Steam Report 2 Nov 2016
Sandstone Estates own Class 91 Diesel Locomotive was delivered by Transcor this week.
2ft Narrow Gauge
91 Class Update.
Arachnophobia is not for the faint hearted!
91 010 is now being cleaned having been moved to the loco depot at Sandstone and it appears it has half the spider population of Port Elizabeth inside it. Gert Jubileus and his team are now cleaning the loco in time for its inspection by the Sandstone diesel fitter next week. Lukas Nel reports that the passenger steam heating vans from Port Elizabeth which were serviced at Bloemfontein often contained hordes of spiders of a particularly aggressive nature. Take care Gert and team!
91 Class Update
91 010 is now on Sandstone’s rails having been unloaded late evening on October 31st. Our pictures show it approaching the farm, preparation for unloading and on Sandstone’s rails.
Restoration update on Class NG10 number 61
Lukas Nel and his team at Bloemfontein have completed a new tender tank for Class NG10 number 61. The boiler for the locomotive is also under repair with new tubes having been obtained.
91 Class Diesel
Sandstone’s newly acquired 91 class diesel electric locomotive, 91 010, has been collected from Swartkops Diesel Depot in Port Elizabeth where it was in use as the depot shunter having been fitted with “Bigfoot” 3’6” bogies in 2012. Now surplus to requirements it is heading for a new life at Sandstone. The original 2ft bogies were obtained with the locomotive. A quite complex operation was required to access the depot due to the 25Kv overhead wires for the adjacent electric depot. The 2ft bogies were first placed on the lowbed transporter and then the 3’6” bogies were disconnected and the loco lifted off them and placed on the new bogies in place on the lowbed trailer. Safely secured the loco has begun the 1000km journey to its new home.
At Sandstone 91 010 will be examined for some minor repairs required and then fully serviced before its first run in the Eastern Free State.
Steam Report 24 Oct 2016
The Fouriesburg Country Tours have booked 2 trains, one on Thursday and the next one this coming Thursday. We use our Hunslet Diesel Locomotive to haul the train to Grootdraai and back.
Steam Report 14 Oct 2016
Two weeks ago we had the 702 Radio Station with us on a short train to Grootdraai. We have steamed our special Class NG 6 number 106 for this day and was accompanied by one of our VIP’s Mr.Myers on this trip.
NGG11 No 52 steams again after 46 years!
Last steamed around 1970 at Rustenburg Platinum Mines, Class NGG11 Garratt No.52 moved under its own power today in Bloemfontein. After a long restoration this locomotive is a magnificent achievement by Lukas Nel and his team. As the second oldest surviving Garratt locomotive in the world and the oldest in South Africa, the loco will be the Star of the Show at the Stars of Sandstone event in April 2017.
Sandstone Heritage Trust would also like to hear from anyone who saw this locomotive in steam either in Rustenburg or during its last days with South African Railways in Port Elizabeth.
Diesel Power!
The Port Elizabeth to Avontuur 2 ft narrow gauge railway was very much a viable proposition in the late 60’s and early 70’s for Spoornet (now Transnet Freight Rail [TFR]). With heavy limestone traffic from Loerie to the EPCC cement factory in New Brighton and fruit traffic from the Langkloof, it was decided to dieselise the line and sent aside the ageing NGG13 and 16 Garratts and the NG15 locos.
Steam Report 26 Sept
On Saturday the 24th of September we had our Heritage day event and have steamed Class NGG 16’s numbers 153 And 88 to haul the train over the mountains.
Sandstone Estates Steam Railway News 14 Sept 2016
During the last week and a half we have pulled out all the Stationary Boilers and Traction Engines from the Vintage Shed for washouts and same time preparing them for Boiler Inspections.
Class NG10 South African Railways Number 61. The restoration begins.
The sole surviving NG10 narrow gauge pacific has been in the Sandstone collection for a number of years
Sandstone Estates Steam Railway News 06 Sept 2016
The last month we have spend quite a lot of time washing out our boilers. The past week or so we have washed 5 boilers and only need to washout number 4063 to complete the washout of all the locomotives in our fleet. Below: Images of Sezela being washed out.
Sandstone Estates Steam Railway News 19 Aug 2016
The past week we have washed out 6 Locomotive boilers, our Class NGG 16 number 153, the Barclay, Peckett, O&K 2510, O&K 4102 and O&K 10311.
Sandstone Estates Steam Railway News 8 Aug 2016
During the last week we had 4 train trips on the Sandstone Steam Railway. Last Saturday we steamed our Lawley For the 80th Birthday of Liz Hindle’s father and had a short trip to Grootdraai and back.
