sandstone nl 14 build - vdmt

International Stars of Sandstone 2019 News: page 1

https://bit.ly/2uQkdOU

Dateline March 2019No.14

EVENT DATES: 4 — 14 APRIL 2019www.starsofsandstone.com

The Sandstone 2ft Narrow Gauge Railway | Bloemfontein Steam Workshop | Aviation | Military Matters | Classic Vehicles

Vintage Tractors | Preservation | Main Workshops | Modern Farming | Livestock | Environment | Stars 2019 event information

This will be the final newsletter before Stars 2019 kicks off The NG10 has arrived from Bloemfontein on schedule. The on Thursday, 4 April 2019 ... in less than two weeks. A weather has been kind to us, although the drought set our cosmos comprehensive guide to what visitors can expect will be back by a few weeks. We are optimistic that some of the fields forwarded to all those who have registered and have will be flowering either at the beginning or during the show. confirmed that they will be attending.

Such matters are out of our hands, but rest assured the Eastern If you are still considering registering and would like a copy Free State looks pristine after good rains recently.of the detailed programme, please feel free to e-mail Dave

We have visitors who have registered from around the world. I Richardson at E: for a copy. A know that our South African visitors will join us in wishing them comprehensive guide and detailed programme is also a happy and exciting trip to our country. We look forward to available on our website: welcoming you all to Stars 2019.

[email protected]

https://bit.ly/2D3v64w

Double-heading in the evening twilight, photo by David Benn

TH E S A N D S TO N E RA ILWAY: 2 f t N A RRO W G A U G E N EWS

THE NG 10 STORY CONTINUES

Thursday, 14 March was a very exciting day for everyone at the Sandstone Heritage Trust.

Our NG10 departed from the Bloemfontein Works where it had been for over 3 years, and arrived at Sandstone Estates that evening.

A very special thank you and heaps of congratulations to Lukas and Anna Nel and their team for carrying out such a magnificent restoration on a 104 year old American-built Baldwin locomotive, whose future looked very questionable.

THE NG 10 STORY: PART 3

With just a year to go to the Stars of Sandstone 2019 event, the boiler was re- united with the frames. With no fittings at all, the quest began to bring together all the missing pieces.

A new blast pipe and chimney was fabricated and fitted, while the valve gear was given its initial settings. Work was also started on an entirely new cab as the original had simply rusted away. The myriad of piping and brass fittings was slowly being sourced from all over South Africa and the locomotive was beginning to take shape.

A further examination of the tender frame revealed that not much could be saved and an almost entirely new frame was manufactured. The new tender tank (2017), cab floor, running plates and new authentic tool boxes were fitted. These plates are unusual for a South African locomotive, being mounted on the boiler and not the frames.

By July of 2018, the cab was complete and the windows were ready for fitment. From then on, it seemed that progress had slowed as each task, given the amount of engineering and machining involved, seemed to take ages. Inside the cab a new regulator assembly of the USA push/pull type had been fabricated and fitted and the cab fittings sourced from all over the place were being mounted.

The original November 2018 target date for the first steam test began looking a little optimistic, as many small manufactured items were rejected on quality grounds, and some other items had still not been sourced. Lukas Nel and his team were beginning to feel the pressure!

Nevertheless, everything did come together just prior to Christmas, and after some long nights and weekends during January and February 2019, the steam test was finally undertaken, with No. 61 passing with flying colours except for a few minor steam leaks.

We have mentioned before that Lukas Nel described this as the most difficult repair of any locomotive he had undertaken, and it is hard to put into words the stress and effort involved; but seeing No. 61 in steam at Stars of Sandstone 2019 will make it all worthwhile.


The NG 10 being tied down prior to departure from Bloemfontein

Inside the NG 10's cab

The tender has also arrived safely in the Eastern Free State


1915 Baldwin NG10 Pacific No. 61 Steam Test March 2019 at Sandstone Estates

Just wonderful to see her on the moveafter three years in the workshop and decades out of the public eye!

The NG 10 Baldwin Works image received from Leith Paxton


THIRD CLASS 91 DIESEL LOCO

Sandstone has acquired 91-019, the penultimate member of its class, from Port Elizabeth.

