There are times when the Sandstone Heritage Collection turns up an item that was placed in storage many years ago and inadvertently forgotten! Recently a visitor to Sandstone was being shown around the shed containing our unrestored 2ft gauge locomotives and rolling stock when they came across an open  “B” wagon containing a large amount of machinery, some large, and some small, but obviously one machine.

Our next information sheet for the Stationary Engine Museum, compiled by Keith Simmons, is for the Climax Fire Pump.

Click here to read the PDF

Sandstone has had a large Ruston Stationary engine in the “to do” line for many years and now, thanks to the assistance  of Danie Pretorius, Curator of Sandstone’s Stationary Engine Museum, this magnificent engine is to be rebuilt for eventual use as a pumping engine for an irrigation system at Sandstone.

Stationary Engines are often overlooked compared with more impressive exhibits.

The smaller examples at Sandstone have their own dedicated Museum situated in the main complex and set up from scratch by volunteer Curator, Danie Pretorius and his energetic team. They have brought together all the stationary engines previously stored in various locations at Sandstone. Pride of the collection however is the National Engine, situated away from the main Stationary Engine Museum, at the Waenhuis. It drives the original generator system that supplied electricity to Hoekfontein Farm. Few visitors fail to notice the distinctive thump-thump from its exhaust when it is running.

Stationary engines have been the backbone of rural existence since the early 1900s, powering water pumps, generators and numerous other pieces of equipment and machinery requiring an independent power source, prior to the general availability of electricity. 

The preservation and restoration of stationary engines is a worldwide activity and leads to much exchange of information between enthusiasts, the Sandstone team is no exception.

Click here to view : The Stationary Engine CollectionThe Stationary Engine Collection

Wolseley Stationary Engines 1909 - 1975.

David Edgington has been researching Wolseley history, and the full range of engines, for around 30 years. This book, around 60 pages with over 100 illustrations, is the culmination of that research and has been painstakingly put together during the last 10 months. It covers Style 1 to 4, Alma, Pre-WD, WD1, WD8, WD9, WLB and the air-cooled engines, plus variations such as the Trojan especially supplied as exports to South Africa.

Offer 1

David is sending me the first 10 copies each one personally signed by him (they are already in the post and should reach me next week). These will be available immediately. I receive them at R161.00 each (including bulk postage rates from England) and I will be selling them for the same price (plus local postage if necessary). This is ZAR 55.05 less than an unsigned copy ordered from his website will cost you.

(If you order the book from his website it will cost you UK£ 13-00 plus about £6-00 postage - so £19-00 (or in South African Rand ZAR 216.06) (Tonight's rate)

If you would like to get one of these which will also eventually become collectors items due to them being personally signed then please contact me urgently - remember that there are only 10 signed copies! It's "First Come - First Served" or, "If You Snooze - You Loose"

If you want one then I will supply you with my banking details for you to do a transfer. Please NO CASH payments to me - only transfers to my account (if you do not have "Internet Banking" then you can do it by going into your bank) as I have to transfer this to David and if you give me cash then my bank will charge me "cash handling fees" to deposit this. If anyone is registered with "PayPal", it would be preferred that you pay direct to my PayPal account. (Remember, I'm not making a cent on these so do NOT want to be saddled with bank charges).

Offer 2

I will be bringing in more books after this which will be unsigned and will probably cost approx. R 130.00 each (plus local postage) (that's aboutR86.00 less than ordering from the website).

