Rail transport in South Australia
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South Australia was the first colony in Australia to build a railway line. It was a horse-drawn tramway from the port of Goolwa on the Murray River to an ocean harbour at Port Elliot in 1854. Today the state has 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad gauge suburban railways in Adelaide, a number of country freight lines, as well as key 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge links to other states.
[edit] Gauge
The first of the main line railways in Adelaide was built in 1856 between the city and the port, in the 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad gauge. The main line to Melbourne was opened after a bridge was built at Murray Bridge in 1886. It was the first railway line between colony capitals to not have a break-of-gauge. It was also the last of these to be converted to standard gauge in 1995.
The lines on Eyre Peninsula and the mid north were built to 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge. Once the standard gauge from Port Pirie to Broken Hill was built, broad gauge extended up to this line, and narrow gauge north of it.
The main interstate links from Adelaide to Perth, Darwin, Melbourne, and Sydney as all of 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge.
[edit] Operators
The country railways were initially owned by South Australian Railways. The narrow gauge lines north and west of Quorn were handed over to the Commonwealth Railways in 1926, though the Commonwealth had had financial responsibility for these lines since 1911. The Commonwealth Railways later merged with the S.A.R. to become the Australian National Railways Commission (ANR) in 1978, and was eventually absorbed into the National Rail Corporation.
The metropolitan railway lines are now owned and operated by TransAdelaide, interstate passenger services by operated by Great Southern Railway, intrastate freight by Australian Railroad Group, and interstate freight by a number of companies including Pacific National, QRNational, FreightLink, and Specialised Container Transport.
[edit] Passenger services
Passenger services in South Australia have declined since the days of the South Australian Railways, today the only services are the TransAdelaide Adelaide suburban services; and the Great Southern Railway operated The Overland between Adelaide and Melbourne, the Indian Pacific between Perth and Sydney via Adelaide, and The Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin, via Alice Springs.
[edit] Railway preservation
Port Adelaide is home to the National Railway Museum, the largest undercover railway museum in Australia. The SteamRanger preservation group in the Adelaide Hills has restored a number of steam and diesel locomotives for tourist services, and the Pichi Richi Railway based in Quorn operates on part of the former Central Australia Railway.
[edit] History
South Australia was the first colony in Australia to build a railway line, a horse-drawn tramway from Goolwa to Port Elliot opened in 1854, from
from the port of Goolwa on the Murray River to an ocean harbour at Port Elliot in 1854. It was later extended to a safer harbour at Victor Harbor. This line was used to move freight between the shallow-draft vessels navigating the Murray, and coastal and ocean-going vessels, without either having to traverse the narrow and shallow mouth of the river with unpredictable currents.
The first of the Railways in Adelaide was built in 1856 between the city and the port. The Adelaide railways were all built as broad gauge of 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in). Gradually, a network of lines spread out from Adelaide. These were initially built to carry ore, particularly copper, then later freight from the Murray River, and grain from the broadacre lands. In the first half of the 20th century, most of these lines carried passengers as well as freight.
The main line to Melbourne was opened after a bridge was built at Murray Bridge in 1886. It was the first railway line between colony capitals to not have a break-of-gauge. It was also the last of these to be converted to standard gauge in 1995.
[edit] Timeline
- 1856 - First broad (1600 mm) gauge line from Adelaide to Port Adelaide opens
- 1870 - First narrow (1067 mm) gauge line opens from Port Wakefield to Balaklava
- 1880 - Broad gauge line reaches Terowie
- 1887 - Railways of South Australia and Victoria meet at Serviceton, Victoria
- 1888 - Narrow gauge line built from Port Pirie to Broken Hill, New South Wales
- 1891 - Narrow gauge line reaches Oodnadatta from Terowie break-of-gauge station
- 1917 - First standard gauge line completed between Port Augusta, South Australia and Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, requiring a break-of-gauge at Terowie, Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie to reach Perth
- 1919 - Railways of South Australia and New South Wales meet at Broken Hill, New South Wales with a break-of-gauge
- 1937 - Trans-Australian Railway extended to Port Pirie and the broad gauge railway from Adelaide to Redhill extended to Port Pirie
- 1970 - Port Pirie to Broken Hill standard gauge line officially opened, completing the Sydney - Perth rail link
- 1980 - Tarcoola, South Australia to Alice Springs standard gauge railway opened, first stage of the Adelaide-Darwin railway
- 1982 - Adelaide to Crystal Brook, South Australia standard gauge railway opened, connecting Adelaide to the standard gauge network
- 1995 - Adelaide to Melbourne standard gauge railway opened
- 2008 - South Australian Treasurer Kevin Foley announces budget which includes plans to electrify the Noarlunga and Outer Harbor rail lines
The first South Australian steam-operated line was built as a broad gauge (1600 mm) line in 1856 between the city and Port Adelaide stopping at Bowden, Woodville and Alberton. This line is now part of the Adelaide suburban network and has been proposed for standardisation and conversion to light rail. It was extended as the Outer Harbor line to Outer Harbor in 1908. A branch was built to Grange in 1882. It was extended as the Henley Beach line to Henley Beach in 1894 and closed in 1957.
