RN 142 - Weekly Steamshed report - 2nd - 6th January 2006 - by Gert Jubileus

17th January 2006

Please be patient for the images to load.


After the Harvest weekend all the locomotives were cleaned again. We started with the repairs on the locomotives. The shed was cleaned again and the floors were washed.
LITTLE LOCOMOTIVE FROM RATANGA: Derrick started with this locomotive this week. The lagging and the cab was removed. She will be put on the rail in next week and will be washed out. This locomotive will be inspected by the Boiler inspector with her bigger sister locomotives near the end of this week. This little locomotive is mechanically in a good condition and it will not take long before she can steam around on the Sandstone Steam Railway. Here are some photos of this little locomotive:


SANDSTONE STEAM RAILWAY WAGONS: We offloaded the two wagons from Ratanga this week. The first one was the easiest one to offload.


The restoration of this wagon already has started. The braking gears were stripped, de-scaled and painted with Red Oxide paint. Jacob is now busy with the de-scaling of the steel frame. The wooden sides will be sanded and varnished. This wagon will then get a wooden floor and will be used as a passenger coach when we are finished. Here are some photos of the restoration to this wagon:

THE SECOND WAGON: This wagon was loaded on its side onto the flat wagon from Ratanga. This wagon first had to be lifted of and then was placed on its side on the soft grass.


We then had to lift it carefully to flip over onto the frame. We then lifted the bogeys onto the rail.


These two wagons were then shunted down to the shed after the bearings were inspected and the wool oiled. Petrus then stripped of the old wood from the floor of the flat wagon. This flat wagon will get a new wooden floor and will undergo under frame restoration.


These however were not the only riggings that were done this week. Here are some photos of the Coles Crane in action:



Harvest Day

This Friday was Harvest day on Sandstone Estates. Because of the rain last weekend, we could not do the Harvest. We steamed two Steam Locomotives for this day, the Barclay and Class NGG 16 number 153.

A consist of 13 wagons were shunted together for the use on the very strong NGG16 Locomotive:

The little Barclay was used with two flat wagons and one B wagon. She was used in the wheat land to the Mooihoek side while the NGG16 again was used with the modern combines to the Grootdraai side.

The massive modern Combines started harvesting at 17H00 at the Grootdraai side of Mooihoek Station. The speed at what these combines work is amazing!


The five Massive combines then lined up next to the train and tipped all the wheat into the converted B wagons.


Just a special thanks to Ron Nel who captured all these magic moments and who goes to any depths to get the perfect footage for our favourite DVD’s.

We departed for Grootdraai and were back at Mooihoek at 16H30. Another great day on the Steam!

From the past

The lease lend of the Class 15CA’s to the Gold Mines gave them a new lease of life. This photo was taken by Steve Harding of me with number 2808 on my way to the exchange siding with a load of empty wagons in July 1992. The Class 15CA’s were not very successful on this Mine because the rails were originally build for smaller locomotives. The curves were very sharp at some places. The CA’s moved the rails with sleepers and all to suite their limitations where the curves were to tight. They were very strong and had the loudest beats of all locomotives. I remember people pitching up at midnight, begging “Mr, can you please shut up you’re loco, we can’t sleep”. One guy even stood crying at the side of my cab, he was really frustrated with the noise that never stopped threw out the night. I then promised him that I shall try my best, driving the locomotive on the drifter only, but not for long, I wanted the world to hear the sound of my lovely machine.
PLANNING FOR NEXT WEEK: 1.) To go on with the restoration of the Ratanga wagon. 2.) To start with the restoration of the Flat wagon from Ratanga. 3.) To prepare seven boilers for Boiler Inspections. 4.) To offload wheat in B wagons 5.) To go on with restoration of little locomotive ( not priority) 6.) To offload wagon from Kommandonek 7.) To move another two wagons from Kommandonek to the Waenhuis. 8.) To wash out boilers in Vintage shed. 9.) To clean up Shed yard. 10.) To go on with water tank from the Eastern Cape. 11.) To go on with Britannia B wagon. 12.) To clean Railway line and do weed spraying again. 13.) To finish coal extractor (floor)
	Steam Greetings... Gert!