RN 254 - Weekly steamshed report. 25 September - 02nd October 2006 - By Gert Jubileus

2nd October 2006


This week we steamed the class NGG 13 number 49 to shunt the loaded wagons from Pandora pond to Hoekfontein Station where we will offload the wagons next week. Derrick filled the boiler with water and prepared the locomotive for a hard days work in the shunting yard at Hoekfontein Station. Below: Derrick filling the boiler of 49.

She was in Steam at 11H00 Thursday morning, and we first had a three-hour shunt in Hoekfontein to shunt all the Port Shepstone wagons into the storage line and to shunt out two wagons that will undergo restoration very soon.


At 13H30 we were finished with the shunting work that was needed to clear the main lines in Hoekfontein Station and we replenished 49's thirst before we departed for Pandora.

The nineteen wagons were split into two separate trains and with the first train; we hauled seven loaded wagons to Hoekfontein Station.

We again topped up the water before we returned to haul the last 12 wagons to Hoekfontein.

All the brakes were loosened and a vacuum brake test was done on the wagons before departure to Hoekfontein Station. Derrick had to shovel lots of coal into the firebox of 49 before we could depart and he made sure that she was hot.

We had the Orange Express headboard on the front of the Locomotive, but there was no way that we could keep up with the Orange Express timetable for the load was heavy, but 49 proved herself again and even though we were running at a walking pace of three km/h at some of the gradients, full open regulator without slipping, she managed to reach Hoekfontein Station just before sunset.


SANDSTONE STEAM LOCOMOTIVES: THE RATANGA LOCOMOTIVE
This week Henry removed the driver wheels of this little locomotive and he descaled the wheels. The frame will now be sandblasted. Below: Henry busy with the restoration of this little locomotive.

CLASS 10CR Because of the hidden level crossing behind the consist of the Class 10Cr, we had to move the massive locomotive ten meters forward to make the crossing more visible for vehicles traveling over it. We used a huge tractor to move the 10Cr. Below are some photos taken of the moving of the 10Cr.


THE FUNKEY DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE: This week we offloaded the Funkey Diesel locomotive.

This little Diesel locomotive will come very handy to assist us with the shunting of the wagons while the Hunslet is in Port Shepstone. We used her to shunt down the gorgeous modified B wagon as well as an ST wagon that will undergo restoration very soon. Below are photos of the offloading of another load of wagons from Port Shepstone, as well as the shunting operations with the Funkey.

Below right: A photo of the inside of the modified B wagon.


SANDSTONE WAGON REPORT: THE XC This week the XC wagon was painted with Red Oxide for an undercoat and the paint work will be finished during the next week when the XC will be shunted to the pit for a under frame restoration. The wind was blowing like hell this week and it was a waste to even try to spray paint this wagon. We instead used a roller to give the wagon an undercoat to prevent it from rusting until we can spraypaint it.

ST NUMBER 622 This week we lifted the wagon and rolled the bogeys back underneath the wagon to make it mobile again. This wagon will now undergo an under frame restoration and the new steel sides will be made. Below are photos of this wagon.

STORAGE LINE Henry and Oupa laid sleepers next to the Black water tank wagon and brought ten rails for this storage line that will be used to store the 3”6” bogeys and wheels on.



Class 16Cr, St Helena number 1, now at Sandstone Estates. In front of her a pair of 14CRb locomotives can be seen, accidentally cut up in 1998. Three Class 16Cr locomotives were sold for scrap, but the two 14CRb locomotives were sold to a private collector. One of the Class 14CRb locomotives was still complete at that time. The new Locomotive foreman of St Helena decided one morning that the three 16CR locomotives together with the two 14CRB locomotives should be shunted out of the Locomotive yard. For me, it was the worst job someone can ever give me, to shunt locomotives out to be cut up. It was if these locomotives knew what’s going to happen to them and I could hardly manage to shunt them out. Their big driver wheels just refused to turn along. One of the three 16CR locomotives was my first regular locomotive when I started to work at St Helena Gold Mine in 1993. In August 1998 the three 16CR locomotives were cut up, and one night the scrap dealers worked throughout the night and accidentally cut the boilers of both the 14CRb locomotives that were sold to the Private collector.

PLANNING FOR NEXT WEEK

1.) Load the bogeys for the trip to Durban. 2.) Go on with the restoration of the XC and ST 622 3.) Offload the wagons from Pandora. 4.) Erect the Semaphore signals at Hoekfontein Station. 5.) Weed spraying on the Railway line. 6.) Start with restoration of B wagon 2422. 7.) The repair work on No.153. 8.) Make the numbers for the points 9.) Start the restoration pf Home signal for Hoekfontein 10.) Stencil the wagons. 11.) Ballast the storage line 12.) Fit the softeners 13.) Fit the Softeners. 14.) Fit the Ejector onto the Peckett. 15.) Finish the War Van. 16.) Clean the passenger coaches.