MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A 129-year-old restored steam locomotive named Patricia will be arriving in Mossel Bay today, 10 April.
The train, temporarily separated into two parts, will be delivered to the railway line near Santos Beach, before heading to Voorbaai where she will find her new home.
Owned by Clive Holliday, a railman from the United Kingdom who now lives in South Africa, the Class 6 locomotive was aptly named Patricia after his late mother, who had left him some funds which contributed to the locomotive’s restoration.
“She has always supported me,” said Holliday.
The stunning locomotive was built in 1897 and was in use during the Anglo-Boer War from 1899 to 1902 to carry armoured troops across the former Transvaal region, most notably Mahikeng (then Mafikeng) in the North West Province.
From 1910, the locomotive worked on the South African railways and in 1950, she was sold to the country’s mining sector, dutifully continuing her work.
Years later, in 2017, Holliday bought her and contracted Fairlie Projects to do the extensive restoration work. Led by Shaun Ackerman, Fairlie Projects specialises in restoring old steam locomotives such as Patricia.
Ackerman is also on board for the ongoing restoration plans for the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe locomotive fleet in the Garden Route.
When Patricia first arrived at a Fairlie Project workshop in Germiston, Gauteng, she was well-worn from her various uses over the years.
As part of the upgrade, which took eight years, Patricia received new wheels and axle boxes, and her boiler was totally refurbished.
Once the restoration work was completed in September 2025, Holliday included a red sign above the front of the locomotive with the number 200 on display, marking 200 years of rail passenger services in the UK, which first began in 1825.
“[Patricia] is something I’m very proud of,” says Holliday. “It’s my way of contributing to and preserving South Africa’s rail heritage.”
Patricia will soon make her way to Voorbaai from where she will begin operating along Mossel Bay’s railway line, in conjunction with Atlantic Rail.
At this stage, it is yet to be decided when Patricia’s job of carrying passengers is to start, but that date is something the Mossel Bay public can look forward to.
Before it was restored, this is how Patricia looked. Photo: Clive Holliday
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