If you would like to book tickets for Tornado at NYMR, you can find them here while I share why this steam engine inspired me so much. Here is a short video from my visit, so you can experience a little of the magic too.
I never thought I would be the kind of person who gets excited about a steam engine.
Honestly, if you had told me a while ago that I would stand there smiling at an old-fashioned train called Tornado. I would probably have raised an eyebrow and gone back to my normal life of tutoring, planning lessons, answering messages and keeping up with the wonderfully busy world of Afrikaans learning. But there I was looking at a steam train and realising that somehow, without warning, it had completely bitten me too.
And I mean that in the nicest possible way.
Tornado is not just a train. It is a whole mood. There is something magical about the sound, the smoke, the shine, the history, and the feeling that you are looking at a piece of the past still alive and moving in the present. It is hard not to be impressed.
Steam engines have a presence. They do not arrive quietly they announce themselves like they own the road, the rails, and probably your imagination too.
Tutoring While Travelling
One of the things I love most about my work is that I can tutor while I travel. That may sound simple, but for me it is a real blessing. It means I can continue helping my students, stay connected to my work, and still enjoy little moments of adventure along the way.
It also benefits my students more than people may realise. When I am inspired, refreshed and full of new energy, that spills over into my lessons. Sometimes a change of scenery gives you new ideas, a clearer mind and a happier heart. This is never a bad thing when you are teaching children and helping learners grow.
So yes, I may be away from my usual desk, but I am never away from my passion for teaching.
From “Not My Thing” to “I Get It Now
I used to wonder why people loved steam engines so much.
I thought, “It is a train. It moves. People cheer. Nice.” But after seeing Tornado, I get it now. There is a romance to it, a deep, historical, slightly dramatic kind that makes you feel as though you have stepped into another era.
Steam trains carry stories. They carry memory. They carry nostalgia. And if you listen carefully, they almost seem to whisper, “Things used to move a little slower, but they moved with style.”
Inspiration for Sand and Wizard Wolf
And that is exactly why steam engines fit so beautifully into my Sandy and Wizard Wolf Series
The stories play out in the 1950s, so of course trains like Tornado-like steam engines belong there in spirit. They help bring the world to life. They set the scene. They add atmosphere. They make the reader feel the clatter, the journey, the waiting and the wonder of travel in another time.
There is something very special about combining history, imagination and storytelling. A steam engine is not just transport. It is a character in its own right. It is part of the adventure.
Final Thoughts
So here I am now: a tutor, a writer, a traveller and apparently also a steam train admirer.
Life has a funny way of surprising us. One moment you think something is “not your thing,” and the next moment you are standing beside an old steam locomotive, smiling like a child and planning how to weave that feeling into your next story.
Tornado did not just pull a train. It pulled me into the charm of steam engines too.
And honestly? I am glad it did.