91-019 is believed to be the last unit given an overhaul by Transnet. After almost nine years out of use, the unit looks a bit shabby.

An initial examination has shown that the loco has a good engine and excellent wheels and bogies. A number of cab fittings are missing, together with some electrical components but these will be retrieved from 91-016 acquired from Grindrod in 3'6” gauge some time ago.

Hansie Claasen’s photo shows the complex loading procedure at Humewood Road on to the transport lowbed using two cranes.

WHY TWO RAILWAYS?

People often ask us why Sandstone has two railways, i.e. the Main Line and Seb's Railway.

There is a huge diversity of Narrow Gauge locomotives at the Sandstone Heritage Trust.

It is not practical to run 40 to 60 ton locomotives on the same line as tiny little engines such as Little Bess, and so for the small engines, we built a separate railway line — Seb’s Railway.

Little Bess was born a construction locomotive, and remains a construction locomotive. Below, she is hauling coco pans to carry out improvements to the dam wall over which Seb's line traverses.

Tipping soil off the dam wall using the coco pans is the most practical and cost-effective way of doing this job. It is also the safest.

The big 91-Class locomotive dates back to the 1970s and weighs in at about 45t. And next to it, the diminutive Kerr Stuart locomotive, Little Bess, dating back to 1910. Ironically, both were from Port Elizabeth. The 91-Class locos provided outstanding service on the Port Elizabeth to Avontuur line up until recently, while Little Bess worked for the Sundays River Irrigation Board from 1920 onward


TH E S A N D S TO N E RA I LWAY: BLO EM F O N TEIN S TEA M WO RK S H O P

1. NGG 16 number 113. Feb 2003 13. NGG16 number 88. Feb 20102. NG 15 number 17. July 2003 14. Class 19D number 2654.March

20103. NGG13 number 49. Nov 200415. O&K number 12493. (Exported 4. Decauville number 302. March

to Germany, 500mm gauge) 2005March 20115. Kerr Stuart Little Bess number

16. O&K number 10311. April 20114031. June 200517. Miss Brakpan number 626. Sept 6. NGG 11 number 55. (Paton’s

2011Country Railway) Aug 200518. Arn Jung 847. Feb 20137. Feldbahn number 13779. March

2006 19. Avonside 1624. March 20148. Peckett number 2161. August 20. O&K 12691. Feb 2015

2006 21. O&K 11112. Feb 20169. NG 4 number 16. Feb 2007 22. O&K 12140. Feb 201610. Kerr Stuart number 4063.Feb 23. NGG11 number 52. January

2008 201711. O&K number 2510. Feb 2008 24. NG10 number 61. Completed 12. Lawley number 97. April 2008 March 2019.

.Sandstone bids a sad farewell to Lukas Nel and his team at our Bloemfontein Workshops

Sandstone’s Bloemfontein Workshops have been in operation since February 2002. Over the years, a total of 24 locomotives have been rebuilt — all but three of which, were destined for the Sandstone Heritage Trust Railway in the Eastern Free State. The exceptions are an NGG11 built for the Paton’s Country Railway in Ixopo, an O&K of 500mm gauge for a German Museum, and the 3'6” gauge 19D.

Located in the old Steam Running Sheds in Bloemfontein, the Workshops were ideally suited for the purpose. Lukas Nel had in fact carried out his apprenticeship and had trained and operated as a highly skilled steam fitter for many years in the very same facility. We were lucky to have inherited both the man and the operating environment.

Of course, over the years he was supported by a very able team of hardworking men, both skilled and unskilled.

Most things in life eventually come to an end, and late last year, Lukas announced he would be retiring at the end of March 2019. He promised to complete the NG10, which we believe to be his ultimate masterpiece. The NG10 will be a feature locomotive at Stars 2019.

We did evaluate the merit of continuing to retain the facility as a working engineering facility but the rotational electricity loadshedding make it very uneconomical. Our larger 3'6" Cape Gauge locomotives will therefore only be stored there.

