Steam News from the Sandstone Steam Railroad!

THE EASTERN SUN!

WHAT IS HAPPENING UNDER THE EASTERN SUN!

The Sandstone Steam Railway is situated near the foot of the Maluti Mountains and surrounded by the beauty of the Magical Sandstone Mountains. Every day a dedicated crew comes on duty to serve the great Sandstone Steam Railway with pride, facing the challenges with joy and looking back at all the achievements of the past. Photos tells the story of nostalgic times where we relived the good old history of the Steam Locomotive and SAR days. Today the Sandstone Steam Railways have its own personality unfolding in the awesome Eastern Free State under the Eastern sun.

WAGONS WAGONS WAGONS!!!

XC 4036 and 3914

These two XC wagon frames were attacked by scrap dealers very badly and we had to scrap the two frames. Two NG S wagons were prepared for the tanks. The two flat wagons were restored to working condition before the two tanks were fitted back onto the flat wagons.

Petrus de scaled the tanks before we fitted them back onto their new frames.

All the bad places on the Flat wagons decks were grinded off.

Wouter did the final touches to the steel work on the Flat wagons before we lifted the two tanks back onto the wagons.

Wouter grinding the deck of one of the NG S wagons.

The first tank being lifted with our ten ton crane.

The second tank being lifted.

The tanks then was secured on the frames and are now ready to be sandblasted in next week with sister XC wagons from Port Elizabeth. The XC wagons will be spray painted and stenciled to perfection for the coming Geoff Cooke tour. We will be able to hook 6 XC tanker wagons with a van as a special tanker consists.

AY WAGONS NUMBERS 2033 AND 2800

These two AY ballast wagons were restored recently and was spray painted with a red Oxide undercoat. These two AY wagons were painted originally with battleship grey and we shunted them to the shed and sprayed them in original colors.

The AY's being sprayed with battleship grey. The two old AY wagons remained in old SAR colors.

The first AY wagon looking good in her new livery.

THE SALOON NUMBER 3285

The Saloon that usually runs together with the beautiful Dinning car was shunted to the Shed for cosmetically upgrading.

The wagon was sanded down and the floor inside was repaired by Wouter. The floor then was painted green again and the outside was painted with PWD brown. The main frame and roof was painted black and the bogeys were sprayed with graphite mixed color.

The Saloon sanded down.

Wouter repairing the floor.

The floor received a fresh coat of green paint.

The Saloon starting to look better.

The Main frame and couplers being painted.

The roof in a color not too shiny for photographic reasons.

Wouter spraying the bogeys with a graphite mixed color.

PORT ELIZABETH UPDATE

Another three NG OK wagons were moved from Port Elizabeth and were offloaded on the triangle leg in Hoekfontein Station.

The 4th NG OK

The 5th NG OK from Assegaaibos.

The 6th NG OK

EXPORTING BOGEYS

Three bogeys were restored with a set off spares to be exported in next week.

All the spares were cleaned and sanded before being painted with Red Oxide paint.

The set of spares ready to be shipped.

Petrus cleaned and de scaled the three bogeys.

One of the painted bogeys.

Petrus spraying the bogeys.

The last end effects.

LOCOMOTIVE NEWS

THE CLASS NG 15 NUMBER 17

WASHOUT

The Class NG 15 number 17 was shunted to the washout bay and was washed out after 17 trips with the use of our massive sentrifigal pumping the water through the boiler at a rate of 27 000 liter a hour. The spark arrestors were removed to access the washout plugs in the smoke box end tube plate.

Number 17 with her mouth wide open.

The 2 " pipe connected to the washout hole in the smoke to wash the scale and mud to the rear end of the boiler where we could get it easily out with a copper scraper rod.

Part of the washout is to re lead the fusible plugs.

Tinting compound and lead used to throw lead plugs.

Water Cascades.

LOCOMOTIVES IN TOWN

Our Class 15F number 2910 received a coat of paint after Victor cleaned her. This locomotive is very special and is a hand fired 15F and was the second 15F built by Henschel.

A massive SAR locomotive, number 2910.

A shining tender.

Victor painting the running boards.

A Sexy happy Class 15F

Number 2910 is shining livery.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

We also tries to help upgrading our Railway line, below is Victor removing exesive ballast between the tracks in front of Hoekfontein Steam Shed.

NEWS FROM AROUND

Two weeks ago I had the privalage to visit the Natal railway Museum in Pietermaritzburg and captured some photos of the locomotives standing in the yard.

SAPPI SAAICOR

The last place in South Africa to see Steam Locomotives in daily service is at the Sappi plant near Illovo on the South Coast. I was very lucky to catch this 19D when she shunted empty wagons to the exchange siding. Saaicor owns three Class 19D's but only one is in use by the company on a daily basis. The 19D numbers are 2767 – Saiccor Number 3, 2633 – Saiccor number 2 , not sure what No 1's number is.

A Saaicor Class 19D in the exchange siding.

She wasn't clean but it also looks good in a grubby appearance and made me think of the dirty pull locomotives used in the old SAR days but, the beats of the 19D was pure as the driver rushed through the exchange siding near Illovo.