Thousands of rail buffs will travel like it's 1939 when old-fashioned steam train rides return to Wollongong in November.
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After boarding a "living museum on wheels", passengers will embark on a return trip to Scarborough for a time-travelling adventure that's done and dusted in just under an hour.
These much-loved heritage events, run by not-for-profit The Picnic Train, only exist because a "bunch of kids" salvaged the once-mighty 5917 engine from a train graveyard in the early 1970s.
Train driver Paul Stapleton - grandson of a shunter, son of a driver and father of three drivers - was not long out of school when he, his brother and three mates worked to put the decommissioned engine back on the railways.
"We were all a bunch of kids at that time, we weren't long out of school and didn't really didn't know what we were going to do with it," said Mr Stapleton, owner of freight train business Sydney Rail Services.
"The railway said they wouldn't sell them to individuals, so we formed ourselves into a group and that's how we bought the engine."
That bold decision brought hundreds of steam-hauled train tours to a nostalgia-loving public over the space of decades, with the next generation of steam train enthusiasts now training to shore up the future of the volunteer-run organisation.
"I think we've got the youngest group of volunteers out of any of the groups," Mr Stapleton said.
"We've got lots of young people involved in it and they're all having a go and getting qualified.
"They're having a good time - we try to keep it very social by going to dinner together and everything.
"If people want to join our team, we're always looking for more volunteers, and we do train people up so people who have that lifelong dream of wanting to become a steam train driver, we can help make that happen."
Mr Stapleton's wife, Simone de Beuzeville, will be one of the train drivers at the helm of the old mechanical monster when it hits Wollongong's tracks for 10 round trips on November 11 and 12.
This will be her third time taking part in the Wollongong shuttle rides, giving her a good idea why the Scarborough run is so popular.
"Obviously up at Scarborough you get all the beautiful sea views, but I think people also like winding through the back streets of suburbia."
"And I think also it's really still a little bit rural.
"Even though there's not a lot of cows and stuff, there's still paddocks and trees and gardens that you can look down on.
"I think people always love that there's always something happening, people out in the garden working or down on the beach and you can have a look and see what everyone's doing."
Anyone who would like to get involved is encouraged to contact the Picnic Train via the email form at www.picnictrain.com.au. For tickets, visit here.
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