A quick overview of our 80 kms of Track and Maintenance Activities
Mt Barker to Mt Barker Junction
This section of track is used only infrequently by SteamRanger for Junction Jogger railcar services. The line travels through a deep cutting before passing through a tunnel built under the South Eastern Freeway in the 1970s using circular steel lining sections and then crosses the Old Mt Barker Road at grade before winding through the outskirts of Littlehampton and on a elevated embankment alongside the roadway up the valley of the Mt Barker Creek to the site of the abandoned Mt Barker Station. The track terminates at a dead-end alongside the old platform, parallel to the main standard gauge line. There is no run-around trackwork and double ended railcars must be used or a second locomotive attached at the rear to haul consists back to Mt Barker.
Large trees overhang the track and brush invades the line at many points and both need to be kept well trimmed. Drains and culverts in cuttings near the tunnel must be kept clear to prevent ballast degradation. The maximum nominal track speed in this section is 25kph.
Mt Barker to Strathalbyn
Leaving Mt Barker the line skirts the residential area, crossing Mt Barker Creek on a low level causeway, and then climbs through forested cuttings to the crest of the line at Philcox Hill (above).
The track then descends to Strathalbyn on a long extended grade, crossing the main Strathalbyn road at Gemmells. The steeply graded curved sections (as typified by this photo just beyond Stirling Hill Rd) are often on high embankments or through cuttings, and require particular attention in regard to maintenance of gauge and correct curvature under the stresses imposed by our 200 tonne locomotives and 40 tonne passenger cars.
The ranges can be subject to heavy rainfall and the large trees along the trackside and on sides of cuttings can be struck by lightening or be uprooted by a combination of heavy rainfall and high winds making a full track inspection before each movement obligatory. The maximum nominal track speed in this section is 40kph.
Strathalbyn to Goolwa
The next section from Strathalbyn to Goolwa initially traverses relatively level countryside, in places well away from public roads, with difficult access by road vehicles. The line crosses three major watercourses on significant bridges and flooding and erosion of the trackbed is common through the winter.
Track maintenance involves clearing and widening of trackside drains and rebuilding of the trackbed where it has been washed away by flash flooding. Regular inspection and maintenance of cuttings and embankments is required. This photo shows a section of track just south of Black Swamp bridge.
SteamRanger's Goolwa Depot is passed just prior to Goolwa township itself. Some of our track maintenance equipment and vehicles are based here and track inspections from Goolwa to Victor Harbor are conducted by locally resident volunteers. The maximum nominal track speed in this section is 65kph.
Goolwa to Victor Harbor
From Goolwa the line traverses flat farmland to Pt Elliot. There are a number of main road level crossings in this section.
From Pt Elliot the last 6 kilometres of track into the terminus of the line at Victor Harbor runs on an embankment along the back of the beach beside the Southern Ocean. This section, shown in this photo, is continuously subject to sand drifts across the track, caused in part by severe
damage to the fragile plant species which would naturally bind the sand hills.
Salt spray causes accelerated corrosion, not only of the track but also structures such as culverts and bridges. Cuttings passing through sandy soil are subject to collapse, especially after heavy rain. The maximum nominal track speed in this section is 65kph.
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Some Statistics
Generally, wooden sleeper (tie) life is 25 years requiring the replacement
of 4000 sleepers per year. Being a broad gauge (1600mm) line, sleepers
are 2.8 metres long and weigh up to 100 kg, depending on the species
of wood.
The track by modern day standards is unusual in that it is entirely
composed of jointed rails. Each rail is secured to the next with heavy steel
plates and bolts, that allow expansion and contraction of the 40 foot rails.
The positive side to this old style of structure is the lack of track buckles
in high temperatures. The negative side is every joint plate and bolt require
oiling once a year, all 26240 plates, 78720 bolts and periodic
tightening or replacing.
The 76 Road Crossings require constant
monitoring of sign condition as these have an effective life of only 7 years.
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Bridges, Turntables and Station Cranes
Turntables
Turntables are located at Mount Barker, Strathalbyn and Victor Harbor. The 85 foot electrically driven turntables at Mt Barker and Victor Harbor can turn any of SteamRanger's locomotives and railcars, whilst the 53 foot manually rotated table at Strathalbyn can turn Rx and F class steam locos, 350 and 500 class DE locos and Brill railcars.
The Mt Barker turntable is located in-line on the track between Mt Barker Junction and Mt Barker and was relocated from Bridgewater in the Adelaide Hills by SteamRanger and installed in a newly built pit. In SAR days, locomotives were turned at Mt Barker using a triangle located in what is now the caravan park The other turntables are on spur lines in areas of the station yard previously used as locomotive running depots.
