Steam trains were instrumental in bringing industrial revolution to South Africa and, in fact, the world.
In the early 1990s, when South African Railways cancelled main line steam, a small group of enthusiasts decided to try to preserve some of this unique heritage.
Many of South Africa’s steam locomotives were designated as scrap and left to die a slow death, by being scrapped or stripped systematically by metal thieves.
Of the 1 000s of locomotives that were once operational there are now only a handful left and these are all held by a few clubs and societies in and around South Africa.
Reefsteamers is one of the larger organisations and they have several locomotives in their care, but, at present only two are operational, the Class 12 AR locomotive No 1535 named “Susan” and a Class 15F locomotive No 3046 named “Janine”.
Both these locomotives are old but still in full working order, and Reefsteamers hopes to keep them like that for many years.
Steam trains are part of a bygone era and, as such, are important to preserve for generations to come.
People are always held captive by the immense power that we were able to generate from a little bit of coal and water.
Reefsteamers itself is run entirely by volunteers, who have a passion for saving part of our history.
The club is based at the locomotive depot in Germiston, as there is a heavy maintenance facility there which enables the club to care for the locomotives.
In order to keep the club running Reefsteamers offers photography shoots, train trips to Magaliesburg and Irene, which depart from Park Station or Rhodesfield Station, and many other small events which help to bring in revenue to save the engines.
The club runs as an NPC and every cent made is put straight back into preserving the locomotive heritage.
The club has recently started offering tours to schools or interested groups who wish to come and see what they do; this can range from three-year-olds to 63-year-olds, as there are many disciplines and avenues to explore.
On July 25 Reefsteamers, will hold an open day at the depot in Germiston.
Here you can get up close and personal with a number of the club’s steam trains, have a look at the workshops and visit a number of train-related stalls and exhibits.
There will also be food stalls, things for the children to do, a beer garden and live entertainment, with Aking playing a set on the day.
Tickets for the day include a trip on a steam train to and from Park Station, entry to the depot and the set by Aking.
Trains will depart from Park Station at 9.30am and 11am and from the Germiston depot at 11am and 3pm.
Park Station is easily accessible from the Gautrain Station across the road.
Tickets will be on sale at Park Station, from platform 14, on the day, so bring your whole family for an outing in the sun, enjoy some music and learn a little more about what Reefsteamers does to preserve our trains.
For more information or costs, email to schooltours@reefsteamers.com.
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