S1 - Ep 181 - Noupoort - A Small Karoo Town with Decreased Rail Activity!

We had no idea what the history and size of Noupoort was. As we approached, we were shocked to see how big it actually was! This small Karoo town is full of surprises, but is suffering now because of the decreased rail activity. Its economy revolved mainly around the railways. Since the decline in the South African rail system this poor town is no longer the prosperous place it once was. We could see the empty shops, signalling a decline in local business and that must sadly have a negative impact on the local population. A highlight was the NCCC (Noupoort Christian Care Centre). They do an amazing job through rehabilitation programmes for those suffering from drug abuse and apparently has an excellent success rate which was encouraging to hear. We also saw beautiful old church buildings, which are now neglected and no longer maintained. All we can do is hope that somehow struggling small towns like this one will get a new lease on life. #DustBugs #adventuretravel #southafrica #southafricavlog #noupoort #railways #station #poverty #nccc
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[@johandevilliers4471]

I grew up in this place and will not change a single bit of it. Formed me into who I am today. Couldn't have asked for a better place. Sadly the Mayor in the 1950's decided to sign away a big portion of it's district to Colesberg and Middelburg. Then of course they decided to move the station 50 km away to Rosmead I think it is in the Eastern Cape in the 90's and gave Noupoort the final kill shot in terms of job creation. Heartbreaking. Yet it lives on for now.

[@DustBugsTravel]

How special that you grew up there. We hope the trip down memory lane had some good memories for you. I love that you say that the town formed you into the person you are today. The importance of one's roots can never be overestimated. Thank you for sharing your story. 👌🏻

[@Adventurescot]

Wow, seeing Noupoort now is very sad indeed. I remember it from the 80s when we still had steam locos shunting those very busy yards. That big concrete structure is the old loco depot and the structure was used to fill the steam locos tenders up with coal. Everyday a small steam loco would shunt 4 wagons up that concrete structure (known as the coal stage) and empty the contents of coal into it. As steam locos arrived or left depot they would fill their tenders with coal. That structure has been out of use for many years. A new depot was built not far away which had a new coal stage. I think it was built in the 1960s as far as I know. Sadly it looks like its the end of the line for that once great little town. Very sad indeed. Thanks for the clip

[@DustBugsTravel]

Noupoort was completely unexpected to us. We didn't know the town like you clearly do, so I can imagine the town must look quite different to what you remember. Thank you for the info on the coal stage, I had a rough idea what its purpose was, but wasn't sure. I would've loved to stand on that bridge and watch some steam engines come through, that would've been a real treat. 🚂 We appreciate you watching! 🚗😁

[@firststepsonlinemarketing7620]

My son is currently at Noupoort Christian Care Centre and I had not seen it because he went there by bus. This little video was so delightful to me, because my beloved son is there. Thank you for such a meaningful video. God bless Noupoort Christian Care Centre! And God bless you.

[@DustBugsTravel]

We wish your son a full recovery and we wish you the very best too. It was our pleasure to visit this town and we're so glad that you enjoyed our video. 😊

[@leandamatthee4407]

My grandma owned 4 houses in Noupoort including the station master's house. And almost brought the Hotel aswell.

[@DustBugsTravel]

So your family has quite an association with the town and must know the area well. Thank you for sharing that with us. 👌🏻 We found it a fascinating place and couldn't believe the size of the town. 🤩🚗

[@transnamibnel]

Hallo. I grew up in Noupoort in the early seventies. It was a busy place then. Just some info on the little piece of tar from the N1 at Hanover. Story has it that in the fifties, a farmer married a lady and she was not willing to move to the farm if the road to the farm was not tarred. He then tarred the road just up to his farm and only a narrow strip as to keep costs low. Thanks for the upload.

[@DustBugsTravel]

We hope our video brought back some good memories of your hometown. 😊 That's a very interesting story about the strip road, I certainly hope they had a long and happy marriage. 😁 Thank you for sharing that.

[@annebrasecke4163]

May the NCCC Rehab Centre prosper to help people with addictions.

[@DustBugsTravel]

We echo your wish. 👌🏻 Thank you for watching!

[@user-eh8uu9ob3p]

I was so happy to see Noupoort. My parents and grandparents lived in Murray Street. Oupa Langley owned the shop and printing press and later started a bioscope. My heart belongs there. Please go back and see the blockhouse and the cemetery. Ouma Langley lived to be 96 years old and I do believe it was the clean air and wonderful karoo lamb. She was a tailor. They has 9 children and almost everyone worked on the railways. Wish we could restore that place. Thank you and God bless you .

