our beautiful trains!

A heartfelt thank you to our industry colleagues and the media who have supported us over the years. And to our guests, especially our Rovos Club members, we would not be here without you and it is our privilege to have welcomed you on board. Thank you for travelling with us.

Congratulations to Rohan, Anthea, Tiffany and the rest of the family and a very big happy birthday to Rovos Rail!

5

Happy birthday, Rohan!

Brenda 4 Comments Mar 5,2024 Journeys, Our Team, Station

From all of us we say, happy birthday Rohan! To his grandchildren he is “Papa Choo Choo”, to his children he is Dad or Pops and to his team, he is Rohan. And today marks another gallop around the sun for this determined young man.

For as long as any of us can remember, Rohan has never been in South Africa to celebrate because for the past three decades he has always travelled to Berlin to attend the ITB travel trade show which falls over his birthday. And this year is no different as he flew to Germany a few nights ago and is deeply entrenched in his Rovos Rail sales hustle!

There have been a few guests in the past who have been curious about the man who dared launch a vintage luxury train in a time where political restlessness was reaching its inevitable boiling point. With South Africa’s post-apartheid era on the horizon, there were many who packed their bags for Perth and those who loudly predicted outright civil war. So who would start a luxury train company during a time of so much uncertainty and especially a business whose success would, for the most part, be heavily reliant on international travellers?

We’re not sure that Rohan’s late mother, Marjorie, knew what she was in for when she birthed a lanky, big-eared babe on 7 March. We remember anecdotal tales of him entering the world with ferocity on his face which, 78 years later, is still very much there. Even at a young age, Marjorie knew that being a solo act would be the only option for her extremely intelligent, can-do young man. Given that he never appreciated being told that he couldn’t do something, there was certainly anxiety over how he would fare at school.

Born in Cape Town in 1946, Rohan attended Western Province Preparatory School before completing senior school at Bishops Diocesan College where one or two of Rohan’s teachers identified his genius but also recognised that if his restless energy wasn’t correctly channeled he might fail high school or pursue naughtier adventures (which he already had plenty of). So in his senior year he was made captain of the first rugby team and head of his boarding house leaving him no option but to focus, lead and thrive.

Rohan began his professional career selling encyclopedia’s and also opened the doors to a discotheque in Witbank (situated in the former Transvaal) called Zorba’s Beat. Being interested in classic cars, boats, trains and planes, he started Witbank Auto Spares and also dabbled in commercial property ownership. His triumphs in Witbank lead him to a railway auction where he was the successful bidder on an old South African Railways coach. His intention was to renovate the carriage that could hook onto a regular commuter train so that he and his family had a “railway caravan” to explore South Africa. His application to the Railways was denied and it was suggested that he sell tickets and create a commercial venture.

Over a double Red Heart rum and Coke one evening in May in 1988, Rohan pondered his options and decided to take the risk of launching a vintage luxury train experience in South Africa. He and his wife, Anthea, travelled the country acquiring a train set and locomotive and the first overnight journey was launched in April, 1989. Fast forward 35 years and Rovos Rail not only has its own private railway station and headquarters in Pretoria but also houses its own six train sets, steam locomotives as well as its own fleet of diesel, electric and combination locomotive units. The company now offers 11 journeys ranging from three to 15 days with trains that traverse South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and Namibia.

At the tender age of 78, Rohan is not slowing down. Operating trains across Southern Africa certainly keeps you on your toes as does his family which is made up of mostly women – it seems to be Rohan’s fortunate lot in life to be surrounded by independent ladies who are not afraid to put him in his place or throw the occasional eye roll his way.

Rohan also likes to keep active and fit so on Saturday mornings one might spot him and his pack of dogs hiking the mountain ranges of Cape Town. Or you might see him in his plaid shirt and oversized sun hat on the golf course on a Sunday. And if you’re really “lucky”, you might see him atop his bicycle, clad in all his glorious spandex, tackling the steep hills and undulating curves of the Cape.

