Operations and Marketing

Christmas and New Cockle Train running

With Christmas rapidly approaching all areas of SHR are planning for a record number of Cockle Train passengers once our enhanced timetable kicks in on the 16th December. Click to download a poster with all the details!

Up to five return services a day!     RedHen and Brill railcars and DE507 will be used on various dates, with main line DE958 hauling what we hope will be maximum length consists between Christmas and New Year! Heritage wooden carriages on most trains.

And on Sunday 3rd January we will be using Brill 60 to run the StrathLink service from Victror and Goolwa up to Strathalbyn and return.

2010 Program Finalised

The Operations and Marketing teams have now finalised our 2010 program, commencing in early April. The scheduled services will be very similar to 2009 and there will be only minimal changes to fares.

A number of special events have been planned including:

• A Fleurieu Railfest based at each of our southcoast stations in late May and involving a number of complementary outside organisations. In 2010 this will replace the traditional "Steamup Mt Barker" event.
  
  
• The autumn railway heritage showcase "State of Steam" displays in Rundle Mall, in conjunction with NRM, Pichi Richi etc.
  
  
• Further coordinated rail and river excursions using the "Oscar W" riverboat at Goolwa.

Rail Safety Incident Management

In September SteamRanger in conjunction with various emergency and other services conducted a "desktop" disaster exercise based around a collision between SteamRanger's Southern Encounter and a road truck which failed to stop at the Stop sign on Native Ave at Mt.Barker. No physical train movements were involved.

The incident saw the leading wheels of the locomotive derailed and the locomotive on a lean with the last car and the errant truck blocking through traffic on Native Ave.

What did SteamRanger learn? Generally our Incident Management plan was shown to be robust. The Operations and Safety Manager, Brian Busch, offered special thanks to those who contributed and indicated that all concerned learnt a lot from this exercise which is a requirement on us under the Rail Safety Act

More details of the exercise can be read HERE on our Operations page.

Brill 60 featured in article in "Track and Signal"

The September 2009 issue of rail industry magazine "Track and Signal" has featured an extremely well written article on SHR's Brill 60 railcar written by well known enthusiast and photographer Graeme Dorling.

Graeme's article provides a valuable insight into the restoration challenges and will do much to expose Phil Neville's group's award winning work to the wider rail community. Well done Graeme!

The magazine is available at most larger newsagencies. If you can't find it, a low resolution image of the article can be downloaded HERE

Busy Spring Holiday Period for the Cockle Train

For the two weeks of the school holidays in early October 2009 we upgraded our Cockle Train running to a daily service. Trains were run with both our heritage railcars; Brill car 60 and our suburban RedHen cars. Around 100 passengers were carried on most days, with some days attracting group travellers. On two intervening Sundays later trains were hauled with our larger DE loco 958 which had brought the "Southern Encounter" down from Mt Barker for the day.

The local Victor Times" newspaper had earlier reported that there were "Whales galore on Fleurieu" which were easily seen from the trains. Ther reported that "the number of Southern Right whales visiting the region this season has surpassed all records and they don't appear to be leaving anytime soon. Large groups of whales have been spotted swimming together along the coast from Port Elliot to Victor Harbor almost every day Whales were spotted between 70 and 150 metres from shore at Petrel Cove, delighting onlookers and at Basham's Beach where Southern Right whales were spotted only 50 metres from shore." The SA Whale Centre's Natalie Perkins said the frequent group sightings close to shore were part of the whales' mating habits

Bugle Ranger railcar excursions well patronised

Although the dates have sometimes corresponded with one of the wettest months in Adelaide for some time there have usually been a few glimpses of sunshine and passengers , often in family groups, are happily turning up for a trip up and over the ranges to the site of the old Bugle Ranges station with RedHen railcar 428. Peter Michalek was there to capture passengers joining at Mt Barker on the first train.

Victor Harbor Railway Precinct Development Plan

In 2008 The Victor Harbor Council engaged contractors to look at future development in what they termed the "Railway Precinct" extending from the foreshore near the horse tram terminus to beyond the SHR turntable. SHR was extensively consulted.

The contractors presented their report to Council in December 2008 and this has been made available publically via their website HERE This is a very large file and may take some time to download on a slow internet connection.

The Executive Summary of the reports says (in part):

• "The Victor Harbor Railway Precinct is an important corridor of underutilized land situated between Ocean Street and the foreshore. The corridor has the potential to facilitate north-south movement from Hindmarsh Road to the causeway entry, and east-west movement between the Town Centre and the Memorial Gardens and foreshore.
  
  
• Proposals for the Railway Precinct reflect a thorough analysis of the options for SteamRanger movement and conclude that the turntable should stay in its existing location, with significantly upgraded viewing facilities.
  
  
• These requirements, combined with the need to provide public car parking, and the desire to create additional public pedestrian space adjacent the Railway Station, have primarily determined the form of the Railway Terrace area. The resulting streetscape provides an improved frontage and entrance to a renovated Railway Station, space for markets and other public activities and improved linkages to Ocean Street, Flinders Parade, Coral Street and the heritage buildings and Warland Reserve to the south.
  
  
• The provision of a shaded promenade from Hindmarsh Road along the corridor to Warland Reserve adds an attractive pedestrian and cycle route through the Town Centre. This new link also facilitates and encourages visitors to walk between the Railway Station and the Turntable.
  
  
• Improved links with Ocean Street, proximity to the redeveloped Crown Hotel site and greater usage of the Railway Station building will combine to make Railway Terrace a more attractive location for tourist related commercial activities. Ease of movement from the Station to Ocean Street and foreshore will also encourage SteamRanger users to explore the Town Centre.
  
  
• The Railway Precinct is a very important linking space with great potential to benefit the surrounding major tourist attractions by providing improved access across and through the Town Centre. As the Precinct is redeveloped it will become a significant attraction in its own right, providing a unique glimpse into the rail and port history of Victor Harbor via the integration of heritage buildings, the rail service, and newly created public spaces and paths."
  
  

People

Bette was one of our earliest qualified stationmasters and, with her son Michael, the motivating force behind the Young SteamRangers" group established to recruit the younger generation of passengers and volunteers. She worked in a multitude of roles and will be best remembered in her role of "Aunty Polly".

  

Our photos show Bette surveying her realm as the StationMaster at Goolwa, handing a train order to engineman Bill Hassam, and with "Santa" on a Christmas special. Your friends and hoards of young passengers will miss you Bette!


Enough Committee work for another stalwart

Following the 2009 AGW one of our key contributors have decided not to renominate for an important committee position.

Andrew McDonough (right) has decided to retire as Human Resources Manager. The Manager Human Resources is responsible for overseeing training, assessment and record keeping in regard to OHS&W, First Aid and Safe Working across the organisation, including those activities specifically delegated to other managers. He is is also responsible for oversight of recruitment and induction of volunteers and for volunteer and staff welfare and sucession planning.

The BOM is actively seeking a replacement and would warmly welcome offers from members. Just call us on 1300 655 991!

As well as attending to these very time consuming formal duties, Andrew filled the Marketing Manager position for a period. Of recent times he has been busy as a guard, stationmaster and ticket officer, areas in which he intends to continue to contribute. We hope to see him around for many years yet.

New Marketing Manager

It is with pleasure that we can announce that Don Snow has been appointed Marketing Manager for the remainder of the current managers appointment time (to May this year when all BoM appointments expire). Don is very keen to take up this role and we are sure his enthusiasm to breathe new life into this important facet of our organisation will be most welcome. He becomes an erx-officio member of the Operations Committee and Board of Management.

Don brings to SHR over 50 years of experience with volunteer organisations and community groups. From an apprenticeship in the printing industry and a staff position with YMCA, Don joined the SA Community Welfare Dept in 1965 and rose through a range of increasingly senior positions there before retiring in 1993. Voluntary positions included SANFL football, SA Railway Modellers and the SES.

Moving to Victor Harbor in 2004 he joined various local community groups and qualified as a Passenger Attendant, Ticket Officer and Station Master for SHR and has been in primary mover in forming the Southern Fleurieu Volunteers group.

Don has recently been appointed to the Tourism Victor Harbor Committee, as a representative of the Tourist Attractions / Operator sector for a two year term. This will facilitate him developing valuable linkages with the community and local policy makers.

Certificates of Appreciation!

A "Gold" certificate was presented to Goolwa based volunteer Ken Wastell for his contributions over many years to loco, railcar, restoration and track work as a member of the Goolwa based team. Roger Currie caught Ken several years ago at the controls of Brill car 60 which he worked on during its restoration and drove for some time.

Other recipients were;

• Bernie Ashfield - silver certificate for his ticket officer and shop contributions
• Pam Cameron - silver certificate for contributions at Mt Barker with gardening and cleaning
• Peter Greeneklee - silver certificate for his auditing and carriage restoration contributions
• Pat McMahon - silver certificate for his carriage restoration contributions
  
  
• Bill Bebbington - appreciation certificate for on train and SM contributions
• David Groves - appreciation certificate for fund raising and loco restoration contributions
• Don Snow - appreciation certificate for ticket officer, station master and committee work
• Ron Norrell- appreciation certificate for carriage, loco restoration & workshop contributions

2009 Running Programme

This year's operating program has been expanded to increase the number of services during the winter. All Cockle Trains year-round will now run with a mimimum of three return trips a day rather than reducing to two return trips in the winter. More trips will be run in certain holiday periods.

