Tracks through time: New book uncovers South Africa’s great railway story

CapeTalk's Clarence Ford speaks to David Williams, author of On the Railway: The Great South African Train Story. 

Listen below:

In On The Railway, Williams invites readers on a richly detailed ride through South Africa’s storied railway past.

From the opulence of the iconic White and Blue Trains to the economic lifelines they provided to small railway towns.

Williams explores how the growth of the rail network helped shape the nation’s history, industry, and identity.

His obsession with the railways began at a young age.

"We lived in a little house that was 15 metres from the main Johannesburg-Durban railway line."

- David Williams, author - On the Railway: The Great South African Train Story

"My earliest memory is waking up to shunting engines in the yard... You could just sit on your stoep and watch these trains going past."

- David Williams, author - On the Railway: The Great South African Train Story

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"The railways opened up South Africa... without the railways, it wouldn't have been possible to develop the (gold and diamond) mines." 

- David Williams, author - On the Railway: The Great South African Train Story

"We had a large railway system... it carried a lot of people and it carried the country's economy, transporting goods and materials..."

- David Williams, author - On the Railway: The Great South African Train Story

Scroll up to the audio player to hear author David Williams talk about the fascinating history of the railways in South Africa.