Reefsteamers Sunrise Photo Shoot
Venerable GMAM "Lyndie Lou" no 4079 has an outing during Reefsteamers sun rise photo shoot on 14th July 2012.
All photos by Aidan Mccarthy
Railway Heritage
Lawley NG6, No. 233
Update from Lukas Nel – 30 July 2012
We beat all the tube ends in the firebox and intend to start the hydraulic testing of the boiler on 2nd August. We set one week aside to complete the hydraulic testing of the boiler. We still need to replace the smoke box front of the locomotive boiler and fit the smoke box door before we can start repairs to the faulty injectors and the bad slipping of the locomotive.
Below are two photos of the finished product of the beating of the tube ends of the firebox side of the boiler.
Protection for Dining Car
Preparations are underway to erect a building over the venerable 1920 Dining Car at the Waenhuis to protect it from the weather.
Coco Pan Restored
Coco Pan Restored
From a garden in Boksburg to a working Coco Pan in 3 weeks...
Wagon Restorations
Expansion of our Salvage yard
Expansion of our Salvage yard
A shed has been erected to house surplus NG Railway components and spares.
It is adjacent to our security Barracks.
Stevens Mechanical
Stevens Mechanical who have been working on Boilers and restoration work for us for more than 10 years now have their own web site.
www.vintagesteamrestoration.com
Excess B Bogies
Excess B Bogies
We have a number for sale. They can be purchased restored or as is...all with bearings.
Breaking news....
Rail from Port Shepstone
Update
A second load of turnouts have arrived from Port Shepstone.
Those who attended Kalahari sunrise will have seen gaps in our line due to lack of suitable turnouts.
As a result of protracted negotiations with Transnet we were able to purchase 15 sets of high quality original SAR points, both left and right from the now mostly demolished Port Shepstone yard. This was the original home of the Alfred County Railway.
Our pictures show the shipment being offloaded on the farm.
Last of the NG Tankers Arrive
The last of the NG tankers arrives on the farm... a sorry sight but it will eventually emerge in all its glory.
Arn Jung Loco No. 847.
Our Bloemfontein works has worked up a head of steam. Daily progress is now tangible…
Our photo shows fabricated chimney and dome casing fitted.
Enthusiasm
One of our loyal supporters, John Talbot from the UK, has sent us this philosophical comment.
Thanks John, it is comments like this that make us even more enthusiastic about what we do.
Click here to see the full size image (JPEG 623 KB)
A working day at Sandstone 11/6/2012
A working day at Sandstone 11/6/2012
Agriculture and Steam...
Bloemfontein Report Avonside No. 1624.
Update - October 2012
Our Bloemfontein Workshops report that they continue to make steady progress. The frames have now been assembled after having been straightened and repaired. Running boards are currently being manufactured and fitted.
ST Wagons Arrive
ST Wagons Arrive
The second load has arrived from Harding.
This comprises a valuable NG Tanker. We have a total of six on the farm. With this good one and a badly rusted example from Port Shepstone we will end up with eight.
One needs to be permanently seconded to NGG11 in Bloemfontein due to its limited water capacity.
We expect to make about six round trips to Port Shepstone Harding line...a round trip distance of about 1400 kms.
The two interesting wagons from Harding have arrived - no 302 and 303. See photos below.
We have received some feedback from our readers:
Dear Sandstone
Attached is the background to the trucks. No 302 and 303. Click here to read this (PDF 93KB)
Incidentally, from conversation with Peter Bagshaw I believe one 4 wheeled tread steered truck may survive, from a derailment at km 104 near Wetherby. In the wilds up there it may well still be in one piece
Regards,
Phil Girdlestone
Hi,
I am not sure if my previous email went through with my text so am trying another way.
This photo of a wagon ST 302 at Harding which I extracted from your recent news on tender winning is very interesting.
The bogie appears to be something else other than the normal friction bearing arch bar or Bettendorf style bogie found on SAR rolling stock. It appears to have a roller bearing and what looks like rubber shear pads similar to that on SAR’s Sheffel radial/self steering axle bogies.
I know ACR had a couple of experimental timber wagons using a radial axle design developed by well known SA railway consulting engineer Murray Frans . The idea being to reduce train drag and hence increase train payloads.
You may well have dropped in your line and caught a very interesting fish indeed. No doubt once the wagon is recovered a better idea will be known.
Regards
Peter Micenko
Thanks for the photos, and a special thanks for saving 302 for posterity. I think Peter Micenko summed it up very nicely when he said “You may well have dropped in your line and caught a very interesting fish indeed.”
By the way, were the stanchions missing, or had they been dismantled for the journey? When I was last in Harding (2007) the stanchions were still intact.
Regards
Peter Bagshawe