Features of the 2009 programme will be:



• Twilighter dinner trips to Strathalbyn in February, March, September and November
  
  
• Christmas themed dinner trips in December
  
  
• Introduction of a Bugle Ranger train in winter and spring between Mt Barker and Bugle Ranges using a RedHen railcar. This service replaces the Junction Jogger train to Mt Barker Junction due to that section of line being unavailable for the present.
  
  
• ... and continuation of Southern Encounter, Highlander and StrathLink trains as in 2008

Our printed brochure (opposite) will soon be mailed to members and be available at all the usual tourism offices.

Easter and April School Holidays
          busy

Heritage diesel "DE507" operated most of the services, with "Brill" railcar 60 running a late afternoon return trip on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Easter. Passenger numbers at Easter were very encouraging, up 25% on last year with up to 1000 passenger journeys a day due in part to Easter coinciding with school holidays and the excellent south coast weather.

The Easter Sunday trains featured a visit from the "Easter Bunny" who handed out special gifts for the children and was a popular photo subject!

Providing loco crews, guards and stationmasters, train attendants and station staff was real challange for our roster officers and we thank all volunteers that made themselves available. Particularly notable was the contribution of Goolwa residents Ray and Val Green who made themselves available for fifteen of the seventeen running days. Val is an experienced ticket officer and shop worker and Ray, as well as working as a guard and SM, is a key member of the track maintenance team throughout the year.

 

Special trains run for the Goolwa Wooden Boat Festival

Mechanical Services volunteer Kevin Marzahn was there and sent us the following photos capturing the event.

SECOND ATHRA "Excellence Award" won by an SHR volunteer

This year we have done it again! Goolwa Depot Manager, trackworker and loco engineman , Philip Neville was announced at the September ARHS meeting as being the well deserved 2008 recipient.

Congratulations Phil!

SteamRanger's nomination of Phil occupied some two A4 pages listing his contributions, commencing in 1979 when we were based at Dry Creek and Phil was working full time as farmer. He moved to Goolwa in 1988 and began his volunteer work in earnest, ramping it up further on his retirement in 2002. Subsequent major milestones were;

• A member of ARHS Council from 1988 to 2003
• Coordination of volunteers. resources and operations at Goolwa Depot over nearly 2 decades.
• Acquisition of a Brill Railcar Trailer in 1990 and beginning coordinating a ten year task to install an engine in the freight compartment to create Railcar 60.
• Qualification as a track machine operator and loco engineman
• Appointment as SHR Track Manager from 2001 to 2005 which involved acquisition, modification and restoration of a wide range of track equipment.
• Major involvement with our significant track relaying in 2006
• And his next major challenge - restoration of recently acquired railcar RC43

• Trevor Blight has been composing targetted ads for each Saturday Advertiser's What's On section. As well as focussing on immediately upcoming trips his material has invited potential new volunteers to join us and to combine a CT trip with local special events at Goolwa and Victor. Trevor has also been working on producing ads for local magazines and newspapers on the south coast.
  
  
• SteamRanger featured in an article in the Victor Times in October when a number of Sudanese children were hosted locally by the Goolwa Holiday Refugee programme. The group had an outing on the Oscar W paddlesteamer, a farm visit, picnics in local parks and complimentary rides on the Cockle Train courtesy of SHR. They certainly looked happy in this picture accompanying the "Times" article.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Santa Special Cockle Trains were programmed for three days just before Christmas. Promotional posters were prepared by the SFRV group and the activity advertiserd in the local paper and on local radio. Most trips were well patronised and Santa wandered through the train distributing candy to the children and enquired as to whether they had been good thru the year and expected prsents under the Xmas tree. Joan Snow captured Santa with a couple of older passengers and with the train crew.
  
  
     
  
  
• With assistance from Brenton Ragless and Anthony Colquhoun from TV Channel 9 a new 30 second promotional video has been developed and aired. Brenton, who is now the channel's Weather Man has also been able to slip in a few words on SHR from time to time
  
  

to run the video

Infrastructure Services

For full details of these projects

Look at our infrastructure page

Record crowds turn up to welcome the "Oscar W" at Goolwa

The October holiday long weekend drew record crowds to Goolwa to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the paddlesteamer "Oscar W', freshly restored and recommissioned by its "Friends". SteamRanger operated a capacity five car "Southern Encounter" train from Mt Barker on the Sunday which in addition carried local dignitories from Strathalbyn to Goolwa to participate in the ceremonies.

A large number of locals and visitors travelled on the Cockle train each day. A special feature was the combined Southern Encounter and Cockle Train around midday on the Sunday which was double headed by 621 and DE507.

Overall, and in spite of the lack of steam due to mechanical difficulties for some six of the fifteen scheduled running days of the holidays,ticket sales were up some 34% from the equivalent period last year, and added nearly $60,000 (gross) to our annual income.



A number of photographers have sent in shots of various trains over this weekend and a selection are included in our photoalbum HERE .       Your photos are always welcome!

Summer Cockle Trains well Patronised

From December 27th we began 30 successive days of operation with up to five return movements a day. Diesel loco 507 was rotated with Brill railcar 60 and our RedHen set on a day by day roster, to provide a variation of rolling stock for passengers and match the likely passenger numbers. In the first week rarely used mainline diesel 958 was called in to help as well.

Peter Michalak was there on Sunday 3rd January to record 958 and Brill 60 at work. His photo captures 958 pulling into Pt Elliot station whilst Brill 60 watches from a distance from the safety of the rarely used siding. More of Peter's photos can be seen by clicking on the images a little further down this page.

Running up to five trains a day provided passengers with increased opportunities to stopover at stations and incorporate lunch breaks and visits to local attractions. Particularly popular was an 11.00am railcar movement from Goolwa, returning from Victor at 12.35, and passengers wanting to have a long day at the beach were offered a late train returning to Victor by 5.15pm and Goolwa by 6.10pm.

Bearing in mind the lack of steam, ticket sales were encouraging, with comparative income being about 15% up on 2008 figures. Passenger numbers over the first couple of weeks were well above last year, but fell off significantly in the latter weeks. Very welcome as a contribution to the maintenance costs coming up on 621 and Rx207 and a welcome reward for all the effort provided by roster Cockle Train volunteers who worked long hours, many on successive days.

Minor fire on our Track

On the 18th February SHR had a much less significant fire incident when a fire was started by a crow reportedly zapping itself across power cables on top of the rise adjacent to our track at Wistow, between Mt Barker and Strathalbyn. The fire was featured on the evening TV news. Some 100 Country Fire Services volunteers attended and ther fire was restricted to burning out about 13 acres.

Only a few sleepers (like that pictured below) will need replacement. The CFS had some trouble putting out the burning sleepers which, due to the lack of rain, like everything else are completely dried out. They drowned them with the water hose only to have them re-ignite after they had moved on so they returned and gave them a dose of foam and in a couple of instances this had little effect so it was more water again to do the job.

Diesel Electric Loco 958

DE958 has now emerged from a lengthy period in our Mt Barker workshops to rectify problems with its camshaft and related parts, and will haul its first scheduled service on 7th June.

The following account describes the steps that were needed.

Keen observers will be aware that DE958 has not been running for some time. Abnormal noises from two cylinders were investigated and engine valve clearances measured. All settings appeared to be still within clearances. The injection pump timing was then checked and also found to be within specifications.

With information from commercial operator EDI about possible cam lobe wear it was decided to remove the cylinder crankcase covers to allow Craig Dunstan and John Gordon to make an internal inspection. A broken piece of a bolt appeared to be some sort of grub screw and after consulting the workshop manual the component was identified as an oil gallery plug which should have been located in the end of the cross head (rocker shaft) blanking an oil gallery.

Inspections of cylinder L5 proved the plug had dropped out and as a result of a localized loss of oil pressure, damage to the camshaft, cross head shaft and associated bushes had occurred. The entire LH bank of 6 cylinders was consequently stripped of all rocker gear and push rods, large and heavy injection pumps and cross head mountings and cross heads. Several large cooling system pipes were removed along with one of the compressor heads and barrels and the partial dismantle of the compressor air intercooler.

Special camshaft supports were designed by lan Johnston and manufactured by Ron Williams and Ron Norrell to enable the weight of the camshaft to be taken as its three segments were dismantled internally and removed from the engine The worn section of the camshaft was sent to Perth for repairs.

  
Our photos show two sections of the removed camshaft and one of the special plastic lined support jigs


   Latest Update 24th May 2008

Since receiving the correct new engine parts late last week, a good effort from many saw the LHS of the engine put back together by yesterday despite a rubber seal in a 3 inch coolant pipe expiring. Yesterday a modified 900 class electric oil pump was set up to successfully circulate engine oil around the engine prior to cranking it over without damaging the, by now, quite dry bearings etc. We had then planned to start 958 and if all was OK, warm the engine up, load test in the depot then go for a light engine test run. But things came unstuck one after the other from first thing.

