From The Archives

	Sign In Sign-Up

From The Archives: The last years of Dry Creek

November 1994 saw the last steam specials to work out of the Steamranger depot at Dry Creek. Standardisation spelt the end for broad gauge steam, resulting in a mammoth task to move 3/4 of the Steamranger fleet to Goolwa and their new depot at Mount Barker. The following shots show some of the last Southern Encounter services arriving and departing the depot.

	Like a scene from the past, a trail of smoke highlights 621's approach to Dry Creek, with an empty Southern Encounter consist from Keswick.
	English Electric locomotive 350 idles away, ready to shunt the empty cars into the depot.
	520 sticks her nose out of the Dry Creek depot, prior to working a Southern Encounter service to Victor Harbour.
	520 has just rolled out onto STA trackage, and blows down, prior to backing back into the depot to pick up the empty centenaries and centre loaders to make up the train. Note the Dry Creek Sth signal cabin was still in use, and can clearly be seen behind the locomotive.
	520 steams proudly out of the depot.
	520 stands waiting for departure time, as brake tests etc. are carried out.
	Me at the age of four..at a rare time, where the camera wasn't in my control..621 stands proudly waiting for departure. This was at a time where the Dry Creek South bogie exchange was still used on a daily occurrence.