[@annawitter5161]

Gosh! I didnt know they still had strip roads. Been on plenty of them in the good oldays. Beautiful cloudscape to start off with LOL those sprinbok didnt know which way to run! I remember Noupoort well from my travels in Eastern cape. Wow! It was a fraction of its size back then. Its was once a very busy station. I think my oupa once worked there

[@DustBugsTravel]

We heard about the strip road and just had to drive it for ourselves. It must be quite hairy when a vehicle approaches from the front though. Luckily we were spared that! 😨🚗

[@aginn9506]

Cool little town, alot of life and activity going on, lovely little old churches, thankyou guys

[@DustBugsTravel]

Those little churches were awesome! ⛪ Thank you so much for watching!

[@michaelvanzyl123]

Noupoort my home town, small town but WOW it's a great place..... So much love for this Dorpie..... ❤️❤️❤️

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for watching our video of your hometown! 😎 It was our first visit and we're so happy that we did. We just love the small towns! 🚗😁

[@johandevilliers4471]

We learnt in Geography in the late 80's that Noupoort Station was regarded as the 3 rd most important railway junction in the country, after Germiston and De Aar.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I was absolutely gobsmacked by the size of the Noupoort station, so that would make complete sense to me. 🚆 My wife always used to compare a busy place to Germiston Station. Now I know why! 😁

[@munesumangava9751]

Beautiful little churches though👌

[@keithmatthias4348]

Am amazed at how clean Noupoort (and Middelburg in your subsequent video) are. It’s great to see. Citizens and Authorities are obviously doing something right. Can’t help taking issue with the Energy Minister’s statement this week about creating ghost towns if the use of coal was stopped. Pity he and others didn’t apply the same concerns when rail was allowed to fail so spectacularly.

[@DustBugsTravel]

It really is sad to see the stations so desolate in almost every town we visit and especially so where the railway used to be the lifeblood of the local economy, as we believe it was in so many places. 😥⛪

[@Afriqueleblanq]

This mortality started in the mid 1970's; the current Energy Minister may have been at school or not even born yet. The death of railways is a global matter, and South Africa didn't escape that.

[@keithmatthias4348]

@@Afriqueleblanq his Party certainly was. Don’t agree that rail has died everywhere else. Yes, trucking has increased in most Countries but in many is complimentary to rail. Passenger rail is virtually nonexistent in SA but extensive in the USA, Europe, Asia, etc etc

[@BrendonSchaferCT]

Used to travel by train to boarding school in the 80s. Noupoort was one of the stops next morning. It was a big station. I'm sure it was there that they still had the crank telephone, and "Nommer asseblief". We used to buy stuff at the station shop. The stop wasn't long though. Not like De Aar, where we stayed for hours as they shunted the trains.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for sharing those memories with us. From your comment, it sounds like De Aar was an even bigger station than Noupoort. We still have to visit that one. 🚆 They probably had those telephone exchanges all over the place in the 80's. I used to love those! ☎️

[@BrendonSchaferCT]

@@DustBugsTravel De Aar was massive. If Noupoort was a junction for those few destinations, De Aar was for the entire country - I think Namibia too. I forget how many platforms they had. The other thing about De Aar, they often changed from Electric to diesel or the old coal locomotives.

[@sharonhatzenbuehler4591]

My Father was born here, so nice to see this…thank you

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you. We hope it brought back some happy memories for him. 😊

[@funkdunk]

Thank-you Dustbugs, Noupoort a town (also larger than I thought it would be) with such a positive influence on those who have taken the first step to get help for their addiction. I know of one success story and today he owns his own business, is active in his church and is married (and its lasted). From a real estate point of view, the towns crumbling infrastructure, the now non-existent economic driver - the railway - and reliance on Government to create jobs, instead of entrepreneurial intervention, will only further this downward slide that is evident in Noupoort, Nelspoort and Hanover, and many other similar towns across the Karoo including Touwsriver which also lost its economic driver - a strong railway based local economy. We are working on 2 projects to upskill and provide permanent employment for the unemployed youth, which in some places tops the national average of 70%. Our goal is to "flip" the figure to 70% employed.

[@Afriqueleblanq]

Sometimes, helping hands showed up, but residents voicing baditudes on social media, discouraged investors and chased them away. The need for sulking doesn't lie solely in the demise of the railways, but in the minds of some that were left behind. Once can choose to be industrial, creative - or not. One such town chased away an investor of 9 billion US$, yet the whining still is incessant, two decades later. Sometimes, people are their own biggest enemies.

[@funkdunk]

@@Afriqueleblanq absolutely 100% and usually more often than sometimes. I couldn't agree with you more.

