THE National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) Mother’s Day Steam
Ride from Bulawayo to Plumtree and back on Sunday attracted several people, who
later rued their decision to take up the bait when the train came to a halt
after running out of steam in “no man’s land”.
Some enthusiasts, keen for the 200km train ride, came from
as far as France and Italy although the majority of the locals were drawn from
Harare, Kwekwe and Bulawayo.
The Steam Engine Train departed Bulawayo at 8:30am, with
its coaches filled up with the old and young, who had come to enjoy a treat
with their mothers.
Although the company had promised an enjoyable eight hours
on board and just over an hour set aside for a stop-over in Plumtree for lunch,
it turned out to be a nightmare, after the steam locomotive failed to complete
the return trip to Bulawayo, forcing some passengers to organise their own
transport back to Bulawayo.
Many were seen flocking into cars after their loved ones
had come to pick them up after the NRZ staff remained tight-lipped over the
delay.
There were claims that the engine’s water pressure had
become too low to fill up the tank, which was also said to be leaking.
One of the passengers complained that the NZR staff should
have communicated with them.
“We are (stuck) here and we do not know how much long this
will take. We have been told that a diesel engine train is coming to pull us.
We have children who are supposed to be at school tomorrow morning (Monday),
but we are stuck here,” the passenger said, as he took his family away to seek
alternative transport back to Bulawayo.
The train, which was supposed to depart Plumtree at 2:45pm
and arrive in Bulawayo at 5:30pm, only left the border town at 7:30pm after the
arrival of a diesel engine train.
Having left Bulawayo fully packed, the train made the
return leg with half of its passengers, as many had found their own way back to
the city.
The remaining passengers arrived in Bulawayo around
midnight, weary and disappointed.
Some of those on board told NewsDay Life & Style before
the breakdown that they chose to honour their mothers through the sentimental
steam train ride.
Cheryl Honiball said she had fun because it was her first
time to board a steam engine train: “It was very nice and I have enjoyed it. I
love the steam engine and I came all the way from Kwekwe. It was a Mother’s Day
special for me and I loved it.”
Another enthusiast, Harverye Dela, said her children bought
tickets for her and her husband and they were excited to be part of the steam
ride.
“This was a present from our children and we are from
Bulawayo. This was different from taking us out for lunch in restaurants. We
had our grandchildren with us, my son in law, my daughter and it was lovely,”
she said.
Cecelia Leher said she was an ex-railway person and her son
paid for the trip: “It’s my first time on this train and it’s lovely. My son in
New Zealand paid for this trip for us to come on board and it’s really lovely.”
David Connery said it was good spending time with the
family on Mother’s Day.
“This has been a great day and good time to spend with
family. However, this reminds me of my heyday, when we used to travel to Harare
to play sports,” he said.
NRZ business manager for passenger services, Munyaradzi
Masaka said they had decided to promote the steam train brand because of its
historical and aesthetic appeal.
“We have tried to create a service that is both
recreational and nostalgic. Among those people who took part on the ride were
people who once worked for NRZ as far back as the 1950s. Some of them were
enginemen driving the steam train. So this is a very significant event for
them,” he said.
The train also had former Plumtree High School students on
board.
The Mother’s Day Steam Train, which was scheduled to arrive
in Plumtree at 1pm, only got there after 2pm and the passengers on board had
braai, while some had a chance to tour the border town. Newsday
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