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In 1987 the Rotary Club of Coalfields launched the first relay event against a steam train on the private Amcoal line between Wolvekrans and Witbank, which took place annually for the next 5 years. The decisions was then taken in 1992 to relocate the race to the line between Middelburg and Witbank, to take advantage of incorporating two of Mpumalanga's larger cities in the event, and subsequently the involvement of the four local Rotary Clubs, and so the Greatest Train Race was born.
The Greatest Train Race is an annual Community Project open to employees of corporations, private companies, Government departments, students of schools, technikons or universities, and members of sports clubs, social clubs, in fact anyone who is community-minded and fit for the challenge. The race is a relay between teams of five runners or three walkers, and a steam train from Witbank to Middelburg.
The purpose of the event is first and foremost a nation building exercise in which all members of the community are able to participate, secondly an opportunity to raise funding that can be reinvested into the communities and in this way make a positive contribution to the upliftment of the area. In addition, children and disadvantages individuals from the community are given the opportunity to experience the Greatest Train Race on a train pulled by a steam locomotive, truly a "once in a lifetime" experience for some.
A vast number of projects have benefited from the race, including the Witbank Hospice, Middelburg Hospice, Cosmos Home in Kriel, the Middelburg Care Village, and Elkana Educational Centre, amongst others. Additional education programmes have also been implemented in local schools focusing on Drug Awareness and HIV/AIDS prevention.
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