[@DustBugsTravel]

I still can't believe how large Noupoort loomed ahead of us and I was expecting this tiny town. A true revelation it was. 😳 I wish you all the success in flipping that figure around, that would change millions of lives. 🤝🏻

[@jacobmostert5362]

@@itsmyparty4637 bulshit

[@franspistorius1886]

Thank you DustBugs for your extremely exciting travels and stays, covering towns and villages that I never had enough time to visit myself. The things you cover in a day is amazing and surely exhaustive. You are bringing back impressive information. I also love all the interesting and positive comments. You are also doing well to answer those negative grumpy 😡☹️ones, What is the saying “soos water op ‘n eend se rug”. Can’t wait for the next one. God bless you two.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for your very kind words, they mean so much to the both of us. 😊 We're so happy to hear that you enjoy travelling with us to all these interesting places and towns. We do try to pack as much into every day as we possibly can and travelling can certainly be exhausting, but so incredibly rewarding at the same time. And even more so when we hear that people like yourself enjoy what we do, that makes it all worth it! We look forward to having you on the road with us for a long time to come and are happy to be able to take you virtually to places which you might not otherwise have time to visit. You're always very welcome on our backseat! 😁🚗 Oh, and we quickly learnt that negative comments are part-and-parcel of the whole KZbin journey, so we try to take those in stride. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@laurielogan9652]

Hi guys 😊 Thoroughly enjoyed watching. I never get to go anywhere, so this was really nice 👏.....New sub here. (Eastern Cape)

[@DustBugsTravel]

Welcome! 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏼‍♂️ We look forward to you joining us on our travels to new and wonderful places. 🚗

[@francoispieterse7371]

After watching this video i planned our trip to Cpt(Dec/Jan) and ended up staying in a guesthouse in Noupoort and it was awesome.Tx you guys

[@1812nico]

Somewhat sad, but interesting as always. Thanks you two!

[@DustBugsTravel]

It was clearly a booming town at one point, sad to see so many businesses having closed down. 😥

[@bronwynpaulse6948]

What you and your camera shy wife do lol... It's amazing you both seem like such wonderful and friendly people thank you for taking us along on all your journeys through all the towns our country has to offer and each is a big gem of there own as a fellow Capetonian with a hectic work schedule and petrol prices that are so sky high road trips are impossible for us... Thank you for taking us on all your journeys and seeing each place through your lens❤️💕

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for your very kind comment, it's so much appreciated. 😊 We understand the demands of a hectic work schedule, but are so happy that you join us on our travels when you have time. You're always very welcome 😁🚗

[@mk-xq1tt]

The demise of the old SAR has had a tsunami (not ripple) effect on the SA country side which led to the depopulation. This is so sad. So many beautiful towns and villages depended on the railways. Thankyou for sharing.

[@DustBugsTravel]

A tsunami is such an apt way of describing what has happened at most of the railway stations we've happened upon in the small towns. It's quite literally like a tidal wave of destruction swept from town to town. So very sad to see the lifeblood drained from these communities. 😥

[@johnfarley4201]

Fascinating place. Thank you guys. Glimpses into this once busy busy town. So interesting.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Fascinating is a great word to describe Noupoort. We got so much more than we expected. 👌🏻

[@bernardgreville1685]

Going down memory lane for a lot of people. Brilliant idea guys

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it! Join us again anytime! 😁🚗

[@brucemcdonald8529]

Well done guys! First time here, have subscribed too. So lekker to see out of the way places.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Welcome! 🚗😁 We're so happy to have you on the road with us!

[@charlietreston4035]

Thanks for the video brings back so many memories back in the 70s a pal of mine got the contract for painting all the railway stations he must have made a fortune

[@DustBugsTravel]

That must've been quite a lucrative contract for your friend's business. Today he will struggle to make a living unfortunately. So sad to see all the railway stations in such a state of disrepair. 😥

[@melodieallers7373]

Noupoort has the best library in SA. Definitely a place to visit if you want to be lost for words

[@mervinlangley9095]

I live in Wisconsin now. My mother and father were born here and married here. My grandfather owned the Noupoort bioscope in the 1950’s.

