Cape Town to Victoria Falls by Train

Great Railway Journeys - Michael Wood travels from Cape Town through the Karoo, Botswana, Bulawayo, Wankie (now Hwange), to the Victoria Falls. [Produced in 1979}

[@buxton4472]

This has got to be one of the finest travel documentaries ever made for TV. This sort of quality was what the BBC was renowned for and Michael Wood was the perfect presenter. Have watched this video countless times over the past 40 years and it still works its magic.

[@johnchild61]

Shame its not on DVD the only one that is was the first with Michael Palin Kings Cross to the Kyle of Lochalsh, " Confessions of a Train Spotter" I have a Vhs version recorded at the time, I did a video demonstration at local Model Railway Exhibition on the stage ,it was jaw dropping , I was asked if Idid it the following year that it would have to be in the basement as it was a distraction for the rest of the Exhibition the two loco's Jennifer and Maria 20 mins into the film fantastic the rest is very informative , i have watched it many times

[@bookaufman9643]

This is not a stand alone piece there are five or six other episodes of great railway journeys of the world and they're all available on KZbin.

[@MartinKillips]

Never has a truer word been spoken. Michael Wood is astonishingly good. His presentations, on any of his many documentaries, are sublime to the point of genius.

[@prakashjog1948]

43 years since the film was made, its still something to view nostalgically and contemplate. How will things be 43 years from now I wonder !!!

[@davenix604]

Michael Wood is a legend of our times.

[@bookaufman9643]

Nearly all of Michael woods documentaries are available on KZbin. The series on China being the exception and a couple episodes of the Alexander series.

[@fuferito]

"Like the Falls themselves the current of History is remorseless, unswerving, and deaf to persuasion." -Michael Wood at his best.

[@WalesRadio]

...but unless one takes the trouble to study widely, history can be perverted by whoever happens to hold sway over it today.

[@michaelseaman68]

zzZzzszzzzzXSSSZzzzz

[@alexkrycek21]

The footage of Jennifer and Paria pulling the freight train was incredible.

[@AtheistOrphan]

I concur. (Although the loco is actually called Maria, not ‘Paria’).

[@RobertPaterson]

Nostalgic for me - Worked in Botswana in 1969 - journeyed from Joburg to Lobatse on this train and back when I left 9 months later - I feel like a time traveller

[@keithgordon5282]

The whole series was brilliant. And the presenters didn’t make a prat of themselves trying to do local arts or crafts to fill in the empty space.

[@beenthere7962]

One used to go to Rhodesia to see the Zimbabwe Ruins. Now, you go to Zimbabwe to see the Rhodesia Ruins.

[@ShimonDI]

It's really a shame, isn't it? It will be very interesting to see what happens when that narcissistic maniac finally does drop dead.

[@beenthere7962]

+ShimonDI That can't happen too soon!!

[@seanolaocha940]

+beenthere7962 There'll be another one to take his place unfortunately.

[@beenthere7962]

+Seán Leahy Too true Sean

[@rossmcewen6510]

beenthere796

[@MrHammerkop]

In August 2016, wishing to catch glimpses of the Hwange national park at a leisurely pace, I took the overnight train from Bulawayo to Vic Falls. It was my third attempt after two cancellations. The first was after three hours of delay, and without any explanation; the second was again after a long delay, this time with the explanation that there was "no fuel for the locomotive .. ( long pause while sorting through some paperwork) .. Maybe." When the service finally clattered on its way out of Bulawayo, I gazed out of a dust coated carriage window, on which an interlocking double R logo remained engraved. Rhodesian Railways. You can only love Zimbabwe.

[@thornimation5492]

I love that funky South African pop music, that begins at 32:06 .

[@andyknott8148]

I have spend many hours trying to find that music, but to no avail.

[@jonathansanger862]

If anyone can pick up the lyrics from that song, it would give us a clue. I'm hard of hearing.

