Pichi richi troop train
 

Hi All

I have just returned from a fantastic 4 day trip away with members of the "Wartime Vehicle Conservation Group". (WVCG). where we participated in the "Pichi Richi Troop Train Re enactment" in Quorn to commemorate all the troop trains that passed though the town during WW2. This was the fourth year our association was asked to participate and it was the first time for me. We provided five Jeeps and a Blitz towing a 25 pounder.

The Pichi Richi Railway Conservation Group looked after us and provided a place to camp with showers and toilets. We arrived in Port Augusta on the Friday and slept in the train shed. Saturday morning we loaded our vehicles onto flat bed carriages. The steam train then travelled to a siding called "The Woolshed" where further carriages were added to the troop train and a second steam engine added for our trip to Quorn in the Flinders Rangers.

I absolutely loved the weekend away, not only was this a first for me, it was also the first time I participated with members of our association in a club event with my restored 1942 MB Willys Jeep in desert colour. I am looking forward to next year when we will have extra flatbed carriages so we can add more vehicles including a Stuart tank and a Greyhound :kangaroo

Cheers

Tony :no4:

Looks Like a Great Event
 

Hi Tony

That looks like an absolutely unique event, I'd really like to tease the members of my local MV Club, I edit our newsletter, with some pictures is there a web site with higher resolution photos? Or could you e-mail me one or two? E-mail address below is set up to take large files.

Thanks

Cheers Phil

Photos
 

Hi Phil

Yes mate a truelly fantastic weekend with a bunch of great club members. The photo clarity was not too good as the photos were too large to post as I used a new camera. The actual photos were great. I am happy to send you a PPS with a number of photos. Send me an email at: gumbrae@arcom.com.au and I will forward ASAP.

Cheers

Tony :no4:

What a great combination Tony, getting to play with steam trains AND trucks. Such a neat railway too. Some advance warning next year and you might get some more spectators from interstate......
Rich.

Playing with trains
 

Rich

Yes I agree the event could have had more advertising. It is held each year over the October Long Weekend. One could say it is a well kept secret so that the event can not be pinched and taken accross the border like the Formula One event and I know you guys are wanting to move our National Motor Museum from SA to Vic. Heh Heh Heh. Had to get that one in. :D

But seriously, the weekend event is very well attended by people from all over who also like to travel the Flinders Ranges as well. It is a beautiful part of our state. I had a chap come up who was the editor for the Queendland Jeep Clup, he commend our group for the turnout and they were not aware of the event either, he said they were visiting the area and came accross us. there were 60 members of his club there.

Who knows we may see more military minded people there next once the word gets around.

Cheers

Tony :no4:

More Images
 

Hi all - attached are images of the train we utilised. Then Tony with the desert Jeep loading onto the flat car and some countryside. More to follow.

More
 

Countryside showing Yackas (Blackboys), view from train and the Pitchi Ritchi Society Morris railcar wedding car.

A fabulous weekend mixing technologies. We also has a tour of their extensive workshop with masses of huge drills, presses etc. along with many locomotives under restoration.

Bob

The Pichi Richi Railway also has a unique US connection to do with Troop Trains. While many Troop Trains passed through going NORTH carrying troops and supplies to be transferred to vehicles on the Nth-Sth road to eventually arrive in Darwin, one luxuriously appointed train headed SOUTH with a tired and travel weary 4 star General and his coterie.

Having evaded the Japanese on the Bataan Peninsula by US PT boat, then ordering 3 B17s to fly him and his group out of the Phillipines to Batchelor Strip, and travelling by land to eventually arrive in Melbourne, it was at Terowie Staion on the broad gauge mainline after changing from the narrow gauge Pichi Richi Railway that he was first confronted by an expectant Australian media throng who asked where he had come from, and 'Ol Doug made the famous quote "I came from Bataan, and I shall return".

It was probably the biggest thing to have ever happened in Terowie. Not many celebrities have passed through there since. The carriage is still preserved by the Pichi Richi Railway, whose website also has info on current events.

It might make an interesting Trivia question for your US club members if they know where it was that Douglas Macarthur made his famous "I shall return" quote!

The usa contingents
 

Hi Guys

Bob. Thanks for posting some of those great shots of the country side. I felt like loading up again and head north. :D

Local Chap. I forgot to post the USA Troops that also passed throuhg the town, including MacArthur. Thanks for including that important part of WW2 history. :coffee

Cheers

Tony :no4:

Tony,

That sounded like a great event, it reminds me of the Back to the Track train that I had the privilidge of participating in, back in 1995.

Post more pics if you can please.

regards, Richard

Photo reduction
 

Richard

I have a bucket load of photos and I have started putting them on a PPs compressed so I can forward via an email. I am currently looking at a format where I can compress the photos from the current 4.5mb per photo to 1.2mb to fit the MLU forum. The original ones I reduced and posted lost some of the quality. The photos Bob posted were excellent, he uses Adobe to reduce his photos. I am waiting for him to show me how as I tried using my Adobe and nothing changed, I may have to upgrade. :bang: I will post more photos to share with MLU members ASAP.

Cheers

Tony :no4:

Cheers

Pichi richi troop train
 

Hi All

Well I think I have sorted out the sizing problem and I have attached more photos as requested. :thup2:

Cheers

Tony :no4:

More pichi richi troop train photos
 

Hi All

A few more to whet the appetite. The last photo is of our camp site. :drunk:

Cheers

Tony :no4:

Hi Tony and all, My computor came with ImageResizer-2.1_x86.msi all I have to do is right click on an image, click on resize image, then click OK and the image is duplicated in a size that fits MLU. I can resize multable images by highlighting a group of images before the right click. :cheers:

Photo resizing
 

Hi Robert

I will have a look at trying that. Thanks mate.

Cheers

Tony :no4:

Very very cool...combination of steam train and MVs...am jealous!