History - Pichi Richi Railway

Carriages

Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society has a significant collection of historic carriages from the South Australian Railways and Commonwealth Railways. These pages describe their histories.

NSS34 at Port Augusta Railway Station. *(Photo: Commonwealth Railways/Australian Archives)*

Locomotives and railcars

These pages describe the history and provide technical information about the locomotives in the Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society collection.

Two Y class locomotives and railway employees pose for photographs at Quorn locomotive sheds ca. 1890 *(Photo: Murray Thompson collection)*

Stories

These articles tell some of the stories of the Pichi Richi Railway's colourful history, which dates back to the 1870s.

An Afghan camel driver with a camel train loaded with chaff at a railway station in the far north of SA, ca. 1911. *(State Library of South Australia, B 14808)*

Permanent way and bridges

Articles covering the history of the permanent way (track) and bridges

The Lattice Girder Bridge, Pichi Richi Pass

Second World War

During the Second World War, the Central Australia Railway and North Australia Railway were vital to conveying service personnel and equipment to northern Australia. All of these wartime trains passed through Quorn.

121st Australian General Transport Company disembarks from a train at Alice Springs, 29 December 1942 *(Australian War Memorial: 028416)*

Accidents, washaways and other incidents