[@karthiksuresh522]

​@@jonathansanger862 @andyknott8148 @thornimation5492 it took me some years but I finally found it. The track is "Thiba kamoo" by Harari (the band is shown performing the song live at the Pelican nightclub). Here's the studio version kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4bMdJyjl9Ktb9U

[@garethmurtagh]

I can vaguely remember this from its original broadcast. What a fascinating programme made literally as history happened around them.

[@jackwright2495]

I was part of a photographic safari there in 1990, when Zimbabwe was thriving. It breaks my heart to see what Mugabe has done to it; I only hope once he's gone it gets put back together.

[@ShimonDI]

Agreed! Can't come soon enough, although who knows how his replacement is going to be.

[@alexabrennan4723]

Sorry mate it was his best friend [ his replacement ] :(

[@gomaamog4975]

Oh shut up please. Zimbabwe was never a heaven to the black native africans. Not then and not now but It will be great.

[@user-kd4mz8mf7u]

excellent film, i travelled in 1988 from Joburg to Harare and had to change, if i remember right, train in Bulawayo. Almost 40yrs, unbelievable, would like to visit again some day

[@daveh9097]

You lucky lucky fella Michael,getting to ride the footplate on that British built loco.

[@GL-xz3xk]

Seeing Maria and Jennifer blast across the desert made a lasting impression, can still remember this doco nearly 40 years later. I asked around and sadly Maria and Jennifer didn't survive. Also an interesting insight into SA during the apartheid era.

[@ianlees1480]

Having lived in SA for 10:years I never had the opportunity to travel by train. .Definitely a bucket list to do one day.

[@olivercromwell1743]

Done this in 1970 fantastic country then railways system was great.

[@sophieella160]

My grandad, Brian James was the producer of this!

[@andyknott8148]

A fitting tribute.

[@westernshipway3115]

Well done 😁🌹

[@patrickwentz8413]

I feel like such a peasant. I will never be able to afford to travel on a train like that even if they still existed.

[@brianandtarryn]

Thank you for posting this, it was a walk down memory lane for me, I even saw a family member in the footage. What was disappointing though, were the inaccuracies in translation and the distorted story line in a few places. Now, almost 40 years later, I'd like to know what the film's editor and crew think about the current state of Zimbabwe and South Africa. A point of interest.. In 1979 R1.50 was worth a British pound and the Rhodesian dollar was at par with the pound. Today a British pound will cost a South African R18 (12 times more). And a hundred trillion Zimbabwe dollars won't be enough to buy a single British penny because Zimbabwe is now bankrupt due to the incompetent government destroying the economy of the country. South Africa is unfortunately following the same path.

[@ShimonDI]

Brian, thanks for your comments. I'm very curious to know who you recognized. Regarding the money - do you remember when an ounce of gold was pegged at US $35?

[@brianandtarryn]

Hello Shimon, my dad was at the bar of the dining car. He worked on the Rhodesia Railways for most of his working life. Dad died in 1991. My knowledge of the historical gold price is minimal. $35/oz.. My guess would be post WWII pre UDI.

[@ShimonDI]

Wow Brian - that is awesome! And I'm sorry to hear that. My father will be 88 in June; lives in Johannesburg. I think RR was the country's biggest employer for many years, if not still. Yes, $35/oz - sometime after WW2 and probably a bit post UDI too. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold under "History".

[@mathewgreen4099]

Excellent, many thanks for posting.

[@Kosmonooit]

Michael Wood has made some brilliant travel - history docs, nice to find this one! The trains back in the day in the RSA were totally racially segregated, and so where the stations and all the facilities, he didn't comment much on that.

[@anarchorepublican5954]

...the veld terrain reminds me of parts of Nevada...

[@nestahale]

Thanks for this! Really enjoyed watching!

[@saroyafanniel8932]

The Rhodesia Railways was re-designated Zimbabwe Rhodesia Railways on 1 June 1979 and finally National Railways of Zimbabwe on 1 May 1980; soon after the attainment of national Independence. As with all things colonial, the steam trains were decommissioned in 1994. In 2004 some were brought back on line due to financial issues and the abundance of coal.