In fact, this Sunday, Rohan will once again participate in the Cape Town Cycle Tour where he will aim for another personal best by cycling it in under four hours. And after he has cycled 109kms, he will be attending his granddaughter’s fourth birthday party where he will undoubtedly be tackled by his grandchildren but where he will also finally get some birthday cake.

8

Rovos Rail and two beautiful Thelema wines

Brenda No Comment Jul 18,2022 Charter Train, Events Train, Guesthouses, Guests, Journeys, Menus, Wine List

Never did a great man hate good wine …or an accountant named Gyles become an award-winning winemaker.

33 years on and at Rovos Rail we are still star struck by these two beautiful Thelema wines.

It’s a story that reads like fiction. A hard-working articled clerk visits a bottle store in Kimberley and finds his life changed forever when he has a sip of Puligny-Montrachet from far away Burgundy.

It reminds of us of our beginnings. A hard-working businessman visits an auction hosted by the Heritage Railway Association of South Africa and his life changed forever. The story of how Rovos Rail and Thelema have not only succeeded but also persevered since the 1980’s is one of relentless dedication, optimism and trust.

Our infamous Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon may have tasted stars but this bottle of sublime French Chardonnay resulted in our accountant leaving the profession, moving his young family to the Cape winelands and starting a new life’s journey.

The man in question is Gyles Webb, now the owner of two renowned South African wine estates – Thelema Mountain Vineyards outside Stellenbosch and Sutherland Vineyards in Elgin.

After his epiphany, Webb headed to Stellenbosch – with his wife and baby son in tow – to do a B.Sc. (Agric.) degree majoring in Viticulture and Oenology. He then worked for Stellenbosch Farmers Winery (SFW) and did a stint in California before purchasing a run-down fruit farm at the top of Helshoogte Pass in 1983. This became Thelema which released its first wines in 1988. In 2002, a second wine estate Sutherland was added to the family stable.

Situated on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain, Thelema occupies mainly south-facing aspects that afford spectacular views of the Simonsberg, Drakenstein and Jonkershoek mountains. Elevations ranging from 370 to 640 meters above sea-level make the 157-hectare estate one of the coolest and highest wine farms in Stellenbosch.

Webb was named John Platter’s Wine Man of the Year in 1993 and was the Diners Club award winner for 1994. Current Thelema and Sutherland winemaker is Rudi Schultz while Webb remains as owner, director and cellarmaster.

Although it was a white wine that captured Webb’s imagination all those years ago, the high altitude and rich red soils at Thelema are ideal for premium quality wine grape production and the estate is now one of the leaders in Cabernet Sauvignon, placing Stellenbosch Cabernets firmly on the global wine map.

With some of the most exceptional terroir in the Western Cape, Thelema have rightly resurrected and restored their premier league standing as one of the most sought after and age worthy wine producers in the Cape, a position they held throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

Travellers on Rovos Rail can sample the Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon 2018. This was a warm, dry vintage with a late start which resulted in smaller tonnage but yielded balanced, well-structured wines with lovely intensity.

All fruit was destemmed, crushed and pumped into stainless steel tanks and saw two aerated pump-overs per day during fermentation before being racked into barrels for malolactic fermentation and an additional 18 months of ageing in French oak barrels, 40% of which were new.

It is complex and stylish, with classic Stellenbosch Cab aromas of ripe blackcurrant, violets, dark chocolate, cedar wood, cedar spice and pencil shavings. This wine is bone dry yet exhibits a lovely sweet fruit character on the palate, showing exceptional depth, weight and length. It is drinking well now, but you can tuck this wine away for 15 years for greater reward. It is a perfect accompaniment to grilled beef, especially with a Béarnaise sauce and rocket salad.

Nearly 20 years after purchasing the Thelema farm, Webb felt it was time for a new challenge. He embarked on a search for the right property and terroir for a second vineyard and, in 2002, purchased an idyllic apple farm in the cool coastal region of Elgin and Sutherland was born. Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay grapes were planted first and more varietals added over time.

