For 10 years, the rail tracks in the Langkloof have slowly disappeared under the weeds as the rail traffic has disappeared. The railway once carried most of the valley’s apples and pears to the cooling sheds at Port Elizabeth harbour for export. The little country stations have been abandoned as the apples now go by truck, usually to Cape Town. More than 10 years after Spoornet officially closed the narrow gauge linec, trains are again passing through the valley, albeit steam locomotives carrying tourists on day trips. Rail tourism is growing world-wide and the Free State-based Sandstone Heritage Trust is aiming to have South Africa part of it.
Sandstone operates restored steam locomotives on its private farm railway near Ficksburg in the Free State. A recent collaboration with the Apple Express Society saw a 3-day trip to Avontuur sold out to mostly Britons. The Apple Express runs a truncated excursion service from Port Elizabeth to Thornhill. The Avontuur railway is a narrow gauge as the countryside was too rugged when it was buit in 1902, reaching Avontuur 5 years later. It operated for 90 years, carrying fruit from the Langkloof, timber from the plantations around Kareedouw and wheat from Humansdorp.