Wednesday 26 May Sandstone Estates Day 3

Another early start today saw in the morning the use of a pair of ‘Lawley’ 4-4-0 locomotives, which had been built in the 1890s for the Beira Railway and improbably have survived to the present day. Their use in Portuguese East Africa (now Mozambique) was only short but some later found use on the South African Railways as Class NG6 and then industrial service.

Their classic lines make them a favourite. 

 A runpast with a team of oxen was one feature of the morning that required careful synchronisation.

In the afternoon, a contrasting locomotive was the NG15. This class was known as the ‘Kalaharis’ as they were first developed for use on narrow gauge lines in South West Africa (now Namibia). These are the giants of 2ft gauge conventional locomotives and were fitted with enormous tenders to allow them to travel the long distances between water supplies.