Sandstone Heritage Trust – Rail News
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Ex Companhia do Assucar de Angola Orenstein & Koppel (O&K) 0-6-0T
Ex Companhia do Assucar de Angola Orenstein & Koppel (O&K) 0-4-0T
(500mm gauge)
Updated – 15th May 2006
These four locomotives form the final part of those discovered in Angola during the Sandstone visit of 2003 that have been shipped to South Africa. Serving the once thriving sugar industry of the Portuguese colony where the gauge was generally 600mm, the Estate in Caixito (formerly Tentativa) was built to 500mm so these locos are not compatible with the Sandstone system. However many of these small tank units were built to a variety of gauges and have their wheels keyed to the driving axles and can be easily converted to 600mm. As with the other locos from Angola they were found in very poor and run down condition. Research from the O&K records indicates that the following 500mm units were delivered to Companhia do Assucar in Angola:
O&K 11112/1925 30hp 0-6-0T
shipped September 1925
O&K 12140/1930 30hp 0-6-0T
shipped April 1930
O&K 12493/1934 30hp 0-6-0T
shipped April 1934
O&K 12536/1934 10hp 0-4-0T
shipped August1934
Photographs exist of an 0-4-0T number 3 and an 0-6-0T number 5 in service in 1969, number 3 is believed to be 12536 and number 5, 11112, but further research is required to establish their true identities. The three 0-6-0Ts are currently in storage at Hoekfontein while number 12536, the 0-4-0T is under restoration at Stevens Mechanical Engineering in Kwa Zulu Natal.
The O&K’s on either side of “Gazengo”
