BEV Munitions Train at Port Milang Historic Railway Museum
Sunday August 25th 2019.
Port Milang Railway Museum Visit & Tour 18/2/17
G'day All, hope you are all well?
This time we take the trip down to the shores of Lake Alexandrina, where a little railway museum resides in the town of Milang, about 20 or so kilometres from Strathalbyn in South Australia.
We take a look around this fascinating museum and look at some of the exhibits which include a few items of rolling stock and a fully restored English Electric diesel built as far back as 1949 for the South Australian Railways.
Some interesting exhibits await the visitor at the Port Milang Railway Museum and I hope you enjoy this virtual tour I've put together.
History of the line & town:
The town of Milang was a significant port on the Murray River system between 1860 & 1880. This was before the railway line to Morgan from Adelaide was built to capture paddle steamer trade further upstream.
The line began from a junction at the old Sandergrove station on the Mount Barker to Victor Harbor branch line and travelled 8 miles (12.8km) to Milang. The line was prominently used for goods traffic but there was also a minor passenger service which operated on the line.
The line was used from December 1884 to June of 1970 and was a broad gauge railway, 5' 3 or 1600mm.
The line was dismantled in the 1970s after the railway was officially closed to traffic.
Ruston & Hornsby 44/48 Class Engine Run at Port Milang Historic Railway Museum 17/2/18
Hi all,
Here we see an extremely rare engine run from the second only surviving and operational 44/48 Class Ruston & Hornsby Diesel Mechanical Locomotive in the world!
The engine was started up and ran two times during the filming of this video. The engine is continuing through its restoration since being loaned by NRM Port Adelaide to the Port Milang Historic Railway Museum in April 2017.
The engine has joined the expanding collection of light railway vehicles in the collection of the Museum.
The collection includes:
A jetty tractor which has a Fordson prime mover motor attached to the chassis and was manufactured at Dagenham, Essex, England in 1940. It was then exported to Australia and was converted to a rail tractor by the Malcolm Moore Company in Melbourne, Victoria in 1942, using a chassis dating back to around 1923.
It was sold to the South Australian Harbours Board for use at the Port Price jetty on the upper Yorke Peninsula. It was donated to the Mile End Railway Museum in December of 1971.
The NRM Port Adelaide loaned the jetty tractor to the Museum with a SAHB jetty wagon in August 2014. Both have been restored by Museum members and can now be started and run on its short length of 3' 6 (1067mm) Gauge track.
The other locomotive running at the Museum is a BEV battery-powered locomotive that was used on the 2 Foot (610mm) narrow gauge tramway at the former Australian Military munitions plant in Smithfield, just North of Adelaide.
The loco and its wagons operated at the Smithfield munitions depot until the Museum purchased the locomotive and its stock in 2000, along with a large quantity of track which is now being laid south-westwards from the Museum.
The BEV battery-powered locomotive was built to order for the Commonwealth Dept. of Supply in 1941 from the British Electric Vehicles (BEV) division of Wingrove & Rogers Ltd. of Liverpool, England.
It was one of four locomotives built and had specially fitted bronze wheels to avoid the risk of sparks creating a chain reaction within the munitions depot, something that wanted to be avoided at all costs, for obvious reasons. All four were shipped to Adelaide in April 1942. The loco is powered by 24 x 2 Volt batteries and has a towing capacity of 10 tons at 5mph.
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Further notes on the Ruston:
It was said that this engine will never run under its own power ever again. However, with great persistence, Museum volunteer Neville Thomas found parts from another member of the class which had been rusting out in a field outside the mining town of Broken Hill on the SA/NSW border and reconditioned those parts to make No. 304 operational again.
There are a few things to do first before the engine is allowed to run under her own power. This includes obtaining parts to finish the drivetrain off to allow the engine to move. The drivetrain allows power from the transmission of the engine to move the driving axles of the vehicle.
Other things include restoring more 2 Foot Gauge (610mm) tramway track obtained from the former narrow gauge munitions works at Smithfield, north of Adelaide, nearly eighteen years ago.
The strengthening of the existing track at the Museum is also a priority to allow for easy running for the 5-ton beast to run upon in the future.
Thanks for reading!
I hope you enjoy :)
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The Last Train to Milang - 50 Years On 1968 - 2018 (4K)
Here we see Caleb's Rail Films coverage of the Last Train to Milang, a
special event hosted by the SteamRanger Heritage Railway & the Port Milang Railway Museum on Friday 30th of November 2018.
Commentary included with short profiles on each mode of transport during the event which included the iconic 400 Class Redhen Railcar & the Barwell Bull Railcar otherwise known as the Model 75 Type Brill Railcar of the South Australian Railways (SAR).
