MEDIA INFORMATION PACK
PICHI RICHI RAILWAY Proudly Volunteer Restored and Run since 1974
On behalf of the volunteers of great railway crossroad of the Pichi Richi Railway Australia. Preservation Society, Lovingly restored in our Quorn welcome aboard our Heritage workshops, our large collection Railway, the original Ghan of heritage steam and diesel railway line and a labour of locomotives, and antique love for the past 40 years. carriages also have their own stories to tell.
In this booklet you'll find just If you can resist the view from some of the stories our railway your window, please read on and has to tell - stories of the people discover a few of the many who built and used the original stories behind our railway. line, and of our volunteers who keep it alive. Warm regards,
Stories of the Railway's Dion Chandler hometown of Quorn, and the President, Pichi Richi Railway history behind what was once a Preservation Society, and third-generation railwayman.
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
Pichi Richi People
Behind the success of this Although most of the original heritage railway stands a team members, many of them rail of dedicated volunteers and fans, were from the Quorn and their families. Pt Augusta area, today the society’s membership base Pichi Richi Railway Preservation extends further to Adelaide and Society (PRRPS) was formed in beyond. July 1973, at a public meeting PRRPS has completed a held in Cooinda Hall, Pt Augusta number of major projects to discuss the operation and since its inception. preservation of the rail line These include return to service running through the Pichi Richi of steam locomotives and Pass. heritage rolling stock, rebuilding Steam trains had been phased large sections of railway line, and the restoration of historic out in favour of the modern, buildings. diesel locomotive and rail fans united to commit to the The Society’s most recent conservation of these beautiful achievement is the milestone machines, and the line between of forty years of operation as a Port Augusta and Quorn. fully volunteer run organisation.
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
It is humbling to think as David Heah, an you ride along this line, engineering student at that none of it would be the University of possible without the dedication Adelaide, recently became the of volunteers. Society’s youngest-ever qualified Running a heritage railway on steam locomotive driver at the volunteer time alone is a truly age of 21. incredible feat. Alongside his studies, David has Countless hours are spent also taken over the role of rebuilding and maintaining the managing the PRRPS rail line, sometimes in extreme Locomotive Department, weather. Then there's the ensuring that routine painstaking task of restoring the maintenance, overhauls and train in which you are sitting to paperwork requirements are all original condition; and many met. early morning starts for the “Although the behind scenes drivers, car captains and catering work isn’t as glamorous as staff, many travelling from driving a passenger train through Adelaide or further afield. the Pichi Richi Pass, it’s just as David Heah is a steam rewarding”, said David. locomotive driver and one of “To know that these Pichi Richi Railway’s wonderful mechanical passionate volunteers. machines can still turn a wheel under their own steam is why I and all the other
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
volunteers keep coming to Quorn”.
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
Pichi Richi’s Hometown Quorn, Flinders Ranges
The name `Pichi Richi’ is During the Second World said to be adapted from an War Quorn became a hive aboriginal word for the of activity in the movement of plant ‘Pituri’ which is troops to Darwin in preparation common in the pass. for a Japanese invasion, following the bombing in 1941. After European settlement pastoralists used the Quorn area Supplies, evacuees, stock and until Godfrey Walsh surveyed it over 100,000 troops moved in 1878, naming the town after continuously in and out of Quorndon in Leicestershire, UK. Quorn day and night.
The railway line opened from Train services through Quorn Port Augusta to Quorn in 1879. peaked at 43 per day during this In 1917 the East-West period. The Country Women’s Transcontinental Railway Association provided over one opened and Quorn became the million hot meals for troops and crossroads of all north–south evacuees during their stops at and east–west rail travel in Quorn, serving them either on Australia for the next 20 years. the Station’s verandah, in the army-built Sydney Williams hut,
or in the First World War
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Memorial Hall at the Quorn’s many Quorn Oval. historic buildings stand as a reminder After the war, railway business in of its heyday, including the Quorn waned especially after the beautiful Railway Station, completion of the new standard- which now houses the gauge northern railway, west of Flinders Ranges Visitor the ranges in 1956. Information Centre. The line between Hawker and Stopping at the Visitor Centre, Quorn was maintained until travellers can pick up a brochure 1970 to transport barytes from for a self-guided walk around the Oraparinna mine to the Quorn’s well-preserved heritage treatment plant, which is just buildings. east of the Quorn Railway Station Yard. A visit to Quorn is well rounded off with a meal at one of its Sealed roads brought an end to fascinating cafes, or traditional use of the railway, before the outback pubs. Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society resurrected it. It is now A number of bushwalking trails one of Quorn’s main tourist exist nearby for tourists to get attractions, with the Pichi Richi off the beaten track and view the Pass serving as a grand entrance stunning landscape seen from to the Flinders Ranges. the train, close up.
