Sandstone Estates complies with Rail Safety Regulator requirements
Sandstone Estates complies with Rail Safety Regulator requirements.

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Sandstone Estates complies with Rail Safety Regulator requirements.

Click here to view - 227KB PDF (opens in a new window)
We have had a number of people, particularly modelers, asking us for details of correct lettering when marking locomotives with SAR insignia. We use an outstanding sign company to do the work and we have attached their latest artwork. They can supply complete decal sets, prespaced and ready to apply. (Each letter will be individually cut out but spaced correctly on a single sheet of backing paper and with application tape applied). The size of this works out to approximately 850mm X 760mm and a decal this size will cost R258.00 per decal (or R516.00 per set of 2 decals).
Should anyone require further details they can contact Jerry Evans on


Sandstone accused of scrapping Heritage Railway items.
An item has appeared in the sar-L blog which is supported by a number of steam preservationists worldwide to the effect that Sandstone has cut up a vintage lathe previously based at the Alfred County Railway Port Shepstone workshops. The history of the lathe is as follows:
When the Sandstone Heritage Trust was first invited by Andries Geyser, the liquidator of the Alfred County Railway to view various Heritage item for disposal , this lathe was seen to have been stripped and to be badly rusted. Notwithstanding the above we made an offer to purchase it. Eventually after much consultation the liquidator advised that this item did not fall under the liquidation of ACR and was in fact a Spoornet (division of Transnet) asset. An official offer was made to purchase the item by Sandstone but at no stage did they respond. This is normal since offers to purchase items from the National Railways are seldom acknowledged. Subsequent to the above the site was cleared and we assume that the item was sold for scrap or stolen by scrap thieves.
We would like to state unilaterally that the accusation made by Julian Pereira of the Alan Paton Railway that this item was scrapped by Sandstone is not correct. Sandstone has spent considerable time and money saving Railway Heritage items and in fact restoring them and would gain no benefit from scrapping them.
We do accept that there is divisiveness in the Steam Preservation world and sometimes people with an axe to grind make these statements. In response to the many people who have sent us e-mails asking why we were involved in this scrapping exercise we hope that our explanation will suffice. The entire transaction is well documented from our side.
We would also add that in the view of our technical personnel this item was beyond repair due to the fact that it had been outside for so long. At best it could have survived as an incomplete static exhibit.
SARL member writes:
Picked this up today, refer to posting 2a and 2b reply from Julian Pereira. This does not look like Sandstone’s style!
From:
Sent: 06 April 2010 12:11
To:
Subject: [sar-L] Digest Number 3404
2a.
2' gauge shop equipment From: david b
2b.
Re: 2' gauge shop equipment From: Patons Country Narrow Gauge Railway
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Messages in this topic (2)
2a.
Does any member know if either the Portshepstone or Port Elizabeth shops, or any of the South African shops for that mater, have any; wheel lathes, crank pin lathes and journal lathes that were specifically manufactured in the smaller size required for the 2' gauge equipment?
Most of the wheel lathes in North America can go no smaller than a 26" Dia. wheel and I don't think they will grab an axle of less than about 5' in length, so they won't work on the 2' gauge equipment.
I know the 3' gauge "Durango and Silverton" in Durango, Colorado. USA bought one of the SAR's driving wheel lathes back in the early 1990's. I wonder if these were capable of also working on the SAR's 2' gauge; wheels, axles, journals and crank pins?
Please enlighten me. I've wanted to know the answer to this question for about 20 years now. Loco112
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Messages in this topic (2)
2b.
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SANDSTONE STEAM LOCOMOTIVES: THE RATANGA LOCOMOTIVE This last week Henry made good progress with the restoration of the Little Ratanga Locomotive. He machined new piston and valve rings as well as some of the bushes on the motion. Henry completed the left side of the locomotive motion and is busy with the right side. Lukas Nel in Bloemfontein also completed the boiler work that was needed. Below are some photos taken of Henry and the Ratanga Locomotive restoration. |
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The right cylinder.
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Henry making new packing for the cylinder covers.
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The piston head, cylinder cover, piston and crosshead.
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Henry cleaning of all the rust and uneven surfaces inside the cylinder.
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Good clean workmanship.
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Henry machining parts for the Ratanga locomotive.
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The inside of the right cylinder after Henry machined it to a smooth surface.
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The Ratanga tender.
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The motion on the right.
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Once Henry is finished with both sides of the motion and cylinders, I shall set the valves and test her with air. The cab was sanded off and will be spray-painted soon. The boiler will then be fitted and the cladding will be made. The tender is halfway completed and on hold till Henkie returns from Port Shepstone. |
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| CLASS NG 15 NUMBER 17: Last week we steamed the Kalahari on Saturday and this week it was time to attend to all the little steam leaks that was booked. Normally the driver will book the repairs and will not care how many he book, for it’s the fitters problem to fix all the repairs, but here I book repairs and have to fit them myself. J All the tarot spindles were packed and the left injector spindle has to be faced. |
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Packing of the spindle packing nuts with rope.
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The injector spindle and valve was removed.
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The injector valve with a thin layer of grinding paste.
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The faced injector steam valve.
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| CLASS NGG 13 NUMBER 49 This week we took of the rear steam brake cylinder of 49 that was not working. The brake cylinder then was stripped and cleaned and a new steam pipe was fitted. The steam old steam pipe was blocked and was the reason the brake cylinder did not work. At least it was worth it to clean the cylinder in and outside. |
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| Below left: The brake cylinder. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Below: The cylinder was stripped and cleaned. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Below: Then a new steam pipe was fitted after the cylinder was cleaned and lubricated inside and out. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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CLASS NGG 16 Number 153 This week all the tarot spindles of 153 were packed as well as the ejector packing nuts. |
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14th December 2006
| Madelaine Senekal, her husband Jan and their two sons brought their church group of 70 underprivileged children to Sandstone to enjoy a day of steam! Madelaine's thank you letter explains it all! |
| Dear Mr. Mole, From myself, Jan , our two boys and 70 other children we would like to thank you very much for the wonderful opportunity to visit Sandstone Estates on 4/11/06. I think it was better than the children's wildest dreams, definitely not what they had in mind at all. There was a little boy that went to the reverant and said: "Sir I have a train too, but only a toy one, but today I am very glad I could have a ride in a real locomotive". Our youngest Jano, was very excited as we came near to the farm. Some of the children were riding with us in the car. He could not stop telling them about Pandora, Kommandoberg, Drakenstein, the silo's, the oxen, the steam tractors etc, etc. One little girl said to him, "Jano it looks like you know everything about the farm?" and he proudly answered that of course, this is where I grew up, then he just chatted away telling them with his two eyes so big, remembering everything that he could remember about the farm. Our church has got an orphange house that we must look after with regards to food, clothes and cleaning materials. Our ladies each get a chance quarterly to give a bithday party for 14 children. 9 of the boys were also at the farm. One little boy who was in our carriage did not say much, he just stood wondering away as the locomotive steamed along. We who have more than enough dont realise everyday how fortunate we are. This little boy is probably not even 10years old, and has ahad so many awful things happen to him in his life. So we could place the little stars back in his eyes, although it was just for the moment. A small token of appreciation will be delivered to the farm as well as a cd with some pictures on. For Hester, Gert, Derick and Petrus who organised and handled everything we also want to say thank you. It was really nice seeing all of you again. I myself left the farm with tears in my eyes Thank you very much once again. Lots of love, Madeleine, Jan, Morne and Jano Senekal |
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All the happy kids in front of the Waenhuis
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Smiling in fron of the Kalahari's tender
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Gert Jubileus with Derrik van Zyl in the background on the Kalahari's footplate
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While the church group's visit was complimentary (Sandstone Estates hosts many such educational children's groups throughout the year) it is nonetheless good to remind everybody that certain things are "the right thing to do".
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The Kalahari off to a steaming start
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Hanging out of carriage windows is a great way to pass the afternoon!
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Mmm... I'm not too sure about this... will this thing hold?
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Tenelle & Lenka Papenfus in front of the Kalahari, with Gert Jubileus and Derrik van Zyl |
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Enjoying the view
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14th December 2006
Our newly restored Peckett, No.2161 had an outing during the week. It is a big, solid, powerful locomotive that performed flawlessly.
Below: Driver Derrik van Zyl

