Sandstone moves Cape gauge locos to safety
South African heritage collection relocated to main site.
TO ensure future security and enable future restoration and display, the Sandstone Heritage Trust has started to move some of its Cape Gauge (1067mm gauge) steam locomotive collection from Transnet depots around South Africa to the main Sandstone Estates site at Ficksburg in the Eastern Free State province.
In recent years ‘preserved’ locos stored at main line depots have been subject to damage by vandals and metal thieves, some of whom operate as armed gangs!
The first locomotive to move was North British built ex-SAR GMAM Garratt 4-8-2+2-8-4
No. 4114 (27772/1957) on August 19; the move by road was the largest loco ever moved by road in South Africa and thanks to clever logistics planning the 29 metre, 160 ton loco was moved 120 miles in one piece on a 19 axle road trailer.
Since then, other locos have left the Transnet-owned depot at Bloemfontein, including North British (NB) built 24 Class 2-8-4 No. 3688 (NB 26400/1949), 11 Class 2-8-2 No. 929 (NB 16266/1904) and German built 4-8-2 19 Class No. 2654 (Krupp 1834/1939).
Progress
Following movement of the Bloemfontein locos, those at Germiston (near Johannesburg where the now defunct Reefsteamers was based) will be next in line, including North British built Class 25NC No. 3488 (NB 27348/1954) and 15F Class No. 3052 (NB 25591/1946) previously owned by David Shepherd.
These, plus another Garratt GMAM No. 4079 (Beyer Peacock 7677/1954), Cowans Sheldon built steam crane No. 578 and exRhodesia Railways English Electric diesel No. DE2 1207 are likely to move first to Pretoria by rail.
Our thanks to Sandstone
Estates and the UK based North British Locomotive Preservation Group for help with this item.