A pool of engine oil (from yesterday's pumping) was found on the engine room floor which was traced to a cracked 1/2" pipe on a barrel union connected to the bottom of the oil strainer in a fairly inaccessible spot. A similar union was not available in Mount Barker so the broken part was cut off and a new 1/2' fitting welded on. All was refitted and tested by circulating oil with the 900 pump - so far so good although about 2 hours lost.

A new/replacement coolant seal could not be obtained quickly from the local agents so it was decided to refit the expired seal yesterday using copious quantities of red silastic - not too many loco blokes will be surprised at that. Pumped all 175 gallons of coolant back into the engine this morning only to find a gasket seal on another joint at the bottom of the plumbing tree decided to leak - the repaired seal was as good as gold. So all coolant will need to be dropped again and the reason for the new leak investigated What makes things difficult is that we are working with parts and materials decades old and corroded making good sealing difficult.

Then it was time to pressurise and check the fuel system and in particular the 6 "banjo" fittings connecting the fuel rail to each of the LHS fuel pumps. In an attempt to save dollars, not always wise as we have again found out, the 12 copper seals in these fittings were reused. Quite often you get away with this but unfortunately not today. Even before fuel pressure was established 2 were leaking and by full pressure all 6 had fuel running everywhere. Enquiries around Mount Barker and subsequently everywhere else established the heavy duty seals are not available off the shelf. We could make new ones from scratch but a quicker approach will be to painstakingly refurbish and reanneal the existing seals and ensure the alignment of the fittings is spot on to each other.

After lots of leak fixing today (24th) and extra battery charging, the loco started easily and from the very first exhaust beat sounded much better than previously . The previous missed beats when the engine started and every now and then while warming up have gone. The engine was warmed up for almost an hour, then run at full revs while not going anywhere with nothing unusual (noises etc) showing up. So it was decided to take the loco (by itself) for a run to Bugle Ranges and return and simulate a load for awhile by heavily dragging the brakes on the uphill bits while flat out in notch 8.

This was done in both directions with no sign of any vibrations - so maybe that was linked to the worn cam lobe causing the L5 fuel pump to not work correctly and/or at the right time. Further proof one way or the other will occur when a decent load is put behind the loco with sustained climbing from Strath back to Mt Barker. The signs are certainly good at the moment but let's not get carried away until the loco has been proven over a greater distance with a heavier load.

While we fixed the water leak from last week, another joint weeped to start with but by day's end had come good. As to whether it is permanently OK will be revealed when the engine cools down. At least we are now quite proficient at draining the cooling system and pumping it all back in again. The refurbishment of the old fuel pump copper seals did not do the trick completely - not unexpected. All 6 were weeping at the end of the test run so new seals will have to be sourced or made then fitted.

Lessons Learnt

Looking at the "big picture" a lot of concentrated effort has been put into 958 dealing with a whole host of problems. The whole task has been a fairly steep learning curve for all considering we have never undertaken major engine work like this on any of our diesel locos. It is interesting to note that the SAR/AN undertook such camshaft replacement tasks with the engine out of the loco - something we could obviously not easily do. There were many times the cramped conditions tested our patience both by getting in each others' way and the difficulty in moving and handling some heavy and large bits - for example the longer camshaft segment weighs in close to 100kg.

Happy Birthday Bernie

To mark the occasion Bernie was invited to our Mt Barker Depot recently, supposedly to chat about 621's boiler, but actually to be presented with a memento on behalf of us all as shown in this photo of the mounted very clean fusible plug.

Vale Ian Domleo

Ian learned his skills with British Rail at Derby before immigrating to South Australia in the early 1960’s where he commenced with the South Australian Railways at Peterborough. Later he moved to Adelaide and transferred to the State Transport Authority as Permanent Way Engineer. He left the STA to take up a position with a major railway consulting firm working in Australia and the UK. For the past 10 years, he has been working with ARTC.

Ian had an expert knowledge of track which he freely contributed to the setting up of the SteamRanger Tourist Railway and in his later years used this knowledge to draft many of the track standards currently used by ARTC. Ian’s knowledge and quiet manner inspired great confidence in his advice and was often called upon to resolve technical issues. He not only had a technical knowledge of railways but also had a passion for all things related to trains. He traveled extensively to learn and experience all aspects of trains.

Ian’s friendly manner, knowledge, passion and involvement gained him many friends in the railway community. He will be greatly missed. (RTSA)

Other Programming and Marketing Initiatives

GREAT NEWS! - Locos DE958 and 621 back on the rails

Steam Loco 621

This loco had been off the tracks for nearly two years undergoing heavy maintenance at Mt Barker.

The final step in returning the loco to scheduled services was a test run to Sandergrove on Wednesday 13th August. This was a success, wqithout only minor adjustments needed, and the loco then operated the first steam hauled Southern Encounter to Victor Harbor on the following Sunday, 17th August.

It will now operate scheduled Southern Encounter and Highlander movements through to the beginning of the fireban period at the end of November, as well as the October school holiday Cockle Trains.

   

Peter Michalak has his camera at the ready on the 17th August movements and caught the loco shunting in Victor yard, on the Victor turntable and on its return in the darkness to Mt Barker. Thanks Peter for the contributions!

Station Infrastructure

At Victor Harbor Station

Resources negotiated through the "Work for the Dole" scheme have been employed since mid 2007 to substantially upgrade the station building and are nearing an end. A focus for recent work has been virtual rebuilding of toilet facilities and installation of fence pickets at the Granite Island end of the platform.



At Goolwa Station

The Work for the Dole assistance at Goolwa has now come to an end with a number of volunteer tasks continuing to install platform lighting, a train order signal, reroofing of the freight shed, and updating of the staff toilet area. Our photo shows the Pt Elliot end of the platform newly resealed, new seats installed in the waiting shed and brightly painted red flower drums.

The station rehabilitation benefited from a very welcome donation of $1700 from the Lions Club of Goolwa towards fencing and platform asphalting and nett support of around $26,000 over 12 months in terms of labour and materials provided through the Work for the Dole scheme.

As part of Heritage Week the Alexandrina Council recently presented its Heritage Awards for 2008 at the Strathalbyn Town Hall. SteamRanger received a Heritage Restoration Recognition Award, by Council’s Built Heritage Advisory Committee. The Councillors and staff present were most happy with the finished result. It was certainly pleasing to see that our hard work has been recognised more widely in the local community.

The photo opposite shows Infrastructure Manager Troy Barker receiving an appropriate certificate from Anthony Presgrave on behalf of the Council Heritage Group.


At Mt Barker Station

Completion of the Mt Barker Bus Interchange on land adjacent to our station is now complete and has provided improved weekend parking arrangements for our passengers and has improved the overall appearance of the station area.

The SteamRanger Infrastructure team has now completed installation and commissioning of warning signals at the busy Dutton Road crossing, just south of our depot. A similar signal installation is now being put in place at the Alexandrina Rd crossing. This work has been undertaken under contract to the Department of Transport with the income earned dedicated to other infrastructure projects.

   

to read more details of Station Infrastructure work

Diesel Electric Loco 958

This loco is used to back up our larger steam locos when they cannot be operated for various reasons, particularly when fire restrictions are in force.

It was taken into our workshops late last year to investigate a number of "strange noises" which quickly escalated into a significant repair task. The loco has therefore been unavailable just when we needed it to cover for 621. A lot of concentrated effort was required to deal intially with a camshaft problem and then with a worrying radiator fan vibration

The loco has been used on a number of recent trips to Strathalbyn and Victor Harbor whilst 621 was still not available and Peter Michalak's photo caught the loco on 13th July with our steel cars at Strathalbyn.

Busy Time at Victor on the 1st June

The first day of winter saw three separate train services operating in and out of Victor Harbor

• Promoted as Whaletime Funtime the reopening of the Victor Whale Centre was accompanied by lots of childrens' activities in Warland Reserve, just across from our station. SteamRanger was involved by operating four special round trips to Pt Elliot using a RedHen railcar. At Pt Elliot the cars generally ran into the longtime disused goods siding and passengers alighted at the goods platform for a ten minute stopover.
  
  
• The regular Cockle Train operated two return trips with Diesel Loco 507 and centenary cars, passing through Pt Elliot on the main line.
  
  
• And to top all this off, Brill railcar 60 ran the second Southern Encounter of the year from Mt Barker to Victor and return.

It was particularly busy late in the day when trains hauled by Brill 60, RedHen 428 and DE507 departed back towards Goolwa at 20 minute intervals

Troy Barker's camera captured all three consists at VH.

If you are interested in the complexities of the movements CLICK HERE to read the Train Notice that was issued.

Certificates of Appreciation to Volunteers

Several years ago SteamRanger introduced a series of awards to acknowledge contributions of volunteers over extended periods.

Certificates for 2008 were announced at the recent AGM and awarded to Kevin Aslin, Damien Brown, Laurie Durbidge, Ray Green, Oliver Lukins, Alan Milne, Ron Reid, Bruce Roper and Trevor Sachse.

Special Silver certificates recognising a more extensive contribution were awarded to Anthony Smith, Sue Smith and Mathew Job and Gold Certificates were awarded to John Dawson and Geof Pearson.

