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Railway photography exploded towards the end of BR steam in the mid to late-1960s and so many of today’s well known photographers were drawn into this particular aspect of the railway hobby by the urgency to photograph steam trains as they rapidly disappeared.

Then in August 1968 it was all over. Some continued to photograph BR diesels, some took to travelling overseas in search of steam, some devoted their energy to steam preservation, but many abandoned their railway interest completely.

There is little doubt that steam preservation in the late 1960s and early 1970s produced little to inspire the steam photographers at the time, although such pictures are of considerable nostalgic interest today. It is often forgotten now that there was virtually no steam action in the winter months on the heritage lines or the main line.

Serious enthusiasts and photographers started to travel further afield in search of steam, particularly as European countries said goodbye to their steam traction fairly quickly after the end of BR steam. For some time though, there was exotic motive power to be found in far-flung corners of the globe for those prepared to track it down.

One country captured the imagination of steam photographers in the 1970s like no other – South Africa. It had steam engines of distinctly British outline, many actually built in Britain. It had an extensive and varied railway system running through some of the most dramatic scenery on the