[@davidjames38589]

And it took another seven years for Botswana to take control of their railways from NRZ.

[@tally1604]

the sounds of those steam locomotives cannot help but tug at my heart with a yearning for the days long gone (not taking about white rule, i mean the great heydays of railways)

[@ShimonDI]

I agree - the sounds of the steam engines are viscerally rhythmic and when you grow up with those around you, you never forget them and they're always part of you. Thanks for your comments!

[@MakoolooSabenz]

Wow, great video. My family made exactly this railway trip in 1961. Thanks for the video opportunity.

[@ccaammiinniiito2]

(Cont'd) I came upon this video purely by accident. And what a pleasant discovery it has turned out to be. Very well presented, a third dimensional look into the social workings of South Africa.

[@ShimonDI]

Thanks for your comments, Jay. I have never connected the features of indigenous South Africans with any Asians, but since we are all apparently from the same roots, it's not that surprising. I used to ride those trains myself as a kid, so it's always fun to watch this. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@eternaldoorman5228]

Thanks for posting this!

[@aaronnicholson3698]

Thanks for posting

[@ritualentertainment]

Great Railway Journeys is a fantastic series, and this is one of the best episodes. It's hard to determine *the* best though, but I'm pretty sure Confessions of a Trainspotter occupies that spot on many people's lists. I'm just curious, though. Nostalgic South Africans who are commenting here...are they nostalgic for the Apartheid South Africa/Rhodesia or just the time and supposed legacy in general?

[@rorykinsella8826]

Who knows ? But one thing for sure .without apartheid south africa would probably have never developed . who would want to live in a country where murder and Rape are the order of day. Unfortunate but the stats dont lie

[@wayneeschbank2895]

What a great documentary would love to do the same now days 40+ years on and see the different

[@TheCalgarycanuck]

Drove from Cape Town to Victoria Falls in a VW Beetle in the late 60 s, a very scenic and interesting drive.

[@ShimonDI]

Yes, next to the train, a drive would be the best; at least in those days when the roads were in decent shape and somewhat safer. The scenery is still wonderful, I'm sure; and now you don't have to worry about crossing into "homeland" territories. Zimbabwe is a different story, unfortunately.

[@TheCalgarycanuck]

ShimonDI, yea a nice drive in those days.

[@ccaammiinniiito2]

(Cont'd) @Michael Wood...This is by far the most excellent video presentation of another country I have ever seen. Excellent in videography. Superb in narration. I do hope you continue with other African venues and gives us another third dimensional view of far away places, customs, and tradition. Thank you ever so much for this wonderful experience!

[@BasudevBhattacharya]

Excellent Documentery.

[@rickhall8833]

Great documentary,greetings from western Canada !

[@ShimonDI]

Thanks for watching!

[@utareangara5529]

haven't seen this in over 12 years. ah memories

[@user-yw1yh9ff4r]

l cant get enough of it. 😅

[@r.cooper9790]

I grew up with steam train around me, back in Southern Rhodesia and Zimbabwe. I wrote about a Zimbabwean steam train in my book, Sam Edward the Steam Train, Lulu Press Ltd.

[@johnchild61]

Great travel video at the time this went out on the BBC , it was at the time of the launch of the VHS Video recorder, And I used clips of this to do demonstrations for Granada TV Rentals ,at our local model railway exhibition, it was great and they loved the bits where Jenifer😢and Maria were were played in reverse smoke going down the chimney! It stole the show,exhibition, the following year we were relegated to a small room from the. Stage

[@bookaufman9643]

I actually feel bad for Michael even though he's on an extremely luxurious form of travel. Speaking to the upper class occupants of the train is not his normal vocation. I am a huge fan of Michael Wood and I've seen every one of his documentaries. This is very different for him but I'm sure it wasn't very hard to talk him into a luxurious trip and I'm guessing a decent paycheck from the BBC. This is one of the few videos that's not a part of his series. He's just a part of this video series as a host as there are other hosts for other episodes.