[edit] Development of the lines
[edit] Southern Lines
The South Line, through the Adelaide Hills, was opened to Aldgate, Nairne in 1883, Murray Bridge in 1884 and Bordertown and Serviceton, Victoria, connecting with Victorian Railways in 1887. This line was standardised in 1995.
A branch line was built to Marino in 1913, and extended to Willunga in 1915. The section from Hallett Cove to Willunga was closed in 1969. In the 1970s the line was extended south from Hallett Cove, reaching Christie Downs in 1976, and Noarlunga Centre in 1978, forming the current TransAdelaide Noarlunga Centre line.
The beginnings of the Victor Harbor line was a horse-drawn broad (1600 mm) gauge tramway built from the port of Goolwa on the Murray River to an ocean harbour at Port Elliot in 1854. This line was used to move freight between the shallow-draft vessels navigating the Murray, and coastal and ocean-going vessels, without either having to traverse the narrow and shallow mouth of the river with unpredictable currents. It was later extended from Port Elliot to Victor Harbor in 1864 and from Goolwa to Strathalbyn in 1869. It was extended to Mount Barker Junction on the South Line in 1884 and strengthened to carry steam trains.
A branch line was built to Monarto and Cambrai in 1886. In was shortened to Appamurra near Palmer before being closed due to the standardisation of the Adelaide - Melbourne line in 1995.
A branch line was built from Tailem Bend to Pinnaroo in 1906. This was connected with the Victorian Railways at the Victorian border and Ouyen in 1915. The South Australian part of this line was standardised in 1998 to reconnect it with the Adelaide - Melbourne line. This has created a break-of-gauge at Pinnaroo, but there are proposals to standardise the Mildura line from Geelong to Mildura and the line between Ouyen and Pinnaroo.
A branch line was opened from Tailem Bend to Karoonda and Alawoona in 1913 and extended to Loxton in February 1914.[1] This was standardised in 1998.
A branch line was opened from Karoonda to Waikerie in December 1914; it closed in 1990. Another branch line was opened from Wanbi to Yinkanie (near Moorook) in September 1925, but closed in 1971. In 1928 a branch line was opened from Alawoona to Renmark and Barmera, crossing the Murray River at Paringa; it closed in 1990. Another branch was opened from Karoonda to Peebinga in December 1914, but it was closed in 1990.[1]
[edit] Southern narrow gauge lines
In 1876 a narrow (1067 mm) gauge line was built from Kingston SE to Naracoorte. In 1879, a railway was built between Beachport, Millicent and Mount Gambier, with a branch line from Wandilo to Glencoe. A line was later built from Mount Gambier to Naracoorte and Wolseley in 1887, creating a break-of-gauge junction.
A broad gauge branch was opened from Mount Gambier to Heywood near Portland in 1917. From 1953 to 1956, the southeastern lines were converted to broad gauge, with the exception of the Beachport - Millicent and the Wandilo - Glencoe line, which were closed down. The Kingston - Naracoorte was closed in the 1970s. The other southeastern lines, including the line to Heywood, have been out of use since the standardisation of the Adelaide - Melbourne and Maroona - Portland lines in 1995. There are regular calls for their standardisation.
[edit] Northern lines
[edit] Broad gauge lines
In 1857 the 42 km Gawler line was built to Gawler station, which was rural at the time, and extended to Roseworthy, Kapunda in 1860 and Morgan in 1878 (now closed beyond Kapunda). The main line left the Kapunda branch at Roseworthy and proceeded to Hamley Bridge, Riverton, Burra in 1870, and Terowie in 1880.
A branch line was built from Gawler Junction, north of Gawler station, to Gawler Central Station, Penrice and Angaston in the Barossa Valley in 1911.
A branch line was built from Riverton to Clare in 1919 and Spalding in 1922.[2] This line was lifted in the early 80s and part of it restored as a bicycle/walking trail.
In 1925, a broad gauge line was built from Salisbury to Redhill and in 1937, it was extended to Port Pirie to meet the extension of the standard gauge from Port Augusta. This line was converted to standard gauge in 1982, including a deviation at the northern end to move the rail junction from Port Pirie to Crystal Brook.
[edit] Western Division narrow gauge lines
The lines in the Mid North (generally north of Goyder's Line, which is the limit of 10" annual rainfall) were built to narrow gauge (1067 mm).