We wish to pay a special tribute to Lukas Nel and his wife, Anna, who have produced the most superb restorations over the last 20 years. They have truly left behind a legacy in the Railway Preservation world, which will be difficult to emulate.

For specialists who would like detail regarding our Collection, we have two lists on our website.

Firstly, our complete list of locomotives and rolling stock – see:

Secondly, our list of Heritage Military Vehicles – see:

https://bit.ly/2JyojoC

https://bit.ly/2JnOoH9

SANDSTONE STOCKLISTS

Samil 100 Gun Tractor

Locos restored by Lukas Nel and team as at March 2019:

NGG11 No. 52 which was completed for Stars 2017 - photo by Robin Patrick


Railway Operations: The Fat Controller

The Reverend W. Awdry introduced generations of children to the joy of railways through his series of railway books, in particular Thomas the Tank Engine.

As the years passed many still remember The Fat Controller and he will be at Sandstone in 2019 in the slightly slimmer shape of Peter Mole. Previous visitors to Stars events will recall Peter as our Station Master at Hoekfontein.

Peter is a retired Maritime Navigator from the UK and will be using his skills from that arena as part of the Stargazer Express team, while managing the day-to-day running operations of the Sandstone Steam Railway.

The Railway Safety Regulator

At the heart of Stars of Sandstone is our 2ft Narrow Gauge Railway system and, at the heart of that, the document that allows it to operate — our Safety Permit from the South African Railway Safety Regulator.

The submission for this document is now a very complex operation that requires multiple inputs from the staff at Sandstone over a three month period. Awarded on an annual basis, it is not just a given that you will receive your permit, as the rules and regulations have been expanded over the years.

H o w e v e r, S a n d s t o n e ' s c o n s t a n t commitment to safety has ensured that we have received our permit for 2018/2019. What's more, the permit has no conditions attached for rectification of any issues. So when you ride our trains, remember the effort required for them to be allowed to run, never mind the operating procedures themselves! That is another story.

Railway Safety

While we have received our 2018/2019 Safety Permit from the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR), the RSR regulations require passengers at Stations to embark and disembark only from the designated platforms.

This applies to our station at Hoekfontein and passengers are urged to respect this regulation for their own safety. A full Safety Brief will be featured in the Official Programme, as well as being displayed at the Station and in the coaches. This regulation is for your own safety; please obey the instructions of the Station Marshalls in this regard.

Live steam railway locomotives and steam road engines are in operation on this site. Please be aware of moving parts and hot surfaces.

SAFETY FIRST!ALL RAIL ACTIVITIES ARE DANGEROUS!

BEWARE OF

MOVING

TRAINS

FOOTPLATE RIDES NO LONGER PERMITTED

Over many events at Sandstone over the years, guests have been able to enjoy footplate rides on our locomotives.

Unfortunately, a recent directive from the South African Railway Safety Regulator does not permit anyone but certified footplate staff to be on the footplate of a locomotive, and so we will be unable to offer this experience at Stars of Sandstone 2019.

Stop Press: We have just received no t i f i ca t ion o f some new regulations which will be very difficult for any Heritage Railway operator to comply with in future.

A photo of Station Master Peter Mole by Keith Wetmore

With Stars of Sandstone just two weeks away, we are busy with final preparations.

The aircraft you can expect to see, amongst others, are Harvards, Tiger Moths, Chipmunks, as well as a Waco and Stearman. The Allouette Mk II will be representing the Rotor wing section. Various other types are expected to visit during the event.

They will all be available for photographic opportunities both on the ground and in the air.

The miltary vehicles on show at the Airfield will be a Jeep CJ2 – SAAF Colour Scheme, Series 2 Land Rover – RAF colours and the newly restored Daimler Ferret.

The pilots and ground crew look forward to a fun-filled week of flying — so much so, that two of the pilots have taken leave from their jobs at Emirates Airline to be at Stars.

All visitors are welcome to visit us at the Sandstone Airfield to chat to the pilots and ground crew about flying and the aircraft on display.

A Hot Air Balloon will also be joining us from 4 to 8 April — contact Alan Turner on +27(0)83 555 2098 directly if you are interested in a dawn experience.