Sandstone Heritage Trust - Rail News
RN 296 - O & K update from Bloemfontein14th December 2006 Quietly in the corner of Lukas Nel's workshop, another locomotive is moving towards full restoration. |
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The chassis and wheels.
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The boiler is complete and ready for installation.
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14th December 2006
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The NG4 is coming together very rapidly now. |
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A close-up of the brass.
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A close-up of the brass.
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One should remember that this locomotive had
almost no components left. The reverser had to be made from scratch. |
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During last week Lukas had an assistant in
the form of Robert Farmer from the UK. Robert has come out to South Africa for a few weeks and offered his services as a volunteer. He is knowledgeable and has been of great assistance to us. Here is a picture of Robert on the footplate of the NG4. |
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19th December 2006
Although the memories of the Sandstone Heritage Trust Avontuur Adventurer train in 2005 is fading from memory, the line's future remains in the balance. To support our position that this is the most spectacular Narrow Gauge railway in the world (in fact apart from being the longest and serving the highest bridge), it has a very rich history which is well documented.
One of the residents of Avontuur, Jimmy Zondach, has kindly made available this spectacular set of documents which commemorate some of the history of the line. The information is of the highest quality including the letter from the Lady in Waiting to the late Queen Mother, personal correspondence together with publicity documentation, and special front cover editions.
Our sincere thanks to Jimmy Zondach for making this information available to us.
We encourage anyone who has the interests of the Avontuur Line at heart to write in and express their support for the continued survival of this line.






















