Hermanus Railway Station has no Train! Have you ever wondered why the Hermanus Railway Station has no railway line or train in this lovely village?
Here is the story how this came about. One of the most fondly remembered visitors to Hermanus was Sir William Hoy. He made an impact on this town so great, that the repercussions are still felt today. Born in Scotland to the farmer Robert Hoy, William Hoy left school at the age of 12 and became a clerk at the North British Railway in Edinburgh. While working, Hoy made extra money teaching shorthand at a local night school. When not working or teaching Hoy spent his time reading the works of John Noble, becoming particularly fond of Noble’s book ‘Handbook on the Cape of Good Hope’. In 1890 a recruiting officer of the Cape Government Railways arrived in Edinburgh and Hoy, in love with the Cape already, applied to be sent to Cape Town. His application was successful and after only two years in the country he was promoted to chief clerk to the Traffic Manager in Kroonstad.
Only a year later Sir Hoy became the Transvaal agent for the Railways, being put in charge of the Military Railways during the Anglo-Boer War. In 1901 Sir Hoy married Gertrude Price with whom he later had one daughter, Maudie. Sir Hoy’s father-in-law promoted him to Chief Traffic Manager, a post Sir Hoy had earned through diligence, hard work and enthusiasm. In 1910 Sir Hoy became the youngest General Manager of the South African Railways ever, gaining control of the second largest government-owned railways in the world. It was during this time that he and his wife wished to get away from Cape Town and go on a relaxing holiday. Their search for the perfect holiday destination led to their discovery of Hermanus where Sir Hoy could enjoy his favourite hobby – fishing. Hoy quickly became enchanted by the village’s natural charm and grew to be one of Hermanus’ most enthusiastic patrons.
Sir Hoy quickly made friends with the local fisherman, growing very fond of them as his visits to the seaside town increased. Sir Hoy formed a particularily strong friendship with one of the young fisherman who used to assist him, Danie Woensdregt. Together they had many trips and fishing expeditions and they often sat on the Klipkoppie (rocky hill) in the middle of town to watch the boats coming in. On one such occasion Sir Hoy expressed a desire to be buried there on the hill overlooking the bay.
Many of the Hermanus patrons hoped Sir Hoy would help along the already developed plans to extend the railway line from Botriver to Hermanus to establish a Hermanus Railway Station. The plans were so advanced already that a station building was already built in anticipation of the coming trains. Sir Hoy, however, had witnessed what the railway lines did to small villages like Kalk Bay. Determined to keep Hermanus a village with fresh air and visitors who loved the town enough to go the extra mile to reach it, Sir Hoy actively opposed the railway line. He overruled all attempts at the extension and even set up a coach service between the two towns to make sure not even a single train ever entered the station building at Hermanus.
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