[@melodieallers7373]

I live in Middelburg but work in Noupoort so I'm there everyday. Noupoort has the best pizzas and snoek and chips at Oasis, garlic buns at the bakery, and affordable takeaways and milkshakes at the Railway station

[@markdyer4518]

I have really enjoyed you guys and your series of videos. Reminds me a bit of that old show " Going nowhere slowly "

[@DustBugsTravel]

😁 We love that, thank you! Glad you're enjoying our videos. We'll be going slowly to a lot more small towns, join us for those too! 🚗

[@Sp10580]

The iron construction is a coal ramp....they sent coal wagons up...and dump coal in that shutes....steam trains goes under and fill up with coal....hope it make sense...cheers

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for the info, that does indeed make sense. I had a rough idea, but thanks for clarifying! 🚆👌🏻

[@philipakiddanderson305]

Me too was born and grew up there what a fantastic place to grew up

[@DustBugsTravel]

Great, thank you for sharing that! 👌 We hope you remembered many good times you experienced in your hometown! 🤩

[@philipakiddanderson305]

Best place to grow up wonderfully childhood day 💓 💖

[@deonzar]

In the seventies whilst working in Noupoort I was still lucky to see trains at the station...coming and going..but ja...with the demise of the railways the town suffered a lot. It is really sad to see Noupoort in a state like this..I dont think the Municipality has any money to spend on the town. In the real depth of winter Noupoort and Molteno was for me the coldest places in the Karoo/Eastern Cape. I still remember one very cold and snowing Friday the nurses at the hospital bulit a snowman and the Monday when I returned the snowman had not melted an inch, even the carrot was still stuck in his face. I will maar wait for the Next episode....Middelburg coming up.. :-)

[@DustBugsTravel]

Wowzer, am I glad we didn't visit Noupoort in the dead of winter! 😨☃️ It was a dreary day we visited and I think that adds to the dreary look of the town. We shall see you in Middelburg next. 🚗

[@gregorydavids5304]

I read somewhere that the lowest temperature ever recorded was in Molteno. Sutherland, however, has the coldest temperature on average. I trust I'm up to date about that.

[@deonzar]

@@gregorydavids5304 Yes Sutherland is the coldest...even the summer nights are cold

[@peterkoning21]

I love the travel through all these small, little, fading towns. I have been to a lot of them. I stay at Houtkraal and find this trip fascinating !

[@cptgrljax]

Urbanisation across the world are creating these ghost towns. Such a shame. Time to re-invent and reinvest in building up lives and communities again

[@DustBugsTravel]

We love these small towns and, despite appearances, there are still many people who love them and call them home. For their sake, I hope somehow they get thrown lifelines. 😊

[@gregorydavids5304]

I only recently learned from my uncle who turned 90 this July that his mother i.e. my paternal grandmother was born in Noupoort and grew up in Colesberg. Her maiden name was Strevens (no mispelling). She died in 1960.

[@DustBugsTravel]

She had an interesting maiden name and I'm sure had to, like you did in your comment, tell people continuously that she did know how to spell! 😁 Thank you for sharing that about your heritage and association with Noupoort.

[@mariuskriel1103]

I am trying to locate an citizen by the name of Ampie ( now76)as we used to call him down in '64......who can help ?

[@kobusdut1]

Thank you very much DustBugs for a factual and clinical, but sympathetic analysis of your visit to Noupoort. I was also fortunate to grew up in Noupoort. It was so nice to recognise some of the persons commenting and have to agree with the positive comments. Keep up the good work. 6700 views in 24 hours says it all!! Kobus du Toit

[@DustBugsTravel]

We so appreciate your very kind comment, thank you. 😊 How interesting that you recognise some of the names in the comments as fellow Noupoorters (I hope that's correct). You must know the area very well having grown up there. We found your hometown a place full of surprises and we're so glad we visited. 🤩

[@lorenv44]

I remember Noupoort in the 70s and 80s being the main junction from Johannesburg via Bloemfontein to De Aar and Cape Town. At the time I thought it was a depressing place. But now that I'm old, I think it might be a great place to stay. Or at least in the district.

[@williamnel4946]

Been out of SA for 20 years now and it's so good to see your vids.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Very kind of you, thank you. 🚗😁 We're happy to have you on board. 👌🏻

[@ericsa2636]

Just on the strip road, I could not remember if it was asphalt or concrete. Anyway, sad to see things just got worse from when I was there last time. Seems like companies that erect palisade fencing are making a killing there! Just as a matter of interest, Noupoort's water supply is mostly from boreholes, which the railways had sunk in those early years to provide enough water for the steam trains. A huge wind farm was erected just east of Noupoort during the last few years, so maybe lots of people moved there in anticipation of employment. Lastly, the rehab center runs the Railway Institute Restaurant that you pass earlier in your video. Best food in town, as most some of the rehabs working there are actually highly trained chefs! All in all, very nice summary of Noupoort. Thanks!