Welcome Ladies but watch the Bunny!

Our photo shows one of our earliest female station masters, Bette Smith (left) , who retired some years ago after filling quite a range of on-train and station based positions.

And with her, we welcomed back our indefatigable roster officer and "woman of all trades" Bev Sawyer, who is recovering from a significant stay in hospital but as you can see appears to be recovering well!

Phil gets another Brill thanks to Dr John!

Ever since Railcar 60's return to service it has been very popular with tourists and enthusiasts alike. It has proven to be very reliable and economic in its operation. For a long time now there has been the dream of a second powered Brill.

SteamRanger enthusiasts have been aware for some time that a possible source is Car 43, which worked the last passenger service out of Moonta on 26th April 1969 and was condemned just two months later. The car was purchased by long-time ARHS member and tour organiser Dr John Wilson who installed the car on a short length of track at his vineyard in the Clare Valley with the hope that a tourist rail service could be set up in the Valley, eventually to vanish when the Clare branch rails were lifted.

John has now agreed to very generously donate No. 43 to the ARHS, together with a cash donation to assist in its reloaction and initial restoration and has worked with SteamRanger's Phil Neville and Mark Batten to transfer the car to Goolwa for restoration. The Wilson Vineyard will become a long term major sponsor of the car. Is is expected that the car will move from Clare to Goolwa once road transport can be lined up some time in April

These photos show the interior and exterior of the car at John's winery

   

Steam Train in Rundle Mall!

For three days from 11th April
SteamRanger joined with other heritage railway societies to stage a promotional display in Rundle Mall in the busiest part of Adelaide's CBD. A key feature of the promotion was NRM's Fowler cane loco Skipper, (pictured)

Pichi Richi Railway , the National Railway Museum, SteamRanger, Steamtown Peterborough, and Yorke Peninsula Rail were represented with separate promotional displays.

The promotion featured a launch hosted by media identity Keith Conlon (below left).

The SteamRanger stand featured a large poster of loco 621 and other posters advertising our services The timing of the display fitted in well with the school holiday running of the Cockle Train from the 13th April , and the commencement of steam running from Mt Barker to the south coast in late May.

SteamRanger's stand was manned by a roster of uniformed volunteers who answered questions on our services, handed out a package of information and encouraged passers-by to participate in a valuable prize draw for a trip on the Ghan to Darwin. Trevor Blight is pictured with members of the public completing their entries for the draw.

   

Marketing and Station Signage

Marshall put a lot of effort into introducing "value added" aspects to our services - Evening "Murder Mystery" trains, "BushRangers" on the Southern Encounter, Secret Seats on Cockle Trains and discount food vouchers at Victor Harbor

In association with John Draper he also developed an attention getting range of posters for our stations which promoted various services. Those below were snapped by our photographer on the walls at Victor and Goolwa.

Easter and April School Holiday Running

The number of passengers carried was 20% down on last Easter which fell during the April School Holidays but slightly higher than in 2006.

The lack of a steam loco may have had a small impact on the numbers, as may have been the very high temperatures in Adelaide earlier in March and a string of competing events in the month generally.

A feature of the trains on Easter Sunday was an appearance of the Easter Bunny who travelled on each train from Goolwa, flaunting an enlarged railway ticket, and handing out chocolate Easter Eggs to passengers young and old. Thanks Don Snow for your efforts!

Tour Down Under special to Strathalbyn

A feature of South Australia's January holiday period is the running of the Tour Down Under grand prix cycle race over various day long stages around Adelaide. On the 25th January the stage operated through Strathalbyn and SteamRanger operated a special "StrathLink" service from Goolwa in conjunction with Alexandrina Council.

The train, featuring Brill railcar RC60 arrived in Strath at around 12.30pm in good time to see the main event riders arrive and passengers were able to take part in the associated festivities before leaving on return to Goolwa and Victor at around 3.30pm. Kids on the train were treated to a show bag of locally produced goodies organised by the Council. A great time was had by all!

Our photo shows the appropriately decorated railcar arriving in Strathalbyn.

Station Infrastructure

Victor Harbor Rail Precinct
The Victor Harbor Council has announced that it will now let a $100,000 tender to progress planning associated with the Railway Precinct redevelopment project which includes SteamRanger's station. The project includes relocation of SteamRanger's turntable to a site adjacent to the Whale Centre building which will then allow Council to redevelop the existing turntable site. Relevant pages from the Council's Town Centre Master Plan can be viewed .

At Victor Harbor Station

Resources negotiated through the "Work for the Dole" scheme have been employed since mid 2007 to substantially upgrade the station building.

The initial six months of the project have resulted in repainting of the entrance breezewaythe station master's office , conversion of the luggage room to a SteamRanger souvenir and Refreshment Shop, re-pointing of decaying exterior brickwork, priming and painting of veranda guttering and external woodwork, repainting of platform seats and renovation of the ladies toilet and ladies waiting room. The old ladies waiting room has been modified with the intention of using much of this area as a themed display area. The traditional ticket selling hatchway in the entrance breezeway has been reinstated.

The renovation work allowed the shop and new ticket selling arrangements to operate for the summer Cockle Train services as recorded by our photographer below.

  

  

At Goolwa Station

Most of the platform area has been fully picket fenced under a similar Work for the Dole scheme . The back wall to the platform at the arts and crafts end was in poor condition and has been rebuilt in a similar way to the Victor Harbor end. Work is now being undertaken on providing a gate in the fence adjacent to the station building, primarily for vehicle access.

Further to this work, we have been successful in securing a second round of funding to enable works to continue into next year at this station. This work will primarily involve constructing some yard fencing and some landscaping

Other projects at the station include installation of a train order signal rescued from Rosewater, rebuilding of the old platform freight shed and resurfacing of some sections of the platform surface.

• An administrative building for the bus operator
• 185 car parking spaces
• Bus platforms, passenger drop off area, taxi area and bicycle parking and storage
• A bus depot with parking for for up to 30 buses
• Fuel storage facilities
• Bus washing facilities
• Grafitti at Mt Barker Depot

  A most disappointing find when volunteers arrived at Mt Barker depot one Saturday morning in January was to find that sides and some windows of cars 602 and 62 were covered with graffiti murals - obviously contributed by "society drop outs" looking for something to do overnight.

  Eight dedicated volunteers were able to remove most of the paint before it had enough time to cure completely. It took 5 – 6 hours and some hard yakka to remove the mess which in some places was four or more layers thick. Many thanks to regular loco volunteers Ian, John, Kim, Andrew, Kevin, Mike and Jarrod for assisting in the clean up. This is not the first ime we have had carriages attacked - several were also "decorated" at Dry Creek way back in our early days.

  Hopefully future attempts will be less successful - we have now upgraded our security systems and future visitors will be assured of a free trip in a car with flashing lights and perhaps a holiday at Her Majesty's pleasure!
  
  
  Car 70

  Now the good news! After a lengthy stay at Mt Barker Depot and innumerable weeks of work by our resident carriage builder Fred Valstar and this team, wooden bodied Centenary Car 70 has been returned to service looking as spruce as the day it was built in the 1910's. Substantial parts of the wooden framing have been replaced and the whole body strengthened. The car was transferred to Goolwa Depot at Xmas time and found ready use on busy summer Cockle Trains. Thanks to all who put in the dedicated effort to return the car to service.
  
  
  Car 82

  Baggage 82, also a wooden framed car is now the main object of Fred's attention at Mt Barker and this photo well illustrates the meticulous work which is required to return these cars to service. The car is our regular Cockle Train baggage and is being rebuilt as an accurate example of the car as in service, unlike our other baggages (81 and 83) which have been modified to work as buffet cars.
  
  
  Workshops personnel from Mitsubishi

  As restoration work on steam loco 621 progresses towards a return to the track around year's end President Ben Greeneklee and Mechanical Services Manager Crig Dunstan have taken the opportunity to recognise the support provided through three key contacts at Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd.

  Nic Marciano, Adrian Hodges and Wayne White and his MMAL Toolroom team will be presented with Gold Certificates of Appreciation to acknowledge their invaluable contributions to 621's return to service.

  "SteamUp 2007" - our public showcase!

  The traditional introduction to our steam services from Mt Barker was staged at Mt Barker station amd Depot on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th May.

  Part of the Mount Barker Jazz and Heritage Festival, the two day event featured double ended train operations from Mt Barker station to Philcox Hill with steam loco Rx207 leading southwards and DE507 bringing the Centenary Car consist back.

  In the other direction towards Mt Barker Junction, visitors could travel either by RedHen railcar to the Platform 1 miniature railway site just beyond Littlehampton or by track trolley to the Littlehampton station site. Jazz bands played in a marquee at the station and in baggage car 83 on the Philcox Hill train.

  Once again, the May Hills weather was not kind and the event was lashed by cold winds on both days and intermittent showers on the Saturday which again kept the visitor numbers to around 2006 levels but significantly down compared with peak crowds 5 years or so ago. Alhough train passengers seemed to enjoy their excursions only a small number of visitors ventured down to the Depot area where locos and carriages under restoration had to be kept inside to some extent hidden from casual visitors.

  SteamRanger volunteers manned information displays and refreshment and souvenir sales booths at the station and Pichi Richi and Steamtown railway groups shared a tent promoting their activities.
  
