SteamRanger Heritage Railway

SteamRanger

Rx 224 leaving Port Elliot in January 2022
Established	1986
Standort	Mount Barker South Australia
Coordinates	35°03′58″S 138°51′56″E
Typ	Heritage Railway
Website	www.steamrangerheritagerailway.org

The SteamRanger Heritage Railway is a 77 kilometres (48 miles) long 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad gauge tourist railway, formerly the Victor Harbor railway line of the South Australian Railways (SAR). It is operated by the not-for-profit South Australian Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society. As the last operating non-suburban line of the former broad-gauge network, on which Australia's first public railway was opened, the line and its associated rail assets have high historical significance.

History

In the 1970s, the South Australian Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society established SteamRanger as a not-for-profit railway preservation offshoot to operate its train tours from Adelaide, mainly on rural lines throughout the state's broad-gauge networks. SteamRanger opened their first purpose-built depot at Dry Creek railway station, 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) north of Adelaide in 1980. From the mid-1980s, SteamRanger gradually took over the operation and maintenance of the Victor Harbor railway line in the Adelaide Hills.

When plans were announced for the Adelaide to Melbourne line to be converted to 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge, SteamRanger had to choose between staying at Dry Creek and losing its investment in the Victor Harbor line, or move and become isolated from Adelaide's suburban railway lines.Since the first choice would break the society's financial viability, in a huge project all of SteamRanger's locomotives and rolling stock were moved. A new depot was built at Mount Barker railway station, at the northern end of the broad-gauge line to Victor Harbor. As part of the move, the District Council of Mount Barker renovated the station building, derelict at the time, to become SteamRanger's headquarters. Conversion of the interstate line was completed in 1995 as part of the One Nation infrastructure upgrade program. Following closure of South Australia's remaining broad-gauge tracks, the line has become the last operating memory of locomotive-hauled trains on the broad gauge.

Services

As of January 2023, scheduled SteamRanger trips were as follows.

Name	Between (round trips)	Distance and time (round trips)	Days	Steam or diesel?	Notes
Cockle Train – off peak	Goolwa and Victor Harbor	21 km (13 mi). About 1 hour, 30 minutes.	Most Wednesdays and weekends	Heritage diesel locomotives or railcars*	Buy tickets on day of travel at SteamRanger stations (does not have reserved seats)
Cockle Train – during school holidays	As above	As above	Every day during school holidays	Normally steam locomotives; diesel when a total fire ban for the Mount Lofty Ranges is in force*	As above
Southern Encounter	Mount Barker to Victor Harbor	164 km (102 mi). About 8 hours 45 minutes including 2 hours 40 minutes lunch and several 10-minute stops.	First, third and fifth Sundays May to November	Steam locomotives	Bookings essential**
Hills Encounter	Victor Harbor to Mount Barker	164 km (102 mi). About 8 hours including 2 hours 20 minutes lunch.	As on website	Normally steam locomotives; diesel when a total fire ban for the Mount Lofty Ranges is in force*	Passengers can optionally leave train at Strathalbyn for lunch and shopping then join return trip. Bookings essential.
StrathLink	Victor Harbor (or board at Goolwa) to Strathalbyn	100 km (62 mi). About 5 hours 20 minutes including 2 hours lunch.	Several days during the school holidays	On the Cockle Train Victor Harbor to Goolwa, then via heritage railcar to Strathalbyn	Booking advisable since some trains fill quickly
Bugle Ranger	Mount Barker to Philcox Hill and Bugle Ranges station	18 km (11 mi). About 45 minutes.	Fourth Sunday June to November	Red Hen railcar	Buy tickets on day of travel at SteamRanger's Mount Barker station
* When the forecast for Victor Harbor is 35 degrees Celsius or above, the Cockle Train does not operate. ** First-class tickets include apartment in an art deco carriage with morning tea, lunch and a paddle steamer voyage.

Mainline diesel-electric locomotive 958 and steam locomotive 520 at SteamRanger's Mount Barker workshop in 2006

Fleet

SteamRanger's fleet as of April 2023 was as follows.

Item	Built	Status
Steam locomotives
Rx class no. 207, Dean Harvey	1913	Stored Dry, Mt Barker
Rx class no. 224	1915	Operational, Goolwa
F class no. 251	1922	Stored awaiting overhaul
620 class no. 621, Duke of Edinburgh	1936	Out of Service, Mt Barker
520 class no. 520, Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey	1943	Under restoration, Mt Barker
Diesel-electric locomotives
350 class no. 350	1949	Operational, Mt Barker (limited shunting use only)
500 class no. 507	1964	Out of Service, Mt Barker
700 class no. 704	1971	under restoration, Mt Barker
830 class no. 844	1962	Operational, Goolwa
830 class no. 845	1963	Under restoration, Mt Barker
930 class no. 958	1967	Operational, Mt Barker
930 class no. 963	1967	Stored, Mt Barker
Diesel railcars
300, 400 and 820 class Red Hen suburban railcars nos 334, 412, 428 and 824	1958–1968; 1912 (trailer car no. 824)	Operational
Red Hen no. 424 and trailer car no. 875	1968, 1945	Under restoration
Red Hen nos 364 and 405	1968, 1959	Stored
Brill Model 75 railcar no. 43	1928	Under restoration
Brill Model 75 railcar no. 60	1928	Stored, Goolwa
2000 class "Jumbo" railcars nos 2010 and 2109	1980	Stored, Goolwa
Passenger cars
Wooden "Centenary" cars nos 52, 54, 56, 60, 61, 62 and 66 Wooden suburban cars nos 70, 71 and 73 Wooden suburban baggage cars nos 81, 82 and 83 Wooden 4400 class brakevan no. 4420 Steel 500 class first class car no. 503 Steel 600 class second class car no. 602 Steel 700 class second class cars nos 701, 704, 706 and 710 Former V&SAR joint stock sleeper car Finniss Steel CGP class brakevan no. CGP2

See also

• Rail transport in South Australia
• Railways in Adelaide
• Victor Harbor railway line

External links

• SteamRanger Heritage Railway website
• SteamRanger Heritage Railway events
• SteamRanger Heritage Railway volunteering
• SteamRanger Heritage Railway enthusiasts