Major maintenance on SteamRanger's locos is carried out at our Mt Barker workshops.

In 2001 a significant task was the remanufacture of a 600kg steam header for Light Pacific loco "621". Invaluable support was contributed by a number of outside organisations as acknowledged below. The total activity has been costed at over $70,000.

The loco's triumphant return to service in October 2001 is captured in the photo opposite and we confidently predict that it will perform as the featured loco on longer distance movements to VIctor Harbor for many years into the future.

The Locomotive

“621” was built at South Australia's Islington railway workshops in 1936 and served the State extremely well over most broad gauge tracks until 1967.

With its large driving wheels it was purpose built for hauling high speed passenger trains but such was their versatility that the ten locomotives in the class could be seen hauling any type of train anywhere.

In 1971 the loco was saved from the scrapper's torch and a major overhaul was fully funded by the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS). 621 then hauled many dozens of enthusiasts trips until 1978 when a major boiler fault sidelined it for nearly a decade. Technological advances in boiler repairs eventually saw 621 again back in action in 1986, after which it was again kept very busy hauling tourist trains, particularly on the newly retained Victor Harbor Tourist Railway.

Sidelined again in 1994

The 600kg cast iron steam header is one of the locomotive's larger steam handling components. It channels steam through 22 superheater elements to convert saturated steam into superheated steam for more efficient locomotive performance and houses the four valve regulator (throttle) which controls the flow of steam to the cylinders. An irreparably cracked steam header unfortunately sidelined “621” once again in 1994 and an engineering assessment determined that the only way to get the loco back on the rails this time was to recast the header from scratch!

The then estimated cost of $30,000 to do this was well beyond SteamRanger's resources so the loco languished at the back of SteamRanger’s Mt Barker depot from 1994 to 2000 until SteamRanger volunteer Mark Batten secured valuable sponsorship which allowed for a new header to be manufactured.

The New Steam Header

Mitsubishi Motors at Lonsdale agreed to undertake the fabrication of the very complex pattern (shown at the right)which was used to form a sand mould for the pouring a new casting.

The pattern was cunningly made from cheap and easy to shape polystyrene material. The numerous parts of the pattern were then used by the McKechnie Iron Foundry to build the sand mould using core boxes and steel rods to form the many intricate internal passages.

The heavy casting was successfully cast by McKechnies. The photos below show the pour and the representatives of both SteamRanger and McKechnies checking out the result.

The pour

How did it go?

Mitsubishi then undertook many hours of complex machining work. Finally the big test -- under the supervision of boiler inspector Bernie Dickinson a cold water pressure test on the header to check for any imperfections before the header, elements and smokebox baffles could be reinstalled by SteamRanger volunteers.

Bernie stands well back at the cold water pressure test reaches 160psi

.... and then in goes the header in a delicate handling operation

Peter Brown fits a new set of baffles once the elements are fitted

.... and Ron Williams drops in the dome cover

Finally Bernie and Ron watch the progress of a final hot water "hydro"

Many thanks!

The final cost of the casting, machining and installing the new header has been estimated at $70,000 and SteamRanger is extremely grateful to

• Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd,
• McKechnie Iron Foundary Pty Ltd,
• Gardiner Engineering Co,
• Furmanite Australia Oty Ltd and
• Ted O'Brien of O’Brien Engineering            for their valuable sponsorship of the project