This locomotive, which we have discovered was originally called Tamara, is going ahead in leaps and bounds. Because we do not have a complete set of drawings a lot of research on how to construct the individual components is needed. Lukas Nel has applied himself to this and in his own words, “Here is the product. An original cab with original Kerr Stuart windows. The only modern change is the wooden roof to absorb the hot African sun.
These three pictures clearly show Kerr Stuart No. 4063 under reconstruction in the Sandstone Heritage Trust 2-ft Narrow Gauge production line restoration facility in Bloemfontein. We hope that we are not being overly ambitious in claiming that this is the only Darwin Class Kerr Stuart locomotive in the world under reconstruction. If anyone knows of any of these locos in existence we would be interested to hear about them. The Brazil type Kerr Stuarts are similar and we are grateful to the Statfold Barn Railway for providing us with so much technical input on this locomotive because there are close similarities.
The Sandstone Heritage Trust has a policy of using locomotives original names where possible. However, many industrial locomotives did not have names. We are therefore beginning to allocate them.
In a small ceremony last week, Kerr Stuart loco no. 4063 named Tamara, was officially inaugurated by Tamara Mole, daughter of one of the trustees of the Sandstone Heritage Trust. The event was celebrated by a one hour train trip including a number of guests during which champagne was served. The unique colour of this locomotive was chosen by Tamara.