The Sutherland Vineyards are situated nine kilometres off the Atlantic Ocean with altitudes of 140 to 250m above sea level with ideal cool climate conditions.

The same ethos is used with Sutherland as with Thelema: Grape quality being the single most important factor and a policy of minimum interference, allowing the wines to be a true expression of each vineyard.

The Sutherland Riesling 2021 is made in an off-dry style, showing fragrant spice, orange blossom and lime on the nose with flavours of white peach, hints of citrus and an elegant minerality. The wine shows a delicate balance of sweetness and acidity. Enjoy as an aperitif or with salads, chicken and mildly spicy dishes.

You may be interested to learn that Thelema is named after monk, doctor and writer François Rabelais’ Abbey of Thélème, an imagined utopian abbey on the banks of the Loire. Only one law governed its members: “Fay ce que vouldras!” – “Do what thou wilt!” Among Rabelais’ more memorable quotes were “Wine is the most civilised thing on earth” and “Never did a great man hate good wine.”

It is a message that Webb clearly took to heart more than 40 years ago.

Anorak Facts

Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Residual sugar 2.1 g/l
pH 3.48
Total acid 5.7 g/l
Alcohol: 14 %
Awards: 4.5 stars Platter’s Wine Guide 2022;
93 points Tim Atkin and Greg Sherwood
Vegan and vegetarian friendly

Sutherland Riesling 2021

Residual sugar 6.0 g/l
pH 2.77
Total acid 7.9 g/l
Alcohol 12.5%
Vegan and vegetarian friendly
Only 5184 bottles produced

1

East to West Success!

Brenda No Comment Sep 11,2019 Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Journeys, Our Team, Trail of Two Oceans

Images courtesy of Jos Beltman

Our train arrived back from its mammoth journey on Friday, 6 September and we feel quite proud of this success. This train essentially travelled six different journeys, each with its own group of guests, and is the first passenger train in history to travel the east-to-west Copper Trail, from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Lobito, Angola. We called it the Trail of Two Oceans and did we mention that our maiden voyage was a success?!

The six journeys included:
* Pretoria to Cape Town
* Cape Town to Dar es Salaam
* Dar es Salaam to Lobito
* Lobito to Dar es Salaam
* Dar es Salaam to Cape Town
* Cape Town to Pretoria

Our one train travelled a distance of 23 400kms!

Daphne Mabala, our ever graceful and fearless train manager, over saw the operations of our new east-to-west route and we feel that the journey’s success was in large part due to her dedicated management. She was supported by her management team and our owner/CEO, Rohan, who seemed to spend most of his time shaking the hands of dignitaries, politicians and tribal leaders whilst posing for photographs.

Also on board were historian and raconteur, Nicholas Schofield, hair stylist and guest liaison, Craig Geater, a formidable management team, our own locomotive drivers and mechanics, hostesses, dining car staff, barmen and women, an excellent kitchen team, a strong maintenance duo and of course our laundry team who, together with the barmen and chefs, are the real stars of the show.

The trip was a great success in both directions with minimal adjustments to the running schedule. The receptions at Lubumbashi and Kolwezi were a surprise while the officialdom and huge crowds meeting the train in Angola was unbelievable. Governors, ministers, tribal leaders, mayors, railwaymen, clergy and many other dignitaries all dressed up in their finest were on hand to meet the train at all major stations, accompanied by numerous musical groups and tribal dancers.

The tourism department and railways went way beyond the call of duty to ensure a safe and successful journey, while the journalists and TV crews had a field day giving our visit huge publicity. Our thanks to everyone who met us along the way with such enthusiasm and support – you added a memorable and touching element to the journey that we could not have anticipated or hoped for.