Sandstone Heritage Trust - Rail News
19th December 2006
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Sandstone Estates Welcomes Robert Farmer
Sandstone Estates would like to welcome Robert Farmer from The Bredgar & Worms Hill Light Railway (www.bwlr.co.uk). Robert has requested some time ago to make a dedicated volunteer trip to The Sandstone Heritage Railway. Therefore he has offered his services for a month on a working holiday basis. Robert has an agricultural engineering background gained from agricultural dealerships in the UK and is a pro-active member of the Bredgar & Worms Hill Light Railway. Robert hails from Tonbridge in the Garden of England Kent. Robert was first packed into a Freightliner Argosy truck and sent on a cross country trip to urgently recover a narrow gauge Garratt coal tender and wagon bogies from Port Shepstone. This provided him with some excellent experience in heavy duty rigging assisted by truck driver Leon Flynn and steam shed fitter Henk De Bruin. Robert also had a chance to experience the closure of a huge steam operation the Banna Express. Robert also spent some time with our master loco builder Lukas Nel in Bloemfontein and seen first hand at the quality standard and speed to which the restoration workshops are operating under. Robert can be contacted at Right: Robert on the NG4's footplate at the Bloemfontein workshops. |
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BSA Rail Car Gets Eager for "Loco-Motion"
The BSA rail car has had a roller coaster year, often accumulating with a huge burst of activity and then stalling with some set-backs. Of course since this is a complete rebuild project there is considerable amount of fabrication, design and issues to overcome. Henry Brown has committed himself to the project and as such has fabricated diesel tank and sorted out some of the drive problems from the main gearbox. While there is a lot of cosmetic body work to complete the mechanical aspects are almost done and the first live rail test should be completed shortly after Xmas. |
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New Storage Line Development
Due to continued acquisition of narrow gauge assets we have realised that the most efficient storage for these is actually on a siding. As such we have outlined the proposed development of a new storage line that will provide up to half a km of storage. This proposed line will start from near the main farm silos infrastructure and loop out of the complex towards the implement sheds. Some of the steam staff are busy getting the components ready for this operation, gathering clips, cleaning bolts, sorting rail and sleepers. This will ensure that when we start we have all the parts in place to finish as quickly as possible. Who knows in the future this innocent storage line may be linked into the main farm line and provide another dimension to the ever-developing railway. We envisage this storage line to start in late January. |
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Unloading of Wagons From PE
Leon Flynn and Arno Serfontein are still busy with the clean-up project. Below Shunting a flatbed into the storage area with the Funkey. |
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| Wagon Woodwork A number of open sided wooden wagons have been taken in for a slight cosmetic upgrade to the woodwork. This includes some sanding down, new varnish and some minor repairs. Its essential that all woodwork is repaired and maintained to a high standard, especially given the tough Free State conditions. Our staff members Petrus and Oupa have tackled this task with great vigor and will have the two units back into service shortly. |
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| Level Signals Three level crossing signal posts have been erected at Sandstone. These signals will complement the realistic aspect of the three main road crossings and junctions near the main farm complex. The signal posts were set with deep concrete foundations and we can thanks Len Huxham for the effort in getting them installed quickly. The signal posts are a real asset to the maturing rail network and asserts our commitment to operate as professionally as possible. |
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On 19th December 2006 the First Secretary of the South African High Commission in London, Janet Kotze, unveiled Bathala, the 1899 Decauville locomotive owned and restored by the Sandstone Heritage Trust. The |
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Bathala in her new home for the moment
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Ralph Montagu speaks at the opening - Wilfred Mole looks on
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Beaulieu has maintained a unique collection of classic Formula One and other successful race cars
covering a number of generations. |
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The beautiful photo of 115 in primer paint finish is one of the works photos taken in 1939 at Beyer Peacock in Gorton, Manchester, before the engine was sent to South Africa. You can see the Natal coupler on the front bogie, different from the Port Elizabeth chopper couplings.
The second is a scan of the other works photo of 115 which I obtained some years ago from the Manchester Museum of Science and Technology.
There are a couple of interesting things to mention in the photo.
In both scans you can see the sand box mounted on the front water tank. I always thought this was a crazy place to place it. The sand would only flow down the pipes to the rails if it were dry and unclogged. So, why place the sand box right next to the tank filler which would be heavily splashed every time the tank was filled from a water tower?
The other thing is that this batch of seven engines was fitted with cab side number plates without the NG prefix. So the engine was 115 rather than NG115, unlike the 1950 engines (NG125-NG131) and 1968 (NG149 to NG156).
Only a little detail, but there you are!
The diagram and dimensional information is from a SAR diagram which was circulated quite widely in the 1940s and 1950s (it does not list the 1968 NGG16s (149 to 156)). There are copies of this diagram and others in the Crittenden Archive of the NGRS.
The photo taken at Exmoor shows one of the more complete engines and I am not sure which it is. The loco bought by a private donor for the Welsh Highland is No. 87, one of the 1937 John Cockerill NG/G16s. It had no cab or steam dome and was in very stripped condition when it arrived in North Wales. I think that the engine in your small photo may be No. 115 which is at Exmoor. There are two others however, NG130 and No. 109. So, it could be one of these.
It is good to hear from you. Am I right in thinking that the tender has been offered for scrap narrow gauge equipment at Port Elizabeth? If so are you bidding for any of it? Last year Dave Richardson and I looked round Humewood yard and he thought that the NG15s and the ballast hopper marked as scrap might be offered?
With kind regards
David Payling
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