The Pichi Richi Railway's main sources of income are from membership subscriptions, scheduled train services, chartered trains and special hires, souvenir shop trading and catering / refreshments.

Pichi Richi Railway currently has no paid employees, and is therefore reliant on its dedicated volunteers to operate trains, to sell souvenirs and refreshments, to undertake maintenance and restoration activities, and to govern the Society.

The Society's financial year runs from 1st January to 31st December.  The following information is based on 2010 Audited Financial Statements.

Local and State Government have also assisted significantly with easing the burden of public liability insurance premiums in recent years, with premiums returning to more affordable levels of late.  Incidentally, the Society has never lodged a claim since its formation in 1973.

In addition, Local and State Government have provided funding to help develop professional marketing of the Pichi Richi Railway, which is currently performed by a part-time contractor. Most of this assistance has been provided by the South Australian Tourism Commission.

Local Government funding has been provided by both the Flinders Ranges Council and the Port Augusta City Council.  Additionally certain project funding has been provided by the Northern Regional Development Board (now Regional Development Australia Far North).

Corporate assistance has also been received, though this has been somewhat ad-hoc.  Central TV (i.e. Spencer Gulf Telecasters – Southern Cross) are currently sponsoring the Pichi Richi Railway through in-kind support while The Savings Bank of South Australia (later becoming part of BankSA) contributed funds some years ago to help restore 75 Class Diesel Railcar No. 106, which operates timetabled services and is available for private hire.

Through the Souvenir Shop the Society sells sleeper certificates for a variety of denominations. They don’t necessarily represent the actual cost of each timber sleeper and associated transport, which is around $50 each.  However the Sleeper Certificates have been a useful form of fund-raising over the years, and are available for purchase from the Souvenir Shop in Quorn Railway Station.

During the last 12 months the Society has installed steel sleepers in the main line in order to reduce the maintenance burden which timber sleepers currently represent.

Bequests have also been a valuable source of support.  Through Quarterly Notices, Society members have been reminded to remember Pichi Richi Railway in their Will, as follows:

Your bequest to the Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society Incorporated can help to maintain our railway for future generations to share and experience.

Your bequest could be a specific sum or a percentage of your estate or property items.

A suitable form of bequest is:

“I bequeath the sum of $............ to the Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society Incorporated.”

If there is a specific project that you would like your name associated with, you may specify this also.

Non-members are welcome to use the above pro-forma wording to make a bequest to the Society.

Regional Spending by the Society

In 2008 calculations indicated that about 27% (or just over one dollar in every four) of the Society’s annual spending involved businesses in Quorn and Port Augusta, together with ticket agency commission charged by Wadlata Interpretive Centre (operated by Port Augusta City Council), and rates paid to Flinders Ranges Council.

Such local spending includes fuel and lubricants, advertising, timetable printing, hardware, refreshments / catering supplies, mechanical repairs, rail safety worker medical assessments, and pest control services.

This percentage would increase slightly when spending in Whyalla and Port Pirie is taken into account.

Also the 27% rate of regional spending did not include members’ reimbursements for purchases they made from regional businesses, due to the extra time necessary to capture this information.

There are a variety of purchases that cannot be transacted with businesses in the region, such as utility providers (e.g. electricity, gas, telecommunications).  Additionally, there are some goods and services which cannot be locally obtained.  These include coal, specialist plant & equipment repairs, most souvenirs purchased for resale, insurance, sleepers etc.

Included in the Society’s purchasing are payments to local suppliers which are part of larger Australian or international companies.  Crushed rock supplies as railway track ballast are a good example, supplied from the ‘Crusher’ at Stirling North with payments made to Boral.

The Society aims to achieve a balance between the total cost and availability of supplies whether obtained in the region, or from further afar, together with transport and related costs.  Nevertheless the 27% rate of regional spending is a significant economic outcome considering the Railway's location and distance from major population centres in South Australia.

National Australia Bank “Schools First” Grant

During 2010 the Quorn Area School and the Society were jointly awarded $100,000 by NAB to foster their partnership and provide accredited training to students from QAS and surrounding districts.  Grant funds will be administered by QAS on behalf of the partnership, which may involve financial and/or in-kind contribution by the Society to the partnership.

Pichi Richi Trade Training Centre

During 2010 the partnership between Quorn Area School and the Society was awarded around $750,000 of Federal Government funding, focused on equipment purchases to assist with student learning on the railway.  The partnership may involve financial and/or in-kind contribution by the Society.