The saying goes “save the best for last” and the best of this entire experience had to be our wonderful guests. Our band of intrepid travellers who braved this new route with us! Thank you for travelling with us and helping make it the success that it was. Thank you too for your wonderful feedback and constructive suggestions on how we might improve the itinerary all of which are being fiercely debated between Rohan and journey coordinator, Regárdo! The journey is sold out in 2020 and our commitment to a memorable and once-in-a-lifetime experience for our guests is almost stubborn so your feedback is much valued and appreciated.

Our motto at Rovos Rail is to celebrate our wins but never rest on our laurels so planning for 2020 and beyond is well underway. And because Rohan is not one to sit still and because Research and Development is his passion, we suspect that not only will he tweak the Trail of Two Oceans itinerary to perfection but that he’ll be flying all over Africa exploring additional routes too.

Stay tuned!

18

Big Reputation

Brenda No Comment May 6,2019 Our Team, Station

by Brenda Vos-Fitchet

It’s taken us 30 years to earn our big reputation and earned it we have. Every step of the way.

Operating the most luxurious train in the world is a challenge. Not because we can’t live up to the hype but because the national railway networks on which we are reliant are letting us down. Not on every trip mind you, but on enough that has seen our reputation take a few knocks.

We’re operating a first-world product on third-world infrastructure, a system which in South Africa took a hit under our previous governmental administration. Jacob Zuma’s presidency left this country even poorer and the consequences of his reckless actions can be felt in most industries.

The first challenge we have is not new but one that has certainly become more of a concern over the past few years. What many don’t realise is that we are not permitted to haul our trains with our own locomotives and drivers. I’m not sure that any luxury passenger train in the world is. We are reliant on Transnet (national railway authority) for our traction and service, something we used to be very happy about because getting into the logistical and maintenance business of locomotives is not an avenue we ever wanted to pursue – they are expensive and also present complex challenges so we were more than happy to sign on the dotted line three decades ago.

Fast forward to the present and we find ourselves in a relationship with the most reluctant landlord only now the infrastructure has deteriorated. This is what prompted us to purchase nine electric and 14 diesel locomotives, and to recruit trained drivers, so that we can be as self-reliant as possible. We’ve persevered in our quest for permission to haul our own trains and so far have had success with two of our trips.

On our three-night Victoria Falls journey, we are now allowed to pull the train from Musina to Victoria Falls and back. This has greatly improved the operational aspects of the trip and we are very happy with the results – we have our own depot at the border which houses a few of our diesel locomotives and we have set up accommodation for our drivers and mechanics. We’ve also done the same for the 15-day Dar es Salaam sojourn – we use our own splendid locomotives from Mafikeng to Dar es Salaam and the trip has run operationally well for five years. So our big gamble is paying off.

Our second biggest challenge, and one over which we truly have no control, is cable theft. Again, this is not a new phenomenon plaguing Transnet and law enforcement but one that has certainly grown in efficiency and pace. When before it was a sporadic problem it is now something over which we all worry. Local authorities and Transnet must be tearing their hair out because the crime syndicates arranging the theft of this valuable copper cable are well-oiled, slick operations with no-one able to predict where the theft will next take place. It’s impossible to police every section of railway line across South Africa so we’re all left feeling frustrated as none of us are equipped or permitted to relay the cable ourselves.

The ripple effect of this has been upsetting to all trains utilizing the tracks, not just ours. Delays are experienced by commuter, freight and passenger trains.

Over the course of 30 years, many at Rovos Rail have worked tirelessly to create memorable experiences and we have also been a cog in the wheel of turning the tide on global opinion of South Africa. And it does sometimes feel that reckless politics and an understaffed parastatal is unravelling the reliable and big reputation we have built for ourselves.

So what can we do? Well, we control what we can and that is everything on board. Our quest for comfort and service on the trains as well as providing a variety of interesting excursions is first prize. Lead by an unrelenting Rohan, we are constantly striving to maximize everything on board. In fact, Rohan has recently redesigned all suites to allow for more space and storage. We have further improved on sound-proofing the trains by installing new windows in the rooms and adding insulation to the bulkheads. Rohan goes out on recce trips in countries such as Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Angola to inspect new railway lines, potential excursion sites and off-train accommodation options to either improve on existing itineraries or to launch new journeys. We also have our Rovos Academy with new training programmes and rooms for all of our train staff so that they can serve with confidence and ease on board.