[@DustBugsTravel]

The strip road was definitely tar. 👍🏻 Very interesting info about the boreholes and the windfarm, we knew something had to be keeping the town alive and the windfarm would explain it. It was already late in the afternoon and we missed out on a meal in Noupoort, but good to know they serve good food there too! 😁 Glad you enjoyed our visit to the town.

[@flodillon991]

A big pity that these towns all become so deserted after a time. Interesting to see all these not so small places and how they change over the years. Thank you.

[@DustBugsTravel]

When the rail services all but shut down, these towns almost did too. 😢 Fortunately in each, there are people who love their town so much that they stayed behind and try to make it work. We tip our hats to folks like these. 🎩

[@walterfick157]

Hi...if my memory serves me right that's probably the stallation where coal was loaded onto the steam locomotives...but I can be corrected if I'm wrong 🚂 thanks for the video again 👍

[@DustBugsTravel]

I think you have the correct idea, yes. 👍🏻

[@wormwood8516]

The last place you called the part of the center was a Railway Hostel for workers coming from Port Elizabeth or other areas. The Railway workers stayed there for the week and went home on weekends.The place were managed by a Hostel Father and A Hostel mother through the financing of the Railways . The place belonged to the railways and the Hostel father was employed by the railways.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for filling in some of the blanks, appreciate the info. 👌🏻

[@johncross2787]

The structure you could not recognize is a coaling stage. Railcars filled with coal would be shunted up the ramp and emptied into the huge hoppers. Steam engines would then pull up alongside at the ground level and coal would be released into their tenders. Noupoort was a huge hub for the rail route to the reef which in its heyday was steam driven. You can see similar structures, usually made of steel at all big steam yards like Bloem, Germiston, Touwsrivier, etc. The town had a constant stream of SAR crews and maintenance staff.. When rail travel died, so did the town.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Yes! 👌🏻Thank you for the detailed explanation, that makes perfect sense. 🚂 It was indeed sad to see how the town seems to be struggling now that there is no more rail travel. 😥

[@johncross2787]

@@DustBugsTravel only a pleasure. Loving your series which allows me to enjoy the trips my situation no longer permits.

[@brucedownunda7054]

I wanna die in Noupoort, cos the transition from Life to Death is hardly noticeable

[@DustBugsTravel]

It really wasn't that bad, there is a LOT of life left! 😁

[@CasperLabuschagne]

Your contraption at 7:57 is a vertical coal hopper though the SAR&H could have given it a different name. Since Noupoort was a major railway-hub in the time of steam trains, it was also a major point for replenishing steam locomotives with water and coal. A special carriage with coal would be pushed by a shunting locomotive to the top of the hopper whereby the carriage would drop it's load of coal into that hopper be means of special trapdoors underneath. Other locomotive units will be shunted underneath that hopper where the coal will again fill their bins. The new activity that was clearly visible to you boosting economic growth and employment in Noupoort is a major wind-turbine farm on the mountains directly east of Noupoort and south of Oppermanskop.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for your great explanation of the coal hopper, that makes perfect sense to me! 👌🏻We didn't know about the windfarm at the time of our visit, but that would explain the activity in town. We knew something had to be keeping it alive and bustling with life.

[@brucedownunda7054]

Unfortunately unsustainable....Alas, like all Glubbermunts north of the Limpopo

[@wormwood8516]

The place that is marked as the center with the Billboard in front of it that was the Railway Hostel.

[@DustBugsTravel]

That would make sense, it's right opposite the station. 🚆 Thank you for the info!

[@philipsnyman4808]

Just to comment to what it was(Timing-08.00-08:03) this was an coal stage where steam locomotives push up coal wagons up, then it will be dump inside steel box. There were 14 slide small doors at the bottom , bud its the 1m higher than the coal tenders of the steam locomotives, will go under it to a door then the fire man will open it to full up the tender with coal. This station was one of many stations where locomotives can get coal clean fire and get water for the tenders or external water bottle, sometimes closed to the coal stage there will be a hole between the rails where the ashes will damped in, with the water towers, most of these water towers are demolished.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you so much for the explanation. 👌🏻 I think we saw a water tower the next day, look out for it in the next few videos and let me know if it is one. It will be most interesting to know for sure 🤔

[@thebakersfamilytravels5579]

That big steel structure you didn't know what it was is called a coaling stage. A train with wagons loaded with coal will go up the ramp and off load the coal, where steam engines would pass at the bottom and top up thier coal for the road ahead

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for the info, I can imagine it happening in my mind's eye. It must've been super cool to see it in action. 🚂👌🏻

[@_koviao_]

so many old buildings

[@DustBugsTravel]

Indeed! I wish that 100-year old church were in better condition, I thought it was fantastic. 💒 Thank you for visiting Noupoort with us! 😊🚗

[@cliffordgrobler]

I think it was a shunting yard, train trucks were hooked up to go in different directions

[@DustBugsTravel]

We appreciate the info, thank you! 👍🏻🚉

[@geraldnicholl7646]

I think the concrete structure was the old coal stag where they would push full coal waggons ip the ramp part and then empty them in to that box section. Then there were the doors on the side, a steam train would pull along side the box section below the doors and then the doors would be opened and coal would slide down a shoot into the coal bunker of the staem locomotive.

