Opened on 10 October 1896.

Of the South Eastern line stations and their buildings the ones at Heidelberg, Standerton and Volksrust were the largest and most elaborate. Heidelberg and Standerton were already towns of importance when they were reached by the railway, and thus their station buildings were designed to be in keeping with their status and also as a demonstration of NZASM prestige. Volksrust was important as a border station, and a settlement was slowly developing.

Heidelberg was one of the oldest and foremost of the ZAR’s towns, and therefore more than the usual care went into the design of its station building. Hence one of the gems of NZASM architecture is to be found there, comparable to the equally imposing main buildings at Middelburg, Krugersdorp and Klerksdorp Stations. 
Originally Heidelberg Station was to be established much further away from the town. However, representations were made to the government by the townspeople to bring the line nearer to Heidelberg, and as a result a whole section had to be re-surveyed, causing the line to form a considerable detour closer to the town. The new premises for the station was then established on higher ground to the east of the town. 

The Heidelberg station building was designed by NZASM’s architect and head of the drawing-office, V van Lissa, and built by the contracting firm of DJ MERTENS and the SCHUITMAKER BROTHERS during the period September 1894 to May 1895: Mertens and the Schuitmakers also had the contract for the construction of the other buildings along the Aansluiting-Heidelberg section of the line. It is interesting to note that the well known architect of the ZAR period, WJ DE ZWAAN, was involved in some way or another with the design of the Heidelberg station building, as his name appears in some of the documents dealing with the construction of the Aansluiting-Heidelberg buildings.

Like those at Middelburg and Klerksdorp, the NZASM station building at Heidelberg is an attractive sandstone structure with a lean-to platform canopy and two ornate stepped gables, facing the platform and the station square respectively. To a large extent the gable on the town side resembles the one at Middelburg, while in its interior layout the building is almost identical to the ones at Krugersdorp and Klerksdorp. It once contained toilets, waiting rooms, an entrance hall with an office, a luggage-room and living quarters for the station-master and his assistant. As at Krugersdorp this residential section is distinguished by a lower roof and a fire wall. An unusual feature of the building, found at no other NZASM station building, is a commemorative stone laid on 24 September 1894 by Section Engineer A WESTENBERG.

Due to the deviation of the line at Heidelberg, a new station became operational in 1961. The old NZASM building fell into disuse, since it bordered on part of the curved deviation section which was eliminated. In 1969 some restoration work was done through the efforts of the Simon van der Stel Foundation, and further restoration was undertaken by the Rembrandt Group which acquired the old station premises in 1973 for the purpose of a transport museum. The building’s future existence is now ensured, as it was declared a national monument in November 1975. (Source: Joanna Walker in Lexicon 2001)

On 6 February 1894, the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) commissioned the Nedelandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg Maatschappij (NZASM) to build the Zuid – Oosterlijn. (The South-Eastern line). A railway line between the Natal terminus at Charlestown, passing Heidelberg to Elsberg, where it would link up with the Zuiderlijn (South Line) to the cape.  This new railway line would give the ZAR its third connection between Johannesburg and the sea, making trading easier.  On 10 October, 1895 the railway line was completed.  The station was completed in 1896.

Built out of red and white sandstone with a stepped and curved gable withVictorian design boarding. The station opened in October 1895 and served as a station until 1961 when the new station was used. 
With the 2nd Anglo-Boer War, commandos and politicians passed through Heidelberg regularly.
A restaurant was added to the main building in 1897.  Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill and the duke of Connaught were but a few of the famous people that travelled through Heidelberg. 

Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd opened the new station complex in 1961.  The black residents that were staying in the location known as “Ou Skom”  had to move, to make way for the new railway line and new station in 1956. The old station then fell into disuse.  It was partially restored by the Simon Van Der Stel foundation in 1969.
There after the Rembrandt tobacco corporation restored the main building for the purpose of creating a transport museum.  In 1975 the transport museum opened its doors as a historical monument.  It hosted at the time rare models of veteran cars, cycles and motorcycles and associated items.  Including Jody Schechter’s racing car, Penny-farthings, Model T fords and children prams. 

There were a number of railway tracks. When the Transport Museum was established, the sheds were brought forward by using large cranes, leaving only the two tracks you see today.
After the end of the “Steam Locomotive Era”, special “Tourist Trains” came from Johannesburg with tourists to visit the transport museum. A braai area, that is no longer in use, can be seen on the corner of Meyer and the Blinkpoort Road. The train would park here and the tourists could walk to the “Transport Museum”.
It was used as a Transport Museum from 1975 to 31st December 2003. The collection was moved to Francishoek. (Note by Tony: I visited the collection in Francishoek in 2019,  which became part of the collect of Anthony Rupert. The cars are in mint collection and I don’t think they would have been looked after, if they had remained in Heidelberg) 
 

2021  
The railway collection is still intact. There are 2 A-18 dining saloons and 2 balcony mainline passenger coaches on display, as well as a parcel/baggage van and a class 16CR steam locomotive. The crockery and cutlery that were in the dining cars have been stolen. 

What is missing from the train coaches is the different class numbers. 1st and 2nd class were reserved for whites and 3rd class for blacks. The 1st class compartments slept 4 people while the 2nd class slept 6 people.
The Locomotive on display is a class 16CR steam locomotive. It was built in 1919. 30 were built by North British Locomotive Company and imported to South Africa from Glasgow. They were used for pulling express trains and mail trains. They were very versatile and were used for shunting as well. They were decommissioned in 1975/76 and sold off to industry. 

The Locomotives used in 1896, when the line was first built where a lot smaller.
One can still see the foundation slabs of the overhead bridge that joined either side of Liebenberg Street. Isabela an elderly lady who I treated for lunch remembers when she was twelve years old, living at the “Ou Skom” location and visiting her mother, who was working on the other side of Liebenberg Street. She would run over the bridge. The first thing she asked me when I brought her to the station was, “Where is the bridge?”.

The station is now known as the “Heidelberg Heritage Museum” and has the steam train and passenger coaches as their main display. There is a restaurant and craft beer is produced on the premises.

AN INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED FOUR KILOMETERS NORTH OF THE STATION
An episode happened on the 30th June 1900, when Vk Hans Botha laid a mine on the bridge over the Blesbok river, just outside of town. He put up a doll with the sign, “Khaki pasop, ek blaas jou op”.

Unfortunately a wheel tapper and 3 indians came along the line. Walking or possibly on a hand-pump- cart. They detonated the mine. One Indian died and the other two were injured. The Tapper was blown clean over the telegraph line, was unhurt.

(Souce: “Heidelbergers of the Boer War” by Ian Uys)
Picture Credits: Tony Burisch, “Heidelbergers of the Boer War” by Ian Uys, Nicholas Clark and Roger Fisher from www.artefacts.co.za and Transnet Heritage Library Photo Collection.