Railways in

South Georgia

Abandoned whaling station at Husvik, South Georgia.

South Georgia is an island group in the Atlantic Ocean and part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

There were a number of whaling stations on the north east side of the island, several of which were served by rail systems. The latter are listed here. Collectively, they were operational from the first decades of the 20th century until the 1960s. The railways were lightweight easily constructed narrow gauge railways, believed to be of 600mm gauge.

• Ocean Harbour was originally known as New Fortuna Bay, but its name was changed to avoid confusion with the separate Fortuna Bay. The system operated from 1909 to 1920, after which most of the equipment was transferred to Stromness. It is the only system known to have had a steam locomotive, which was probably built by the Krauss Locomotive Works. The locomotive, in a derelict and partly dismantled state, was seen to remain at the site in 1992, and may well still be there.
• Grytviken operated from 1904 to 1966. A Decauville railway was installed in 1912, using hand propelled wagons. The coffin if Sir Ernest Shackleton is said to have been transported on the railway to its burial site. Most of the track was removed in the mid 1950s. Some tracks and wagons remain.
• King Edward Point was the administrative centre for the island and its whaling industry. There was a rail track about 300m in length, used to carry fuel, supplies and baggage between the jetty and the houses of the settlement.
• Husvik operated from 1907 to 1961. It had an extensive rail network, much of which remain in place. There are also a few wagons in evidence.
• Leith Harbour operated from 1909 to 1966. A quantity of track and some wagons remain.
• Prince Olaf Harbour operated from 1911 to 1931. It had over 900m of railway, including two high level routes, and around 32 wagons. Some relics remain but no detailed information is readily available.

NOTE: do not confuse with the South Georgia Railway, an shortline railroad in the USA which formerly operated in parts of the states of Georgia and Florida.