  

  

  In the carpark there was a substantial display of vintage cars and all sorts of huffing and puffing machines from the Adelaide Hills Motor Restorers Club and a range of hot food for the hungry and shivering hoardes courtesy of community groups. Even a face painter and bouncing castle for the kids, although erecting the inflating castle proved almost to be part of the entertainment itself!

  Here are some photos of attractions and our volunteers. Here's hoping next year will be warmer!

  
  Fun for the kids
  
  
       Margaret and Gill (catering)          Doug (track trolley rides)     Pages Flat Footwarmers
  
  
  Track Trolleys ready to go              Train arrival from Philcox Hill
  
  
  Amanda at our Marketing display
  
  
  and the poster at the top of this item - one of two created by John Draper

  
  
  
  
  

  End of An Era

  Following the 2007 ARHS (SA Division) AGM in April members of the Executive and Board of Management were installed for the next two years. Most standing members sought reappointment and were not opposed.

  After more than three decades contributing to loco and rolling stock restoration and maintenance, well known identity Ian Johnston (left) did not seek reappointment as Mechanical Services Manager.

  Ian's involvement commenced in the 1970s when SteamRanger was looking after retained steam locos at the SAR's Mile End Depot and with Dean Harvey and Frank McDonnell he played a major part in setting up our Dry Creek Depot in the 1970s and in the subsequent relocation to Mt Barker in the late 1990s. Beyond his loco duties Ian has been an invaluable member and President of ARHS Council, an almost continuous member of our Operations Committee and has represented SteamRanger in liaising with a wide range of external bodies.

  Since he retired as a defence scientist in the late 1990s Ian moved to live in Strathalbyn within sight of our rail line, and made Mt Barker Depot almost a second home. He will be sincerely missed as an office bearer, but we hope he will still contribute as loco engineman and we will be able to tap into his wide experience for many year still to come.

  Ian has been replaced as Mechanical Services Manager by Craig Dunstan (right), for many years now a committed member of the loco team. a trained automotive tradesman, Craig is employed in a senior position in the retail motor vehicle industry. We wish him all the best in his new SteamRanger role.

  And finally; after several years as a member and Chair of out Marketing team, Mark Batten has reluctantly left the Board of Management to devote more time to his career position, but will remain a key member of the team.
  

  And for the record the full list of Board of Management members for 2007/8 will be;

  • ARHS President:    Ben Greeneklee
  • ARHS Secretary:    Peter Charlson
  • ARHS Treasurer:    John Lambert
  • ARHS Vice President:    Barrie Hawes
  • Manager, Operations and Safety:    Brian Busch
  • Manager, Human Resources:    Andrew McDonough
  • Manager, Marketing:    Marshall Flanagan
  • Manager, Mechanical Services:    Craig Dunstan
  • Manager, Infrastructure:    Troy Barker
  The first four members are also members of the ARHS Executive Committee
  
  
  

  Certificates of Appreciation awarded to longserving Volunteers

  At the April ARHS meeting our President Ben Greeneklee announced the names of volunteers that were to be awarded Certificates of Appreciation for 2007. The certificates recognise three levels of contribution, with Silver and Gold certificates recognising longer or more significant contributions.

  In addition, the contribution of veteran volunteer Peter Soar (right) as Chair of our Fundraising Committee was recognised with a Special Award. Peter, one of our longest serving loco enginemen, has also held a string of other important positions in SteamRanger and the ARHS (SA Division) over several decades. We congratulate him on his award.
  
  Long serving Operations, Fundraising and Marketing volunteer Bruce McLean was recognised with a Gold Certificate.
  
  Rex Hoppo and Peter Kither (Mechanical Services)and Doug McKenzie (Infrastructure) were recognised with Silver Certificates.
  
  Other volunteers to receive certificates were George Camilleri, Bob Grant, Ashley Grivell, Simon Job, John Kuchel, Peter Keynes, Peter Num, Cliff Olds, Mark Pointon and Marl Zrna
  
  
  

  Click to display a full list of of recipients to date.

  And just to prove that the awards are merited, our website photographer has unearthed evidence of the gold and silver recipients hard at work. Here they are (L to R) Bruce, Peter, Rex and Doug.
  We are assured Doug is weed spraying not grafitti-ing the shed!
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  Marketing Initiatives

  Marketing WebSite Redesign

  For some time now you will have been aware that we have been experiencing difficulties in maintaining our public passenger oriented website. The external organisation that developed the site for us several years ago was restructured and ended its support to us. Subsequently we did not have access to the complete website code and were only able to make minor updates.
  
  One of our volunteers has now designed an interim passenger oriented site (opposite) and this is now fully operational and contains full and accurate information on our 2007 running program. It is accessed in the normal manner by entering "www.steamranger.org.au". It may be further expanded in the future when funding is available.
  
  
  "Corporate" Promotional Signage

  The Marketing Committee is developing a suite of "corporate" themed posters to promote each of our major services and similar posters will be installed at each of our stations in the near future.
  
  
  Track Restoration Funding

  The report earlier on this page highlighted the need to fund replacement of some 2000 sleepers between Mt Barker and Strathalbyn and to continue to operate a range of services to both produce much needed income and to maintain SteamRanger's visibility to our potential client base

  The "Buy a Sleeper" scheme used a couple of decades ago when SteamRanger first took over the Victor line has been re-instituted in a new guise. Supporters and passengers on all our trains are being handed a leaflet explaining how they can nominally "purchase" a $25.00 sleeper and receive a certificate in acknowledgement. Just call us on 1300 655 991 with your credit card at the ready or enquire at stations
  
  We will take your name and address any you will be forwarded a receipt and certificate in the mail.
  

  Steam Hauled Holiday Cockle Trains

  In addition to our regular Sunday railcar services our volunteers are traditionally busy during March and April with more intensive steam hauled holiday services

  • On the long weekend of the 10th to 12th March a very busy service pattern was operated in conjunction with the Goolwa Wooden Boat and Music Festival which was held around the historic Goolwa Wharf precinct.
    
    
  • Three return steam trains operated with Rx207 between Goolwa and Victor for four days at Easter
    
    
  • For the two weeks of the SA school holidays (15th to 29th April) another three return train service operated on each day. The next article below gives an insight into the volunteer effort involved.
    
    
      Fireman Andrew Gramp and Guard Roger Currie stand proudly by loco Rx207 at Goolwa on 23rd April while passenger attendant Bruce Roper offers advice to an intending passenger
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  SteamRanger from Space

  
  Have you used the Google Earth program to take
  a birds eye view of our world from up in space?
  
  The latest imagery gives you an excellent spaceman's view
  of our depots, both at Mt Barker and Goolwa.
  Here are examples of the images you can zoom into and pan around using the program
  

  GOOLWA DEPOT Coords 35 29' 27" S    138 46' 35" E

  MT BARKER DEPOT Coords 35 03' 57" S    138 51' 54" E

  You will need to enter the above coordinates to quickly zoom in on the selected image
  

  Click to download a page which will assist you
  to identify the depot features you can then see on the Google Earth images
  
  Use your browser button to return to this page

  And, thanks to the observant eye of Geof Pearson, it has been brought to our attention
  that if you look at the image for Port Elliot Station you will see a three car steam hauled Cockle Train
  approaching the red roofed station building from Victor Harbor (from bottom left of the image).
  
  

  
  In this case the relevant coordinates you need to enter are    35 32' 00" S    138 40' 48" E.
  
  Good hunting!

  You can read more about Google Earth and download a free version of the viewer software
  
  
  
  
  

  Human Resources - Loco Crews

  From time to time your websiter compiler is asked how many qualified enginemen we have, are they ex railway people, how are they trained and do we need more?

  We will address the training queries over the next couple of months by asking one of our mechanical services volunteers to provide some specific details, but a good way to illustrate the diverse range of volunteers that form the team might be to have a look at our January Cockle Train rosters.

  During January we have been using each of our qualified steam loco enginemen on a rotational basis, and here they are:
  
  

  Ian Johnston	Peter Soar	Peter Brown	Brenton Job

  These guys come from a diverse range of employment backgrounds, none directly related to railway operations. Ian (who is our Mechanical Services Manager) and Peter Soar have been retired for several years and come from a defence science and public service background respectively. Peter Brown manages a large automotive dealer's mechanical workshop and Brenton is self employed in the building industry.

  And to fill out the picture, the loco roster also requires railcar and diesel enginemen and those currently rostered are the apparently ever smiling guys below.
  
  

  Peter Charlson	Philip Neville	Mark Batten	Daryl Simon

  Again these guys come from a range of backgrounds; Peter and Phil are now retired, Peter a qualified "A class" electrical worker having been previously a production technician at a major SA power generator whilst Phil was a local farmer. Mark shares his time between SteamRanger and working in the financial services field. Daryl is one of SteamRanger's Mt Barker workshop employees, having come to us from a defence industry mechanical workshop background, and he makes a valuable volunteer contribution as a railcar driver.

  Each of the eight has been involved in various roles with SteamRanger for several decades. All have obtained their engineman and rail safeworking certification through many years' study and structured supervised training under SteamRanger's auspices. The predominantly unpaid involvement of a number of now retired railwaymen in providing supervision and guidance in our earlier days has been invaluable in this regard.