AV I ATI O N M ATTERS

M ILI TA RY M ATTERS


Stearman and Waco awaiting their turn

The Daimler-Ferret

LATEST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY RESTORATION PROJECT

Fourteen years ago we located an ex-Military Oshkosh Tank Transporter mechanical horse in a scrap yard in Isando, Johannesburg.

The engine was in poor condition and has since been replaced with a fully overhauled and slightly upgraded engine.

As a result of our affiliation with the South African Armour Museum in Bloemfontein, we were able to acquire exactly the correct 4-axle trailer that would originally have worked with the Oshkosh prime movers in the post-World War Two period. Our research indicates that these rigs would have transported Sherman tanks which were used at the time.

In the hours before the publication of this Newsletter, we were able to assemble all three items and have a perfect representation of how tanks were moved around SA in the 1950s.

Our thanks to all those who contributed towards the successful outcome of this project.

One of the characteristics of Sandstone Estates is our ability to use Heritage items for practical day-to-day purposes. This Duiker Military refuelling tanker has been fitted with a pump and gauge to meter diesel. This is ideal for refuelling farm machinery in the field.


CLA S S I C V EH I CLES

We have an informal gathering of about a dozen Land Rovers arriving for Stars.

Most of them are the old Series One Land Rovers, but they are wonderful vehicles and provide a great atmosphere. They will be very much at home on the dirt roads at Sandstone Estates, travelling alongside the railway and generally going about their business.

Visitors may feel free to hitchhike a ride on any of these Land Rovers, providing the driver is prepared to accommodate them.

Our 1951 Series One has had a long and interesting life, these days less gruelling! Pictured here being used as the Manager's farm transport during the bean harvest in 2018.

Infinitely attractive, solidly reliable and totally versatile.

We also have a Land Rover Series One Station Wagon, of which not too many were made.

1933 Morris 10/4 Restoration Project

Tom Kirkland has worked hard over the last two years on the restoration of the 1933 Morris 10 which has now reached completion.

Time constraints have prevented Tom from fitting the new interior trim and respraying the car, but this will be done after the event.

The trusty one-owner since new, 25000 mile car will be at Stars of Sandstone 2019 with its original paint and trim — a Star in its own right.

Feel free to flag down Tom and hitch a ride in this splendid example of 1930's motoring.

Awaiting its final tune up, the 1933 Morris 10

Sands tone has a wide var ie ty of Transportation machinery. One of these is an Australian made Kenworth T900 built in 1990. This is a classic Road Train prime mover, shown here with a 70s-era Caterpillar D7 model 3406 dozer on board. In its natural habitat, it would normally pull three such trailers with a 100 ton payload.

Because the South African road freight regulations do not permit loads of that size, our sturdy Kenworth is never overworked. That’s why she looks so good for her 29 years.

P O S S IBLE P RES ERVATIO N P RO J ECTS

V IN TA G E TRA CTO RS


For every item that is restored at the Sandstone Heritage Trust, we have two items in storage that are not restored.

An interesting example of this is the German-made Karl Ritscher tractor built in 1949, which is certainly restorable, although we have not got a plan to do it yet.

It has an MTV engine. It is a small solid single cylinder tractor, quite reminiscent of the design of tractors during that era, eg the Lanz tractors. If anyone has a query regarding a particular tractor or model, please contact Chris Wilson on C: 084 556 1117 and he will show you around.

We discourage people trampling through our many buildings with tractors stored, simply due to the fact that our affinity to nature causes us not to discourage Puff Adders and other snakes from living therein. Bees are also an issue.

Chris Wilson and his team of volunteers will be busy throughout the Stars event demonstrating tractors, ploughing, towing implements and hauling trailers.

Visitors can feel entirely free to stop them and talk to them at any time. A special thanks to Chris Wilson and Basil Gilfillan for the amount of work they have put in preparing a fascinating display of some of the rarest tractors in our collection.

That’s Basil on a sturdy old red Hanomag, and Chris on the Titan.

Visitors will see a lifetime’s worth of tractors at Stars this year.


