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621 to Victor Harbour

The Southern Encounter

September 22nd 2003 and November 16th 2003

Photo's by Peter, Nicholas and Stephen Michalak

 

621 poses prior to departure, bound for Victor Harbour at Mount Barker.
621's Bakers Valve gear. The 620's were the only SAR locomotives built with bakers valve gear, with the rest of the locomotive classes using the more standard Walsharts valve gear.
A classic shot taken from the drivers side of 621.
Ready to depart
621 shows what she is capable of, as she passes across the main road level crossing near Gemmels.
Arriving at Strathalbyn
61 poses against the old goods shed on the wharf. Recently, the tracks to the old goods shed were removed as part of a redevelopment of the area.
Having arrived at Victor, 621 shunts 3 centenary cars off its consist to work the Cockle Train back to Goolwa.
Running back around its train, 621 heads for the 85ft turntable.
Crossing Ocean Street, 621 passes through the last pair of hand operated crossing gates in South Australia.
In between Middleton and Goolwa
621 crosses depot shunter 507. The 500 was used to remove the centre loading car, added for cockle train working purposes at Goolwa depot on the up train from Mt. Barker.
Another shot of 507.
621 nearing Currency Creek.
"Canoe Tree" level crossing, 621 lifts its train from a stand after the crossing failed to switch in on the trains approach.
Arriving at Strathalbyn in the early evening.
OK..now for a couple of memoirs.. Prior to gauge conversion, the water column in this photo was a major requirement for Southern Encounter services continuing on to Adelaide (for those who are not aware, the line continues on from here to Mt. Barker Junction - a distance of around 8km's, to the main line to Melbourne. This connection to Adelaide was severed following standardisation in early 1995). It was here that dinner, ordered on the trip up in the morning would be collected from the platform, while the trains loco(s) would be watered prior to continuing on to Adelaide over the steeply graded main line.
The cab of 621.
OK. the sun dipped for a short time, so this shot ended up rather gloomy. But still shows 621 pushing its cars back onto the main line, before it shunted back into the depot for stabling and ancient diesel locomotive 350 shunted the passenger cars into the storage tracks until next May.
621 in Mount Barker Platform, reversing back into the depot for stabling.