  So you can see that our loco team is diverse in both age and background and we welcome enquiries from anyone with the capability, the commitment and the preparedness to work though a demanding training programme with the consequence of taking over from these guys in the next decade.

  If you are interested in joining the team
  take the first step by contacting our Mechanical Services Manager, Ian Johnston
  by phone at (08) 8536 4621 (AH)
  or click the logo below and send him an email.
  

  
  
  Next month we will talk about firemen, trainees and oiling, greasing and washing out locos.
  You always have to start at the bottom!
  
  
  
  2007 Marketing Plan
  
  
  The Marketing team have been working on arguably one of the most extensive Marketing Plans generated by SteamRanger to date. A substantial amount of time has been spent in analysis of the research accumulated and product analysis.

  The plan does not depart greatly from the other 2 years it is an ambitious one from a sales point of view. We have taken the time to review all aspects of the operation on all services. There are some refreshed objectives with equally exciting action plans to implement them.

  One of the initiatives proposed is to address the growing need for qualified tradesmen and workers in the Mt Barker workshop. We believe a viable approach would be to establish a Skills Training Center at the Workshop. With funding a critical issue for any heritage railway organization, means needed to be investigated to address this. To our benefit we have a well equipped workshop and on the other, there is a skills shortage in light and heavy engineering, metal work and woodwork. SteamRanger will investigate link these issues to help achieve our maintenance and restoration while contributing to the community. More details soon.

  Volunteers underpin our Cockle Train Services

  Holiday periods are traditionally our busiest running period with three return daily Cockle Trains running between Goolwa and Victor Harbor and around 15 volunteers rostered on duty each day.

  A typical day involves rostering;
  
  Loco Crews
  

  Each locomotive (steam or diesel) requires an engineman and a fireman / observer who work from around 6.00am to well after 6.00pm. Where possible opportunities are provided for volunteer loco crew trainees to travel on the loco to gain operational experience and build up their "hours" to allow them to progress to a higher qualification level.

  The day's crew are responsible for washing, servicing, checking and preparing the loco and carriages each morning, and for stabling the loco at the end of the day. Other mechanical section volunteers are called in when more major tasks such a loco washouts are needed or running problems need to be addressed. And overall the crew seem to enjoy themselves, especially when we give them few minutes refreshment time at turn around stations. Our photographer recently caught Brenton Job (engineman), John Gordon (observer) and trainee Mathew Job stretching their legs at Goolwa Station oin a less busy day.
  
  
  Operations Volunteers
  Up to ten volunteers are require for between eight to ten hour shifts each day to staff trains and stations.

  • A train controller, a on-train guard and a Victor Harbor station master, all of whom need to be rail safeworking qualified.
  • Ticket sales officers at both Goolwa and Victor
  • Up to four on-train passenger attendants, who also clean carriages before and after each day's running
  • Up to three Refreshment and Souvenir sales volunteers at Victor and Goolwa
  
  
  Behind the Scenes volunteers include
  
  • Volunteers answering enquiries to our "1800" phone line
  • A Shop Supervisor ordering and stocking up souvenirs, sweets and the essential cold drinks
  • Marketing and promotional personnel
  • Workshop personnel on-call to deal with loco and carriage mechanical problems
  • Rail infrastructure volunteers carrying our routine track condition inspections
  .
  
  
  
  
  

  Rx207 returns to Service

  Regular readers of these pages will be aware that steam loco Rx207 failed inexplicably on Tuesday 9th January whilst hauling the Cockle Train between Goolwa and Victor Harbor and diesel electric loco 507 had to be called into service for the next three weeks.

  It proved necessary to return Rx207 to our Mt Barker depot to carry out an extensive series of tests and inspection of key components, none of which identified the root cause. Finally on Wednesday 17th, with valves removed and cylinder ports blanked, lots of steam was sent through all the internal steam passages. Quite a lot of brown residues were amongst the steam and water which emerged, although some of this is usual when blowing through open valves. We guess we will never know what the blows did in fact dislodge. Certainly in the end we had lots of steam hiding the front of the loco and large dark brown puddles on the ground.

  With the loco fully reassembled it was planned to return it to Goolwa Depot on Sunday 21st January but this was stymied by very heavy rains in the Mt Lofty Ranges that could have weakened the trackbed between Mt Barker and Strathakbyn. As a result the loco did not return to Cockle Train service until 25th January.

  By all reports it performed well for the final four days of the Cockle Train season, and will now be returned again to Mt Barker until needed on the south coast in March.

  And our Passengers? Reports from volunteers staffing the Cockle Train services have indicated that the effect on passengers of not operating steam has not been too severe. Although some passengers have chosen not to travel as planned, a good majority have proceeded with their travel plans, appreciating that our mechanical services volunteers are doing their best to repair the elderly loco. Many commented that the scenery and the chance to travel in our heritage wooden carriages are significant attractions of the journey irrespective of the availability of steam. Overall, the total number of passengers carried, in excess of 7000 with a majority undertaking a round trip, significantly exceeded those travelling in the 2005/6 holiday period.

  Full details of the work carried out to reinstate the loco can be followed on our loco page
  
  
  
  

  Where's 621?

  

  A number of readers have asked us why we are not using loco 621 on the restructured post-derailment services. We have passed on these queries to the Mechanical Services Manager and he has replied as follows:

  " 621 was marooned at Goolwa Depot for 5 1/2 weeks after the derailment while the damaged section of track was rebuilt.

  At that time the visible damage to 621 was bent draw bars but beyond that further inspections would have to wait until 621 returned to our main workshop at Mt Barker where we have our inspection pit.

  621 subsequently returned to Mt Barker and when the tender was emptied of water it was found the bogie centres on the rear bogie would not separate as they should, indicating some further probable damage.

  Even if 621 was currently available, because our services are now based and start from Goolwa Depot, the loco is too large to turn on the Strathalbyn turntable and the costs of using a second loco to pilot 621 to and from Strath tender first cannot be justified."

  The loco has now been placed in dry storage over the summer months whilst a number of maintenance issues are addressed and prioritised. For more details on the loco click    to read our most recent loco maintenance reports.

  Should someone have called the RSPCA?

  We are always pleased to receive photographic contributions to our webpages from passengers and friends. When we received this one from Ben Vincent we were not sure what we should do with it.

  Was the bird looking for something to nibble whilst the loco was stabled between movements?
  

  Click to see what the real context was.
  We don't know who won the race across Watsons Gap bridge on the 22nd Oct 2006!
  
  Click the browser button to return to this page
  
  
  

  An important part of HR Manager Andrew McDonough's duties is coordinating the ongoing training and skill certification of all our qualified volunteers. This involves periodic health assessments, first aid training and maintenance of safeworking qualificaions. Quite a list of volunteers are in the throws of health assessments and renewing their Senior First Aid certificates.
  
  On the safeworking front a number of long serving guards and station masters have retired in recent times and it is with great pleasure that we can now introduce ever smiling Goolwa volunteer Ray Green (left) as a fully qualified Cockle Train guard. Congratulations Ray! Incidently Ray is almost a full time SteamRanger worker at present, contributing in a major way to the track rehabilitation project right through the week.

  And just to show that Managers do more than push paper we can report that Andrew McD himself is now a fully qualified Mt Barker to Victor guard. Congratulations Andrew!
  

  And there are a number of newer volunteers who are about to commence basic safeworking training under the watchful eye of Brian Busch. These include people working in traffic, loco and infrastructure areas. We wish all the best to Bill Bebbington, Alan Potter, Steve Stratford, Andrew Dale and Marshall Flanagan.

  On the less happy side, it is with great regret that we have to confirm the untimely passing on of two well known volunteers, both quite unexpectedly.

  Ted Sawyer was admitted to hospital just a couple of months ago for treatment of a bowel cancer and unfortunately passed away on the 17th October. Ted was a long standing SteamRanger volunteer, most recently as a Guard, Station Master and willing hand in numerous areas, always ready to crack a joke and contribute his knowledge of railway operations to social gatherings.

  He leaves his wife, Bev, also a key SteamRanger volunteer, our hardworking roster officer and one of the "voices of SteamRanger" on our 1300 telephone line.

  We have passed on members' condolances to Bev and her family.
  Our photographer caught Ted in his SM role at the 2005 'Steam Up" at Mt Barker.
  
  
  

  Another volunteer. perhaps less well known to SteamRanger people was Anne Boucher who passed away suddenly on the 11th August. Both Anne and her husband Sid have been volunteers in on-train and station shop roles for many years.

  Sid recently retired as President of the National Railway Museum at Port Adelaide where he and Anne were more regular faces, particularly at open days and special events where she was colloqially known as the "Thomas Badge Lady" as a result of she and Sid (NRM photo left) producing thousands of children's button badges over the years.

  Anne will be missed by both NRM and SteamRanger and our condolances go to her family.

