Railways and Tramways of Australia

The Pichi Richi Railway is based at Quorn in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges. It operates heritage steam and diesel locomotive-hauled trains and railcars between Quorn, Woolshed Flat and Port Augusta.

 

History

The Pichi Richi Railway is named after the Pichi Richi pass through which the line passes. It was part of a narrow gauge line that extended to the north of the state and eventually reached Alice Springs. Construction of the line commenced in 1878, and the line from Port Augusta to Quorn was opened on 15 December 1879. It was extended to Hawker in 1880, Hergott Springs (Marree) in 1884, Oodnadatta in 1891, and finally reached Alice Springs in 1929.

 

The opening of the Trans-Australian Railway between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie in 1917 made it possible to travel between the east and west coasts of Australia by train. To make a journey by train between Sydney and Perth at that time involved travel via Melbourne and Adelaide, requiring six changes of train. From Adelaide passengers travelled on a broad gauge line to Terowie, where they would change to a narrow gauge train through Peterborough to Quorn, and then along the route of today’s Pichi Richi Railway to Port Augusta. In 1937 a more direct line opened between Adelaide and Port Augusta via Port Pirie, which eliminated the need to travel via Quorn and the Pichi Richi Railway for passengers travelling to Western Australia.

 

Pichi Richi remained part of the route of the narrow gauge line to Alice Springs traversed by The Ghan and other trains. Heavy railway traffic passed over the line during the Second World War and Quorn became a very busy railway town. Frequent trains transported military equipment and troops passed through. Additional staff were recruited and extra locomotives were brought in to cope with the traffic. Volunteers supplied meals to troops passing through Quorn, by the end of the war one million meals had been provided.

 

The development of coalfields further north near Leigh Creek and a power station at Port Augusta resulted in regular coal trains, which were limited to 600 tons because of the steep gradients on the line. It was decided to bypass the Pichi Richi Pass with a new direct standard gauge line. Trains commenced using the new line in 1956 and railway traffic was suspended on the line between Port Augusta and Quorn on 14 January 1957. The old line remained open in case it was required. Occasional services operated for the transfer of rolling stock to Port Augusta and special trains operated by the Australian Railway Historical Society. Quorn continued to see trains operating to Peterborough and Hawker. The last regular passenger train through Pichi Richi Pass ran on 8 October 1967 when T199 and NM34 double headed northbound in farewell. NM34 was being delivered to the Mile End Railway Museum and is now an exhibit at the National Railway Museum in Port Adelaide while T199 is at Steamtown in Peterborough. A semi-trailer struck and damaged a bridge at Saltia, which brought an end to through traffic on the line. Nevertheless, two special trains ran between Quorn and Summit on 16 May 1970.

 

Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society

The Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society was formed on 22 July 1973 with the aim of preserving the railway through the Pichi Richi Pass. Work commenced on clearing bushes that had grown over the line, repairing bridges, removing rocks and replacing worn sleepers. On 20 July 1974 the railway was re-opened between Quorn and Summit by the Governor of South Australia, Sir Mark Oliphant. The re-opened track was further extended to Pichi Richi in Easter 1975 and to Woolshed Flat in Easter 1979. A triangle was installed at Woolshed Flat to enable locomotives to be turned.

 

Woolshed Flat remained the southern terminus of the Pichi Richi Railway for 20 years until it was re-opened to Stirling North in 1999. The extension was opened by Tim Fischer, Deputy Prime Minister, on 24 October. Re-connecting the Pichi Richi Railway with Port Augusta was a significant engineering task as it required crossing the interstate standard gauge main line. An underpass was constructed, requiring extensive earthworks. On 15 September 2001 T186 became the first narrow gauge steam locomotive to steam into Port Augusta for more than 30 years. The extension was officially opened in Easter 2002. Celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society were held in July 2024.

 

Locomotives and rolling stock

The Pichi Richi Railway has a collection of former South Australian Railways, Western Australian Government Railways and Commonwealth Railways locomotives, historic rolling stock and railcars. Some locomotives from private railway operators are also owned by the Pichi Richi Railway. The steam locomotive fleet includes four former Western Australian Government Railways 4-8-2 engines (W916, W931, W933 and W934), a former South Australian Railways T Class 4-8-0 engine (T186), a former South Australian Railways Yx Class 2-6-0 engine (Yx141), and a former Commonwealth Railways NM Class 4-8-0 engine (NM25). W916, W934, Yx141 and NM25 are currently operational.

 

The diesel locomotive fleet includes three former Commonwealth Railways NSU Class A1A-A1A locomotives (NSU51, NSU52, NSU54) and a former Commonwealth Railways NT Class Co-Co locomotive (NT76).

 

An unusual vehicle at the Pichi Richi Railway is 2-2-0WT steam motor coach No. 1 Coffee Pot. It consists of an engine unit and a passenger coach, with the coach section finished in varnished teak. The rear section pivots on a point beneath the firebox. Coffee Pot was built in 1905 by Kitson & Company in Leeds, England. It entered service with South Australian Railways in August 1906 on the Northern Division and a similar unit entered service on the South East Division, based at Mount Gambier. It was based at Quorn from 1906 until 1932, operating regular trips to Hawker and other locations. A four-wheel wagon was attached to carry parcels and mail. It came under the ownership of Commonwealth Railways in 1924 and was numbered NJAB1. From 1932 until the mid-1950s it was stored before it was restored externally at Port Augusta. It was transferred to Alice Springs in the 1960s and placed on display near the railway station. Coffee Pot was returned to Quorn for restoration in 1975, and re-entered service in 1984 on the Pichi Richi Railway. A further overhaul saw it out of service for eight years until 2015.

 

Train services

Pichi Richi Railway operates the following services:

• Pichi Richi Explorer: A two-and-a-half-hour steam-hauled return trip from Quorn to Woolshed Flat, a distance of 32 km.

• Afghan Express: A six-hour steam-hauled return journey from Port Augusta to Quorn, a distance of 78 km, with a two-hour stopover in Quorn.

• Sundowner Express: A two-and-a-half-hour return trip in the evening from Quorn to Woolshed Flat, a distance of 32 km, on a Barwell Bull diesel railcar

• Coffee Pot Heritage Rail Experience: A four-and-a-half-hour return trip from Quorn to Woolshed Flat, a distance of 32 km, on steam coach Coffee Pot, with drinks and canapes on board and lunch at Woolshed Flat. Scenic stops are made along the way.

 

Trains operate on Saturdays, Sundays and other selected days between March and November, with different trains operating on different days. Bookings can be made online or on the day at Quorn or Port Augusta railway stations. Tours of the workshops at Quorn are available on train operating days. Quorn is approximately 330 km north of Adelaide, and Port Augusta is approximately 310 km north of Adelaide.

 

Further information is available on the Pichi Richi Railway website <www.pichirichirailway.org.au>.

 

References

Australian Steam–Preserved Steam Locomotives Down Under <www.australiansteam.com>.

Barrington, R (Ed.), Into the pass: as history of the Pichi Richi Railway: celebrating 50 years of preservation, Pichi Richi Railway Preservation

     Society, Port Augusta, 2024.

Finlay, K, Preserving the past: a guide to the Pichi Richi Railway, Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society, Quorn, 1998.

Pichi Richi Railway <www.pichirichirailway.org.au>.

Quinlan, H & JH Newland, Australian railway routes 1854 to 2000, Australian Railway Historical Society, New South Wales Division, Sydney, 2000.

The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, Report on Commonwealth Railways operations for year 1956-57, Commonwealth Government

     Printer, Canberra, 1957.