[@emsiedevos9817]

Wonderful gone are the days of traveling by passenger's train and you could really see our country..

[@emsiedevos9817]

Passenger trains

[@Predikant]

Emsie, there is a provision in place to edit and / or delete messages that you post. You will see these to the right.

[@Afriqueleblanq]

Until fairly recently, we had trains that were safe, clean, some were opulent in a good way, others more modest yet really passable - and safer than they were in 1980'. Our people chose not to use them, leaving them to roll across the plains almost empty, yet we cry because they are much reduced by now. Who is to blame? The jet setters, of course, quite literally.

[@Predikant]

@@Afriqueleblanq the roads cannot cope with the cargo being conveyed on them. Many trains are powered by electricity, this may help explain why Cargo cannot be sent by rail Europe and America still make extensive use of their rail network for freight carriage.

[@Afriqueleblanq]

@@Predikant Your perspective is interesting, given that rail freight started failing in rhe 1970's, while Eskom was still the World #1 Power Utility as recently as 2007. You cannot blame organisational ineptitude on someoething else. I know the transport industry quite well and I don't offer opinions. I do facts.

[@munesumangava9751]

Its a big place!!!

[@michalf6460]

So nice to sea ot threw your eyes

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for joining us, we're ready to show you many more towns! 🚗😁

[@deniscoyne5671]

Great video thank you.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it! 😊

[@christopherbuss4414]

in the old days the people that lived there we all railway workers i know because i worked there.

[@DustBugsTravel]

We assumed that much, the station is clearly what kept the town thriving at one point. 🚉

[@annieorsos5236]

Been to Noupoort for school holiday to my auntie Duif and oom Sakkie in 1963 - brings back so many beautiful memories❤

[@DustBugsTravel]

How special that sounds! 😊🕊️ Thank you for sharing that with us, we're glad that you have happy memories of Noupoort.

[@kobusdut1]

Annie I knew them very well. Salt of the earth. I still have contact with Deon, Eugene and Desire

[@annieorsos5236]

Hi Kobus, wonderlik om te hoor jy ken my familie. Ek self het nie kontak met Desire, Eugene en Deon nie maar my sussie in Welkom het gereeld met oom Sakkie gekontak. Baie dankie vir jou lieflike opmerking oor my tannie en oom. Ja, hulle was verseker sout van die aarde, goeie mense🤍

[@kobusdut1]

Dankie vir die kontak Annie. Sorry het dit wraggies nou eers gesien. Oom Sakkie is Desember 2021 oorlede. Desire bly by Deon en Eugene nie te ver van hulle af nie. Almal in die Kaap.

[@annieorsos5236]

@@kobusdut1 hello Kobus. Baie dankie vir die bevestiging - ek en my sussie het net nou die dag gewonder omtrent oom Sakkie. Ek is bly om te hoor Desire is nou by Deon en Eugene in die Kaap. Het jy saam met hulle grootgeword in Noupoort?

[@bernardgreville1685]

Watching u guys from Botswana

[@DustBugsTravel]

Greetings to you in Botswana! We're so happy you joined us! 🚗😁

[@markfrancis8348]

Every other country has their old buildings well kept for generations to see what it was like back then.....but when you look at the African continent, everything is reduced to crap!!

[@DustBugsTravel]

I must admit it was rather sad to see those 100+ year-old churches in such poor shape, especially the first one we drove past. 😥⛪ I so wish more people realised that they're an irreplacable part of the history of a town and country and should be preserved.

[@markfrancis8348]

@@DustBugsTravel democracy is NOT for 3rd world countries, as it is seen as a license to rape the economy and destroy the country hence we have infrastructure collapse, we are in fact owned by other strong countries for the most part...lol...its so bad we can barely have a proper supply of electricity and water, it's scary when I think about what the kids will face in the future at this rate.....yerrrr...

[@christopherbuss4414]

yes is called thje N100 half gravel and baie min tar

[@DustBugsTravel]

Indeed, very little tar left in some spots. 🛣

[@rgj8044]

The big concrete structure was a steam train coaling facility.