In other words, we are not giving up.

Like many in our industry, we have had to deal with unforeseen obstacles for three decades and in the face of this adversity we will persevere in our quest to remain the most luxurious train in the world and to keep building on the excellent reputation which we have earned and fought hard to keep for 30 years.

8

Happy Birthday Rovos Rail!

Brenda No Comment Apr 27,2019 Media, Our Team, Station, Videos

Image: Rohan and Anthea Vos

Three cheers for Rovos Rail! 30 years, we can hardly believe it. It’s our birthday today and it is honestly the most surreal and extraordinary feeling.

We sometimes can’t believe what we have managed to pull off in three decades. There have been many uphill battles Rovos Rail has had to fight over the years; a series of tragic local and international events that have almost brought us to our knees nearly forcing us to close our doors. But here we are, 30 years on with Rohan and Anthea still leading the charge, never backing down and providing all 440 of us with work we love.

Together with the creative and talented team at 10th Street Media, we produced a short film to document our 30-year history. We’ve released a couple of teasers over the past few weeks leading up today, our birthday. Should you wish to watch the full documentary you are welcome to do so by clicking here.

We would not be celebrating our 30th birthday if it weren’t for our loyal supporters . We’ve been fortunate to have amicable and prosperous relationships with local and international tour operators and travel agents who have entrusted us with their clients, our guests, for many years and we’d like to thank all of you for your enduring support.

And to our guests, especially our “repeat offenders”, your enthusiasm and enjoyment of our train is what fuels our fires and keeps us moving forward. Thank you for travelling with us and we hope to see you again soon!

To view all of our trailers and other 30th birthday creative and promotions click here. Visit our website at rovos.com, e-mail reservations@rovos.co.za or call us on +27 (0) 12 315 8242 (Pretoria) or +27 (0) 21 421 4020 (Cape Town).

4

Join the Club!

Brenda No Comment Sep 25,2018 Guests, Journeys, Our Team

Over our nearly 30 years we’ve grown the Rovos Club to over 2000 members which is something we find flattering. When guests join the club it means they’re signing on for more than a ‘once in a lifetime experience’ and that brings with it a lovely satisfying feeling.

Throughout our nearly three decades of operation we have always aspired to maintain a high standard of discreet and personal service whilst meeting the individual needs of our wonderful passengers. The Rovos Club is an extension of this policy as it creates an opportunity to thank all of our repeat customers for their continued support and loyalty through a personalised incentive-based programme.

To register with the Rovos Club, one must have travelled with Rovos Rail twice. Club status may be awarded on the booking confirmation of the second journey.

If you are eligible for Club status, please use the Club Registration Form or call Dohné Boshoff on +27 (0) 12 315 8242 or e-mail her on dohne@rovos.co.za.

Rohan affectionately refers to our Club members as ‘Repeat Offenders’, all who are eligible for a variety of incremental discounts. We’ve been fortunate to host some Club members for their 60th, 35th, 20th, 10th and eighth journeys so they really do feel like part of the family and could probably recite the traditional departures speech verbatim!

Should you be interested in joining our club and want to see how it has been structured please click here.

We hope you join our club and look forward to welcoming you on board again soon!

0

Welcome Tiffany and Maryke!

Brenda No Comment Aug 24,2018 Our Team, Property, Station

The purpose of this blog post is two-fold. To let you know that we welcomed Tiffany Vos-Thane in an official capacity to Rovos Rail and that soon after her arrival she recruited the expert services of Maryke Reuvers, a professional chef and consultant. Tiffany is Rohan Vos’s youngest daughter and the last of the family to join the business. We’re thrilled to have her and the 12 years of hospitality expertise she brings with her. Welcome on board!

