The SteamRanger Heritage Railway is a long broad gauge tourist railway, formerly the
Victor Harbor railway line
The Victor Harbor railway line is a broad gauge line in South Australia. It originally branched from the Adelaide to Melbourne line at Mount Barker Junction then ran south to Victor Harbor. When the mainline was converted to standard gauge ...
of the
South Australian Railways
South Australian Railways (SAR) was the statutory corporation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Austr ...
(SAR). It is operated by the not-for-profit South Australian Division of the
Australian Railway Historical Society
The Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS) aims to foster an interest in the railways, and record and preserve many facets of railway operations. It had divisions in every state and the Australian Capital Territory, although the ACT divis ...
. As the last operating non-suburban line of the former broad-gauge network, on which Australia's first public railway was opened, the line and its associated rail assets have high historical significance.
History
In the 1970s, the South Australian Division of the
Australian Railway Historical Society
The Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS) aims to foster an interest in the railways, and record and preserve many facets of railway operations. It had divisions in every state and the Australian Capital Territory, although the ACT divis ...
established
SteamRanger
The SteamRanger Heritage Railway is a long broad gauge tourist railway, formerly the Victor Harbor railway line, South Australia, Victor Harbor railway line of the South Australian Railways (SAR). It is operated by the not-for-profit South ...
as a not-for-profit railway preservation offshoot to operate its train tours from
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, mainly on rural lines throughout the state's broad gauge networks. SteamRanger opened their first purpose-built depot at
Dry Creek railway station
Dry Creek railway station is located on the Gawler line. Situated in the inner northern Adelaide suburb of Dry Creek, it is from Adelaide station.
History
First opened in 1856, the station was rebuilt in 1982 and a bogie exchange facili ...
, north of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
in 1980. From the mid-1980's, SteamRanger gradually took over the operation & maintenance of the
Victor Harbor railway line
The Victor Harbor railway line is a broad gauge line in South Australia. It originally branched from the Adelaide to Melbourne line at Mount Barker Junction then ran south to Victor Harbor. When the mainline was converted to standard gauge ...
.
When plans were announced for the
Adelaide to Melbourne line to be converted to standard gauge, SteamRanger had to chose between staying a Dry Creek and losing the investment in the Victor Harbor line, or move and become isolated from the suburban railway lines.Since the first choice would break the society's financial viabiity, in a huge project all of SteamRanger's locomotives and rolling stock were moved. A new depot was built at
Mount Barker railway station
Mount Barker railway station is a preserved railway station in South Australia on the broad gauge Victor Harbor line, formerly operated by South Australian Railways and its successor, Australian National. With only broad gauge track running ...
, in the
Adelaide Hills at the northern end of the broad-gauge line to Victor Harbor. As part of the move, the
District Council of Mount Barker
The Mount Barker District Council is a local government area centred on the town of Mount Barker just outside the Adelaide metropolitan area in South Australia.
The council was first established in October 1853. It expanded to four times its o ...
renovated the station building, at the time derelict, to become SteamRanger's headquarters. The conversion of the interstate line was completed in 1995 as part of the
One Nation infrastructure program, and with closures of South Australia's remaining broad-gauge tracks, the line became the last operating memory of locomotive-hauled trains on the state's broad-gauge network.
Operations
![Mtb steamranger 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Mtb_steamranger_1.jpg)
The ''Cockle Train'' operates year-round between
Goolwa and
Victor Harbor. It operates with a steam locomotive in school holidays, and historic diesel locomotives or railcars other weekends.
The ''Southern Encounter'' runs from
Mount Barker to Victor Harbor from May to November on most of the line.
Some other services along the line are:
* ''The Murray River Connector'' (formerly ''The Highlander'') - from Mount Barker to
Strathalbyn and Goolwa. Operates on the second Sunday of each month from May until November.
* ''The Bugle Ranger'' - from Mount Barker to
Bugle Ranges using a
Redhen railcar
The Redhen railcars were a self-propelled diesel railcar built by the South Australian Railways’ Islington Railway Workshops between 1955 and 1971. The class remained in service until 1996 and are a nostalgic part of South Australian culture.
...
set. Services operate on the fourth Sunday each month from June to November.
* ''The StrathLink'' - from Goolwa to
Finniss or Strathalbyn using a restored heritage railcar. Operates during School Holiday periods.
* ''The Hills Encounter'' - from Victor Harbor to Mount Barker.
Other special services operate throughout the year''.''
Fleet
![South Australian Railways 520 class loco at the SteamRanger Museum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/South_Australian_Railways_520_class_loco_at_the_SteamRanger_Museum.jpg)
The SteamRanger fleet was as follows:
;Steam locomotives
*
Rx 207 ''Dean Harvey'' - built in 1913: operational
*
Rx 224 - built in 1915: operational
*
F 251 - built in 1922: stored awaiting overhaul
*
520 ''
Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey'' - built in 1943: under restoration (as funds permit)
*
621
__NOTOC__
Year 621 ( DCXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 621 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...
''The Duke of Edinburgh'' - built in 1936: operational.
;Diesel-electric locomotives
*
SAR diesel shunter 350: operational (for shunting only)
*
SAR diesel shunter 507: operational
*
SAR mainline diesel 704: stored
*
SAR mainline diesel 844: restoration completed; awaiting accreditation
*
SAR mainline diesel 845: under restoration
*
SAR mainline diesel 958: operational
*
SAR mainline diesel 963: stored
;Railcars
*
"Red Hen" railcars 334, 412, 428, 824 (trailer car): operational
*
"Red Hen" railcar 424, 875 (trailer car): under restoration
*
"Red Hen" railcars 364, 405: stored
*
Brill Model 75 railcar 43: under restoration
*
Brill Model 75 railcar 60 (rebuilt from Brill trailer 207): out of service
*
2000 class railcars 2010, 2109: stored
;Carriages
* Wooden "Centenary" cars 52, 54, 56, 60, 61, 62, 66
* Wooden suburban cars 70, 71, 73
* Wooden suburban baggage cars 81, 82, 83
* Wooden 4400 class brake-van 4420
*
Steel 500 class First Class car 503
*
Steel 600 class Second Class car 602
*
Steel 700 class Second Class cars 701, 704, 706, 710
*
ex V&SA Joint Stock Sleeper ''Finniss''
* Steel brake-van CGP2
See also
*
Rail transport in South Australia
The first railway in colonial South Australia was a line from the port of Goolwa on the River Murray to an ocean harbour at Port Elliot, which first operated in December 1853, before its completion in May 1854.
Today the state has broad g ...
*
Railways in Adelaide
The rail network in Adelaide, South Australia, consists of four lines (six including two short spurs) and 89 stations, totalling 132 km. It is operated by Keolis Downer under contract from the Government of South Australia, and is part of ...
*
Victor Harbor railway line
The Victor Harbor railway line is a broad gauge line in South Australia. It originally branched from the Adelaide to Melbourne line at Mount Barker Junction then ran south to Victor Harbor. When the mainline was converted to standard gauge ...
References
http://www.steamrangerheritagerailway.org/events/
http://www.steamrangerheritagerailway.org/volunteering-with-steamranger/520-restoration-appeal/
External links
SteamRanger Heritage Railway website
{{Adelaide Hills, state=collapsed
Fleurieu Peninsula
Heritage railways in Australia
Museums in South Australia
Railway museums in South Australia