The book was written with real passion - the passion of one of Southern Africa's great railways - the Rhodesia Railways and, in the past 26 years, the National Railways of Zimbabwe. The now deceased George Pattison has put together a railway book with such enthusiasm - George always was an ultimate optimist in Zimbabwe despite the political fabric that has evolved over the past quarter of a century. George loved the trains in his home country. He met his late wife through trains. "Thundering Smoke" [ISBN 0-9549488-1-5] was in an early stage of metamorphosis twenty years back.

 Prior to George's untimely passing fifteen months ago, he was still tweaking his wonderful manuscript which had reached "maturity" and has now culminated in a 240-odd page A4-format, b & W-illustrated book on his really favourite railway system. George took an academic look at the motive power developments of the RR/NRZ, but he has married this with a superb, heartening recollection of the personalities who took serious railway business decisions and those humble folk who worked around the clock on the footplate or in the cabs of the various locomotive types.

The riveting text is complemented by photos by well-known photographic specialists in that country over the past fifty or so years - these embrace Rich Clatworthy, the late Dusty Durrant, the late Chris Butcher, John Batwell, Geoff Cooke, Ted Hamer, Peter Cooper and, of course, the author himself. The world's a small place - well, so much so, that Tony Morkel of the UK publishing house Sable grabbed this literary opportunity to go into print when he put it together that the one and same R G Pattison had been a schoolmaster of his in Grahamstown once upon a time. George Pattison loved trains then and he shared his passion in the classroom.

"Thundering Smoke" is unquestionably a great addition to one's railway shelf and a tribute to one of the most
prolific researchers of railway development and success in the old colonial sub-continent.

[JB]

"A tale of Northern Rhodesia and the Beira and Mashonaland railways "

Boek oor spoorweg stories. Humoristiese, ernstige en interessante vertellinge van kondukteurs, kaartjiesondersoekers, stokers drywers, assistente, rangeerders baanmeesters, roep-manne ambagspersoneel en vele ander vertel van hul lief en leed, stoutighede, wettig-hede en onwettig-hede tydens hul jare in diens van die Suid Afrikaanse Spoorweë. Herleef saam met hulle die tyd toe spoorweg in sy volle glorie gefunksioneer het!
Enkele kommentaar vanaf die lesers

'n Nuwe en verbeterde uitgawe met baie kleurfoto's versprei dwarsdeur die boek.
Lees van die Bloutrein, die "Apple Express", die Appeltrein na Elgin en nog vele meer!
Nuwe spoorweg stories met baie meer foto's so uit die hart van die spoorweg mense!

Danksy bydraes van spoorwegpersoneel reg oor die land het Ysterwiele 1 triomfantlik uitgerol op spore van herinnerings en dit moontlik gemaak dat Ysterwiele 2 vandag in haar sleep kan volg. Dit is so dat mense oor die hele wêreld heen hul talente gee vir ander om te geniet, hetsy deur musiek, rolprente, opvoerings, teater ens. Vir daardie selfde doel het hierdie professionele spoorweg-mense, wat die pad van teoretiese opleiding geloop en geweek is in die praktiese sy daarvan, kosbare skatte uit hul juweelkissies van spoorweg herinneringe gehaal om deur hierdie kollektiewe terugblik iets te gee van hulself as spoorwegwerkers ter aanvulling van die genot van lekkerlees.

Hulle hele bestaan het om hul liefde vir die yster monsters gedraai en hierdie wêreld van hulle was nie een vir die luiaard nie. Deur middel van hierdie terugblik kan ons in ons verbeelding hul lewensgang volg tot by die jare toe spoorweg sy beslag gevind het in Suid Afrika. So ook kan hulle vandag vanaf hul eind-pale terugkyk tot by die jare waarin hulle as spoorweg werkers begin het.

www.ysterwiele.co.za