The two Lawley locomotives (BR7 & NG97) at Sandstone are perhaps the most popular engines with visitors and are the only two operating in the world. Two more exist in Zimbabwe at Centenary Park and the NRZ museum in Bulawayo. Neither is positively identified, particularly the example in the NRZ museum which may be made up of a number of locos that worked in Rhodesia after being set aside by the Beira Railway. The Vale of Rheidol Railway in Wales has now listed two Lawleys in their stock list as Falcon Works number 265 (BR27) and 266 (BR28) built 1897 originally at the Busi Sugar Estate near Beira in Mozambique. These were repatriated to to the UK in 2000 by the Rampton Trust after lying unused for 30 years. These are of the F4 type as is Sandstone’s NG97 (Falcon 263 of 1897) The Rampton Trust being the owners of the Vale of Rheidol Railway. You can check details of the locomotives at http://www.rheidolrailway.co.uk/museum.htm

Our picture by David Benn shows the two Sandstone Lawleys double heading a short mixed train. Dave Richardson’s picture shows the Lawley in the NRZ museum incorrectly marked as 27 which is the Beira Railway number of Vale of Rheidol’s number 265.The locomotive also has the flat running board of the F2 type similar to Sandstone’s BR7 which belies its identity as 27 which is of the F4 type with a stepped running board under the cab.

The bissel components have been returned from machining and the bissel reassembled. Work now continues on the frames and other components. As we have mentioned before this is probably the most difficult restoration done by Sandstone and so our updates tend to be about seemingly small items but which are key to the locomotive’ reconstruction, and yes in reality, given the deterioration of the NG10, the restoration probably will be classified as a reconstruction.

Our pictures show the bissel components and the bissel completed plus the brake shaft which needs further work.

The new bissel castings and brake shaft are being prepared for some major machining work and welding over the next few weeks. Our pictures show the bissel being prepared by Isak vd Berg and a volunteer at work on the brake shaft. Lukas Nel has also retrieved the original boiler plate from number 61 showing its boiler is from 1916 and the last steam test was in October 1958. Renewal was due in November 61 but this was not done. This coincides with our information that the loco was withdrawn in 1961 for preservation but not in working order.

This stalwart loco of the Sandstone fleet had had the boiler unit lifted from the two engine units to allow access to the pony truck wheels which need attention. This will also allow a close inspection of the engine unit pivots and steam pipe fittings while the boiler is split from the units.

Keith Stevens is moving ahead well with the boiler repairs for NG10 number 61.The photographs show the progress we are now making with the NGG10 Locomotive Boiler.  Completion is estimated at around end of September or probably first half of October.

As you can see by all the dismantled parts there is still a mountain of work to be done.

Riveting the dome to the boiler barrel

Our updates lately have not been the usual “glamorous" ones as Lukas Nel and the Bloemfontein team tackle the real hard work on the loco.  

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While boiler repairs continue at Keith Stevens Mechanical in Howick, Lukas Nel and his team have been hard at work on the frames of 61 in Bloemfontein. This is a long process after the locomotive was subject to extreme corrosion since 1961. Our pictures show the repaired buffer beam, the new bissel frame and stretcher and the new frame support. Our undated B/W pic courtesy of the Transnet Library show number 61 at Humewood Road still with its original chimney.

An undated pic from the Transnet Library of number 61 at Humewood Road still with its original chimney.

A recently published booklet by the Railway History Society, an interest group of the RSSA Natal Branch and written by Bruno Martin, has revealed that three locos of the Sandstone collection worked on this branch. Click here to read PDF

With the restoration of NGG11 number 52 now complete and the loco in service at Sandstone, the restoration of NG10 number 61 continues. Boiler work is being undertaken at Keith Steven’s mechanical workshop in Howick with the refurbishment of the frames moving ahead with Lukas Nel in Bloemfontein.

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The completed rebuilt boiler for the 1897 Lawley NG97 has been loaded at Keith Steven’s Mechanical Workshop in Howick and returned to Sandstone. The boiler will now be reunited with the locomotive and commissioned for the upcoming Stars of Sandstone event.

The boiler suffered a failure of the copper inner firebox and this has been replaced with a steel version which is less prone to damage.NG97 was originally launched into service in June 2008.

Construction at Sandstone is moving ahead of the new line designed primarily for our younger visitors (although our adult visitors will love it too!) that runs from the grain silos and along by the loco workshop to a large loop around the dam in the south east of the Sandstone complex. After last year’s drought, Sandstone has been experiencing exceptionally heavy rain which has slowed progress but the line is till on target for a grand opening at the Stars of Sandstone 2017 event at the end of March. The line is to be named Seb’s Railway after the grandson of one of Sandstone’s directors. The map below shows the layout of the new line and ongoing progress can be followed in the weekly steam reports via the regular links published on this page

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https://youtu.be/bywbL0AOYUk

Sandstone’s 91 Class diesel moved under its own power after many years of standing idle and did some test runs in the loco shed yard. After the fitment of 32 new batteries and some close attention by Pieter and Dean from Genrail she fired up in 2 seconds.

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