by Greg Arde and Grant Erskine
The smoke, the scalding jets of steam and the screeching hoots breathe life into the Umgeni Steam Railway locomotive as it heads north on the track between Kloof and Inchanga.
The animated expressions of its passengers speak volumes about the ride: Children and adults are wide-eyed and gleeful. At their journey's end, it's obvious they relished a trip back in time.
It's easy to succumb to the romanticism of the steam era. You are pulled along by an engine that derives its enormous strength from two men shovelling coal; a key ingredient is water and the pace of the journey is slow enough to take in the awesome scenery.
The polished components of the engine are solid, and there seems a reliability about them and the time they come from.
The fact that a trip like this is possible in Durban is thanks to the dedicated efforts of an ardent group of steam train enthusiasts, who work evenings and weekends for Umgeni Steam Railways, a non-profit company that has been in existence for about 20 years.
About eight years ago they negotiated with Spoornet to make the Kloof to Inchanga run, which has become immensely popular. So much so that the old red brick and sandstone stations en route have been turned into thriving tea gardens and restaurants.
The splendid Inchanga hotel (built entirely from imported British bricks) has been restored to its former glory, and boasts a craft market and music from a blue grass band.
They recently struck a deal with Spoornet to turn a covered workshop at Mason's Mill in Pietermaritzburg into a "rejuvenation ward" for steam engines and carriages. There are about a dozen locomotives in a rusty shunting yard in Pinetown that will be moved to Mason's Mill.
In South Africa, steam trains hung on until the 1970s, when they were de-commissioned from the main lines and relegated to shunting duties. Since then many beloved locomotives have rusted away in obscure country towns, and Bouchier and others are trying to get them to Mason's Mill for refurbishment - an expensive and ambitious project.
There are about 150 locomotives dotted around South Africa, many at the mercy of scrap metal dealers who have also ripped up stretches of railway track on lines that Spoornet discontinued in the 1980s.
If cynics question the effort and expense of maintaining old lines and locos as fixation with a bygone era, they should think again.
A few years ago a wealthy entrepreneur established the Pretoria-based super-slick Rovos Rail Company that transformed a set of steam trains into a world renowned money-spinning tourism business.
The company, now with offices in US, offers luxury train rides across southern Africa.
Bouchier says the "Thousands Hills Choo-Choo" has done a lot to attract tourists and stimulate the economy of the region.
In Ixopo, local business, the council and a group of enthusiasts lobbied new management at Spoornet to allow them to refurbish and manage 17km of track.
It has been successfully marketed as Paton's Country Narrow Gauge Railway, to trade on a region popularised by Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country. It recently attracted a group of Norwegian tourists, who spent R30 000 in the area in a single day, and donated a classroom of computers to a local school.
In an about-turn for Spoornet, the company's new chief executive officer, Zandile Jakavula, recently said the parastatal was opposed to ripping up old lines.
Spoornet frequently uses only 9 000 of the 20 000km of rail track that criss-crosses South Africa. It has established a task team to consider the viability of the "branch lines", that connect small towns and are occasionally used to transport produce like cane and timber.
Spoornet spokesman Mike Asefovitz said: "We are talking about potential partnerships, about how we can tie up with businesses and local government in different regions. "
