ST Wagons Arrive
The second load has arrived from Harding.
This comprises a valuable NG Tanker. We have a total of six on the farm. With this good one and a badly rusted example from Port Shepstone we will end up with eight.
One needs to be permanently seconded to NGG11 in Bloemfontein due to its limited water capacity.
We expect to make about six round trips to Port Shepstone Harding line…a round trip distance of about 1400 kms.
The two interesting wagons from Harding have arrived – no 302 and 303. See photos below.
We have received some feedback from our readers:
Dear Sandstone
Attached is the background to the trucks. No 302 and 303. Click here to read this (PDF 93KB)
Incidentally, from conversation with Peter Bagshaw I believe one 4 wheeled tread steered truck may survive, from a derailment at km 104 near Wetherby. In the wilds up there it may well still be in one piece
Regards,
Phil Girdlestone
Hi,
I am not sure if my previous email went through with my text so am trying another way.
This photo of a wagon ST 302 at Harding which I extracted from your recent news on tender winning is very interesting.
The bogie appears to be something else other than the normal friction bearing arch bar or Bettendorf style bogie found on SAR rolling stock. It appears to have a roller bearing and what looks like rubber shear pads similar to that on SAR’s Sheffel radial/self steering axle bogies.
I know ACR had a couple of experimental timber wagons using a radial axle design developed by well known SA railway consulting engineer Murray Frans . The idea being to reduce train drag and hence increase train payloads.
You may well have dropped in your line and caught a very interesting fish indeed. No doubt once the wagon is recovered a better idea will be known.
Regards
Peter Micenko
Thanks for the photos, and a special thanks for saving 302 for posterity. I think Peter Micenko summed it up very nicely when he said “You may well have dropped in your line and caught a very interesting fish indeed.”
By the way, were the stanchions missing, or had they been dismantled for the journey? When I was last in Harding (2007) the stanchions were still intact.
Regards
Peter Bagshawe
