An exciting new book on The Sandstone Steam Railway. The Sandstone Steam Railway-the story continues
This 220-page hard-back coffee table book in landscape format encapsulates in words and photographs the Sandstone Heritage Trust collection that nestles in the vast, rich agricultural grain and cattle Landscape of South Africa’s Eastern Free State. This new publication illustrates the grit, determination and vision of the founders to save a representative cross section of the transport history of Southern Africa. By virtue of its location this living collection complements the beauty of the area with its 3.5 million old Sandstone cliffs, lakes and snow-covered, cosmos-clad farmlands in the winter months.

The book documents the history of the Sandstone Heritage collection of transport relics from the days of European imperialism and empire-building. Almost a generation back, the need by the then Transnet Heritage Foundation to secure a safe home for resources at a collapsing museum in KwaZulu-Natal saw Sandstone Estates being approached to rescue the exhibits. The embryo was ‘alive’. Over nine chapters, the glossy publication looks meticulously at the history of every single locomotive (both narrow and Cape gauge) as well as each piece of acquired rolling stock, coaches and dining cars together with other complementary heritage categories such as Military vehicles, Cars, Trucks and Buses, Vintage Tractors, Earth-moving equipment all surrounded by the crops, flora and fauna of the extensive Modern Farming operation at Sandstone Estates.

The text is rich in recollections and memories of challenging expeditions to rescue artefacts throughout South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The time consuming negotiations that typifies African politics, the topography and relocation under tough conditions of representatives of British and German locomotive engineering for example in post conflict zones, makes this book more than a catalogue of assets. Almost without exception Heritage items saved would otherwise have seen the cutting torch or been lost to pervasive rust and neglect.
The book also deals with the significant challenge of moving heavy items on poor roads over long distances. Sandstone’s most recent innovative challenge was to move by road two massive Garratts and other heavy locomotives representing the old days of the renowned South African Railways.

The Sandstone Heritage Trust has facilitated skills training to young South Africans of all creeds in active workshops in both Bloemfontein and at the estates. The collection has contributed to South Africa’s tourist industry and community development in the local Free State area. European tour operators have brought locomotive enthusiasts and other transport buffs to experience the live, working railway on the farm by way of regular shows and open days. Huge agricultural fairs, record-breaking ploughing competitions and what has become known as the ‘Sandstone experience’ are featured in the book.

Time to get a copy of the book, the second but much grander production on the Sandstone story, and enjoy......

THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE HERE

In the UK the book costs £29 including post and packing.
In South Africa the cost is R795-00 including VAT and delivery.
The book is available in the USA at US$34. Delivery on quotation.

“The Sandstone Steam Railway, the story continues”. Compiled by David Richardson. Hard Cover, 340mm x 280mm.
Published by Sandstone Heritage Trust, 2022.
ISBN 978-0-620-95820-2

Although Covid is no longer an issue, we were obviously unable to host the number of events that we normally would have held at Sandstone Estates over the past few years.  However, the demand is returning and we did have a successful Easter Festival. 

Our next event will be the Cherry Steam Festival which has always been well attended. We will again be partnering with a number of local attractions as in 2021. The Cherry Steam Festival will run from Friday 18^th November to Saturday 19^th November 2022. - Click here to view full details and how to book

One of Sandstone’s long time European supporters is Svatopluk Slechta, an engineer from the Czech Republic and a great rail enthusiast. He has visited Sandstone many times on his tours of South Africa, most recently at our Easter Steam Festival. We were pleased and honoured to be presented with a brass Skoda works plate by him. Today most people imagine that Skoda, founded in 1859 by Emil Skoda, just made cars but, in years gone by, they also built many steam locomotives including a batch of South African Railways (SAR) 19D class. To this day they are still in the rail transportation arena producing trams and propulsion units for trolleybuses, albeit now a separate company from the car manufacturing arm.

