About RegionalRail

Well I can only start with: Growing up in Gawler West, South Australia having the Railway at the front door step, and having the trains go by every 30 minutes, with the Freight trains, section and payment master cars, with the occasional Steam Train heading to either the Barossa or what I grow up knowing as the Peterborough line... Not knowing that the lines branched off to many other Railway towns.

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Growing up, I always had a childhood dream of one day being a Train Driver... well, later in life my childhood dream not only became reality, my childhood dream lead me to Owning part of South Australian Railway History.

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My name is Grant McDougall, and this is my story:

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                         Before moving to Alice Spring in 1999, the Barossa Wine Train operated from Adelaide to Nuriootpa, South Australia. I did not know that the Wine Train had stopped operating, whilst in Alice Springs nor had it been sold. It was only once I returned to Gawler, that I found out the details.

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In 2007 after returning to Gawler South Australia, I started my slow search for what SAR Blue Birds remained after their withdrawal from service. Sadly, I found that out over time the 21 Blue Birds built that formed part of the South Australia Railway History most had already been converted into Crew Cars for other rail operators, a few being scrapped. Once, I became aware that most Blue Birds had been converted into Crew Cars. So I turned my attention to the Barossa Wine Train (Blue Birds) in 2017/18, to where a few conversation between John Giber however nothing eventuated.

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As nothing eventuated with the Wine Train, I turned my attention to the search of what remained of the 111 South Australian Built Red Hen’s, that formed part of the South Australian Railway History.

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In 2018, my search for the any remaining South Australia Railway Icons “the Red Hen” lead me to Korumburra, South Gippsland in Victoria, where I was informed there was 2 last remaining Red Hens 311 and 402.

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After making contact VicTrack, I soon learnt that the Red Hen 311 and 402 had been stored and their future was unknown. However, contact was lost for over a year as due to staff movements of positions… In 2019 contact was re-established with VicTrack Heritage Division, where over many months the future of both Red Hens was detailed.

 

Sadly, both 311 and 402 did not have any further future in Victoria and I was asked by VicTrack if there was a show of interest as VicTrack was planning the scrapping of other railway rolling stock, and both Red Hen 311 and 402 was on the list for scrapping.

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In 2020, myself and my son Joshua travelled to Korumburra, South Gippsland where, an official show of interest was required by VicTrack,