Morning steam at Sandstone

Our last day of the tour brought us back to Sandstone for a few hours of rail photography, finishing up at around 9.30am. The temperatures were considerably chillier by this point. It was -6 in Ficksburg and probably a good deal colder at Sandstone with frosty fields greeting us as we headed out into the fields to find a spot for the silhouette.

The final run of the day with Sekonyela in the background

The team at sandstone had very generously brought another loco into steam to help make up for the disappointment of yesterday’s failed loco, so we began the morning with NG15 2-8-2 no. 17 (Henschel, 1931) known as a “Kalahari” on another run around the loop and ended the morning with NGG16 2-6-2+2-6-2 no. 113 (Beyer Peacock, 1939) at Vailima, the current end of the line (an extension to Sekonyela is planned). It was a short but lovely spell of photography, wrapping up a very enjoyable couple of days at Sandstone.

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Narrow gauge steam at Sandstone

An early morning bus pick up from our accommodation in Ficksburg delivered us to Sandstone in good time for the sunrise. It was a good day to be out photographing steam with beautifully clear skies and a chill in the air. As is often the case on these trips everyone was happy to see photography prioritised over food, so breakfast would be served up after the photography was complete.

NGG 13 no. 49 passes the stunning scenery around Sandstone

Our loco for the morning would be ex South African Railways loco NGG 13 2-6-2+2-6-2 no. 49 (manufactured by Hanomag, 1928) which originally saw service on the narrow gauge lines in Natal. It spent 10 years derelict at the back of Springs loco depot before being recovered and restored by Sandstone. It most recently returned to service in April 2019 after a boiler retube.

The photography started with silhouette and glint shots as the sun rose, before finally finishing up around 10:45 with some shots with oxen as our train returned from the loop (the closest point to Lesotho, with a view of the market town of Hlotse). To accompany our train we saw a small demonstration of the variety of machinery at Sandstone with a historic bus and tractor out on the roads.

In the afternoon we returned with NGG 16A 2-6-2+2-6-2 no. 155 (manufactured by Hunslet Taylor in 1968) which saw some interesting modifications in March 1990 following the work of Porta and Wardale to improve efficiency. Unfortunately our run of bad luck on this trip caught up with us after just two runpasts when the loco broke down (apparently a piston rod had gone through the cylinder).

NGG 16A no. 155 awaits rescue after breaking down

Ex South African Railways diesel 91-010 (General Electric, 1973) hauled the train back to the depot. In an effort to rescue something from the day 91-010 took over the train and gave us a few shots on the line beyond the main compound as the sun set. It may not have been quite the end to the day that we expected but we took what we could get before walking back to Hoekfontein station and the main complex.

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Spectacular Sandstone

Our travels have brought us to the remarkable operation of the Sandstone Heritage Trust in Ficksburg, on a stretch of land right on the border with Lesotho (so close that we could see into the landlocked country from our high vantage point and mobile providers were busy sending us “Welcome to Lesotho” text messages) that has been farmed by just two families over the past 180 years. However it is much more than a farm…

Sandstone at twilight

On the 7,000 hectare site a collection of hundreds of machines have been brought together over the past 30 years, with a 28km 2ft6 gauge line at its heart and a fleet of over 40 narrow gauge locomotives rescued and restored from across the continent. On top of this there are literally hundreds of military vehicles, tanks, tractors, lorries, buses, cars and 3ft6 locomotives. The emphasis in the collection is on maintaining vehicles in working order (for example, 70% of the tractors in the collection are in working order). Oh and for good measure, they are a centre of excellence in the preservation of ox wagons with oxen. Mind completely boggled.

After arriving at Ficksburg last night we were served up a welcome dinner (eating in a marvellous dining car next to the main hall) that began with an incredibly flavoursome soup made entirely from beans grown on site. Somehow all of this incredible preservation effort takes place alongside a substantial commercial agricultural operation! Our guide told us they grew 3,500 hectares of crops this year. Seriously impressive.

A guided tour of the site this morning gave us a glimpse of the extraordinary range of the collections, from a Porsche tractor to a vehicle used to haul ammunition to the front in the Boer war. There was too much to really take in on a leisurely wander, but this little dip into the collection was absolutely fascinating.

Among the military exhibits (all in working order) were Russian vehicles captured in Angola and an Okapi armoured command post vehicle (1996) built for used in a forward battlefield area, with all the equipment needed for modern electronic warfare. Only 10 Okapi were ever built and proved not to be economical, so the museum was offered one by the army. Apparently it still runs like a dream, but all the electronics have been taken out.

I didn’t really appreciate how special Sandstone was before I arrived, but having now understood the scale of operations it’s hard to imagine there is anywhere else in the world quite like this.

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