Mt Barker TT looking towards MB Junction |
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Strath turntable with historic watertank |
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621 moves off the Victor Harbor turntable |
Bridges
The line passes over six significant bridges of varying construction and a number of smaller bridges over watercourses. Leaving Mt Barker, major bridges cross in turn the Angas River just before Strathalbyn and the Finniss River, Tookayerta Creek, and Currency Creek before the line reaches Goolwa. The line then crosses Watsons Gap and finally the Hindmarsh River before entering Victor Harbor.
The Angas, Finniss, Black Swamp and Currency Creek bridges were originally built in the latter half of the 1800s and rebuilt or strengthened in the mid 1900s to handle the heavier locomotives introduced in the "Webb era". In general the original piers have been retained and spans replaced with steel girders or lattice girders, although the Finniss bridge has a single steel span raised just 150mm above the original and now redundant piers.
The current Watsons Gap bridge is an early example of an arch reinforced concrete bridge and the Hindmarsh River bridge rebuilt in 1907 was the first beam and slab concrete bridge in Australia. More information on the heritage of this bridge can be found HERE
Both bridges replaced earlier timber bridges.
Each of the bridges has been subjected to a professional engineering accreditation since SteamRanger took over the line and is monitored on an ongoing basis in regard to sleeper and steel girder condition and for internal reinforcement corrosion in the case of the concrete bridges.
F251 on Angas River Bridge, Strathalbyn |
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Rx207 crosses the Finniss River |
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Black Swamp bridge over Tookayerta Ck |
621 on our highest bridge, Currency Creek |
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F251 on Watsons Gap "Eggshell" bridge |
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Alexandra Bridge entering Victor Harbor |
Station Cranes
Most major SAR stations were equipped with goodsheds, dedicated freight loading platforms and ramps and hand operated cranes for unloading freight from road vehicles into open goods wagons.
Four heritage cranes have been preserved on our branch line; one at Mt Barker Depot (left),
two at Strathalbyn (centre & right) and one at Victor Harbor.
The only other evidence of a station crane is at Goolwa, where a large concrete mounting base remains
adjacent to the Victor Harbor end door of the goods shed.
Pictured are the two cranes of quite different designs at Strathalbyn. Both were rated at 5 tons, with the one adjacent to the goods shed carrying a plaque indicating it had been imported from the England
Track Maintenance and Inspection Equipment
Although much of the track maintenance requires hard manual labour and use of hand tools, SteamRanger has received as a donation, has purchased and/or has modified a range of track machines to assist wherever possible in order to cover the relatively long track length of over 80kms on a regular basis.
The following photos illustrate the range of on track or road/rail equipment used.
Road and Road/Rail Vehicles
Track Inspection Vehicles
Track Maintenance Machines
Gemco Track Machine
works at Victor | |
Gemco Track Machine with
verge trimmerattachment |
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Spot Tamper
tidies up MtBarker Depot yard |
Typical Track Activities
Sleeper Replacement
Individual sleepers are removed manually and a resleepering machine digs out the ballast and inserts the new sleeper, the track is spiked to the correct gauge
either manually with sledge hammers or with a pneumatic hammer.The track is
jacked to the correct height and ballast (40mm crushed rock) is forced beneath
the sleeper with electric hammers.
More major activities require assistance from a contractor.
Our photo shows track stalwarts Troy Barker and Terry Garbett hard at work packing track
at the 75km mark.
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Switch Reconditioning
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Particular attention needs to be paid to the condition of sleepers and switch mechanisms at each station yard along the line.
Photo: Replacing switch timbers in Goolwa yard |
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An ongoing task is removal of tree branches which
can damage rolling stock and pose a fire hazard in the warmer months.
Photo: Trevor Williams and his chain saw at work |
Vegetation Clearance
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Emergency Response
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Unexpected flooding and line obstruction after regular inspections demand an on-call response so that scheduled services can be quickly restored |
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A full on-track inspection is necessary before eacxh movement from Mt Barker and weekly along the south coast.
Photo: Troy and Anthony with their Mazda road/railer |
Track Inspection
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Major Track Rehabilitation
Major trackwork beyond the internal capabilities of SteamRanger is outsourced to contractors
who can use specialised equipment.conducted by Track
In 2003 contractors carried out major track rehabilitation in the Victor Harbor to Goolwa section,
involving replacement of some 2000 sleepers and virtual rebuilding of Goolwa Station Yard
as part of the Goolwa Wharf Environs redevelopment (Photo below)
Contractors were also used to relay track at Mt Barker Depot following unexpected subsidence.
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