Lukas Nel and the Bloemfontein team have begun removing the tubes from NGG16 113. Our pictures show the superheater header at the start of the operation at the smokebox end and then the process to the remove the old tubes by grinding off the ends at the firebox end. Our last picture shows the section of the small tube which caused the failure in April 2017.
The transport of live cattle by rail has long faded into history on the South African rail system and particularly on the narrow gauge. The South African 2ft narrow gauge system itself met its demise long ago but thanks to the efforts of Sandstone a large number of rolling stock types have been saved for preservation. A comprehensive survey by Sandstone in May 2016 identified every remaining wagon along the line from Port Elizabeth docks to Avontuur. Each wagon was photographed and the images are now in the Sandstone archives. Two G type cattle wagons were identified, namely G 210 at Assegaaibos in the Langkloof and G 246 at Saint Albans on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth. Both are of the type G-3. 210 was built in 1940 and 246 in 1937. Number 210 was still stabled at the old cattle loading dock at Assegaaibos waiting for a cargo that would never come again whilst 246, as the photograph shows, was basically reduced to a frame on wheels in a lonely siding. Both units have now been collected by Sandstone and transported to the Eastern Free State for preservation.
NGG16 number 113, built by Beyer Peacock in 1939, has been moved to Sandstone’s Bloemfontein Workshops for re tubing. The locomotive was acquired from the Midmar project in 1998 but did not enter traffic at Sandstone until February15th 2003 after a full overhaul in the Hoekfontein Workshops. The locomotive was withdrawn from traffic in April 2017. Our pictures from Lukas Nel show 113 after delivery to Bloemfontein and alongside NG10 number 61.Work on the NG10 will continue alongside the repairs to 113.
One of Sandstone’s most enthusiastic supporters is the Model A Club who have attended a number of our Stars events. Here is their latest newsletter.
The latest steam report from Gert Jubileus and his team at Sandstone is now available. Click here view
Sandstone wins the prestigious ROCCI/FNB Tourism Award for the second year running.
Sandstone Estates the 2016 ROCCI/FNB Gold Winner Award for Tourism followed up with a second Gold Award 2017 for Tourism Business of the Year 2017 at a lavish function held at the Silverstar Casino held on Saturday 18 November 2017.
ROCCI and FNB also celebrated their 10th anniversary as co-hosts of the prestigious Business of the Year Awards. ROCCI is one of South Africa’s biggest Chamber of Commerce and was the runner up in the SBi Business Chamber of the Year Awards in 2017 in the Diamond Category.
There were over 500 nominations for the ROCCI/FNB 2017 Business of the Year Awards in various categories with 121 organisations and companies making it through to the final round.
Sandstone is proud to not only have been nominated again but is especially proud to have won the Gold Winner award for a second year running. Sandstone thanks ROCCI/FNB and the judges for recognising Sandstone for what it has achieved in the Tourism sector in South Africa.
Click below to see PDFs:
ROCCI - Business of the Year Awards
NG15 number 17 is ready for action over the next two days with The Cherry Express in conjunction with the Cherry Festival in Ficksburg. No 17 has undergone extensive repairs to its spring gear and is seen carrying the new "Cherry Express" headboard prior to its first run on Friday morning.
Keith Stevens has sent us a gallery of the recent work on the NG10 boiler which is now almost complete.
The firebox under construction and almost complete