Pichi Richi Railway

Former Commonwealth Railways steam locomotive NM25 was built in 1925 and was used on the narrow gauge train line between Port Augusta and Alice Springs. It is one of only two surviving examples of this class of steam locomotive. NM25 had remained static from 1965 until 1989, when PRRPS acquired it with the intention of restoring it to operational condition. An overhaul commenced in 2000. The locomotive was recommissioned on 26 April 2003.[8][9]

During the Commonwealth Railways era (from 1937 to 1957), the train line between Stirling North and Port Augusta was dual gauge. Narrow gauge served the line to Quorn and the standard gauge, which branched at Stirling North, was for the line to Port Pirie and also to Marree. A new standard gauge line to Marree was built in the 1950s on a new route west of the Pichi Richi Pass, with the purpose of bypassing the narrow gauge section of the Central Australia Railway to Marree, through Quorn and Hawker. The narrow gauge component of the section dual gauge track between Stirling North and Port Augusta was removed once the standard gauge line to Marree was in full operation, and the narrow gauge route from Hawker to Marree had been closed and removed. This meant that the remaining narrow gauge line from Stirling North to Hawker via Quorn was now isolated. On the occasions that a narrow gauge train needed to travel to Port Augusta or to Marree, the train would need to utilise a piggy back system. This arrangement saw the entire narrow gauge train loaded on top of a standard gauge train of flatcars and transported via standard gauge, then unloaded at the destination on to the existing narrow gauge.[10]

The first stage of returning narrow gauge train services to Port Augusta was the completion of 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) of track rehabilitation between Woolshed Flat and Stirling North. This work included the complete replacement of sleepers and rail, re-timbering of several bridges and the construction of a turning triangle at Stirling North. Part of the $1.35 million Pichi Richi Railway Development Plan project, it was completed in 1999. The extension was opened on 24 October 1999 by former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia Tim Fischer.[11][12][13]

It was announced in 2000 that funding was available through the State Government of South Australia, and the Port Augusta City Council to extend the train line from Stirling North in to Port Augusta railway station. However, there were significant works required for to complete this project.

Because the existing narrow gauge between Stirling North and Port Augusta had been removed many years earlier, the challenge for the PRRPS was to develop an effective means of reinstating the narrow gauge in to Port Augusta. The greatest aspect to this challenge was how to cross over what remained of the standard gauge line to Marree, which had since been truncated at Telford Cut coal mine near Leigh Creek with the opening of the newer standard gauge line from Tarcoola to Alice Springs in 1980. This line to Leigh Creek was exclusively used for transporting coal from Leigh Creek to Northern Power Station, and branched off the main standard gauge network at Stirling North. Many options for crossing this line were investigated, including a draw bridge arrangement, diamond crossovers and an underpass. The final decision was an underpass, passing below the Leigh Creek coal train line, which greatly reduced the amount of safe working interfacing with the standard gauge line.[10] Diagram.[14][15]

The rest of the narrow gauge line was constructed parallel to the standard gauge in to Port Augusta, arriving at Platform 2 at Port Augusta station. The rail for this project was sourced from the dismantled Cambrai to Apamurra railway line in South Australia's Murray Mallee region.[16] A turntable relocated from Kapunda was installed near the station, as well as a depot and sheds constructed adjacent to the Port Augusta station for housing a locomotive and rolling stock for Pichi Richi Railway operations originating at Port Augusta.

These included:[17]

• earthworks requiring the excavation and placement of approximately 25,000 m³ (33,000 cu yd) of material,
• dismantling, transport and relaying of 1,300 lengths of 12.2 m (40 ft) long rail totalling 500 tonnes (490 long tons; 550 short tons),
• Construction of six turnouts at Port Augusta to provide a run around loop and access to the storage shed and turntable,
• Laying of approx 11,500 sleepers comprising approximately 10,000 Redgum timber and 1,500 steel sleepers,
• Using 30,000 second hand dogspikes, 10,000 screwspikes and 5,200 fishbolts,
• Transport, distribution and tamping of 8,000 tonnes (7,900 long tons; 8,800 short tons) of track ballast,
• Design, manufacture, transport and installation of 13 large precast concrete culvert crown and 14 base sections for the underpass, and completing installation in 60 hours to ensure no disruption to coal supplies from Leigh Creek,
• Installation of around 1,600 pieces of pin-crib[18] walling[19] to the underpass at Stirling North.

The extension was officially opened 15 September 2001 by the local state MP, Graham Gunn, the then state Tourism Minister Joan Hall, and Port Augusta Mayor Joy Baluch.[20]

The extension to Port Augusta has since won the 2002 Permanent Way Institute (SA Section) Trackwork Achievement Award[10][21]

Significant projects completed by Pichi Richi Railway in recent years include:

Sign about the Old Ghan railway at Quorn station

• Overhaul and return to service of WAGR steam locomotive W934
• Overhaul and return to service of WAGR steam locomotive W916 (rebuilt as W22)
• Rebuild of several original Commonwealth Railways Ghan Carriages, including:
  • NABPa class passenger carriage, numbers 25, 26 and 27
  • NIA class passenger carriage number 36, used by United States General Douglas MacArthur on his trip from Alice Springs to Terowie via Quorn after leaving the Philippines in World War II. It was on this trip (at Terowie) he made his famous speech "I came out of Bataan and I shall return"[22]
  • NSS class special service observation carriage number 34, used by the Duke of Gloucester on a Royal train during his 1934 visit to Australia,[23]
  • NYAB class composite brake van carriage number 15
• Restoration of SAR Brill railcar trailer 305
• Restoration and return to service of motor inspection car MIC 126, a 1937 Morris 25 Morris motor vehicle that runs on railway wheels
• Restoration of SAR refreshment carriage Light (completed in April 2012)
• Rebuild of SAR passenger carriage number 5 (almost completed May 2016)

Ongoing projects:

• Rebuild of SAR steam locomotive Yx141
• Tyre replacement on W934

Future projects:

• Tyre replacement on W22 (W916)

PRRPS currently has 4 operational steam locomotives, 2 operational diesel locomotives, as well as a diesel railcar available for use.