We have made a special effort to get as many Caterpillar machines operating for Stars 2019. As an example, (on the left) the rare Caterpillar R2 dating back to 1939 is now running well — which was never even started since it came to the farm 20 years ago.

Have a look around. We have many different buildings and we often find that visitors have not explored all of them. Many contain large numbers of unrestored items, some of which look a bit sad, but that is the way we typically find them. Also, our sheds contain many mysteries, and we will allow visitors to work out what this type of rusty old vehicle is.

A true test of the durability of machinery has got to be the fact that 50 years after its manufacture it still delivers a full day's performance. These Mercedes trucks are indestructible.

M A I N WO RK S H O P S

Our Main Workshop is very important to the farm and the people who work there are equally important.

We have had great success in recent years in providing hands-on experience to local residents, many of whom were born on the farm.The younger generation of Africans are very quick to learn. Both Lucky and Edward are both very competent and will undoubtedly become fully trained mechanics in due course.

The green Combine Harvester is next in line for routine service by the Main Workshop.

Most visitors to Sandstone delight in the visual surprises to be found almost everywhere; there will be many interesting old vehicles that will be waiting on corners, in fields and at the level crossings - to set the scene and be photographed.

The 50 year old yellow Unimog Fire Fighting unit from Germany, and the small 1920 Chevrolet Fire Engine, ex Kroonstad Fire Department always catch the eye.

Lehlohonolo (Lucky) Khabele and Diau Edward Thobisi

M O D ERN FA RM I N G — IN F O RM ATI V E TO U RS


The core business of Sandstone Estates — the venue for the Stars of Sandstone 2019 — is farming, which makes a huge contribution to maintain all aspects of the Sandstone Heritage Collection.

Farming does not stop during the event and in 2019 we shall be offering Modern Farming Tours on selected days to showcase all aspects of this business. Visitors will be able to visit the lands and be briefed on the very scientific farming methods used, as well as the workshops to be shown the high technology machinery used at Sandstone alongside older vehicles in the collection that still do a day's work.

The groups will be limited in size and bookings may be made at the Visitor Reception Centre.

The final programme for the event will be available on the website soon, which will give the days and times of these Tours.

NATURE'S SURPRISE

This would have been a surviving sunflower seed from the previous harvest. However, upon germination it decided it did not want to be an ordinary sunflower with a single flower, it decided to variegate itself — and when we last counted, it had 74 flowers on it.

Most modern farm seeds are bred specifically to achieve an objective, eg highest yield relative to plant size etc. This is a good example as to how nature fights back and returns the plant to something that probably looked a lot like its original ancestors.

And just look at that magnificent sky!

The Blue Train will be arriving and departing on the line that runs from Bloemfontein to Bethlehem, which was a very busy and very scenic line for many years.

It has been downgraded to a Branch line, with no passenger traffic, except of course, the Blue Train which is making an exceptional trip to the Eastern Free State for the start of Stars of Sandstone 2019.

EA S TERN F REE S TATE LI N E — BETH LEH EM TO BLO EM F O N TEI N

Garratt Bucher from Texas, USA sent us this picture which was taken by his father in December 1980. It shows the big Bloemfontein to Bethlehem

passenger train passing through Sandstone Estates, hauled by a classic 25NC


EN V I RO N M EN T

LIV ES TO CK

The first visitors to Stars 2019 will see a number of our Damara-cros sheep grazing on

the polo field in the centre of our complex.

No newsletter from Sandstone Estates would be completed without us mentioning the environment.

We work very hard to understand what nature's requirements are and to abide by the rules of nature. One of the ways that we are trying to make a contribution, is to be extremely suspicious of all suggested chemical applications. There is no question that global use of pesticides and herbicides has had a devastating effect on the quality of our soils, which are in many cases permanently degraded. SA does not have a great track record in this regard, as summarised very eloquently below by Kevin Bloom, an award-winning South African journalist:

“Meanwhile, in South Africa, we continue to pretend that climate change doesn't exist, that somehow “development” is more important than the rate at which we're heating up, that if we burn all the coal and drill all the oil we'll get in under the wire while other nations (rich nations) sort the environment out.But that's unlikely to happen, simply because the environment doesn't care — rich or poor, capitalist or socialist, we're all on the same clock.”

