South Africa’s biennial Stars of Sandstone in the Eastern Free-State is recognised as the world’s most diversified steam and heritage transport festival.
The Stars of Sandstone, set for April 4-14, 2019, will be hosting The Blue Train for an epic two-day stop at the Festival from April 3-6, 2019.
The 3-night, 4-day Blue Train indulgence to Stars of Sandstone 2019 commences with an early morning check in at The Blue Train VIP Lounge at Pretoria Station.
The Stars of Sandstone 2019 is set to be bigger and better than ever. Featuring over 25 operating locomotives traversing Sandstone’s 30km 2ft narrow gauge railway, ranging from the 1895 Lawley used on the Beira Railway to a former South Africa Railway (SAR) Class 91 diesel engine built in the US in 1973, the unique, family-friendly festival will once again attract visitors from across the planet.
Sandstone’s most recently restored locomotive, a 1915 Baldwin US-built former SAR Class NG-10, will be unveiled on 5 April after a recently completed two-year restoration project.
The exhilarating atmosphere and sharing the sheer joy of unforgettable sights, sounds and experiences of vintage cars and aircraft, tractors, steam engines, military vehicles, and the Sandstone team of 24 working Afrikaner oxen pulling Voortrekker wagons, will make for everlasting memories.
Sandstone serves as a location for international cinematographers wishing to capture vintage rail and transportation of yesteryear. Located on a state-of-the-art working farm, the estate and its railway offer spectacular vistas of the majestic Maluti mountains and the sublime natural beauty of this region bordering Lesotho.
The Blue Train has 26 suites, comprising: 23 De Luxe Suites and 3 Luxury Suites, all offering breathtaking views of the diverse South African landscape. Private en-suite bathrooms, butler service and gourmet dining, not to mention sumptuous interiors, make for an idyllic adventure.