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While the work on the NG10 continues, the team working on the 4AR, number 1555 for Transnet are making good progress with the locomotive and tender now stripped and cleaned and the application of the red ochre preservative paint starting to be applied.

As the myriad of smaller tasks continues the reverser handle has been completed and fitted together with the reversing mechanism. The vacuum ejector and piping has also been assembled and fitted but the train pipes are still to be attached.

Sandstone Steam Railway puts forward its case in the latest edition of Narrow Gauge World. Click here to read more

A few days ago our fine team in our Livestock Department successfully in-spanned 36 Afrikaner Oxen pulling one wagon. We have been doing a considerable amount of research on how big these spans really were and the closest we really came to an accurate assessment was from some photographs taken in the Anglo Boer Way by a British Officer which clearly indicated there were 34 oxen pulling a wagon through the Wilge River. We then also received written confirmation of this achievement in a letter sent back to the UK. We can assume therefore that 34 was the maximum number ever in-spanned because the Officer in question expressed astonishment at the sight. We decided to go one better and in-span 36. If you look closely at the photo below you will see that there are some very young oxen in the span but this is also very good for them because it is part of their training routine. We will be in-spanning 36 during Stars 2019 but only on a few occasions because we need to rest them so the rest of the time there will be oxen in-spanned in teams of about a dozen at a time but they will be in-spanned all day, every day for those that would like to see them up close. See also the video of this achievement:

During July we were privileged to host a visit from Andreas Giller, the Locomotive Archivist from this German museum who has assisted us with a number of photographs and drawings of NGG13 number 49 recently. Andreas was visiting Southern Africa as part of a tour which took him to Zimbabwe on a rail tour and then, joined by his wife Carola, a visit to Namibia. He was keen to visit Sandstone as we have the only restored Hanomag built NGG13 Garratt in South Africa, number 49 from 1928, so prior to his return to Germany he requested a visit to Sandstone to which we gladly obliged.

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As part of an ongoing social media programme, Ford has been producing two minute video productions which are aired on social media, particularly Facebook. The productions, which will run to 26 episodes, are of visits to Ford owners and users throughout South Africa and their experiences with Ford products with both modern and older vehicles featured.

The film crew visited Sandstone Estates on July 12^th to film our experiences with Ford vehicles which range from a 1915 Model T, a 1930 Model A and various trucks and tractors from the 50’s and 60’s to modern Ford Ranger bakkies. Although Ford is no longer a producer of tractors under its brand name, Sandstone have a number of Ford models from the 50’s that still give sterling service on the farm.

Our 1935 Ford V8 pick up which is unrestored from new and our 1951 Ford F100, which journeyed to the Equator on a rally in 2006, were featured by the film crew.

The final sequence was with one of Canadian Ford military units from WW2 which was driven towards Grootdraai where the film crew met 20 oxen especially inspanned for the occasion. As a tribute to Ford one of the oxen had been named “Ford” for the occasion.

Our picture gallery features the line up of Ford vehicles for the shoot, Alina Halafu, from our farm office being interviewed, filming the Canadian Ford with our 20 Oxen inspanned and finally, “Ford”, our newly named Oxen.

We will keep you posted when the episode, number17, is aired on social media.

The regulator assembly for the NG10 is now complete and ready to be fitted the locomotive. Our pictures from Lukas Nel show the components and in particular the dome assembly for the regulator valve. Work will continue on a number of other items as we approach the steam test of number 61.