The Sunset of Steam

All good things must come to an end.  One of the strangest of cliches; after all, if something is good why end it?  Nonetheless, this acceptance of the inevitable has characterised many railway enthusiasts around the world as the object of their admiration - the steam locomotive - has been wantonly cast aside.  In South Africa, the end is still a little way off.   What has perhaps been more noticeable in South Africa than any other country is that the closing years have been accompanied by regret, anguish, pleas and protest - not just by South African residents, as one would expect, but from all around the globe.  South African steam has been - and remains - a magnet to numerous enthusiasts and photographers who have long realised that this most magnificent machine blends with this superb country in such a way that cannot be readily found elsewhere.  It is thus not only for the enthusiasts, railwaymen and others in South Africa that this book is intended, but also for the many visitors to the country who have been united in the 'International Fellowship of Steam' and for those who could not make the journey, but whose admiration for the splendour of steam remains undiminished.  This all-colour souvenir of the glorious sunset years of steam in South Africa is a fitting tribute to the only machine ever made by man that can truly be said to live.  Long may they do so.