[@mikefuller2019]

Some of the music for the series is commercially available, such as Aaron Copland‘ Appalachian Spring for the American journey by Ludovic Kennedy, does anyone know what the music is highlighted by Irishrail below?

[@duxberry1958]

i,v done this line many tines

[@avislimaye]

" Victoria Falls " Zambia & Zimbabwe, Africa.

[@rmssphinx]

Thanks for uploading this piece of history. By any chance, do you have or know where to find the 1999 Japan episode, Tokyo to Kagoshima? Thanks.

[@ShimonDI]

I'm afraid not - other than on KZbin or maybe Vimeo.

[@rmssphinx]

@@ShimonDI Thanks for your suggestions.

[@marciebalme588]

Interesting our Great Uncle George Charles Willcocks built the first sections of the Capetown to Cairo Railway from the Cape to Modder River , I'd certainly like to find out more about him

[@ShimonDI]

Marcie, that is really intriguing; are you sure he wasn't your great-great uncle? Unless you yourself are of "a certain age", seems there's a generation missing there.

[@marciebalme588]

my grand father Richard Willcocks married his second wife in 1902 - she died in 1934 , Mother was born in 1924 - still alive , I was born in 1961

[@conorgraafpietermaritzburg3720]

Luckily things went a little better than you thought, not that we're out of the woods yet.

[@ZootSuitCooter]

The good ole days.

[@IrishModelRail]

8:42 - 9:44, 21:22 - 22:43.

[@ashishagarwal84]

How to find this music?

[@davidjames38589]

Does anyone know the anthem played around 49:00 before Lord Soames spoke?

[@AtheistOrphan]

Presumably the (then) Rhodesian National Anthem.

[@davidjames38589]

I notice he pronounces it So-Way-to rather than the So-Weh-to I usually hear. Was that a regionalism or did it change over the years?

[@ShimonDI]

SoWeTo stands for South-West Township. I think that was just Michael's Wood nuanced pronunciation.

[@nyoni_tour6677]

46:46 what the man is saying it’s true the rain is still there but it has aged alot that they even have to use carriages that are even in the rail museum.

[@brianmorrison9168]

I enjoyed this when first shown in the early 80s A couple of years later I was working in Southern Africa and was lucky to be able to see the Blue Train. I was heading to Cape Town by car when it passed .. a quick 3 point turn and 5 minutes later I was ready with my camera to photograph it as it passed me again. It wasn’t travelling very fast, but I suppose when you are drinking South African wine and watching the beautiful scenery .. who cares ? I returned to the UK with a souvenir .. my SA born Xhosa wife.

[@yvonnemarais7671]

Are ou going to take another wife as they do in Africa and their culture. Your wife will explain the culture and Lobola etc to you. They have multiple wives and breed children by the dozens in all African Countries and all the different tribes. Majority that cannot even feed themselves multiple wives and the poor children they breed into a vicious circle of Poverty, THAT is a main reason for their Poverty they create themselves. They do not want birth control or vasectomies or hysterectomies etc. .But that is their culture.!

[@MartinIDavies]

"used to meet the P&O liners" no used to meet the Union Castle (and sometimes Shaw Savill) liners and we are just 2 mins 45 secs into this documentary..

[@davidjames38589]

In their defence, they corrected it in the companion book.

[@bashekassim]

Can I experience this now?

[@ShimonDI]

I haven't lived in South African since 1979 and I haven't taken that rail route since 1977, so I don't know what the engines or carriages are like now. There's another luxury train called Rovos too. Zimbabwe is in MUCH worse shape now than it was then, even with a war going on.

[@Damremont18]

Is this trip still viable? I understand that thieves are pilfering the railways into oblivion and that train travel is no longer tenable in certain areas.

