Boys and their toys
The Rand Society of Model Engineers hosted the 35th National Model Locomotive meeting this weekend.
The annual event gathers locomotive enthusiasts from Durban, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Centurion and Secunda.
Smoke and steam could be seen rising around at the Woodside Miniature Railway Station as family and friends hopped on for a ride on the miniature trains.
“Every year the meeting is held in a different club in the country and this year we have the privilege of hosting it. We get together and have fun, bringing all the different kinds of trains that the members built and sharing tips if a person wants to build one because we work with complex technology and there are strict rules in constructing the trains because it can be hazardous if done incorrectly,” said Model Engineers secretary Colin Retief.
Besides model trains, the event had different engines dating back 100 of years such as the Sterling Cycle Engine and stationary engines used on farms and factories before electricity.
“We have the history of engines here and they are important because the next generation needs to know where engines come from and the progress that has been made. We use this event to showcase these engines and how they worked so people can see how far we have come as a society. Our hope is that the young children who see these engines get an interest in engineering because the problems Eskom currently has is due to the lack of engineers in the country. Some of these engines used to pump water from the basement to the top floors of high rise buildings while some used to generate electricity,” said Colin.
