This book is a detailed photographic study of the final 15 years of the last steam worked colliery in South Africa : Greenside, in the Witbank coalfield. Today, the colliery still exists, its ultimate holding Company being Angle American. Greenside colliery was a favourite amongst photographers not least because it maintained its fleet of locomotives in good condition, so much so that all four were in use at some time or other during the final year of steam operation (1995). And what a fleet .... two Class 1 4-8-0s dating from the first decade of the 1900's, and two Class 14Rs also pre-dating World War One. The Author made some eighteen visits to this colliery over the years and was fortunate in being granted access to areas that were out of bounds to casual visitors. The result is a book that is a tribute to both the machines and the men that kept them running. It is also a tribute to the other staff and management at Greenside colliery for whom nothing was too much trouble. No single colliery anywhere in the World has been the sole subject of a published photographic book, devoted to its railway operations, and it is with great pride that the Author presents this landscape format publication. It is very competitively priced from US$ 42 + p/p for the softback version, and additional $10 for the hardback / dustjacket version. (Discounts for bulk purchases ) All books are produced on quality art paper. The book may be previewed , in full, and for free.
During the period covered by this book, (as remains the case today) much of Greenside's coal was conveyed to a rapid loading bunker to join the high tech coal export infrastructure. The steam locomotives handled the domestic traffic along the mine's private railway to Blackhill Exchange Yard. Amazingly, three of the mine's steam locomotives remain at the mine today, some seventeen years after retirement. This book however covers the "action years" between 1979 and 1995, this volume being extracted from the "all country" large book "Black Diamonds", published earlier. . Superb photography, using landscape pages, predominantly colour , is used to showcase these magnificent machines from the steam era. Aerial photographs, technical and lively anecdotal information enhance the book.