Song of the
Rails (2004) SHT 05
Over the past ten years, narrow gauge railway preservation in South Africa has been gaining new ground - 30 kilometres of it to be exact, and in a most remarkable setting.
The Sandstone Narrow Gauge Railway and its extraordinary development are the subject of this DVD - the story of how a two-foot narrow gauge railway came into being on one of South Africa's biggest and most aesthetic commercial farms, Sandstone Estates.
The Estate lies in the Eastern Free State region of South Africa - a highland region bordering on Lesotho, and often called the bread basket of the country.
With the Great Maluti Mountains presiding, and their rugged foothills giving narrow gauge engineering the topography it likes best, the Sandstone Narrow Gauge Railway is Africa's newest and boldest steam preservation project.
In this DVD, we explore the history of the railway and its stable of locomotives; we witness the Sandstone Heritage Trust's drive to locate and give sanctuary to precious railway relics; and we watch the transformation of locomotives from forlorn heaps of scrap into gleaming, fully restored engines that earn their keep on a working commercial farm.
With its combination of spectacular mountain scenery, pristine rural environment and crystal clear skies, the Eastern Free State is understandably a prime photographic destination. "Song of the Rails" shows steam at its exuberant best in this lovely corner of Africa - and helps to explain why people feel the way they do about the Sandstone Narrow Gauge Railway.
DURATION 80 min.