Sandstone Heritage Trust announces locomotive restoration.

An extremely rare 1905 Arn Jung locomotive, No. 847, ex Angola, has entered the refurbishment programme at Sandstone Heritage Trust Bloemfontein workshops.  A new boiler has been commissioned and the rebuild will take place during 2012.

The Arn Jung (Arnold Jung, the Arn is  a short form for the surname to fit the whole name on the plates) locomotive is significant in terms of global 2-ft Narrow Gauge preservation.  847 is  special as it has – by German standards – a very rare wheelbase 0-2-1.

It is 30 HP – 600 mm gauge - outside frame half open driver’s cabin.

It was sold on 19.06.1905 via the dealer Arthur Koppel, Berlin (who also was loco manufacturer himself) to sugarcane plantation "Bom Jesus" in Angola. It was named "Cazengo". It was rescued in derelect condition by the Sandstone Heritage trust from the sugar mill site in Angola in Feb 2003.

Over the Easter Holidays a team from Sandstone proceeded to SANRASM with two trucks to load a NGG13 Garratt. 

The loco is NGG 13 no. 58, built by Hanomag in 1927, works no. 10549. Although not the lowest SAR number (that honour fell to No. 49) it was actually the first built of the class. It worked on the Estcourt Weenen line and was donated to SANRASM when that line closed. It sat at Estcourt for more than 20 years before finally going to SANRASM's site.

It will now join a host of similar locos and enjoy under cover secure storage pending a decision as to its future.

No. 49 is one of the fleet of four working NGG series locos at Sandstone.

More than 100,000 railway wagons of various types have been cut up by scrap dealers over the past few years in South Africa. Thousands of kilometres of rail have been abandoned and in many cases lifted and sold for scrap. Sandstone Estates is heavily involved in rail in two areas. Firstly, virtually all the company's primary commodities ship out by rail and the company is critically dependent on a viable 3'6" mainline rail network to take its commodities to market.

This scrapping programme has limited the availability of DZ and FZ trucks, which are often in short supply. In addition, the company has had to suspend the construction of its 2-ft narrow gauge rail line which connects the silos at Hoekfontein to its mainline loading and offloading depot at Vailima, which is one of the agricultural sidings on the Bloemfontein / Bethlehem line.

We appeal to the authorities to stop cutting up wagons and railway line and to arrest the deterioration in the rail infrastructure in South Africa. We appeal to them to recognise that a well-managed rail network is a vital component in the healthy growth and development of an agricultural an industrial economy such as South Africa's.

CLOUDY SEASONS!!!

The Hoekfontein Shunting yard is very near completion and the last days we build another 60 meter of NG panels that was laid in Hoekfontein yard line 2. The first line is about 250 meter long and the second line is now 100 meters. The first 100 meters of line 2 will be ballasted in next week and will also be lifted and packed, the rest of the line will be laid near the end of January.

Gert Jubileus has submitted his latest weekly report.

Click here to view the report - 1.54MB PDF (opens in new window)

NGG11's

Geoff Pethick sent us this interesting snippet of information.

The NGG 11s were built by Beyer Peacock, thus the Beyer Garratt name.

Below is an extract  from the book 'Beyer Peacock Locomotive Builders to the World', which details the reasons.

It was hoped to have it finished by 1916, but completion was only in 1919. Presumably World War 1 got in the way.

Click here to view the page

There has been an upsurge in industry recently on historical photographs of South Africa’s Narrow Gauge locomotives. Rather than try and respond to each individual request we publish herewith a gallery of photographs supplied to us by Leith Paxton, which are superb.

Steaming Cherry!!!

The last week the Eastern Free State was really steaming, with 2 NGG 16 Garratt Locomotives as well as the Reefsteamers Class 25NC and 15F.

It was this time of the year when we had the annual Cherry Festival in Ficksburg and we had special running passenger trains on the Sandstone Estates.

All in total we had 10 trains over the 3 day period and everyone had a time of their lives.

Gert Jubileus has submitted his latest weekly report.

Click here to view - 2MB PDF (opens in a new window)

Baguley Drewry diesel locomotives arrive at Sandstone Estates

Two Baguley Drewry diesel locomotives ex Sena Sugar have arrived at Sandstone Estates from our diesel facility in Bloemfontein

Their future is still being debated.

Under the auspices of Steam in Action and the Heritage Rail Association of South Africa an event designed to cater specifically for the needs and interests of Steam in Action and HRASA members will take place in South Africa in 2011.

Special notice for foreign visitors:  If overseas visitors wish to avoid making all their own travel and accommodation arrangements they should seriously consider joining a special Geoff’s Trains tour which is being planned to coincide with this event.  For full details contact Tel: +44 (0)5600925220 or visit web site http://www.geoffs-trains.com.

Click here for further information and Administrative Guidelines - 488KB PDF (opens in new window) 

STEAM SIDINGS!!!

This week we continued with the construction of the new Hoekfontein shunting yard. Petrus and Victor are building 2" panels every day and as the panels are completed it is moved by train to the yard where Derrick, Wouter and Henk connected the panels.

Gert Jubileus has submitted his latest weekly report.

Click here to view - 2MB PDF (opens in new window)

Sandstone Estates Steam Trains

We steamed our Peckett last week Thursday for a train ride to Grootdraai. 50 people of Huis Ougoud joined us for a special trip down memory lane as the little Peckett puffed her way through the beautiful landscape of the Eastern Free State.

Gert Jubileus has submitted his latest weekly report.

Click here to view - 2MB PDF document (opens in new window)

EASTERN FREE STATE TRAINS!

Another perfect day in the Eastern Free State...

Gert Jubileus has submitted his latest weekly report.

Click here to view - 3MB PDF (opens in new window)

Sandstone Heritage Trust - Rail News

RN 235 - Illovo Sugar steam powered narrow gauge sugar cane railway

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Sandstone Heritage Trust - Rail News

RN 235 - Illovo Sugar steam powered narrow gauge sugar cane railway

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ON THE MOVE!!!

Gert Jubileus has submitted his latest weekly report.

Click here to view this report - 4MB PDF (opens in a new window)