Svata, as he is known, is also currently writing a book on the history of Skoda steam locomotives and was looking for assistance in obtaining pictures of the fifteen Skoda built 19D locomotives. These were manufactured in 1938 and carried SAR numbers 2626 to 2640. Three examples survive today of which number 2633 is plinthed at Sandstone. This was sold by the SAR in the 1980s to become Sappi No. 2. It was donated to Sandstone in 2019.

Through our connections with railway photographers, both in South Africa and overseas, we were able to obtain a large number of photographs of Skoda 19Ds in service in South Africa. Sandstone’s thanks Svata, for his generosity and wishes him well with his new book.

Our gallery shows the presentation of the Skoda plate to Sandstone, L to R, Mike Myers and Dave Richardson from Sandstone and Svata Slechta.

Our second picture shows Skoda built 19D number 2633 plinthed at Sandstone.

Torsten and Ilona Eggert from Germany arrived at Sandstone on Freedom Day, 27^th April, with their Hanomag camper van that they restored themselves to travel the world. They started their journey in  2017.This year they arrived via ship at Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and started their journey through northern Africa and SA and then  back to Gqeberha to take a ship back to Germany. Torsten Eggert has a passion for Hanomag and Lanz Bulldog machinery, so our Visitor Coordinator, Mariette Palmer, took him to the tractor shed area and he was all over/underneath/on top of the Lanz machinery and couldn't believe that Sandstone has such a variety of items. He advised that his home in Germany is just 20km away from the original Lanz Bulldog factory that was later bought by John Deere. There they have a lot of show days where all friends come together and display their pride and joy machinery. He advised that the crawler in the Sandstone collection is a very rare item. At the conclusion of their visit they asked that we thank the owner for all the kindness and friendliness they experienced at Sandstone. Sandstone thanks Torsten and Ilona for their visit and wishes them a safe journey back to Germany.

You can follow their adventures on their web page eggert-koronczi.de  It’s in German but can be translated and follows their travels around the world.

As excitement builds for our Sandstone Easter Steam Festival we are working hard to bring other attractions into the limelight.  Our oxen are well known but our donkeys and mules less so.  We hope that they will be out and about as much as possible during the show.  We obviously consider their welfare as a priority but they seem to enjoy it and we believe they are looking forward to it.

Military vehicles, vintage tractors, a traction engine or two and old trucks  and buses are all part of the line-up plus, of course, the world famous 2ft narrow gauge Sandstone Steam Railway.

We look forward to seeing you on the farm.

Sandstone features in the first episode of a YouTube channel called “What makes the Eastern Free State lekker?”

This episode is 30 minutes long, so we suggest you pour your favourite drink while enjoying the stunning beauty of the region.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnJXRmwAoRI

A very busy day for the second day of our festival with  high visitor numbers who have missed their  visits to Sandstone. Our photo gallery shows some of the  highlights of the days activities.

Sandstone has just completed the moves by road transport of a number of steam locomotives from Bloemfontein to Sandstone Estates near Ficksburg. We featured these moves on our web site in a number of articles from August 20^th 2021. Here is our picture gallery of the moves from our Railway Manager, Mr Gert Jubileus. Enjoy the read!

Sandstone’s latest restored steam locomotive will be hauling trains over the weekend. The 1968 Johannesburg built NGG16A number 155 will haul trains for the first time in 21 years!

Sandstone open at Cherry Festival Time! 19 to 20 November 2021 plus the launch of their latest steam locomotive, NGG16A number 155.

The Cherry Festival has not been confirmed for  Ficksburg in 2021 due to the Covid 19 pandemic but a number of local establishments will be open over the weekend of Friday19^th November and Saturday 20^th November together with Sandstone who will be holding a steam festival over the two days. From the 19^th November until 20th November Sandstone will be offering train rides together with opportunities to view the Sandstone Heritage collection.

Entrance is R250 for adults and R140 for children under 12.
Trains will run from 10h00 on Friday 19^th  and from 10h00 on Saturday 21^st November.

Please note that strict Covid 19 protocols will be followed and no one will be admitted if not wearing a mask. A screened temperature over 37 degrees will also result in non-admittance together with other members of the party.Click here to Read more