The Namaqualand Railway was a narrow gauge railway operating between Port Nolloth and O'okiep in the Namaqualand region of the former Cape Colony in South Africa. It was originally a mule-drawn railway built to provide an outlet for the copper mines of the region. Constructed between 1869 and 1876, the railway was NaN0NaN0 long, with an additional 8 miles purely associated with the copper mine workings. Although owned by the Cape Copper Company, the railway always operated as a public railway.[1]
The railway pre-dated the construction of railways in South Africa. Because of the success of the Namaqualand line, gauge was strongly promoted by civil engineer R. Thomas Hall, Superintendent of the narrow gauge Redruth and Chacewater Railway in Cornwall who was involved in the construction of the Namaqualand Railway, as the primary gauge for railway construction in South Africa. The final decision was a compromise between the two recommended gauges and the came into existence in Africa.[2]
After copper mining ceased in 1928 the railway was temporarily closed until 1937 when mining activities resumed.[3]
The Namaqualand Railway finally closed in 1944.[1]