[@soulprovider7247]

The Railway is still working just poor maintenance ❤

[@Afriqueleblanq]

When Diesel replaced steam, most of these rural railway dorpies started dying out. The railway budget often ran into losses of billions of Rand, even in the 1970's. It was the salary man that had kept the wheels turning, an expense our economy could not afford with sanctions, an uninvited war on our borders, and other kinds of calamity. The railways, as far as freight went, was lethargic and dysfunctional. My trucker clients - owner- operators mostly - would be on the road 30 out of 31 days, and covered in excess of 30,000km per month. Meanwhile, the railway's PX containers would go missing down in Culemborg, and I know of instances where Exchequer bills expired undelivered, after 6 months. The Death Certificate of Rail Transport here would be a complex matter indeed, not losing sight of the human factor. I have had hair raising experiences in that department. South Africa killed the goose that laid the golden eggs; now it is SASSA allowances that keep Malmesbury, Noupoort, Nelspoort, Touwsrivier and countless other dorpies going, austere as that may be.

[@DustBugsTravel]

And with such limited spending power there is unfortunately no way that a revival of these small town economies is even a remote possibility. 😏

[@heinmadsen-leipoldt2341]

Hi, love this video, how about you guys visit George in western cape, the Dutch reformed church have such a vast history, in grade 2 we visited the church, I was allowed to play on the pipe organ behind the pulpit, one piece of history told by the guy telling us about the church, in the church's first years the tower was build of straw etc, after a few long days of rain the tower collapsed and people were in the church when it happened

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you so much, I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed our video of Noupoort! 🚙😁 We so appreciate you sharing your memories of the Dutch Reformed Church in George and your suggestion to visit the town. George is a town which both of us have very close ties with, so we visit on a regular basis, but have never explored the town for a video. My wife, Sonia, went to the Preparatory School across the road from that gorgeous white church and went to Sunday School in the church. 😍💒 We shall definitely make a video of George in the future and hope you will enjoy that one too!

[@heinmadsen-leipoldt2341]

@@DustBugsTravel I was in George in children's home at moreson, my school was voorbereiding ND then went next door to outeniqua primary

[@heinmadsen-leipoldt2341]

I was only once in noupoort and must say it looks very different from what I remember, I do appreciate replying to you for we both share a big love for George, no matter what it still have it's unique beauty, specially the mountain and the outeniqua choo-tjoe

[@christopherbuss4414]

because its main target was the station with many junctions

[@DustBugsTravel]

We believe 100 trains a day at one point 🚉

[@davidwilliamson2115]

looks like a grain hopper

[@cptgrljax]

thank you i have not seen that town in many years. the railways must be brought back into commission like it is now being improved and used more again in Europe. trains have security and conductors good toilets etc here why can it not be done in South Africa to improve access for people who dont own cars or cant afford to pay taxi fares or coaches. it will create more jobs for many people toi

[@1812nico]

I have heard a day or so ago that govt is considering/planning (whatever) to revive the rail cargo system to take the load off the roads. Doubt it will help a steam train refueling station?

[@cptgrljax]

@@1812nico thats good news and yes every bit helps. Times are changing

[@DustBugsTravel]

We saw a few moving cargo trains on our last trip. I wasn't even that excited about a train when I was a youngster. So great to see! 🤩🚆

[@christopherbuss4414]

it was a coal hopper

[@DustBugsTravel]

We believe so, thank you! 👌

[@joshuasteenkamp3277]

Jisso

[@DustBugsTravel]

Indeed! 😁

[@henkbester3708]

You confusing Noupoort with De Aar ito trains. De Aar is junction to Cape route. Noupoort is on PE route. Anyway little activity in stations nowadays is a good sign that trains are not wasting time in stations en route to its destination

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm no expert on train routes. 😁 I'd be very happy with no activity on stations if we at least saw some movement in-between them, but that has also been absent, at least on the roads we've travelled thus far. 🚉 🤔

[@munesumangava9751]

So are there no trains using the lines???

[@DustBugsTravel]

As we understand, some lines are still being used to transport manganese to Gqeberha Harbour. It was such a major junction at one point. Sad. 😢🚆

[@Predikant]

Ezekiel 35 : 4

[@DustBugsTravel]

Not quite ruined and desolate, but can certainly do with some upliftment. 👍🏻

[@francoisbrits-tx9nb]

dis n coal stage vir hervulling van stoom lokomotiewe

[@CazBawler]

Nccc doesn’t have no success rate I can avail myself for an interview with you guys this place is not a rehab it’s a torture camp

[@DustBugsTravel]

Thank you for your kind offer, but it is not our goal to discredit any place or organisation, so we will respectfully decline. We show on our channel what we found and saw in a specific place on the specific day we visited. And then we move on to the next place. 🚗😁 All the best to you!

