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Published: August 26th 2019
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In the preparation and planning stage of our holiday only one date was “locked in” – all destinations we hoped to visit and every excursion imagined was hinged on 24
th August; if there were any deviations, deletions or additions to our itinerary it HAD to fit well with this key date. It was never in doubt that we would arrive in Quorn on the Saturday 24
th. Quorn is the heart of the Flinders Ranges, and with that being said, it follows that the Pichi Richi Railway is its lifeblood.
Every weekend there is a steam train event of some description but the one we were interested in was The Coffee Pot – a single steam carriage built in 1905 (the engine in Leeds and the carriage in Birmingham). This exquisite steam Railway Motor arrived in Quorn in July 1906 and has served all its working life here. During the war years she was kept hidden from view for fear she would be scrapped for steel. She did spend some time as a display train in Alice Springs where they painted her a hideous green but she was returned to her home in Quorn where
she was painstakingly, lovingly and proudly restored to her former glory of shiny brass fittings, rich leather seats and wonderfully warm stained timbers. The Coffee Pot truly is the jewel in the Railway’s crown and forms part of their logo.
This grand old lady is only brought out 5 times a year during the winter months and is used to transport 22 (adult only) passengers to a 3-course silver service luncheon at Woolshed Flat, a siding 39 rail-track kilometres away. It is a very popular service and we were grateful to have reserved our places on 1
st January this year for Sunday 25
th August, so the day was eagerly anticipated.
Making our way down to Quorn Railway Station we first watched and waved as the 10:30am Pichi Richi Explorer chugged its way out of town. The Pichi Richi is a single track railway and we would see that engine and carriage set later in the day at The Summit when The Coffee Pot was side-tracked allowing the Explorer to continue on homeward to Quorn.
At 11:15 it was our
turn to prepare for a smoky journey. We were greeted by some of the P.R.R. Society volunteers and offered canapés and bubbles prior to boarding the combined 1
st Class & 2
nd Class carriage – separated only by the entry steps and porch. In 1
st Class there are 9 passengers and 2
nd Class offers seating for 13. The carriage comes with electric light but this only activates when the engine reaches steam enough to travel at 15 miles per hour. At 12:00 midday with passengers seated, tickets clipped, and driver & fireman up front our uniformed guard waved his green flag and with a delicate blast of her whistle - as befits a genteel lady - we and The Coffee Pot were off travelling through the Flinders Ranges.
It took us just on 1.5hrs to reach Woolshed Flat where the old Fettlers Housing has been converted to a dining room – tables had been laid with starched white linen, silver cutlery and polished glassware, whilst a single branch of fragrant young gum leaves adorned each of them. Our meal was served piping hot and there was plenty of wine/soft drink to accompany it. Tea
and Coffee followed and every passenger was presented with a silver teaspoon and a copy of the menu as a souvenir.
Feeling totally sated we set off on our return trip. At Willows Halt we were invited to exit the steam carriage in order to climb a small embankment for a photo/video opportunity. The Coffee Pot reversed down the track some distance before stoking up; with a shrill blast of whistle and with great plumes of steam emitting from her stack she got her “clicketty clack” motion well and truly wound up and hurtled past us at what must have been 20-25 miles per hour. She looked and sounded wonderful!
Our journey concluded at Quorn but not the adventure as we were then given a guided tour of the Railway Society’s workshop and sheds. They have 5 steam engines including The Coffee Pot and a couple of diesel engines as well (the latter used on days of extreme weather/temperatures) together with a reasonable number of carriages – some fully restored and others waiting in the wings. They have seating capacity available for 300 passengers, which is
not unusual at certain times of the year and they offer services to and fro Port Augusta on The Afghan Express which comprises carriages from the famous Ghan dating back to the 1920’s.
It was a long day, but a memorable one.
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