  Busy day on the South Coast on November 19th

  

  Sunday 19th November was planned to be a very busy day on the south coast when no less than three locos and railcars were scheduled be operate Cockle Train, Southern Encounter, and special Strathalbyn Races trains
  
  
  

  The day should have gone something like this 8.00am  -   RedHen railcar RC428 heads off from Goolwa Depot to Victor, collects passengers from Victor heading to the Strathalbyn races and returns to Goolwa Depot. 9.30am  -   Passengers from Victor join the SE carriages waiting on the main line and head off to Strathalbyn behind loco DE507 dropping passengers at the racecourse platform en route 11.00   -   Southern Encounter passengers join their southbound train at Strathalbyn, which heads off to Goolwa Depot with race-bound passengers from the north being dropped at the racecourse. 12.15pm  -   Steam Loco Rx207 takes over train loco duties at Goolwa Depot. DE507 stables at the Depot unless needed to doublehead to Victor. 12.30pm   -   Rx207 with its SE passengers arrives at Goolwa Station to pick up Cockle Train passengers heading to Victor and then runs two return Cockle Train services 4.00pm   -   Northbound SE passengers join the combined Cockle Train / Southern Encounter consist at Victor 4.50pm   -   DE507 replaces Rx207 at Goolwa Depot and the train proceeds on to Strathalbyn, picking up any northbound race passengers at the racecourse. 6.00pm   -   DE507 departs Strathalbyn, picking up home going race passengers en route to Goolwa Depot where passengers for Victor Harbor transfer to RC428, arriving there around 8.00pm 8.00pm  -   Empty railcar RC428 heads home to Goolwa Depot. arriving around 8.30pm

  But the gods were certainly not smiling on us!

  Unfortunately Sunday 19th was declared a total fireban day late the previous afternoon
  and as a consequence Rx207 could not operate and all trains listed for it
  had to be operated with DE507 throughout.

  
  
  
  

  SteamUp 2006 a success

  The traditional introduction to our steam services from Mt Barker was scheduled for Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st May. In the past this weekend has coincided with the Adelaide Cup long weekend, now transferred to earlier in the year, so we were interested to see how many attendees roll up.

  SteamRanger's "SteamUp" was part of the Mount Barker Jazz and Heritage Festival, promoted as "Three days of Jazz, Wine, Heritage and Steamtrains" Jazz bands played on the mainstage at the heritage Auchendarroch venue and at other venues around the town on each day.

  On the Saturday and Sunday SteamRanger operated steam trains to Mt Barker Junction for just $7.50 per passenger. With no run-around facilities at the Junction, the trains had steam loco Rx207 at one end of the heritage centenary car consist and DE507 at the other. Jazz groups played onboard each train.
  (Photo right : Tom Marschall)

  Around the station there was entertainment for children, food stalls, a display of vintage engines and machinery, and a sales outlet for SteamRanger souvenirs and memorabilia.

  Our depot was open for inspection and attracted a steady stream of interested visitors.

  
  

  
  
  
  - and lots of old friends came to join us. Retired SAR loco inspector Bill Hassam was snapped swapping stories with SteamRanger enginemen Peter Brown and Benton Job.

  

  As expected, the day provided an excellent opportunity for enthusiasts to photograph our trains
  Tom Marschall and Peter Michalak have sent us a selection some of which we have added to our photo album here.
  
  
  
  

  2006 Winter Running Period has some new initiatives

  The Marketing Committee has introduced exciting initiatives to "beef up" our 2006 program from Mt Barker, which traditionally has not moved into full gear now that the summer fireban season has ended.

  The first Southern Encounter to Victor Harbor for the year ran on the 18th June with a full set of Centenary cars needed to cater for the number of passengers.

  This year the service has a number of new features; a "holdup" by a group of "bushrangers" en-route to Strathalbyn and special vouchers given to all travellers entitling them to discounts on meals and atractions at Victor Harbor.

  Unfortunately the full service has had to be re-arranged due to the July derailment but will continue to be part of a program to provide a real "experience" for our passengers.
  
  
  
  
  Murder Mystery Trips
  Using railcars from Mt Barker passengers help discover who is the villian! The outing includes a high quality country cooked off-train meal, with the twists and turns of deciding who-is-who guided by actors from a professional theatre group. An excellent outing for groups!

  In June there were 94 passengers participating in a "gangster" type murder. Railcars 412 and 428 were used with passengers having a predinner drink at Mt Barker station and then travelling to Gemmels where the train was held up. Then back to Mt Barker for dinner.
  
  
  Trains depart Mt Barker at 6.30pm., returning around 11.00pm and run once a month on a Saturday evening. The same theatre group are now also being used to stage a "Fawlty Towers" package in conjunction with the Sunday Highlander services.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Mt Barker Station to host a Winery Cellar Door outlet.

  SteamRanger and local wine company Gilberts Siding Vintners have joined forces to incorporate a cellar door outlet in the heritage listed Mt Barker station building.

  John Gilbert told the local "Courier" newspaper that he hoped the venture would generate a "tourist hub" and boost SteamRanger's profile. He suggested that complementary cultural events could be staged, for instance film screenings or music, wine and dinner dance events. Seating and tables have been installed in the old ticket office area and on the platform and open fireplaces have been re-activated to keep patrons warm and by warding off Mt Barker's winter chills.

  The cellar door will be officially opened very soon and will initially operate at weekends with food being provided from local offsite caterers. The outlet area will also be used to sell train tickets with the eventual intention being to run regular railcars to Mt Barker Junction station , which may also be restored in time.
  
  
  

  A Significant Achievement

  The major overhaul program on baggage car 83 has been completed. Fred Valstar and Daryl Simon and many volunteers have worked on car 83 doggedly for many months to finalise a substantial refurbishment in record time.

  Recommissioning of the car was a feature of SteamUp with a short speech being made by president Ben Greeneklee before services for the day began on the Saturday. He reiterated that the refurbishment was a credit to all involved. The car has now been transferred to Goolwa to replace car 82 on regular Cockle Train services. To allow bicycles to be carried, some seats have been temporarily removed, interim protective panelling installed to protect the interior woodwork and racks installed for six bikes.

  Car 82 has returned to Mt Barker and stripping of panelling is already well advanced in preparation for a substantial rebuilding.
  
  

  Steam Train in Rundle Mall!

  In early April SteamRanger joined with other heritage railway societies to stage a promotional display in Rundle Mall in the busiest part of Adelaide's CBD.

  Volunteers from Pichi Richi Railway , the National Railway Museum and SteamRanger manned the display for three days from Thursday 6th April.

  A key attention getter was NRM's narrow gauge loco Peronne (pictured) which was in light steam, allowing passers by to, in the words of NRM's General Manager Des Egan, "enjoy the sights and sounds of live steam"
  

  The timing fitted in well with the impending school holiday running of the Cockle Train, SteamRanger's Depot Open days on the 20th and 21st of May and the commencement of steam running from Mt Barker to the south coast in early June.
  
  
  
  

  The promotion opening was hosted by media identity Keith Conlon with guest of honour the Tourism Minister, Hon. Jane Lomax Smith (pictured), who spoke in glowing terms of the role of the heritage railway groups. The public were invited to participate in a draw for two return tickets to Perth on the Indian Pacific.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Another Sad Loss

  Dean Smith

  May's successful and enjoyable volunteers train was unfortunately followed by a tragic accident. Long time (now retired) volunteer, Dean Smith, died on his way home from Mt Barker after being a happy passenger on the train.

  Dean started as a volunteer at Dry Creek in about the mid 1980s after retiring from DSTO. He was as a regular volunteer as you could get - come rain or shine and was one of those volunteers who was not fussy what he did, as long as he considered he was making a contribution.

  And that he did over almost 20 years and his support at our depots has been sincerely appreciated. The distance of Mount Barker from his home with the associated drive through traffic, was the main reason he retired about two years ago. However he did like to keep in touch and visited Mt Barker every few months.

  All volunteers will endorse our sincere condolences to his family.
  
  
  

  Volunteers qualify in SafeWorking Duties

  As our pool of longserving volunteers reduces, it has become increasingly important that others are trained to take over their roles, particularly as loco crew and qualified traffic officers such as guards and stationmasters.

  It is with some pleasure that we can announce that Ted Mason (left) recently qualified as a Cockle Train guard and that Don Snow and Ray Green are now fully qualified StationMasters.

  Congratulations guys!
  
  
  
  
  

  Certificates of Appreciation awarded to long serving Volunteers

  SteamRanger has a programme to recognise service by volunteers. The awards are in three categories; Gold, Silver and basic. A full list can be found at the end of our "Whos who" page.

  At the April general meeting a gold award was presented to Infrastructure Services Manager, Troy Barker (right). Before being appointed to this position in 2005, Troy was a member of ARHS Council and Signals and Communications Manager.

  Recipients of Silver Certificates for contributions to train operations were Andrew Barkell, Andrew Dale and Jim McCann

  Readers may recall that members of the Greeneklee family have been working over a lengthy period to restore wooden goods brakevan GB4420. In recognition, Kate, Marta and Peter were presented with basic certificates.

  Others to receive basic certificates were Anthony Colquhoun, Jim Fowles and Paul Quin for their track work, Sally Hawes (shops and souvenirs), and Ted Mason and Val Green (operations)

  Final recipients were trainee loco enginemen John Gordon (R) and Craig Dunstan (L), captured (above) last year at Mt Barker studying hard for their fireman's qualifications.