[@nivensgobs7454]

I agree my brother. That place is hell on earth.

[@CazBawler]

@@DustBugsTravel yes but your channel lacks accuracy then because first of all should you Google NCCC and go to news you will see all the horrible things that have went on there also I myself have witnessed all the horrendous stuff that happens so if your channel is promoting mistreatment of people due to the fact that it’s what you ‘saw’ then you clearly need to be boycotted and I know thousands with first hand experience who will attest to it and help me. We are far with our lives and in very strong positions but that place has broken so many people who came out worse than they came in so do not underplay peoples actual life experiences for views please. That place is hell on earth

[@DustBugsTravel]

@Sechaba Mononyane You clearly don't know our channel and are making false accusations. We're a small travel channel who visit small towns and simply document what we find in each, without any hidden agendas whatsoever. We did not know of the existence of NCCC before our visit to Noupoort and the 30 seconds devoted to them, contained info we gleaned from their website literally in the moment. Every single establishment or organisation will have positive and negative reviews, but we're not a review channel, nor do we wish to be. We don't promote nor discredit any one organisation, nor do we wish to do so. Thank you for your comment though. 👍🏻

[@tardis9326]

@@DustBugsTravel your replies are top drawer, always written with thought and respect. Kudos to you both 👏

[@ritakleinhans924]

Hate this place, my mother gave me up for adoption here and all my siblings went to an orphanage in this place.

[@DustBugsTravel]

Sad memories for you. 😞

[@ritakleinhans924]

@@DustBugsTravel I wouldnt say sad, because I got really good adoptive parents. Just sad that I only met my siblings at the age of 28.

[@nivensgobs7454]

Noupoort is home to the most cruel rehab in the world. That place should be blown up.

[@thunderstorm6616]

We're you there

[@DustBugsTravel]

That sounds a bit extreme. 😨 From what we hear, they have a fantastic success rate.

[@nivensgobs7454]

@@thunderstorm6616 Yes I was.

[@nivensgobs7454]

@@DustBugsTravel All rehabs lie about their success rates. Rehabs are a business and most of the people who run the places are recovered drug addicts,alcoholics etc. They need to live there permanently to stay clean. In my opinion 5% is a realistic figure for people like me. I've been in 6 different rehabs and have only lasted 5 months before relapsing with alcohol. I'm sorry if you were offended by my radical statement. Take care.

[@rangerryz1490]

@@nivensgobs7454 yip hell on earth… their success rates are lies.. most who make it out of noupoort clean end up back on the street dead or in jail…

[@Paul-qr3it]

I was a member of the nccc so over rated people must do their homework before giving praise if only you knew

[@DustBugsTravel]

This was our one and only visit to Noupoort and we shared info we found online, as we do in every single one of the other 400+ South African towns and places we've visited and have videos of on KZbin. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@theovanstaden5766]

Yes Noupoort was one of our big railway towns in the old days with a big Steam loco Depot, sad the SAR/SAS all gone now!

[@DustBugsTravel]

Very sad indeed! 😢 We couldn't get over the size of the station!

[@theovanstaden5766]

@@DustBugsTravel love Your channel, Hello from KZN

[@boerplaas388]

Praat Afrikaans man

[@DustBugsTravel]

I'm an English-speaking person, originally from the Free State, therefore the accent. 😁 We have friends who live abroad and I would like them to also follow our travels. I hope you enjoyed the video. 🚗

[@boerplaas388]

@@DustBugsTravel Pragtige plekkie daai Noupoort. Ek is woonagtig in Arizona en wil so nou en dan n bietjie Afrikaans hoor . Nice video. Dankie. 🙏

[@DustBugsTravel]

@@boerplaas388 Greetings to you in AZ! 😁 We appreciate you watching from afar! 🚗👌🏻

[@boerplaas388]

@@DustBugsTravel I ve been farming in Arizona for 30 years now . I’m getting home sick when I see these videos. 🤣. I want to buy a house in that place. Noupoort . Lekker vakansie hou daar 👉. Nice video’s hoor .

[@thamsanqakhoza6244]

Some of us don't understand afrikaans so with English we get accommodated my broer aseblief

[@thunderstorm6616]

There is a drug rehab around there to

[@DustBugsTravel]

Indeed, we mentioned it in our video. 👌🏻😁