[@ShimonDI]

I don't have current information and yes, there is theft of wire, copper, steel etc. in many places. The Blue Train is still operating. (www.bluetrain.co.za) But the "economy" routes are probably somewhat different now. Remember - this documentary was made in 1979.

[@lastsamurai2000]

15:05 the Makadas.

[@andrewchaston503]

Yes. Found at last. Totally brilliant.

[@fernandosantosacordionista4010]

bom

[@Oippb]

Documentário exibido no Brasil pela TV Cultura nos anos de 1980. Mostra o trem azul na África do Sul, na época o mas luxuoso do mondo. Também mostra as incríveis locomotivas Garratt e 25 NC.

[@jeanhodgson8623]

The pronunciations of some of the namee are wrong. De Aar is pronounced "day arrr", Kraankuil is pronounced "kraarnkale" and the Matopos area (in Rhodesia) is pronounced "matorpos".

[@davidjames38589]

Were they always pronounced that way, or did they shift after apartheid ended, similar to the change in Indian city names?

[@rodneygreen4712]

Yes

[@nyoni_tour6677]

And today in morden day we make our own vlogs for youtube but I think those days wouldnt be possible for me to ventuer around capetown and to travel by train in southafrica and zimbabwe nice video though

[@glendodds3824]

All in all, this is a fascinating documentary. However, by November 1979 Rhodesia no longer existed. Although whites still controlled the armed forces, as a result of a general election earlier in the year the country had a black prime minister, Bishop Abel Muzorewa, and had been renamed Zimbabwe Rhodesia and steps were being taken to completely end racial segregation.

[@thornimation5492]

The middle aged Afrikaans man that Michael Wood spoke to between 6:44 and 8:39, was introduced as Wilhelm de Klerk! Was that the same man as Frederik Wilhelm de Klerk, who became president of South Africa in 1989 and released Nelson Mandela in February 1990, about 10 years after this documentary was broadcasted? Or was that his father or uncle?

[@ShimonDI]

Definitely not the same man; possibly a relative, but de Klerk is a relatively common Afrikaans last name. You can do an image search on "FW de Klerk" and you'll see the difference right away.

[@thornimation5492]

Interesting. Thanks for telling me. And I agree with your point about the Wilhelm de Klerk in this documentary, because FW de Klerk was born in 1936, but this Wilhelm de Klerk looks like he was born in 1916 i.e. old enough to be FW de Klerk's father, if he were a relative.

[@catatonicable]

It"s not good now...

[@simonh6371]

2:03-2:29 Nie vir nie blankes nie

[@ccaammiinniiito2]

Am I confused? Do I see Asian features in some of the workers? The epicanthic fold, for example? Ironically, I've noticed that trait among some Scandinavians. Needless to say, among many of the native peoples of North America. And wasn't Nelson Mandela curiously exhibit some Asian traits in his facial features?

[@julielilote3496]

The Khoisan(bushmen) are the natives of Africa the east asians look like them

[@ccaammiinniiito2]

Julie lilote What is the linguistic significance of the /z/ appearing in so many southern African countries: /Z/imbabwe. /Z/ambesi. /Zan/z/ibar. Mo/z/ambique. /Z/ulu. And so forth and so forth?

[@julielilote3496]

Jay Young Could be derived from ethnic groups Bantu is the largest others no idea

[@ccaammiinniiito2]

Julie lilote Thank you.

[@IrishModelRail]

Amazing insight into white minority rule in southern Africa, as well as into the railways.

[@chriscarrol9373]

I wonder how many wealthy old people on the train are rolling in their graves seeing what's happened to south Africa and saying see i told you so.

[@bashekassim]

I still don't understand how apartheid managed to subjugate a majority of people so effectively and for such a long time!

