Zambia World Wide

On the last and  first Sunday of each month, a steam train leaves Kloof Station just out side Durban and winds it's way slowly up through Gillitts,Hillcrest,Both's Hill to Inchanga Station at the head of The Valley of a 1000 Hills.The journey takes about 90 minutes and the train stops for a short while before heading back down the hill again. As it passes the Gillitts crossing which is close to where we live ,we can often hear the mournful sound of its whistle and the chug chug chug whoosh of the steam engine ! Which brings me to the point about steam trains.As children many of us had electric train sets. Mine was a Hornby and the engine " Sir Nigel Grisley" or something like that.It was however a very modest set,unlike that of my friend Paul,

Paul was the son of Ann and Heinz Guttman who owned the largest toy and bicycle shop in Lusaka. At the age of seven I thought it was the largest toy shop in the world !  Pauls train set was a miniature train set with a real "Steam boiler" and pardon the pun had all the bells and whistles including a complete layout of little German towns, countryside,signal boxes.all set up on a huge board in one of the rooms in his house. As you can imagine,Paul was the envy of all his friends. Which brings me to my second point about trains. I am sure you can all remember some of those memorable journeys which many of us made,either to catch a boat in Cape Town or attend a sporting event in some way off place. Although I have trouble in recalling which trip was which,

The smell of the wet soot.The glare of sodium lights in places like Mafeking or De Aar,The tap tap of the wheel tapers. The very cold mornings and rough RR or SAR blankets. The smell of strongly brewed coffee and the chime of the train attendant Calling out "whose for coffee, whose for tea" and the brave retort from some wag from beyond his compartment door " You for Coffee" Oh yes wonderful memories