Above: 400 hectares around our main complex have been declared "Biological" where

zero Chemical use is enforced and Conservation Tillage

practiced. The photo shows part of this area. Oats is

planted to the right.

Left: Due to the strength of the organic movement in Europe,

signs like this are not uncommon

We in-span oxen almost every day but the young ones can be very obstinate. There is a special technique involved in getting them accustomed to the yokes.

While the herd gets on happily, it is easy to see from the way the isolated Afrikaner cow is looking at the camera, that it could almost be related to the African Buffalo that adopts exactly the same stance when observing someone

www.starsofsandstone.com

THE SANDSTONE TEAM Gert Jubileus

Raymond Hohls

Chris Wilson

Louise Norton

Leigh Sanders / Alina Halafu T: +27(0)51 933 2235

Dave Richardson |

Claire at Eschie Graffix

[email protected]

Please click on the logo to visit theStars of Sandstone website

Event Matters & Newsletter Editor:

Newsletter Production:

Curator, Narrow Gauge Railway:

Curator, Military Collection:

Curator, Agricultural Heritage:

International Enquiries:

South African Enquiries:

From all of us at Stars’19 — that’s all for now!

@SandstoneHerit @SandstoneEstates


Preserving the best of the Past for the Future

[email protected] | T: +27(0)82 811 0254



[email protected] | T: +44(0)1747 820499

[email protected] | [email protected]

J U S T TWO WEEK S TO G O TI L S TA RS O F S A N D S TO N E 201 9

Our short video of what you can do and see at the event in April 2019 should persuade you! Be convinced here:

Gates open at 08h30 on Thursday, 4 April 2019 and we look forward to seeing you!

https://youtu.be/ziGauvrVDIA

N o t y e t b ook ed for S tars o f S a n d s ton e 2 0 1 9 ?

We are obviously concerned about the constant rise in the fuel price. Simple tasks like collecting rubbish can be done just as easily by two

of our trusty Afrikaner oxen

GETTING TO THE EVENT AND ABOUT LOCAL MOBILE NETWORKS

Sandstone Estates has a Vodacom Base Station on the farm with 3G capability. However, it is advisable to turn off your data roaming when you arrive, because sometimes mobile phones prefer to lock onto the Lesotho networks (international rates, even for South Africans).

Do not ever feel lost at Stars of Sandstone 2019 — Marshalls will be walking around in distinctive bright orange/yellow luminous safety vests. Please approach them at any time for assistance.

Our Station Master, Peter Mole, will be on duty in the Hoekfontein Station building most of the time — you will not miss him in his distinctive uniform.

All these people are there to help you, so please do not hesitate to approach them.

The official Stars of Sandstone 2019 Souvenir Programme lists important contact numbers and contains a Site Map of the Main Complex and layout of the Sandstone Railway.

The Visitor Reception Centre will be manned by Leigh Sanders and Alina Halafu throughout the event. They are both extremely experienced and will know how to assist you. Telephone +27 (0)51 933 2235 or alternatively, the mobile number +27 (0)71 658 6970.

FINDING SANDSTONE ESTATES on GPS

BY ROAD: Our GPS co-ordinates are: S28° 50' 41.12” E28° 00' 15.94”We are situated on the R26, just north-east of the town of Ficksburg in the Eastern Free State, South Africa.

FOR LIGHT AIRCRAFT (confirm with Gaving Brown please):Fly in to our 1000m grassed airstrip at S28° 50' 36" E28° 00' 18"

BY COMMERCIAL AIR SERVICE:The nearest International Airport is Johannesburg OR Tambo.The nearest Regional Airport is Bloemfontein and for chartered aircraft, Ficksburg. The coordinates for Ficksburg Airport areS28° 49' 30" E27° 54' 30"

From Johannesburg and the town of Villiers

From Bloemfontein

Ficksburg

LESOTHO

http://www.sandstone-estates.com/index.php/map and includes instructions.

sandstone nl 14 build - vdmt

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