The Sandstone Chronicles (2007)
SHT 06This DVD explores the history and ongoing work of the Sandstone Heritage Trust, a body dedicated to the preservation of Southern Africa's industrial, agricultural and transport heritage. The DVD consists of 14 separate short titles - lending both breadth and depth to a fascinating subject.
The Sandstone Heritage Trust is the custodian of a world-class private collection of relics, the core of which is to be found on Sandstone Estates, a large commercial farm in South Africa's Eastern Free State. It's not unusual to see the pioneering machines of yesteryear doing useful work around the Estate, because the emphasis here is always on working preservation. And adding to the mix is something even more remarkable - a 2-foot narrow gauge railway worked largely by steam locomotives!
The 30-kilometre railway is also gainfully employed, moving everything from labour to wheat to hay bales around the farm, and, as an added bonus, it provides some spectacular photographic opportunities, with the rugged aesthetics of Africa as its backdrop.
The total Sandstone experience is far more than just the sum of its parts, and this DVD reflects its scope and diversity. You'll witness the making of a railway and its supporting infrastructure; you'll get to know the charming locomotives that work the trains; and you'll follow the search and rescue operations that brought them back from the brink. On a lighter note, you'll marvel at the longest narrow-gauge steam train ever marshalled in South Africa, see how large swathes of Kikuyu grass can be planted "by train", and spend a day at the track side with internationally-renowned wildlife artist and steam lover, David Shepherd. And, after viewing the Sandstone Chronicles, we're sure you'll share his view that endangered heritage - just like endangered wildlife - needs to be preserved.
DURATION 137 min.