AND
What was once called in its busy days till
total line closure in 12th April 1995
The
Mount Gambier broad gauge "New Marshalling yard"
( These pictures were taken 6th April 2003
)
...
click on small pictures to view a larger picture ...
Limestone
Coast Railway Redhens
L.C.R
"400"
class Railcar.
Click
to hear Redhen horns
sounding for road crossing.
400 and
300 class Redhen.
In 1954 the Islington Workshops of
the South Australian Railways constructed diesel railcars
for use on the Adelaide suburban service. Two designs were
used for the 5' 3" broad gauge:
The 300 class, with a driving console at one end.
The 400 class, which had a driving console at each
end.
The body of each car had a fabricated steel
framework to which a steel skin was welded.
Original livery had a satin maroon body, silver roof and black
bogies, this was later changed to standard suburban
red.
A total of 74 units of the 300 class cars, 37 of the 400
class cars and 24 x 860 class steel bodied trailers were constructed between 1955 and 1971.
Nicknamed "Red Hens", this type of
railcar exclusively ran the Adelaide suburban service until
the late 1970s when new railcars came online.
300 / 400 class facts
Built
by:
South
Australian Railways, Islington, S.A.
Engines:
GM
/ Detroit 6/71 series. 2 motors per railcar.
Cylinders:
6
in line laid at 20 degrees from horizontal.
Seating
capacity:
80
passengers
Power:
219
horsepower @ 2100rpm
(163
kW)
Length
(over coupling points):
65
foot 8 inches
(20.015
metres)
Width:
10
feet
(3.045
metres)
Height:
14
feet
(4.27
metres)
Total
Weight:
41
tons 17 cwt
(42.5
tonne)
Maximum
Speed:
55
mph
(88
km/h)
Fuel
Capacity:
250
gallons
(1137
litres)
Traction power was provided by two six-cylinder diesel
engines of the lay-over type.
A hydraulic torque converter and gearbox connected the drive
shaft to each bogie.
Transmission:
Twin Disc hydraulic torque converters with revering
gearboxes. The transmissions automatically change from
hydraulic to direct drive at about 52 to 55 kilometers per
hour. A cardan shaft (Spicer/Sonnerdale Spicer) connects the
reversing gearbox to the final drive (Spicer/Sonnerdale
Spicer) on the inner axle of each bogie.
Performance:
Permitted
Maximum Speed:
55
Miles per hour (88 kilometres per hour.
Maximum
Acceleration Rate:
0
to 60 kilometers per hour in 44 seconds or standing
quarter mile in 38 seconds.
Braking:
Maximum
service from 60 kilometres per hour to stop in about
13 seconds or 200 metres and 88 kilometres per hour to
stop in about 20 seconds or 457 metres.
Withdrawal of cars commenced in the mid 1980s with the last
units remaining in service until late 1996.
Mount Gambier
Limestone Coast Railway Privately
run (volunteer)
Tourist Railway:
Railcar
Fleet is as follows.
Number
Entered
Service
Converted
Purchased
by L.C.R.
334
04/06/1958
-
9/1998
405
12/11/1959
-
8/1997
424
16/09/1968
-
9/1998
*874
(811)
24/07/1945
17/08/1957
(874)
9/1999
*Trailer
811was built in 1945 then loco hauled before
conversion for use with the Red Hen railcars
in 1957 and renumbered as 874.
The LCR is closed to passenger traffic as from 1st
July 2006.
If anyone wishes to speak to Bill Tower personally, his mobile is:
0417-837-656.
SOME
SAD NEWS
18th
October 2007
A letter dated
11/10/2007 to members and volunteers says that LCR will cease to exist as an operating entity as from 31/10/07 and surrender its lease over the lines it operates over. It will retain its lease over the Mt Gambier roundhouse, at least while it disposes of its assets to other interested societies.
Lack of local support, falling volunteer numbers and a mountain of regulatory requirements are
the main reasons for the decision.
LCR's
quads near Bertha Street
... click on
small pictures to view a larger picture ...
... click on
small pictures to view a larger picture ...
Old loco area,
now home of the Limestone Coast Railway.
Old shower, toilets, and crib room at
the Loco area
Old Loco Forman's
office and booking on room.
Looking from turntable.
Old Loco,
foreground repair road
Mt Gambier
Loco sheds.
... click on
small pictures to view a larger picture ...
Old loco
sheds, now house the L.C.R. Red Hens
Mt Gambier
turntable
Loco sheds at
Mount Gambier with Limestone Coast Railway rollingstock.
Turntable was electric, now is a manual operation using a crank
handle.