It did not take Tiffany long to realise that our Food & Beverage department required a fair amount of TLC. Rovos Rail has grown substantially in the past few years with the opening of three guest houses in Cape Town, the acquisition of our new train, the Shongololo Express as well as launching a new 15-day journey, the Trail of Two Oceans, from Tanzania to Angola. In addition, our workshop teams have been hard at work building new coaches so that we can now have five Rovos trains out at once. An impressive feat for a small, privately-owned company. But back to Tiffany and Markye.

Having mostly sales experience in the UK hospitality industry, but with a passion for all things food and wine, Tiffany got to work finding someone who could share in her vision and overhaul our entire Food & Beverage department. It was time to refresh menus, upgrade the bar and wine lists, renovate all the train kitchens and rebuild a brand new on-site kitchen. Chef and kitchen-staff training was also overdue as was food and beverage service. Enter Markye and wow, did she not know what she was getting herself into! It’s been months of spring-cleaning, throwing out, list-making, rearranging, implementing new training and systems, stream-lining and updating current protocols as well as embarking on site visits to newly discovered meat and dairy farms for authentic organic and fresh produce. Markye has also spent time on the trains travelling most of the journeys and working with our chefs in the on-board kitchens. It’s been a ride! And she’s not even halfway done yet.

Markye has spent over 17 years in the food industry and has been regaling us with fascinating stories of expeditions to the Russian Arctic, the Greek Islands and of course the South of France. Her work has taken her to many global destinations but now she is based in Cape Town making weekly commutes to our home-base in Pretoria where she can often be found on her all fours cleaning, scrubbing, inspecting or counting stock. We’ve never worked with a chef with such a strong A-type personality so it’s been an incredible experience for us and we have learned a great deal.

Both Maryke and Tiffany have been a breath of fresh air we didn’t know we needed, which we think is the best kind. Often, when heads are down and teams are working furiously, the small things begin to slip through the cracks and left unchanged become larger issues. It was time to rehabilitate everything to do with food and beverage and we are thrilled to have these two talented and hard-working women at its helm.

We look forward to sharing in our new bar, wine and food menus with you and welcome your feedback.

Cheers, saluti and santé to Tiffany and Maryke, a big welcome and thank you!

1

Station Stories and Sentiments

Brenda No Comment May 25,2018 Museum, Property, Station, Workshops

From our humble beginnings in 1989 a focus of ours has always been preserving what little is left of the era of steam and the golden age of rail travel. In our 29 years we have collected artifacts, yes, but the most incredible and incredulous stories and sentiments. Our museum at our private station in Pretoria is one way we treasure not only our history but also all the stories, some of which are legend. Guests have expressed their sentiments at us being custodians of a rich part of South Africa’s rail history and the stories which we tell in our little museum.

Renate Engelbrecht from Travelling Mystery Guest visited us recently and penned a piece on our station, Oom Gert and his careful curatorship of our museum.

Like the Rovos Rail family business, the Capital Park station has many stories to tell. It’s a historical gem tucked away among Pretoria’s CBD, the National Zoological Gardens and African tuck shops. The station, built in 1948, from which Rovos Rail departs, also plays its role of heyday holiday start-off point and preserver of all things train, very well.

The station grounds are filled with animals – from lamas lying in the staff’s garages that greet you with weird looking faces, to an on-site Nguni herd. But, it is Oom Gert who welcomes you at the Railway Museum.

Oom Gert, a humble soul, is tall and skinny with a voice that tells the story of life on trains. He has been around since even before Rovos Rail. He started as a stoker in 1969 and eventually worked his way up to train driver. It was not long after his retirement that he was called up again to man the Railway Museum. Trains are his passion. “You can’t see nature from a car like you can from a train,” he says. Every person is important to him. He does, however, enjoy the Japanese visitors most. Still, he has never had people arrive at the station with an attitude other than excitement. “For them it is the beginning of an exciting journey. They are already comfortable and meet people from different countries in the museum. So, when they get onto the train, they already know each other.”