  Congratulations everyone!
  
  
  

  New Loco for SteamRanger?

  

  Observant train watchers on Saturday June 17th would have noticed that SteamRanger now apparently has a new Rx loco "Rx50"

  Not True! Rx50 is actually Rx207 in disguise and was chartered by a well known local rail enthusiast to celebrate his 50th birthday. The chartered train consisted of our classic tavern car 602 and a steel sitting car ran to Strathalbyn and return in the early evening.

  Operation of chartered trains is an important part of our activities and lots of variations are possible. Click here to contact our Charter Coordinator to discuss your ideas.

  Infrastructure Manager loses historic gates!

  Visitors to Victor Harbor station earlier in the year may have noticed that one of our historic road crossing gates at Coral Street was no longer in place. Had our new Infrastructure Manager misplaced it?

  No, in fact it is good news! Thanks to the efforts of the Coral Street Railway Gates Preservation Group coordinated by well know rail enthusiast Lester McInerney, the eastern gate was being refurbished by Graham Potter of "Country Gates" at Myponga at no charge.

  The gates are the last surviving hand operated gates in the state and have been a landmark in Victor Harbor since 1880. In 1998 they were dedicated to the late Rex Tilbrook who as President of the SAVRAIL group was a major player in the retention of the line as a heritage railway when it was threatened with closure and lifting in the 1970s and 80s.

  The newly constructed gate has now been installed at Victor and represents just another aspect of our conservation of South Australia's railway heritage,
  
  
  

  And SteamRanger gains some more heritage carriages

  Visitors to the historic wharf area near the lighthouse at Port Adelaide would have noticed two DWF type goods wagons converted to toilets, one former suburban center loader and one wooden bodied Red Hen Rail Car Baggage on a remnant of track alongside the main remaining goods shed - none in a state that could be described as "preserved heritage".

  The local council has offered these to SteamRanger as a gift provided we removed them from the site, and we have confirmed our interest in the two passenger cars.

  The baggage has potential for restoration and would enable us to add to our five existing cars to set up two (power car - baggage - power car) sets, whilst the center-loader could be rebuilt as an open plan observation carriage as is featured on a number of other tourist railways. Unfortunately some time ago we had to ban the very popular activity of riding on the open end deck of centenary cars due to safety concerns. To have a safe, yet open, observation carriage would enable us to restore this popular attraction.

  Following discussion with council in regard to the likely $16,000 transport costs, we can now announce that they have agreed to fund the moving of the carriages, subject to us seeking a grant from the SA Government towards assisting the project to offset their grant.

  PROGRESS UPDATE!
  

  Following finalisation of arrangements with the Council, the cars were transferred to Mt Barker on the 4th April. Our track "guru" Terry Garbett oversaw the loading and unloading, and Ian Johnston and team at Mt Barker had a set of bogies ready for one of the carriages to go on to. (One was sitting on a standard guage bogie set at Pt Adelaide.)

  ARHS President Ben Greeneklee publically thanked the Council of Port Adelaide and Enfield who donated and paid for the transportation of the carriages to Mt Barker. Their generosity and foresight to assist SteamRanger to preserve these carriages is most welcome and is to be applauded.
  
  
  

  Board of Management Changes

  It is with pleasure that we can announce that Mr Andrew McDonough has accepted an invitation to fill the long vacant position of Manager, Human Resources, initially on a acting basis.

  Andrew is a qualified Guard and Station Master and until late 2003 held the position of Marketing Manager before reluctantly standing down due to external business commitments.

  The Manager Human Resources is responsible for overseeing training, assessment and record keeping in regard to OHS&W, First Aid and Safe Working across the organisation, including those activities managed in detail by other managers. The manager is also responsible for oversight of recruitment and induction of volunteers and for volunteer and staff welfare and sucession planning.
  
  
  
  

  Another change has resulted from our long serving Operations and Safety Manager, Brian Busch (left), requesting 12 months Leave of Absence. Many would know that Brian has a very time consuming position in the rail industry which involves extensive interstate travel.
  
  

  In Brian's absence his duties will be split between Troy Barker (safety aspects) and our train controllers, Trevor Blight and Peter Blake, (operations aspects)

  A consequence of these changes has been an insightful article in the most recent members newsletter in which president Ben Greeneklee discusses successioin planning issues and the need to involve more young volunteers.
  
  
  

  Summer Holiday Cockle Trains busy but less popular than in 2005

  With steam loco Rx207 positioned at Goolwa Depot, volunteers ran our traditional three-return-trip-a-day schedule through late December and most of January, extended for the first two weeks with a late afternoon non-steam service using Brill RC60 or RedHen 412 on alternate days.

  The service got off to a bad start with two total fireban days in the first week when the temperature was so high that even our diesel locos and railcars were also sidelined. Further hot weather affected running in late January.

  Overall, trains have been reasonably well patronised, although not as busy as in 2004/5. Around 500 one-way passenger journeys were provided on better days.

  Each day of running has required about 12 people to front up on the south coast and we musn't forget our train controllers hiding away at the end of a phone line, our after-hours track inspection trolley riders, and the lady with the job no-one wants - Roster officer Bev Sawyer! We thank them all.

  On the 9th January, Bob Green's camera caught the train pulling into Goolwa with engineman Brenton Job at the regulator.

  Commonwealth Games Baton travels on SteamRanger's Cockle Train

  

  As part of its journey to Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games the Queens Baton is being carried by runners through all Australian States in February and March. The Baton arrived in Victor Harbor from Adelaide in the late afternoon on Sunday February 12th and headed on to Hahndorf on the following day.

  An extensive entertainment program was staged on Sunday 12th at Victor commencing at noon in Warland Reserve. A number of choirs, bands and a bush poet entertained the crowds and in the evening the entertainment featured the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Full details here.

  On Monday February 13th the baton was carried by runners to Pt Elliot where it joined a four car Cockle Train headed by steam loco Rx207 which departed at 9.30am to carry the baton on to Goolwa. Passengers on the train included local civic leaders and school children from Fleurieu region schools. From Goolwa it was carried to Hindmarsh Island and then through various towns to an evening function at Hahndorf.

  Photos of the baton's progress are included on the   Games website   including an excellent shot of Rx207 driver Ian Johnston holding the baton. We hope he gave it back!
  
  
  

  SteamRanger's Duck nobbled!

  During the track closure the Marketing Committee were busy organising our entry in the annual Strathalbyn Rotary club duck race on Sunday November 6th.

  Committee members and their families took a very humble and rather dishevelled duck supplied by the organisers and spent hours and hours turning it into a racing thoroughbred. A new keel was laid onto the duck using "Plaster of Paris" and Balsa wood and a sailing rig was devised that would provide ernhanced directional stability. Countless hours of rigorous testing eventually proved SteamRanger had a winning formula!
  
  
  There was quite a good collection of entrants (left), but the actual race started off rather disappointingly with our entry ending up on its side due to the weight of wet sails.

  As the race progressed, the SteamRanger duck soldiered on and advanced to third place, but, as it rounded the bend under the Strathalbyn foot bridge the wind machine used to push the ducks along strayed of course and at the finish the SHR duck was left languishing in the reeds.

  Oh well, there's always next year!
  
  
  
  
  

  Farewell to old Friends - 907 and 909 find a new home

  

  When setting up the SteamRanger Heritage Railway, the ARHS intended to preserve in operational condition a range of locomotives representative of those used on the line over the previous 50 or so years. The 900 class DEs proved to have too heavy an axle loading for a line built to branch line standards and their use was soon discontinued to reduce track maintenance.

  After being stored at Strathalbyn and Mt Barker Depot for many years locos 907 and 909 were sold some years ago to the Australian Locomotive and Railway Carriage Company at Tailem Bend who recently arranged to transfer their acquisitions from Strathalbyn by road. ALARC was formed in 1999 and is owned by well known ex Victorian Railways and West Coast career Railwaymen Bruce Roberts and Bob Butrims along with South Australian businessman Steven Moritz who is also well known in railway circles in South Australia.
  

  

  The locos and bogies were separately loaded onto huge low loaders at Strath on August 5th and 6th. Due to restrictions on bridges at Callington and elsewhere en route to Tailem Bend , the loaders had to first go to Langhorne Creek then take Kangaroo Rd, a dirt road to Monarto, to join the freeway. Things came unstuck when the prime mover hauling the loader could not maintain traction on at least two steep hills on Kangaroo Rd necessitating attachment of a locally procured grader to the front of the prime mover.

  The purchasers are a rollingstock provider specialising in the hire of Power vans, Crew cars and Passenger Carriages for use on the Standard gauge systems and intend to standardise the bogies on 909 and make the loco operational again. As 909 will not be compatible with any other main line locos around, it might then be offered to anyone who wants it as a shunt loco. A function of the company in the past has been the operation of passenger trains for the Tourist Industry and it is possible that 909 will be used to haul special passenger trains both in SA and Victoria.

  Ian Johnston and Bob Sexton have contributed photos of the loading of 907 and its bogies at Strathalbyn (above)and departure of the load eastwards.
  
  
  For more background information on the 900s you can click