Re: A question..........

[telljb@ozemail.com.au (< Tell >)]

"Rod" <berlina@bigpond.com> wrote:
>
> My mate Pete once showed me pictures he took in the old SAR days of a small
>T? steam engine hauling a train of narrow gauge bogie vehicles fully on to
>another train, he said, for transfer to another isolated NG line.
>The larger gauge train [5'3"?] had a NG track fixed to the flats and the
>train was shown still in steam heading down the track hauled by another
>Steam engine ! This is probably not the answer to your question, but shows
>you dont need track "connected" to quickly move vehicles around the place.
>Rod


That sounds like the Commonwealth Railways
"Pick-a-Back" (official name), which was used during
the construction of the standard gauge Stirling North
to Marree line.  Standard gauge trains comprising a
string of flat cars with continuous narrow gauge track
on their backs would carry complete narrow gauge trains
minus loco's, down to Stirling North.

The reason for this, was massive rains in the Flinders
Ranges during February 1955 which destroyed bridges,
culverts and tracks on the old narrow gauge which wound
its way through the ranges, so when the railhead of the
new standard gauge reached Brachina, the CR put the
narrow gauge trains on the back of their new SG.

The Commonwealth Railways had this up and running
within days, so that the then new Port Augusta Power
Station would continue to receive Leigh Creek coal.
  
----Terry Burton
Alice Springs NT