Secreted away in a flat, dusty corner of the Germiston shunting yards are two old running sheds belonging to Reefsteamers, Gauteng’s sole steam engine operator. Reefsteamers is made up of about 60 volunteers, mainly men, who clean, repair and fuel steam locomotives and rolling stock, all of which happens in the two shadow-crossed, sagging sheds. Such enterprise is important, for without out it growling old locos wouldn’t be able to pull happy weekend tourists and their delighted children around the Reef once a month. Some of the volunteers — call it a splinter group within the broader group of 60 — have even been known to rebuild rusty boilers and profile their locos’ own wheels, a time-consuming job requiring high levels of care and accuracy. These guys are prepared to drive halfway across the country on a weekend so they can rescue a part rusting in a meadow overlooking the sea, or prise something important from reluctant hands. Their grease-stained striving is easy to parody but ...
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