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Sandstone Heritage Trust - Rail News

RN 218 - Weekly steamshed report - by Gert Jubileus - 24th - 31st July 2006

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SANDSTONE STEAM RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVE REPORT
CLASS NG 15 Number 17
After the Dome was placed back into position, we hydraulic tested the Kalahari again and she tested 100% and is now ready for the Boiler Inspection by the Boiler Inspector Willie Lottering. The regulator valve was seated this week and it takes up a lot of time with the grinding paste to seat this valve.
Below left: Henry and Ben secured the dome.
Below right: A non-return valve was fitted onto the water feed pipe that went into the boiler. As soon as the acquired pressure is reached we could turn the pump off and the non-return valve then trapped the water pressure inside the boiler.
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Below: The facing of the regulator valve.
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The O & K
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The O&K was next to prepare for Boiler Inspection this week. Preparing these boilers for B.I. are no easy task and takes up a lot of time and patience. The first problem on the O&K was also the regulator valve and we had to take it of to face the valve to insure that the boiler can keep the water pressure. The injector steam spindle packing nuts were packed as well as the blower valve spindle-packing nut. The O&K tested okay and is ready for Boiler Inspection.
Below is a photo of the O&K, while we were draining the water to fit a new wash out plug in the smoke box.
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THE FOWLER B5
This week the jig of the B5 was fitted back and she was moved closer to the shed for preparations for Boiler Inspection. This boiler is already inspected internal and will now undergo a hydraulic test. This Fowler Road Locomotive underwent a cosmetic upgrade some time ago and looks great (below left).
Henry overhauled a Simpson hydraulic pump this week to enable us to do the hydraulic test without any problems.
Below right: Henry stripped the Simpson pump and cleaned and overhauled the pump inside.
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THE RATANGA LOCOMOTIVE:
Henk started with the restoration of the tender of this locomotive. The tank was removed from the tender and the tender frame was moved to Henk’s workplace in the workshop.
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Henk stripped some of the framework of and removed the wheels, brake gears and axle boxes. A new buffer beam will be made in next week with a proper coupler and drag boxes. As soon as Henk is finish with the frame and the buffer beams, he will start to build a new coalbunker and tank, a more authentic looking coal wagon.
Below left: Henry assists Henk to remove the tender tank.
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Below: Henk stripped the steel plates from the tender that will be replaced with new plates.
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Below: The side view of the tender frame with the wheels and the axle boxes removed.
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THE BSA RAILCAR:
Henk is still struggling to get the new doorframe to fit the shape of the BSA sides. He made new hinges and fitted them to the existing frame on the BSA. We are going to make new side plates for the BSA railcar and will then bend it exactly into the original shape of the existing sides.Below: Henk grinding the new doorframe for the BSA railcar.
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SANDSTONE STEAM RAILWAY WAGON REPORT:
G WAGON NUMBER 3210:
Ben cut wood and builds a new wood floor for this cattle wagon. The two under doors were repaired and were fitted back onto this wagon.
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Above: Below: Ben repairing the doors of the Cattle wagon.
B-WAGON:
Ben spray-painted the B wagon a second coat of paint and also spray - painted the two 2” trolleys that came from Pandora Salvage yard.
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Jacob painted the handrails and handbrakes yellow on this B wagon and also painted the yellow on the grey painted Dz wagons that we are going to use on the consist of the War train.
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Jacob also painted the floor of the Ratanga wagon and the yellow on 3210.
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We then shunted the two Ratanga passenger wagons together to compare the two.
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The War Van
Jacob painted the handrails and steps this week while Ben removed the old seat inside the Van. This Van will get a cosmetic upgrade in the inside in next week.
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TRACK NEWS:
This week we have build another 90 meter 3’6” storage line at the Waenhuis next to the existing storage line.
The sleepers were loaded and were taken to a place near the shed where we could use the air tools to assemble these panels without wasting any time.

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By the end of the day we had all 9 panels ready to be moved to Hoekfontein station the next day.
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The next morning the panels were offloaded in Hoekfontein station and we lay the 90-metre storage line next to the existing line.
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The track then was ballast and we just await another load of Ballast to lift and pack this storage line.
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AUTOMOBILES:
Henry went on with the restoration of the Peerless truck this week and sanded the mudguards.
It was spray painted with an undercoat.
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THE OX WAGON:
Jacob finished the paint upgrading of the Ox wagon this week. This Ox wagon will be loaded onto one of the Dz wagons for the War train.
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THE STEAM SHED:
This week we painted the shed floors again and will paint the yellow stripes in next week.
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WOODEN CRATES:
We found some more wooden crates and Ben is busy with the fixing them.
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FROM THE PAST!
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GB Garratt number 2162. The place where this photo was taken is unknown, but it looks like this was a service train with a load of platelayers.
 
PLANNING FOR NEXT WEEK:
 
1.) To go on with the restoration of the Ratanga Locomotive.
2.) To go on with the restoration of 3210.
3.) To prepare the Fowler B5 for B.I.
4.) Restoration of the Peerless truck.
5.) To refurbish Guards Van inside.
6.) To fix wooden crates.
7.) To clean all locomotives
8.) To finish paintwork in Shed.
9.) To finish safety signs and fit them.
10.) To offload wood from Mooihoek.
11.) To do repairs needed on the Barclay.
12.) To do repair work on 49.
13.) To fit new firebox doors to 113.
14.) To go on with the restoration of the BSA railcar.
15.) To start with the restoration of a stationary engine.
16.) To load two locomotives for Bloemfontein workshop.
 
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