STEAMRANGER

In a shed at the Mount Barker Railway Station, Ron Williams and his offsider John Davidson work away on the old F251, a steam driven locomotive which once operated on Adelaide's suburban network.

"This one was built in 1922 at Gawler, so it's getting on now"

It was in operation until the 1960's and for a time was rusting away in a shopping centre car park until Steam Ranger's volunteer army got their hands on it. Everyday they pamper and polish pieces of steel, brass and cast iron from the age of steam and diesel, so that one day these trains will again fire up to do what they do best.

This is Steam Rangers Rx207, built in 1913. Up until this summer it had spent five years in the maintenance shed. Now it's back in service as the Cockle Train as we head out from the historic port of Goolway bound for Victor Harbor.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, that's the regulator. That's what makes it go I suppose, like the accelerator on the car".

And goes it does. The latest addition to the Cockle Train's fleet of locos rattles along at a comfortable 50 kilometres per hour.

"How much coal will we use from Goolwa to Victor?"

"Oh we'll use about a third of a tonne for a train this size. It will keep Roger busy for a little while anyway"

"That's the last crossing for while now"

"I was going to say there's a lot of crossings to get through"

"26 of them between Goolwa and Victor Harbor believe it or not"

Soon we're rolling through the farm country at the back of Middleton and Ian's keen to let the sloping gradient rather than the boiler do some work.

"We're starting to go downhill a bit now, so we can cut the steam off a bit and let it roll"

For the children from the nearby Glendale Christian College it's a big day out and so too for the volunteer guard Pete Blake who oversees the train's departure from Port Elliot. The railway to this point was the first public line laid with iron rails in Australia and was built to take River Murray trade from Goolwa to what was then the nearest sea port.

"It originally started off in 1854 between Goolwa and Port Elliot. It originally operated as a horse tram, just using horses to haul a four-wheel truck along and then they found out that Port Elliot was quite unsafe as a port after a number of shipwrecks. They extended the line to Victor Harbor".

And that's where we're headed, but not before taking in some classic coastal scenery. At the Victor Terminus, Pete Blake prepares the train for the trip back and soon we're heading over the Hindmarsh River on a five span concrete bridge built in 1907 and then onto Watson's Gap where an arched reinforced concrete bridge has replaced the original 1860's timber structure.

It's one thing to take into the historic sights from the passenger windows, but when you do spare a thought for the many thousands of commuters who've used these carriages on this famous coastal line, and the old Adelaide suburban lines for nearly four decades.

"This is what's called the perambulator carriage. From the 1920's through to the 1960's most trains had one of these, where a woman could sit in comfort with her baby and her pram".

It's just another part of a rolling piece of history which makes its way from Goolwa to Victor and return every Sunday, Public Holiday and during the school holidays. The Cockle Train departs Goolwa and Victor at various times and costs $20 return for adults and $11 return for children. For details regarding Steam Ranger's timetable, contact 8231-4366. For more info email info@postcards-sa.com.au