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
The Pichi Richi Carriages
Ranging in age from a NSS34 - sprightly 60-odd to over 100 Commonwealth years old, if our carriages Railways Special Car could talk, what stories they No. 3 would tell! Capturing the romance of high-end luxury travel in The Railway operates two the 1930s, this carriage once different collections of carriages, saw service as part of HRH originating from the the Duke of Gloucester's Commonwealth Railways (CR) special train during his 1934 and South Australian Railways Australian visit. (SAR). The NSS34’s luxurious
appointments included Here are just a few of the Tasmanian oak interiors, four carriages in the Pichi Richi two-berth sleeping Railway’s extensive fleet. compartments including a wardrobe, washbasin with hot and cold water, Stone's electric lighting, fans, refrigeration, water
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
raising equipment and hot Commonwealth water service. Railways officers were able to use NSS34 from A dining saloon, kitchen, 1930. NSS34 was also used as bathroom and toilet provided the Ghan's dining car for two complete facilities. periods in the 1930s when the Constructed at the regular dining car ND35 was Commonwealth Railways’ Port undergoing maintenance. Augusta workshops from July In the 1960s some minor 1928, this car entered service in upgrading to NSS34's facilities April 1929, spending its entire took place. The bathroom was life on the Port Augusta to Alice re-lined with laminex and a Springs railway. shower installed. A gas stove and A distinctive feature of this refrigerator were installed in the carriage is a round-ended kitchen. observation lounge, which After the closure of the narrow- allowed guests and CR gauge Central Australia Railway, officers panoramic views of NSS34 was transferred to the the track and countryside Pichi Richi Railway in early 1981, when the carriage was and was purchased by PRR from attached to the rear of trains. Australian National in 1995.
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
Commonwealth A distinctive feature Railways NRC36 of NRC36 (and / NIA36 other Commonwealth Railways carriages of this era) was NRC36 is the carriage that the external louvres fitted US General Douglas over part of the windows to MacArthur and his family provide protection from the travelled in from Alice fierce central Australian Springs to Terowie after his heat. escape from the Phillipines and Japanese invasions in Other special features include a March, 1942. "turtle-back" roof, Tasmanian Oak for internal cladding, and The first sleeping carriage to nickel-plated fittings. be built by the Commonwealth Railways for In 1966, NRC was converted to the Central Australia Railway, an officer’s inspection carriage NRC36 was constructed at the and reclassified NIA36. CR's Port Augusta workshop, NIA36 was used on Central entering service in July 1929. Australian Railway up until its Today it retains a glimpse back closure in 1980, and was at travel in the heyday of transferred to the Pichi Richi railways. Railway in 1981.
In 1995 PRR purchased NIA36 from Australian National.
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
South Australian complete with en suite Railways and (cold) shower. carriage 167 “Flinders” The end walls of the car were replaced with full height Named in honour of the early observation windows, and large Australian Explorer Matthew luxurious seats installed to allow Flinders, car 167 was built in the comfortable viewing of the 1890's as a “Short Tom”, with receding track. Flinders has seen First and Second class seating. use by dignitaries visiting the Converted in 1929 for use by the railway, but is now available for Railway Commissioner, car 167 charter on any PRR service for a was gutted and had a single bed- taste of the style of yesteryear. sleeping compartment installed,
Travel on the Pichi Richi Line
The railway from Port Although this route never made Augusta to Quorn through it to Darwin, the railway was the Pichi Richi Pass ultimately extended to Alice opened in 1879, and was Springs by 1929. part of the first stage of the In 1917 the East-West Great Northern Railway Transcontinental railway across that was intended to link the Nullarbor Plain was Port Augusta with Darwin. completed, meeting the Great
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Northern line at Port rebuild of Augusta, and Quorn Commonwealth became the crossroads of Railways NM class two major lines for the next 20 steam locomotive number 25, years. and the rebuilding of railway line, first from Quorn through to Quorn became a vital stop along Woolshed Flat and later on to the line, especially during World Stirling North and Port Augusta. War II when military, coal, cattle and other traffic placed sizeable The society operates two demands on the railway. passenger trains: a full day journey on The Afghan Express The Ghan service used the Pichi from Port Augusta to Quorn and Richi Railway route until 1956 return; and the half-day Pichi when a new standard gauge Richi Explorer return trip from railway from Stirling North to Quorn to Woolshed Flat. Brachina bypassed the narrow gauge railway through the Pichi The Afghan Express Richi Pass, and the line was service turns the clock back closed. to when the famous old Ghan travelled through the The line was resurrected by Pichi Richi Pass from Port the Pichi Richi Railway Augusta to Alice Springs. Preservation Society (PRRPS) in 1974. Wherever possible, the Afghan Express uses distinctive timber- Since their inception, the PRRPS bodied carriages built in the late have completed significant 1920s for the narrow gauge old works including the complete
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
Ghan train service, and A railwayman made restored old Ghan steam the joking remark locomotive NM25, built in that if he was the only 1925. passenger on the train it should be called the 'Afghan The Naming of “The Ghan” Express'. On 30 August 1923 the inaugural In time, this was abbreviated to through passenger train, which The Ghan Express and included the “Alberga” sleeping eventually The Ghan. This name car, ran from Terowie to was officially adopted by the Oodnadatta. It was on this trip Commonwealth Railways in the that the name 'Ghan' has its late 1930s. origin. A large crowd of local people had gathered at the Quorn station to witness the arrival of the new train with its sleeping car.