... click on
small pictures to view a larger picture ...
Preparing the
Red Hen railcars.
"400"
class on turntable getting ready to attach to "300" class
railcar.
Controls
of "400" class railcar, just
attached to single ended "300" class.
Canteen set-up
inside "400" class railcar.
Model of "400" class in glass case.
(now
since been sold 2005)
"400"
& "300" class coming over turntable ready
to go to
station
Stopped short
to unlock switches to travel to station.
... click on
small pictures to view a larger picture ...
Heading to the
Mt Gambier station
Here heading down
to station. Picture was taken through the windscreen.
Track on the left is the main line to Mt Gambier Junction. (not used
anymore)
These switches use to be interlocked with signal cabin till AN
disconnected the cabins.
"Red
Hen" at Mount Gambier station, preparing for trip to Penola.
"Red
Hen" from station
"Red Hen" from roadway alongside station
Here the ETM marker is yet to be put on other end.
ETM or End of
Train Marker, or otherwise known as "the one eyed guard".
... click on
small pictures to view a larger picture ...
New
marshalling yard.
Bertha Street
crossing was entrance to the "New Marshalling yard".
To left was the train crew barracks. Loco sheds in background.
Looking down No 1 road towards where weigh bridge use to be
Main line to right not in picture.
Main line this shows a
welded rail, also an insulated joint and wooden sleepers. The wiring for the start of circuit for the Bertha street
road crossing. The shadow is the round box where the batteries are
to power the circuit for crossing gongs..
The cement works.
All cement use to come by train.
Track closest to camera is Main Line, then rest are part of
Marshalling yard.
The other side of that hill crest, is actually the Valley Lake
crater rim
and to left of the Valley Lake is the famous Blue Lake.
Mid half of the
marshalling yard.
At far right is
the Main line between Mt Gambier station and Mt Gambier Junction.
Next track was No1 road.
Then No 2 road and here we are looking down No 3 road with switches
set for transfer road obscured by weeds.
Further over can be seen what was called super siding road, which
was extended when all super went by road.
...
click on small pictures to view a larger picture ...
Quick look
at Mt Gambier's two main crater lakes These
lakes pictures both taken early April 2003.
The
Blue Lake
The
Valley Lake
People
come from all over the world to view this
phenomenon. Mount Gambier's famous BLUE LAKE starts
to turn summer BLUE
in Nov, stays blue till May, then goes back to its
winter grey.
The next crater further over you can see on the
other side of Blue Lake, is the Valley Lake, that
does
not turn blue. The City of Mount Gambier is to the right of
picture, and our home is on the side of the Blue
lake.
The crater you
see behind Valley lake is the Blue lake.
City of Mount Gambier is to left of picture.
... click on
small pictures to view a larger picture ...
Red Hens
travelling through new marshalling yard to Penola.
"Red
Hens" just left station and heading for to Penola through No 1 road. Train does not use main line, as is easier to use track through New
Yard.
Saves manually changing a lot of switches.
On way to
Penola, note the ETM on rear, sadly no old marker lamps these days.
It's like something missing for those who rode these Red Hens in
older times.
Going
Gone, but hopefully
not forever.
... click on
small pictures to view a larger picture ...
Junction end
of New Marshalling yard.
Old Ballast bin
near Mt Gambier Junction end of new yard.
This was used to load ballast when they were re-conditioning the
main line.
Tracks heavily overgrown now.
This
is points from No1 and No 2 heading out New Marshalling yard
onto the main line towards Junction of Millicent and Penola
(towards Wolseley)
Ballast bin is to left just out of the picture.
Standing
on top of where Ballast bin is getting an overview
of "New Marshalling Yard" now over ridden with
weeds. Can hardly see where all the track work is. This was once a hive of activity. Now silent apart
from the sound of a couple of nesting Plovers. Quite
sad to see this of a time that once was.
Looking
towards White Avenue
railway crossing and entering past the Mt Gambier Junction cabin.
Zoomed
shot of one last look at old "New Marshalling
Yard" now a ghost yard since April 1995, old crew
barracks in distance. Loco sheds on the distant right.
To right where post with boxes are, this was where work
trains would be shunted and coupled to 240 volt powered
boxes.
Hard to believe now, that this was a thriving very busy
Marshalling yard, nearly always full of trains being broken
up, or being made up ready to leave, both South Australian
and Victorian jet trains..
Was
an end of a busy rail era. Hopefully active again one day. Sadly
the state borders are still a huge hurdle to having a standard
gauge railway here. PLUS sadly still the old rail age
mentality of railways from the South East powers to be.
No men with a long term vision anymore.
