Re: Port Elliot

["Luke Watson" <watsonia@one.net.au>]

Victor Harbour is actually spelt with a u lol
the only Harbor is South Australia is Outer Harbor, strange that it would be
spelt the american way

Lukey
http://www.geocities.com/lukeydotcom


Chris Brownbill <cbrnbill@enternet.com.au> wrote in message
3A80EBAE.A6330EFF@enternet.com.au">news:3A80EBAE.A6330EFF@enternet.com.au...
> I've just returned from a jaunt to said place.
>
> First observation is how little is made of the claim to fame Port Elliot
> has to being the terminus of Australia's first railway.  There is a
> barely readable plaque (dated 1966) near the former wharf, and another
> carefully worded example on the Steamranger station, but other than that
> - nothing.  The former trackbed from the junction at the up end of Port
> Elliot to the wharf is very easily walked - much of it now being public
> roadway.  At the terminus is a bathing shed frequented by that species
> the population of which is waning in the remainder of Australia but is
> still going strong in South Australia: the Anglo-Saxon teenage paralytic
> bitter yobbo.
>
> Nobody seems to know let alone give a stuff about the significance of
> this place.  I know it depends on your definition of what constitutes a
> railway, but surely this historic section of line deserves better
> recognition than this.
>
> Also observed was that the sleepers holding up the former loading bank
> at PE are made from sleepers with spike holes indicating they were used
> formerly on a narrow gauge line.  Strange?  Were there ever any narrow
> gauge lines in that vicinity?
>
> Some of the track is laid in what I understand to be the American style
> - that is with the rail-joints offset from each other.  The fishplates
> are dated 1928, so is it right to conclude that this was an American
> practice imported to SA by the good Mr Webb?  If so, is/was this used
> more generally in the State?
>
> On the platform is a white circular signal with two black vertical
> stripes on each side.  It can be turned to face trains or turned away.
> What is this?
>
> Noticed also that the Station Nameboard at Victor Harbor contains the
> letter "u".  It seems the place is a bit schzophrenic because the high
> school also uses the u also but everywhere else is without.
>
> Finally, I can thoroughly recommend a ride on the Victor Harbor horse
> tram.  Its a great re-construction and something a bit different.  I
> must admit I hadn't realised the scale of the operation - they have 4
> trams.  I only saw one in operation at any one time, but the track has a
> double-track terminus at the up end and a crossing loop on the island so
> I guess they could operate up to 3 trams at a time even without convoys.