IN November 2023, Kloof resident Mike Walker and his wife Chantal visited the annual cherry-picking festival in Clarens, not knowing that he would stumble upon a forgotten treasure.

After a cherry liqueur tasting at Charlie’s Farm in Ficksburg, Walker wandered over to a farm shed filled with old agricultural equipment and among the rusted relics stood a Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies portable steam engine.

This forgotten treasure captivated Walker who immediately began negotiating, first with Charlie’s wife, and later with Charlie himself. Within a week, the deal was sealed, and Mike became the proud new owner of the weathered machine.

The following weekend, Mike and his two sons, Chris and Justin, returned to collect the engine.

Walker said the identification plate revealed that it had first been pressure-tested in 1913.

Ox wagon transport

“It was likely imported into South Africa in the late 1800s; it may have arrived at the Durban harbour by sailing ship before being hauled inland by ox wagon to the Ficksburg region. Heavy wear on the wheels and steering shaft suggested it had travelled many hard miles.”

Once safely back in Westmead, Walker began an extensive research process and soon launched into a full restoration. Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies portable steam engines were originally designed to replace horses and oxen on farms.

They were hauled from site to site to power various operations and moved between farms by contractors, adapting to the seasonal demands of agriculture.

“To restore this treasure, the machine was completely stripped down, every nut, bolt and removable component.

Walker said all parts were sandblasted, coated with a specialised ship-grade primer, and reassembled.

“The crankshaft was reground. The severely rust-pitted bore was re-bored, a new piston and rings were manufactured to suit the enlarged 10 hp bore. Most brass fittings were repaired or re-machined by myself at home.

“A new chimney was rolled to original specifications at Walker Machine Tools. The front smoker box, badly corroded, was rebuilt. The entire engine was repainted in its original vibrant green and red colour scheme,” said Walker.

Next came the critical pressure testing. Walker water-tested the boiler to just over three bar, then successfully ran the engine on compressed air at 1.6 bar. In normal operation, the engine runs at roughly half a bar of steam pressure.

Recently, Walker Machine Tools held an open-house machine show, and Walker took the opportunity to fire up the restored engine for visitors. On October 17, for the first time in 62 years, flames were lit in its firebox and the Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies ran once again, powered by steam.

All that remained was to give the machine a name. “Traditionally, steam engines are christened with women’s names. We chose to honour my beloved mother. And so the beautifully restored engine became Joan.”
Joan is on display at Walker Machines, 3 Brand Road, Pinetown/Westmead.

@caxtonlocalmedia Recently, Walker Machine Tools held an open-house machine show, and Mike Walker took the opportunity to fire up the restored engine for visitors. On October 17, for the first time in 62 years, flames were lit in its firebox and the Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies ran once again, powered by steam. #highwaymail #caxtondurban #steamtrain ♬ original sound – caxtonlocalmedia

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