20/2/2020 on a Midlife Adventure

Continuing the journey in this region I also stopped in at Peterborough, SA as far north as I will be going this trip and home to the Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre.

Peterborough is still on the main line connecting the east and the west and the Indian Pacific went through in the morning before I arrived.

The Steamtown museum has been built in the old roundhouse service centre at a time when the town was a major service hub for the network.

The tour guide Clive was very interesting and had worked here when it was still in operation.

With one of the last 2 remaining round houses in the state (Port Lincoln being the only other). They have a good selection of rolling stock from the Steam era through to the diesel.

With a turn table the trains would come in and be sent to whichever shed was required for the work they were completing.

The old line service vehicles a little more stately than the 4×4’s used today.

The engines give a great demonstration of the machines used to service the line and in the majority were all running when they were put in service.

They also have some carriages including original Ghan carriages. They haven’t changed much over the years except they now have a bathroom in the carriage.

The museum also has some picture displays and artifacts as well as a room dedicated to the Radium Hill region that is now a locked down ghost town

Back in the main hall you can see how they used to service the trains in the elevated platforms.

Seeing all of the people that used to work here you get a sense of just how busy this town was.

So finishing up at the museum I have a quick look around town.

Just as I was about to leave a train was heading along the main trunk line heading west.

The town itself has some very historic buildings but now without the train maintenance being the main business in town you can tell that it is really struggling.

The journey home took me through Jamestown (again) and I stopped in to get a picture of the RM Williams tribute as he was born near here.

That’s another great day touring SA on this Midlife Adventure.