Mbalabala was one of the more important intermediate stations on the West Nicholson branch. Here trains would stop to take water, clean fires and, in the case of most northbound trains, reduce their load by a few wagons before tackling the climb up Mulangwane Gorge, a few km to the north.
16A Class Garratt 611 arrived with train 318, the 06:30 freight from Colleen Bawn, just before 08:00 on the morning of 27 June 1987.