Historical facts, guest speakers & engine runs are also included from an action-packed day. I sincerely hope you enjoy the trip!
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48hp Ruston Hornsby at Milang
Forty eight years after it last ran on the salt pans at Stenhouse Bay, South Australia, the 48hp Ruston Hornsby locomotive is now fully operational again. Now housed at the Milang Railway Museum, the locomotive has been restored by our volunteers and will now do demonstration runs at major events.
50th Anniversary Last Passenger Service to Milang Re-enactment
50th Anniversary Last Passenger Service to Milang Re-enactment and fundraising event organised by the Milang Historic Railway Society in collaboration with SteamRanger Heritage Railway, on 30 November 2018. Passengers were taken to Strathalbyn from Mount Barker on an historic 'Red Hen' railcar, then to Finniss via Sandergrove Junction on a 'Barwell Bull' railcar. Coaches then took the passengers to Milang stopping at Nurragi Conservation Researce on the way. Lunch took place at Milang Bowling Club followed by a visit to the Milang Railway Museum and Light Railway Centre before the reenactment of the closing of the Milang Railway station took place at 3pm, with Allan McInnes playing the part of Milang's last station master, Ted Pattenden. Participants then took a coach tour of Milang before heading for Finniss where they picked up the Barwell Bull for Strathalbyn.
Grace of Milang
14 year old Grace lives in a small country town in Australia, called Milang. Grace has Autism, and the voice of an angel.
Rural railway train in 1960's Australia. Archive film 61243
Rural railway train in 1960's Australia
Railways of South Australia: Strathlink - Victor Harbor to Strathalbyn
On selected dates during the year, the Steamranger Heritage Railway operate a unique day trip on their line. Commencing at Victor Harbor, passengers travel to Goolwa on the regular steam hauled Cockle Train before changing over to replica Brill railmotor 60 for the journey north to Strathalbyn and return to Victor Harbor.
This video features footage from the train of the morning trip from Victor Harbor to Strathalbyn. Restored North British built 4-6-0 steam locomotive Rx207 hauls the Cockle Train from Victor Harbor to Goolwa before we change over to Brill 60 for the rest of the day.
An interesting addition to the day's activities was Goodwin-Alco diesel electric 958 on a charter from Mt Barker at Strathalbyn in the main platform with the Brill operating into the rarely used Milang dock.
© 2012 James Brook
Redhens 1
this was the Port Adelaide train musem special weekend and they let the people who went there get on the Redhens and there got to go the Adelaide and back
Sounds Of Steam At Night. On Board Rx207 & 621, Strathalbyn To Philcox Hill. 19-5-2019.
On board video of SteamRanger Heritage Railway locomotives Rx207 and 621 climbing from Strathalbyn to Philcox Hill with the Southern Encounter returning to Mount Barker in wet and slippery conditions. 19-5-2019.
Around Strathalbyn - Milang
Nestled along the shores of Lake Alexandrina only 35kms from Strathalbyn, Milang is along 'The Fleurieu Way' scenic drive, which also includes Strathalbyn, Langhorne Creek, Clayton Bay and Currency Creek (see other clips on this channel)
Milang Caravan Park Flyover
Fly over the Milang Lakeside Caravan Park.
Jacaranda Festival Herberton train ride 2017
Jacaranda Festival day 08-Oct 2017 train ride from the railway station in Herberton to the Historic Village Herberton and back
What to do on a Sunday? A railfan journey - south
This video is a 24 hour project I set myself to put together a decent length vlog that showcases just what you can do on a Sunday with your mates or your family.
the intention was to upload this at 1080p but due to the length of the video the upload process was being impacted, I will upload a video later that is just the shots of the train in 1080p :)
For more details on Steamranger services head to:
For more details on the Port Milang Historical Railway Museum:
This video has been uploaded as an intermission as such from my up north series, coming soon is the journey from Quorn to Burra, see you then!
Skiffs Australia - Lexus at Milang Regatta Club
The Lexus 18 Skiff Team at Milang Regatta Club. 3 afternoon races in a solid 15 knots on the big rig!
The team is supported by Skiffs Australia and Lexus of Adelaide.
A bit more of Wellingford & Bakewell Bridge Railway
I mist these clips of Wellingford & Bakewell Bridge Railway i could leave these clips out but it is a great layout and deserves to be shown..
Tramway Museum and Garden Island
Urban ride to Adelaide's tramway museum, in St Kilda, and Garden Island / Passeio urbano ao museu do bonde de Adelaide e a Ilha Jardim
Pichi Richi Pass, Flinders Ranges.
Drone footage of the Pichi Richi Pass and Devils Peak in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, Australia.