Copyright © 2026 Illustration by Wilhelm Laufs
Richard van der Westhuizen sings about, “empty spaces of innocence that has been lost.” He illustrates it by referring to the empty spaces between trains and railway tracks.
To me it is a powerful illustration and one I connect with on a very emotional level. I grew up in De Aar, Northern Cape. At one stage De Aar had the biggest railway junction in the Southern Hemisphere and was a very important logistical hub in South Africa transporting passengers and goods. My dad and most of his brothers worked for the railway (Die Spoorweë) They were so passionate about what they did, and took real pride in their jobs. When we got together for family gatherings it was just one railway story after another and they would talk for hours on end.
Today I understand their passion more clearly. To operate those heavy engines, carts, materials and machinery was very hard and knowledgable work. Working a 18 hour shift was nothing strange and they just accepted it as part of their responsibility. It is only through hard work and suffering together as brothers that you can build such camaraderie and have so much pride in what you do. From what I can gather the mining industry is quite similar in terms of work and camaraderie. It is amazing and I have great respect for them.
Recently, my dad’s brother (Oom Samp) passed away. They grew up on Die Vlakte near Brandwacht, Mosselbaai, and it is also where he now rests. His said some interesting things:
- “Forget about all the other tools, first learn how to use a square and spirit level”
- “It is easy to know what a man loves. It is that thing that makes him cry straight after he has talked about it.”
A couple days after saying goodbye to him we went to the Transport Museum in George and took the Powervan up the mountain. It was a great experience. Walking through all those big engines and memorabilia I was reminded of what Die Manne van Die Spoorweë build with their practical knowledge, blood, sweat and tears. Truly a remarkable achievement. Maybe we will see trains run again in the future in South Africa, but I suppose they would be run and operated entirely by artificial intelligence, everything automated, and robot dogs biting wrongdoers who trespass to steal the railway tracks.
Unfortunately, the sense of community the Spoorweë provided for so many will never return. It is a sad reality.
Just after my Oom Samp passed away I also learned my friend Fanie had become very sick. He passed away shortly thereafter. God basically came to fetch him within 3 weeks. It was difficult to accept and understand. He was 52 years old and a fit and healthy person.
I met Fanie through cycling and learned a lot from him. He was a very kind person. When I told him I had entered for The Attakwas he warned me and said I need to be careful as there is a ghost that sometimes appears. I didn’t really think much of it until I got to Leeukloof. It took me about an hour to get up the hill, and the ghost appeared to me many times. It resulted in me finishing 20min after the cut off time with a tumbleweed rolling right to left as I crossed the line.
The following year I took Fanie’s warning seriously and finished 40min before cut off. I was very exited to tell him about my success and that I had finally Matriculated.
I will miss Oom Samp and Fanie a lot.
Trains and bicycles. These are my favorite means of transport. What do they have in common?
Well, I would say they make us feel free and allow us to dream about places we have not yet been. They encourage us to look to the future and make make us feel excitement.
I think it would be fair to say that dreamers like traveling by train and by bicycle.
Listen to Richard van der Westhuizen’s song Tussen Treine here. Listen to my cover of Tussen Treine here.
Buy the T-shirt here.
Please like, comment and subscribe to support my work. Visit my website for more info: wilhelmlaufs.com
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply