I work this way, and apart from being well liked because people know I bring well thought out requests (and sometimes, code) to them, I haven't seen much reward

I work this way, and apart from being well liked because people know I bring well thought out requests (and sometimes, code) to them, I haven't seen much reward. The reward has to be intrinsic. You have to actually like helping other people selflessly, and that's about the only reward you can count on. Usually, if I dig into something that's not being done by others it's because it is no one's job. And by the rule of "he who touched it last owns it" (a stupid and destructive default rule that exists even in otherwise excellent organizations), I end up owning a bunch of old crap no one wants to touch.