[@ShimonDI]

That is a complicated question. The short answer is: by force; interrogation, imprisonment without trial, paid informants, etc. The long answer is all of that PLUS most of the world looking the other way so they could still buy South Africa's platinum and gold; the effects of tribalism, extreme and widespread poverty and lack of education; and more. I think most people would say that, in the end, the realities of economic isolation and the more moderate thinking of Prime Minister De Klerk made the authorities realize that there was no future in apartheid and that the success of the country as a whole (meaning also the whites) depended on education and opportunities for all.

[@brianandtarryn]

Apartheid was South African, not Rhodesian.

[@grahamariss2111]

Amazing these tickets are cheaper than 2nd class on a Virgin Pendalino ;-)

[@grahamariss2111]

Bashe Kassim It subjugated it's people much less than the Soviet Union or the Peoples Republic of China not forgetting North Korea, it was tolerated because of its strategic location with at the time the wests oil supply passing around the cape, there was no wish to see a Soviet puppet state as most of newly independent Africa had quickly become, having control of the cape. However with the end of the Coldl war, there was no reason for Western politicians to spend political capital on South Africa and so sanctions increased and the back door arm supply routes from France and Israel dried up without the CIA to lubricate the process.

[@jeraldbaxter3532]

Every white South African that I have known(and I have had the misfortune of knowing several), except for one, were rude, arrogant and abrasive. Imagine a nation full of these pieces of excrement and it is no wonder South Africa is the asshole of the world.

[@solaf1760]

President Kaunda NEVER declared war on Zimbabwe Rhodesia.

[@ShimonDI]

I did some research on this. I would say that you're correct insofar as an explicit declaration of war is concerned. It does not appear that ever happened. However, as you probably know, Kaunda harbored insurgent forces and many other anti-white rule groups in Zambia. So perhaps one can say it was an implicit declaration of war, but certainly doesn't appear to have involved the Zambian army directly. This is quite a good source of information: www.popularsocialscience.com/the-fall-of-rhodesia/

[@FMHammyJ]

Apartheid was wrong, and had to go.....but I wonder what Rhodesia(now Zimbabwe) would have become had you had an African leadership that encouraged white citizens to stay and work with the blacks in building their country......

[@yoyototo2054]

well look at 12:50 what the woman is saying just getting flour suger and and the few stuff poeple were still hungry back then so even as for now it was never that good way back its just infatructuer well maintained and mostly developed otherwaise it was never better also never meant it for raise but the old govment was never better than the new one

[@AdurianJ]

Under ideal circumstances it would have been best if the Europeans should have slowly built up a large African middle class that they just could have handed the states off too. What happened during decolonization was that too many ex-guerrilla leaders with chip's on their shoulders got into power and ruined the countries they where given.

[@brianandtarryn]

Apartheid was South African, not Rhodesian.

[@thornimation5492]

It was all Mugabe and his cronies's fault that Zimbabwe has become so screwed up today!!

[@grahamariss2111]

Apartheid was never part of Rhodesian law, Rhodesian democracy functioned like pre 1910 UK where there was a property qualification required to vote, this of course favoured the richer white community. The argument the Smith government made, was that you could not extend the vote to the wider population until they had moved on from the Tribal allegiance they had. Sadly they were proved right.

[@dano2760]

South Africa sure failed to win the propaganda war

[@gregorystetkis7009]

Do the trains even work there any more now that all the "supremacists' are gone in 2024?

[@dimitri1590]

definitely apartheid years. R150.00 = 100 pounds lol. never again . how silly we white folk were . i don't want to look

[@genewest7690]

wow! How white! Props to S.A. and Zimbabwe... Fuck.colonialism...

[@adolfvonpanzer9521]

All good stuff although predictably PC. Noticed Michael wood didn’t share his sleeping cabin with any blacks people……….. virtue signalling ends when the camera is switched off.

[@anarchorepublican5954]

8:06...🌴🦒...🚂🚃🚃1978 🇬🇧a very civil but, "unjust society" ...⏳ ☛...🚅🚃🚃☭2022🇿🇦 an uncivil society, devoid of justice....