After reading about the destruction of the railway in the Record of 30 October, I could not help but feel sad.
It made me feel nostalgic but also made my heart sore to read about the way the railway infrastructure has gone to the dogs. Trains set on fire, signals and tracks stolen, stations vandalised beyond recognition, violence and theft make it a risk to use the trains.
I think of the good old days when I still worked for the old South African Railways (SAR) at Durban Harbour and so enjoyed the gorgeous steam locomotives. I loved travelling by train, hanging out the coach windows watching the scenery flash by.
And when I moved up to Johannesburg in the early seventies I used the train to go to work. Steam locomotives were pulling the coaches, then came the electric units and big diesels.
It used to be fun and safe. A big group of us used to sit in the coaches and sing on the way to work from Florida to Johannesburg CBD.
Now … nothing is left.
