Lee Wiggins is covered in soot, with black stains on his palms and under his fingernails, and streaks of dust on his nose and cheeks. He is deeply connected to a massive 54-ton steam locomotive, as he wears a black train driver’s hat and sets the course for one of the first passenger trips on the Zig Zag Railway. This venerable NSW Blue Mountains attraction had closed down a decade earlier, but Wiggins is now steering it back to life. He muses that driving a train is nothing like driving a car, as you need to sit back, feel the engine’s heartbeat and respond accordingly. Ultimately, the train is an enthralling, living machine.