Interruptions, Lunch Talks, and Support Circles: An Ethnography of Collective Repair in Steam Locomotive Restoration

Christophe Lejeune addresses nostalgia through the study of a peculiar Belgian steam engine restoration association. Through participant observation of the volunteer’s activities, Lejeune provides a vivid account of the heterogenous resources mobilized to preserve heritage locomotives. He shows that repair relies on the circles of other members for deliberation, advice, and assistance. Shop talks not only plan gestures; they accompany, inflect and instruct actions, in a continuously reconsidered process. In addition, repair hinges upon technical and material resources, available through a dedicated collection of decommissioned rolling stock (used as design models and for spare parts), as well as contacts in national railroad companies. Such sociotechnical networks make possible the collaborative renovation of antique trains and the enhancement of their instrumental and aesthetic qualities.