When the train pulled into Quorn yard it was almost dusk. An Afghan passenger wasted no time in getting off the train to a quiet corner of the yard where he could kneel to face Mecca and recite his ritual evening prayers.
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
The Pichi Richi South Australia. The Explorer is a steam carriages were used on train using genuine narrow gauge trains South Australian Railways such as the Great Northern carriages, some dating from Express, the Ghan and the East- the 19th century. West Express, as well as various country routes to Mt Gambier, This train enables travellers to Broken Hill, Pt Pirie and the experience train travel as it was Eyre Peninsula 100 years ago on country lines in
The Pichi Richi Locomotives
Pichi Richi Railway class locomotives; as well as Preservation Society have West Australian WAGR W-class. lovingly restored and Of particular interest in the maintained a range of collection are the` Coffee locomotives, many to Pot’, the only steam motor working order. coach of its kind in the The collection includes world; the last remaining Commonwealth Railways NB, Brill diesel railcar; the NM, NSU & NT class original Ghan NM steam locomotives; South Australian locomotive and the Motor Railways SMC, T, Wx, Y and Yx Inspection Car.
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
Steam Motor Coach This unique, and #1, The “Coffee beautifully presented, Pot” steam coach earned The `Coffee Pot’ was built to its nickname as it used to order in England, in 1905. frequently run out of water – Designed for efficiency of so extra kegs had been service in combining the coach strapped to the running and engine as one unit, it boards to supplement provided a cheap solution to capacity. ferry passengers between A railway man chalked the words country towns, where there were “Coffee” and “Cocoa” on these small populations. as a joke, and the name stuck. Showcasing the first electric This engine is currently out of lights on board, it ran between action with that famous ‘coffee Port Augusta, Quorn and pot’ boiler undergoing repairs. Hawker until 1928, providing transport for picnics, cricket matches and other social outings in addition to scheduled services.
This tiny little motor coach meant big things for the residents of Hawker, allowing them to connect with a day train to Adelaide and removing the need for an overnight stop in Quorn.
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
Brill Railcar 106, With its original power “The plant—a 186 hp (138 Barwell Bull” kW) six cylinder Winton petrol engine—it Introduced during Premier clocked up 1,138,658 miles Barwell’s term of office, the (1,833,227 km). After the fitting distinctive, bull-like sound of the of a Cummins NHS-6b diesel Brill Railcar’s horn earned them engine in 1960 it travelled the nickname of “Barwell Bulls”. another 278,511 miles (448,499 Railcar 106 entered service on 17 km), giving a grand total of March 1928 on the then narrow 1,417,221 miles (2,281,726 gauge lines of the SAR's South- km) in 48 years of service. East Division. Back in 1977 the Pichi Richi It was transferred to Railway Preservation Society Peterborough in the mid 1930s, (PRRPS) discovered that railcar where it spent much of its time 106 was still in existence, stored between Terowie and Quorn out of the way at Islington. until the railcar service ceased on 31 January 1969. During the gauge conversion between Peterborough and Terowie it saw some service and was then transferred to Islington before being condemned on 17 August 1976.
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
Although lacking an NM 25 – engine, it was the last Original Ghan remaining potentially Steam serviceable Brill railcar and Locomotive immediate steps were taken The NM class locomotives were to ensure its preservation. introduced in 1925 by the It was purchased by PRRPS on Commonwealth Railways, in 23 March 1977 and eventually readiness for the extension of reached Quorn in February the Oodnadatta railway to Alice 1978. Springs. The 22 locomotives were based on the Queensland Railcar 106 entered service with Railways C17 class. PRRPS in 1990 following its restoration. The project was The NM class operated the Ghan and other services on supported by The Savings Bank the Central Australia of South Australia (now Railway until replaced by BankSA). The matching Brill diesel locomotives from Trailer Car 305 was also 1954. subsequently restored and For some years NM25 was the together these two units run our pilot engine based at Alice popular ‘Twilight Explorer” Springs (steam engines could go service and private charters. through deeper flood waters than diesels). It last ran in 1965.
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
After storage in Port Motor Inspection Augusta it was placed in Car Homestead Park at Port Over 75 years ago the South Augusta before the Pichi Richi Australia Railways converted Railway Preservation Society this 1937 Morris 25 to operate (PPRS) obtained it in 1990. on narrow gauge track. Restoration was carried out by Beautifully restored, the MIC is PRRPS primarily with funds available for private hire for a generously granted by the City of picnic with a difference! Port Augusta. Most of the restoration work was undertaken Bring your sense of adventure as in Adelaide at Panorama you’ll be travelling over high Campus of Douglas Mawson bridges on our narrow gauge Institute (TAFE SA). track from Quorn to Port Augusta.
Media Enquiries – Meg Drechsler, Marketing Officer [email protected] 0432 533 658
Information in this booklet is current as at June 2014.
We welcome media enquiries and can supply a variety of stunning images in high-resolution on request.
For further details, please visit our website: www.prr.org.au or contact our Marketing Officer, Meg Drechsler on 0432 533 658 Or email [email protected]