The 40-hectare station first belonged to South African Railways, with many different locomotives and train drivers that drove these trains into many different directions. After moving to another depot, though, the station became dilapidated and was later taken over by Rovos Rail, who has brought the station back to its former glory. Today Rovos Rail’s trains depart from here to Cape Town, Durban, Victoria Falls, Namibia, Dar Es Salaam and soon also Angola, with the whole complex posing as a museum.

Rovos Rail has given the station a proper revamp and kept historically relevant artifacts intact for train passengers and visitors to appreciate. The main station building, previously a dining hall for artisans, has been prettied up and they’ve added a clock tower to enhance the station’s ambiance. The steam and diesel loco shed has also been cleaned up. Most of the structures have either been rebuilt or are converted ex-SAR buildings. The on-site Railway Museum is mainly focused on the tourists embarking on their Rovos Rail journeys, but Oom Gert, the curator, welcomes anyone. The museum is constantly developing, and it is the Vos family’s goal for Rovos Rail Station to become the leading working train museum globally. The museum is small and quaint and takes passengers back to their childhoods with an original phone box, parking meter and old trains, as well as special collector’s items that have been beautifully kept.

It’s like exploring a bygone era when you step into the station building. Even before you set foot on the luxury train that has been voted one of the top seven trains in the world by wired.com, you are taken on a trip down memory lane. The station lounge has a certain elegance to it and takes you back to a time when you had to dress up for dinner and where sophistication was key. Rovos Rail Station serves as the departure and arrival point for all eight journeys on offer and passengers rave about the welcoming experience and the colonial atmosphere of the station.

Rovos Rail’s guests are received with elegant welcoming drinks and canapes at the station and are often given an introductory speech by the owner, Rohan Vos, which sets the tone for the exciting journey ahead. Vos then also habitually takes guests on an informative and educational tour around the station grounds before the train’s wheels start turning, explaining the workshops and loco sheds to them with unfailing enthusiasm. The museum, marshalling yards, train renovation and repair facilities and welcome centre are all run by him.

Owner, Rohan Vos, is an enthusiast of note and with the help and support of his family, he has brought Rovos Rail and its station to what it is today.

3

A Tulip is Born

Brenda No Comment Oct 5,2016 Our Team, Station

Picture credit: Bianca Vos-Lynch

In January of this year we wrote a post entitled An Australian, his Bride and a Cow which told the story of one of Rohan’s daughter’s, Bianca, and how her fiancé, Brandon, purchased a gorgeous female Nguni cow as Lobola for his future bride. Brandon named her Mia Bella, meaning my beautiful one, and told us that she was a heifer – pregnant with her first calf – and due in February. Well, February became March, which became April and finally the vet told us to expect the little one in September! We’re not sure how the Nguni cow farmer miscalculated that one but a little girl eventually arrived on September 24th, Heritage Day in South Africa, and a Tulip was born!

You’ll see from the original story that we decided that Mia Bella would need a friend so we purchased another pregnant female who we called Camilla. Her calf, Alfie, was born in June and he is growing into a handsome and quite randy little fella! So all our fingers were crossed that Mia would have a little girl. Eventually, on September 24th (Heritage Day in South Africa), a calf arrived looking very gangly but very sweet – a girl who we called Tulip. In a moment of territorial aggression, Camilla kicked her around so she spent her first few days with a mild concussion, wobbling about, but is now latching and flourishing alongside her relieved mother.

Her name might sound a bit odd to some but there is personal meaning behind it for the Vos family as it honours Anthea’s father who recently passed – he was nicknamed Jimmy the Tulip by his grandchildren after a movie character and, serendipitously, that is how our little Tulip got her name. And she also decided to come into the world on Jimmy’s birthday which made her birth all the more lovely.

Welcome to the world and to Rovos Rail, Tulip Vos-Lynch! We’ll adore you and take care of you forever.

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Tag Archives: Rohan Vos

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