RN 300 - First Secretary of the South African High Commission in London, Janet Kotze, unveils Bathala at Beaulieu

On 19th December 2006 the First Secretary of the South African High Commission in London, Janet Kotze, unveiled Bathala, the 1899 Decauville locomotive owned and restored by the Sandstone Heritage Trust. The
locomotive has been placed at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu on loan in order to assist Beaulieu to highlight the potential for a 2-ft Narrow Gauge Railway on the estate.

A large group of journalists and steam railway enthusiasts gathered to listen to Ralph Montagu outline the project. Wilfred Mole from the Sandstone Heritage Trust described Bathala's interesting history and how it had survived the Angolan War to emerge in its current pristine condition. Janet Kotze said that it was a significant milestone for South Africa that a locomotive of French origin which had worked in Angola and had been saved
and refurbished in South Africa should now be on display at a prodigious
location such as Beaulieu.

Bathala will remain with the National Motor Museum until late summer 2007 and then move to the Decauville Museum in Holland.