Leyland Octopus 1963 - Information

Sandstone Heritage Trust - News

Heavy trucks are a commonplace sight on the roads today. As most people know they are diesel powered and capable of carrying heavy loads. In fact South Africa has some of the largest payloads in the world, a fact testified by the damage to our road system. Of course it was not always so. In the days of South African Railways (SAR) most large consignments were moved by rail and hauled by steam powered locomotives.

Sandstone Heritage Trust - News

One of Sandstone's two Diamond T mechanical horses ready to leave the yard with a selection of vintage tractors to attend a local agricultural show. Living preservation means taking old tractors using a truck of similar vintage. Why not? The Sandstone people have as much fun getting there as they do enjoying the show itself. Coming back is also a great experience - grappling with a trash box on a 58 year old truck with more mechanical integrity than most of the machines bought today.

Sandstone Heritage Trust - News

 The Sandstone Heritage Trust has four heavy duty long haul trucks. Two Freightliner Argosys, a Kenworth T900, and a MAN abnormal load tractor for the 4-axle low bed Model number 27.423.

Sandstone Heritage Trust - News

Bedwas & Machen Fleet No. 7 Bodywork by Bruce Coachworks,Cardiff.

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The AEC Regal III recently donated by John Allen to Sandstone Heritage Trust is a direct descendant of the first AEC’s manufactured in 1909.
To go back in history, AEC which is short for Associated Equipment Co., began as a bus making subsidiary of the London General Omnibus Company and its first major product was the famous LGOC “B” type , double decker bus with open top and open rear staircase. It was similar in design to the horse buses it was destined to replace. It had a 4 cylinder petrol engine and a few thousand were built including a few single deck versions.

Some of these buses became famous as troop carriers in the First World War of 1914 – 1918. Seating on the top deck was knife-board, oblong seated benches with no weather protection for the driver and passengers. Many of the B type buses were later converted to lorries as they became out dated. In those days a bus’s useful life would be between 5 and 8 years. The “B” models were produced from 1912 onwards.

Sandstone Heritage Trust - News

I have always had a great fascination for steam and taking on a challenge (the impossible) and so when two S4 Sentinel Steam Waggons arrived on my doorstep in various stages of deterioration (the two to be made into one) it certainly put me to the test.

I used the boiler from one of the vehicles which was in a good workable condition. I only had a few of the necessary boiler fittings and had to manufacture new ones as required. I had to manufacture a new chimney, fire grate, ash pan, cleading and top boiler cowl. Also I manufactured new coal bunkers and water tanks.

Sandstone Heritage Trust - News

Sandstone Estates' T900 Kenworth was purchased new in Melbourne Australia in early 1992. It was used as a demonstration vehicle by Paccar (Pacific Car and Railroad) the manufacturer of Kenworth vehicles in Australia. It is rated at 91 tonnes and is in fact a road train tractor which would typically be operating in the outback of Australia pulling three tri-axle trailers.

It was chosen for the application because of its ruggedness, its good looks and its off-road capability. It has a 3506E Caterpillar engine rated at 550 h.p. The driver is Wilfred Mole.