Restoration News from Sandstone Heritage Trust in Bloemfontein

Sandstone’s Angola twins, O&K 11112 and 12140 are moving forwards towards their final restoration.

The two locos rescued from Angola in 2003 were originally 500mm gauge on the Companhia Do Assucar De Angola sugar estate system. They have now been regauged to 600mm. The boiler and rebuilt cab has been fitted to No: 12140 and both locos must now have all the boiler mountings and fittings fabricated to complete them finally. Our picture shows the two locos with No. 12140 leading.

Picture by Lukas Nel

Built by NBL Glasgow 16266/1904

Designed by PA Hyde for the Central South African Railways (CSAR), these engines of the “Mikado” wheel arrangement were the only such type to run on the Cape gauge in South Africa apart from two experimental engines on the Cape Government Railways. Thirty-six examples were delivered in 1904 and put to work on coal traffic between Witbank and Johannesburg. They proved to be too heavy for the track and were stored for nearly a year while a number of bridges and sections were strengthened. The concentrated weight over the driving axles often led to derailments of the lightly loaded front pony axle and it is not surprising that no further 2-8-2 locomotives were ordered in South Africa. The subsequent South African Railways favoured the 4-8-2 “Mountain” type.

Class 11 No. 929 at Bloemfontein prior to cosmetic restoration. Picture by Lukas Nel.

Ex Companhia Do Assucar De Angola

Originally 500mm gauge converted to 600mm gauge

O&K 12140 with its new boiler in position May 2015

The completed boiler of No. 52 showing the new tube plate and tubes

The narrow gauge class NGG11 locomotives were the first Garratt type locomotives ordered for the SAR in 1914 but the first three examples (NG51-NG53) were not delivered until 1919. Sandstone’s example was withdrawn in 1961 from Port Elizabeth and sold to Rustenberg Platinum Mines. In 1970 it was privately preserved at the Jukskei Park Motor Museum in the north of Johannesburg. After a move to the SANRASM preservation project near Krugersdorp it was acquired by Sandstone when SANRASM was disbanded.

O & K No: 12691 passed her steam test at Bloemfontein on Friday 14^th November with flying colours. Lukas Nel remarked that he was quite pleased with the results. There is further work to be completed on the mechanical lubricators and injectors but the locomotive is on target for its unveiling at the Stars of Sandstone event in April 2015.

Work continues apace at Sandstone’s Bloemfontein facility with Lukas Nel and his team hard at work on three concurrent loco restorations as the pictures below show.

Lukas Nel has sent us a number of reports which we know will be of interest to those who follow our locomotive restoration programme.

Despite the incredibly low winter temperatures (-12° recorded in the last few days) work continues in Bloemfontein.

The never to be completed project (NGG11) is however moving along.

The picture above shows repairs being done on NGG11, No. 52, front tube plate of the boiler.

The boiler on the O&K locomotive, No. 12691, is now receiving attention.  

Below are some photos of the two cylinders of O&K 12691in the machine shop.
The cylinder bores and valve faces are in very poor condition.

30 May 2014

Below are some recent photos of the work being carried out on the boiler front tube plate of NGG11, No. 52.