Rails Around the Flinders Ranges - Part One - Peterborough to Quorn Line
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- Опубліковано 20 січ 2025
- The Peterborough to Quorn line was a narrow-gauge railway on the South Australian Railways network, opened in 1882.
In this video, we go as far as Bruce but we'll get to Quorn in 'Part Two - Hawker to Quorn'.
If you like what I'm doing here on UA-cam, please consider subscribing, because there's heaps more to come!
For some time, Peterborough was on the railway line from Port Pirie to Broken Hill and Quorn was on the Central Australia Railway from Port Augusta to Alice Springs. When the Trans-Australian Railway opened in 1917, the line became part of the main east-west railway across Australia from Sydney to Perth. This ended in 1937 when the Trans-Australian Railway was altered to run via Port Pirie.
A new standard gauge line to the west of the Flinders ranges opened in the 1950’s - most rail traffic through the Pichi Richi Pass ended and the line north of Hawker was abandoned.
The stations on the Quorn line were Peterborough, Black Rock, Orroroo, Walloway, Eurelia, Carrieton, Moockra, Hammond, Bruce and Quorn.
The Peterborough to Quorn line was the last remaining narrow-gauge line in the area. The line between Hawker and Quorn was abandoned in 1972, and the line between Peterborough and Quorn closed in the 80s.
For a few years after closure, part of the line was used by the Steamtown Peterborough Railway Preservation Society.
Today, The Pichi Richi Railway operate tourist and heritage trains between Quorn and Port Augusta, through the Pichi Richi Pass.
Opening Black Rock image:
Photographer and copyright owner - Lindsay Bridge. CC BY 2.0. www.flickr.com...
Great video of our lost or forgotten rail line history. Amazing how the tracks are still in place after so many years & the bridges haven't been removed. Love it
That's because Steamtown was using the track in the nineties.
Unfortunately they couldn't afford public liability insurance because it wasn't popular like Pichi Richi
I love this video. When I visited these towns I didn’t have a drone. Your drone footage captures a lot more than I thought. The bridges are spectacular, even after all of the years they have been out of service.
Great job
Awesome video Mike, love the places. Some iv'e been too, some I haven't. Thanks mate!
Marvelous Mike the country looks beautiful up there
I remember when Eurelia had a refreshment rooms in the old goods shed
Credit to you Mike
Fabulous fantastic cheers mate.
Thanks for your so original series. This video is exceptional.
Glad you like them!
Nothing like straight tracks going through big country and from the air as well, awesome thanks 👍
I've always found long straight railway line visually appealing for some reason too! Thanks for watching.
Thanks for that. I had a ride with Steamtown to Eurelia once. It was a shame to see it all closed. Cheers from Wagga Wagga.
Cheers, I reckon that would have been a great day!
@ it certainly was, mate. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Love your vids! Cheers.
Important local history. Thanks again and well presented.
It brakes my heart to see this My family and I rode the train some time in the 70s we had a great day out 😢
Breaks, not brakes
Breaks, not brakes
Beautiful drone shots and great music... truly enjoyed...
Glad you enjoyed it
Another great video! Fantastic drone work! I explored the Quorn end on earlier this year and blew me away how busy that line was back in the day!
Thank you! Peterborough once saw over one hundred trains a day. Crazy to think of that now.
Interesting video, fabulous footage, thanks for posting. cheers
Great video. Those drone shots are fantastic. Looking foward to part 2.We were there on a bus tour in 2016 but didn't see much railway although we travelled from Pt Augusta to Quorn on a railmotor.We roughly followed this section of linr and had lunch in Orroroo.We later had afternoon tea adjacenet to Peterborough station. It's only a shell of what it was.
Thank you, Richard. Stay tuned for the next video featuring flights between Hawker and Quorn.
Why was steamtown closed? I had a ride once to Eurelia and was a member for some time, although I live in NSW. It’s a terrible shame it could’nt keep going!
Steamtown is still open but their rail tours ended long ago.
They couldn't afford public liability insurance because they weren't as popular as Pichi Richi.
Unfortunately I didn't have a video camera back then.
I have plenty of great memories though
Would it be awesomeif that line was reinstated with some funding from sa gov, to allow the pitchi richi steam trains to go from port augusta to Peterborough via Quorn.
The track seems largely in good condition, pity they don't run the steam trains anymore from Peterborough for the tourists, why? I loved my time wandering around Peterborough, rich in railway history and full of friendly people.
I don't know how the Peterborough trains stopped but I suspect it's the lack of qualified people to run them. Peterborough is nice for old rail buffs like us but it's a dying town. Less happening there every time I visit. Thanks for watching.
They couldn't afford public liability insurance.
They were never as popular as Pichi Richi.
The line just doesn't have the grand scenery like the Pichi Richi Trains travel through.
People desired the Instagram views way before Instagram
@@MartintheTinman Thanks Martin, such a pity, that would have been great for Peterborough, thanks for your reply.
@@australiantrains8988 I really miss the Steamtown Train rides.
I've never been on the Pichi Richi but I've ridden Steamtown Trains a hundred times
@@australiantrains8988 I have a dedicated Train channel.
Trains over the Little Para River and plenty of Train videos on this channel if you're interested
Crystal Brook is considered to be the start of the the NSW line , since Crystal Brook is where the trunk line branches of to Melbourne and Sydney from Perth. Prior to Crystal Brook, Port Germein is used by SCT logistics to shunt trains for these sections, that are incoming and outgoing to Perth.
Yep. I plan to cover Crystal Brook to Broken Hill in the one video soon. Stay tuned and thanks for watching.
Great video again Mike. Good to see some stations still have names. Do you think they're original or have they been added more recently?
I don't know Mrpanda1961. Judging by their condition, the signs at the abandoned stations are most likely restored, or have been placed there and repainted by Steamtown, Pichi Richi, or the private owners.
I'm still trying to find out what typeface they use.
Queensland has kept a number of country rail lines open as tourist enterprises and they have been successful. Only Pichi Richi in SA. Wake up SA. You cant even get off the East West rail line in SA anywhere but Adelaide 😞
Yes it's crazy. Peterborough and Port Pirie still have massive platforms but despite all the noise from us train enthusiasts, nobody wants to get a train there or from there, and honestly, they're not popular tourist locations either. It's a conundrum indeed. SA is unique in that there's hardly anyone living out in the country anymore. I've seen most of them recently and I reckon SA country towns are dying a very slow death with exceptions like Port Lincoln, Whyalla, Murray Bridge and the Riverland. Don't forget SteamRanger on the Victor Harbor line is still going. Thanks for watching!
Well Steamtown would still be operating Trains if they had enjoyed the popularity of Pichi Richi.
Public liability insurance was the nail in the Coffin.
They just didn't have the patronage to afford the massive hike in premiums at the time.
Steamranger, anyone?
Anyone?