​The James Hall Museum of Transport hosted a classical Vintage Cars and Bikes event at the museum from 09h00 to 17h00 on 23 September 2018 as part of their Heritage Day celebrations.

The fun-filled day was a spectacle, which was celebrated by both young and old and revelled the illustrious history of automotive heritage. The centre of attraction was the 1920 Sentinel Steam Wagon, a coal-powered truck which was decommissioned after the gold rush where it was used in the small town of Pilgrims Rest in Mpumalanga for mining activities.

Restoration on the wagon began in 1984 and James Hall is the only museum to house a functional automobile of this sort. Ricky Henriques of from the Final Few Bikers Club spoke in reminiscence: “These very sights are those that bring back old memories and make us enjoy reliving our heritage.”

People also got a chance to ride on the steam wagon themselves as part of the interactive and live tour experience.

Ward 57 Councillor Faeeza Chame said: “What better way to celebrate such an occasion than with nice food, good music and sharing our experiences of heritage itself? I am always happy to see first-timers here and I hope the turnout increases even more next year. A big thank you should go to the museum for making this event happen.”

Curator of James Hall Museum, Rambau Fhatuwani said: “Part of celebrating our heritage is making ourselves known, the museum is currently undergoing refurbishment in our bid to make it more user-friendly, interactive and a memory that will stand the test of time even in generations to come as we reflect back on our past.”
The James Hall Museum is the biggest transport museum in Africa. It is situated at Pioneers’ Park, Rosettenville Road, La Rochelle and the GPS co-ordinates are -26.233801, 28.053695 (26°14'01.7"S 28°03'13.3"E).

Written by Johannes Phosa