Jerry Evans
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sandstone Heritage Trust - News - Stationary Engines

1-Ruston & Hornsby Size 450 Class AP No.127704	2-Massey Harris C34 No.75351	3-1938 Fairbanks-Morse Eclipse  No.808205
4-Ruston & Hornsby PR No.160188	5-Frank Hartop H No.8391	6-Cushman Cub R30 No.A148564
7-1924 Petter Junior No.53711	8-1920 Russell Newbery No.801	9-1948 International Harvester LB & MH4 Grinder. No.LBA137817
10-Massey Harris Type 2 No.6K3315	11-1926 Fairbanks-Morse Z No.659816	12-1945 Fairbanks-Morse Z Style O   No.867453
13-Lister Sheep Shearing Set   No.30AHK2	14-1919 Fairbanks-Morse Z  No.396848	15-1941 Fairbanks-Morse Z Style C  No.827673
16-Ruston & Hornsby 1X Class HR   No.248520	17-1960 Wolseley (Vetsak) WD8 No.58229	18-Lister LD No.7990
19-1959 Lister 6/1 Electric Flywheel No.4201619	20-National Lighting Plant	21-1962-Lister 6/1 No.261512
22-Yanmar NT10 No. F2979	23-Sendeling DM10 No.84754	24-Uniporn Diesel Type O
25-Wolseley (Boeresake) WLB8	26-1934 Lister D / Lister Generator Spec13D2T No.D1120127	27-International Harvester LB  No.LB122868
28-1930 Lister D Spec 12D No.94452	29-1928 Lister Spec83K No.74057	30-Ruston & Hornsby PB
31-Lister A Tank Cooled No.872AK4	32-1920 Blackstone Hot Bulb No.143410	33-Texaco Chariot

List of Stationary Engines with Neville Botha

- The Bentall Maize Mill, Model 557.

- Blue Bentall (Oats Roller) , Model XRSE (SE for Sandstone Estates).
Made by Bentall & Co. Ltd, Heybridge, England.

- BMA Oats Roller Mill with electric motor (colour green). Made by R.
Hunt & Company Ltd, Earls Colne, England.

- Rusty red colour - Massey Harris mielie grinder (Brown colour) No. 6
(Safim Massey Harris No. 6 Grinder, Vreneka, South Africa)

- John Deere Mielie Sheller, No. 6694-C.

- Silver Manufacturing Company. Salim, Ohio. No. 8 Model. Shaft
Cutter - Patent D March 25 1890.

Maize Sheller (Made in United States of America). Northson Junior.
All wood.

Sandstone Heritage Trust - News

It's called a Daimler Industrial Diesel, London, and so far, no mention has been found of this marque (at least as far as Stationary Engines are concerned), by the leading researchers in UK.
A similar engine was manufactured by Porn & Dunwoody, a firm established in 1927, who specialised in the supply of bought-in spares for the German made Deutz engines until WW2. When it became impossible to obtain spares, they started making their own. Complete diesel engines were then produced bearing the name Uniporn.

Sandstone Heritage Trust - News

Come and join us at Sandstone Estates for our annual Harvest Festival!

In order to find out more about our Daimler engine a colleague of ours, Andy Selfe, contacted Stationary Engine Magazine. The attached appeared in their December edition.

Sandstone Heritage Trust - News

17th March 2005

Hoekfontein is the central farm at Sandstone Estates and houses both the headquarters of the commercial farming operations and the heritage centre. A pre-war National engine which was apparently purchased second-hand by the Wille family who owned the farm for 150 years has remained in the same place where is has been for many years and is in immaculate working order. However, we don't have a clear idea of how old this engine is and if any readers of this article could throw some light on that we would be most grateful.

To provide background information on National engines we have re-produced details from Patrick Knights outstanding A to Z on stationary engines.

Sandstone Heritage Trust - News

Neville Botha, the doyen of stationary engine collectors in Southern Africa, held one of his popular annual Open Days at his home, some 70-kms from Johannesburg recently. Even though the weather was dreary the enthusiasts brightened up the day by showing their engines and support.

Neville is an inveterate collector of old items and has a wonderful cross-section of stationary engines, tractors, vintage cars, petrol memorabilia and agricultural machinery.  He also has a priceless collection of detailed items such as cream separators, tools, blow lamps, refrigerators, ox yokes and literally too many items to begin to list or photograph.

Neville’s Open Day is a relaxed affair in his garden on the banks of the Klip River.  The emphasis is “Bring your own – be it a machine, wife, mistress, or something to eat or drink”. 

Neville Botha in a jovial mood