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New Beachport Museum exhibition about the Beachport to Mt Gambier narrow gauge line

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      touring Junior Train Controller

    Location: Adelaide
    A new exhibition is opening at the Beachport Old Wool and Grain Store Museum about the history of the line to Millicent and Mt Gambier. The story is told on a series of colourful interpretive panels using rare old photos, and integrated with a collection of railway memorabilia. It officially opens on October 30. More info here
    Posted: 21 Oct 2016 09:40

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      Camster Chief Commissioner

    Location: Geelong
    I think a saw a few photos of this line at Millicent. Looked like the service was a Derm on narrow gauge.
    Posted: 23 Oct 2016 16:19
      steam4ian Chief Commissioner

    I think a saw a few photos of this line at Millicent. Looked like the service was a Derm on narrow gauge.
    Camster
    No not a DERM but a Brill, either a Model 55 or Model 75; petrol mechanical.
    Posted: 23 Oct 2016 17:23
      touring Junior Train Controller

    Location: Adelaide
    An early steam engine at Beachport is described in the display as WX 15, and a Brill railcar is shown designated "railmotor 105 1950s".
    Posted: 24 Oct 2016 10:26
      pjknife Assistant Commissioner

    Location: Port Lincoln
    Brill Model 75 railcar no. 105 was the regular one on the Beachport line until it was closed beyond Millicent. 105 then went to Peterborough, and eventually Port Lincoln where it worked until withdrawn.
    Posted: 24 Oct 2016 10:52
      steam4ian Chief Commissioner

    Another early loco at Beachport was steam motor coach No 2, a sister to the Coffee Pot now at PPR Quorn.

    From what I can determine the motor coach was not a great success, probably for the same reasons as the Coffee Pot.
    The loco portion was separated from the carriage and used as a jetty shunter with a corrugated iron tank at the back of the cab. Pictures are rare and I would appreciate seeing more.

    Ian
    Posted: 24 Oct 2016 18:37
      nm39 Chief Commissioner

    Location: By a road taking pictures
    Another early loco at Beachport was steam motor coach No 2, a sister to the Coffee Pot now at PPR Quorn.

    From what I can determine the motor coach was not a great success, probably for the same reasons as the Coffee Pot.
    The loco portion was separated from the carriage and used as a jetty shunter with a corrugated iron tank at the back of the cab. Pictures are rare and I would appreciate seeing more.

    Ian
    steam4ian
    Yes, particularly any pictures of the rear throttle area would be very welcome as this is a feature that SMC1 does not have.
    Posted: 24 Oct 2016 23:19
      touring Junior Train Controller

    Location: Adelaide
    There is at least one photo of a loco like this in the exhibition.
    Posted: 25 Oct 2016 09:16
      nm39 Chief Commissioner

    Location: By a road taking pictures
    There is at least one photo of a loco like this in the exhibition.
    "touring"

    However, this picture is of the "Coffee Pot" SMC1/NJAB which, although is a wonderful little unit, is slightly different in the rear end than SMC2 was. SMC2 had a provision to be driven from the rear end whereas the "Coffee Pot" doesn't.
    Posted: 25 Oct 2016 09:31
      touring Junior Train Controller

    Location: Adelaide
    Which is why I said "like" Smile

    Sorry, but I'm unwilling to breach the museum's copyright - my aim was simply to let people know about the exhibition, as nobody else seems to have publicised it. In fact very few have even bothered to read about it, despite promotion on several rail related pages.

    PS It's a lovely time to visit Beachport!
    Posted: 25 Oct 2016 09:43
      mikesyd Chief Commissioner

    Location: Lurking
    PS It's a lovely time to visit Beachport!
    touring
    I passed through and had a brief stop at the Jetty on October 15. Lovely day it was too.

    I guess that jetty has had parts rebuilt over the years, as those piers look a bit flimsy to have supported loaded rail wagons.

    Posted: 25 Oct 2016 12:21
      touring Junior Train Controller

    Location: Adelaide
    From the Wattle Range council website:
    "Construction of the Jetty was commenced in 1878 and was originally intended to be 4,000 feet long with a T head, but owing to many problems with the contractors and Government Architect, the Jetty was not completed until 1882. The final structure was not all that satisfactory and the removal of the T head and a section of the Jetty resulted in the present day Jetty, which is approximately 2536 feet (772 metres) in length. In 1974-1975 the Government proposed to demolish the outer section of the Jetty, because they said that it was unsafe. The residents of Beachport came together and protested and kept watch to make sure that it didn’t happen. The outer end of the Jetty was taken over by the District Council of Beachport and repaired, and was leased by Wattle Range Council until it was handed back to the Department of Transport Marine Facilities"

    The jetty does seem to have had its problems,  there are more photos too.
    Posted: 25 Oct 2016 13:31
      David Peters Dr Beeching

    Location: "With Hey Boy".
    One other type of railcar that was used in the South East NG and presumably on this service as well was the Fageol railcars there were at least two on the SE NG system.

    http://ch.historysa.com.au/files/rij009.jpg
    Posted: 27 Oct 2016 17:11
      touring Junior Train Controller

    Location: Adelaide
    Interesting! I didn't see any railcars that looked like that in the material I got.
    Posted: 28 Oct 2016 09:46
      pjknife Assistant Commissioner

    Location: Port Lincoln
    The two Fageol cars transferred from Port Lincoln to the South East were for the Naracoorte-Kingston line. I'm not aware of them venturing south to Mount Gambier and out to Beachport, but as always I'm happy to see any evidence to the contrary Smile  They were still at Naracoorte during the gauge widening project in the 1950s.
    Posted: 28 Oct 2016 12:18
      steam4ian Chief Commissioner

    The two Fageol cars transferred from Port Lincoln to the South East were for the Naracoorte-Kingston line. I'm not aware of them venturing south to Mount Gambier and out to Beachport, but as always I'm happy to see any evidence to the contrary Smile  They were still at Naracoorte during the gauge widening project in the 1950s.
    pjknife
    Peter

    I think the Fargeols only worked to Kingston and were also used to ferry gauge widening crews, probably on the main line. From photos it appears 55s worked the Kingston line when available and 75s the Beachport line.
    Posted: 29 Oct 2016 08:37

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