Trains from Mt Barker head north across SteamRanger's turntable and through a tunnel under the Southeastern Freeway.

The line crosses the old Melbourne road at a level crossing near Littlehampton brickworks and then runs through the site of Litlehampton station.

It then winds behind the township and climbs uphill, paralleling the valley of the Mt Barker Creek, until cresting the rise just south of Mt Barker Junction from where it parallels the main line into the station

The description below is written for a train departing Mt Barker and travelling towards the Junction , as that is the direction most passengers will initially travel. The map therefore needs to be read from the bottom up

Old Mt Barker Triangle
With a departing whistle or acknowledging horn your train will edge slowly over the electric turntable rescued from Bridgewater by SteamRanger. The turntable pit was dug and the turntable installed by our volunteers and initially the pit resembled more of a lake in Mt Barker’s wintery weather, due to its low lying situation.

The line executes a very tight “S” bend as it passes the Mt Barker Caravan Park on the left. Up until as recently as 1958 locomotives were turned on a triangle which extended off the western side of the line between the caravan park and Dunn Park Oval. The northern leg of the triangle ran around the oval boundary and the southern leg returned along the formation of what is now a curving roadway in the caravan park itself.

A Unique Road Crossing Warning Device
Straightening up, the line crosses Cameron Street just past the Oval and then begins a steady climb towards the freeway tunnel. The crossing features South Australia’s last remaining wig-wag level crossing warning device, once commonly found on both suburban and country road crossings. The device is maintained by SteamRanger’s Signal and Telegraph team as an historic relic.

The Tunnel
A highlight of the excursion, especially for children, is a thirty second ride through SteamRanger’s only tunnel! The 96m long ARMCO tunnel was installed when the South Eastern Freeway was built and replaced an open rail cutting known as McGrath’s Cutting.

Littlehampton Brickworks
Leaving the freeway tunnel, Anembo Recreation Park is passed on the left and the Littlehampton Brickworks on a rise on the right of the line. The brickworks were established in 1913 on the site of ballast pits built during the line construction.

An old platform and remnants of rusty trackwork serving the brickworks can be seen on the right of today's line just before the level crossing.

Littlehampton
The old main road to Melbourne, North Terrace, is crossed just past the brickworks and the line then enters the site of Littlehampton Station. A platform and shelter shed were built here about 1890 and sidings were added later to service the brickworks and to allow crossing of trains to and from the branch.

Various signals were installed and a Station Master followed, remaining until around 1940. The sidings were removed in the late 1970s and today, only isolated remnants of the busy little station remain.

On to the Junction
A signal on a tall mast at the top of the hill signals the approach to Mt Barker Junction Station and our train curves to the left and crosses the Balhannah to Littlehampton Road.The line from Melbourne comes in from Nairne around a curve on the right, and as we pull up into the platform Adelaide is 50km straight ahead with Balhannah the next station on the main line.

Read about Mt Barker Junction Station

The railway reserve and adjacent farmers' fields are not public rights of way.
We recommend that lineside photographers use only public roads to follow our trains

The following points are generally accessible from public roads and offer good opportunities for lineside photography - listed from Mt Barker towards the Junction

       54.8km - Turntable - access thru carpark or caravan park
       54.4km - Cameron Road crossing - last remaining wigwags in SA
       53.6km - Old Princes Highwaycrossing - site of Brickyards siding
       53.5km - Littlehampton Station & yard
       53.1km - Cleggett Road crossing - interesting view back to station

From the 52.6km point the line follows Junction Road (on an embankment and then in a cutting) until it crosses it at 50.6km

An access track to Mt Barker Junction station site leaves Junction Road on the right just beyond the level crossing