[edit] Upper Yorke Peninsula lines
The first narrow gauge line ran from Port Wakefield to Hoyleton, opened in 1870 and extended to Hamley Bridge in 1878, creating Australia's first break-of-gauge on the government railways. [3]
A horse-drawn tramway was built by the Kadina and Wallaroo Railway and Pier Company between Wallaroo and Kadina in 1862 and extended to Moonta in 1866. This was acquired by the South Australian Railways in 1877 and a new narrow gauge line was built along its route and connected to Port Wakefield in about 1878. A line was built from Brinkworth to Snowtown, Bute and Kadina in 1879. These lines were converted to broad gauge in 1927. [4] All the lines west of the Adelaide-Crystal Brook standard gauge line and the line from Snowtown to Brinkworth were closed after the Adelaide - Crystal Brook line was opened in 1982, despite proposals to convert some of them to standard gauge.
It is notable that no narrow lines in South Australia that were converted to broad gauge have yet been converted to standard gauge, although there are calls to convert the Wolseley to Mount Gambier line to standard gauge. This partly relects the lifting of restriction on the road transportation of grain Australia-wide that followed recommendations of the 1986-88 Royal Commission into grain storage, handling and transport. This particularly affected South Australian railways because of the short distances between the growing areas and its various wheat exporting ports. The Snowtown to Wallaroo Broad Gauge was converted to Dual Gauge (Standard/Broad) during the late 1980's.
[edit] North Mount Lofty Ranges lines
A line was built from Balaklava to Brinkworth and Gladstone by 1880 and later extended to Wilmington. The Hamley Bridge - Balaklava - Brinkworth - Gladstone line was converted to broad gauge in 1927, making Gladstone a break-of-gauge junction. In 1969, when the line from Port Pirie to Broken Hill was converted to standard gauge, Gladstone became a three-gauge break-of-gauge junction (together with Peterborough and succeeding Port Pirie, which had been reduced to two gauges). In the 1980s, the broad gauge line north of Balaklava and the narrow gauge line were closed, leaving Gladstone as a purely standard gauge station.
A narrow gauge line was built from Terowie to Peterborough in 1881, creating a break-of-gauge at Terowie, although the enforced train change created an opportunity for General Douglas MacArthur to deliver his famous line "I shall return" at Terowie station on 20 March 1942. The break-of-gauge was not overcome until the Terowie - Peterborough line was converted to broad (1600 mm) gauge in 1970, to meet new the standard gauge from Port Pirie to Broken Hill, but it was abandoned only 10 years later in 1980.
The narrow gauge line was extended to Orroroo also in 1881 and Quorn in 1882, connecting with the new line from Port Augusta. This line has now been abandoned.
A narrow gauge railway was built from Port Pirie to Gladstone, Peterborough and Broken Hill, in 1888 to serve the Broken Hill silver and lead mine, which was becoming the largest and richest of its kind in the world. Since the New South Wales Government would not allow the South Australia railway to cross the border, the last 30 km was built by a private company as a tramway, the Silverton Tramway from Cockburn, South Australia to Silverton, New South Wales and Broken Hill. In 1970 the line was converted to standard gauge, completing the standard transcontinental gauge line from Sydney to Perth.[5]
[edit] The Great Northern Railway
The Great Northern Railway was completed from Port Augusta across the Pichi Richi Pass to Quorn in 1879, Hergott Springs (now known as Marree) in 1883 and Oodnadatta in 1891. It was extended to Alice Springs by Commonwealth Railways in 1929, when it was renamed the Central Australia Railway.
In 1957, a new standard gauge line was built from Stirling North (near Port Augusta) to Marree on a new alignment west of the Flinders Ranges and the narrow gauge line between Hawker and Marree was abandoned. The remainder of the narrow gauge line between Stirling North, Quorn and Hawker was abandoned in 1972, although the Stirling North - Quorn section has been taken over by the Pichi Richi tourist railway. The narrow gauge line from Marree to Alice Springs was abandoned with the opening of the new standard gauge railway from Tarcoola to Alice Springs in 1980, which forms port of the Adelaide Darwin railway. The standard gauge line from Stirling North has since been abandoned north of Leigh Creek.
[edit] Eyre Peninsula lines
The lines on Eyre Peninsula were built to narrow gauge (1067 mm) as their primary purpose was to promote the development of the area.
Construction started with a railway between Port Lincoln and Cummins, opened in 1908. Growth of the network continued through until the 1950's. The system covers some 800 route kilometres, of lightly built permanent way.
BHP developed two separate systems.
The Tramway at Whyalla (1067mm gauge) for ore haulage, and a standard gauge tramway from Proper Bay to Coffin Bay on Southern Eyre Peninsula for mineral sand haulage. The Proper Bay operation was closed in 1989, and removed in 2000.
[edit] Northern Territory railway
The Northern Territory was part of South Australia from 1863 to 1911, when it was transferred to Commonwealth control.
The Palmerston and Pine Creek Railway was a narrow gauge (1067 mm) railway and ran from Darwin, once known as Palmerston, to Pine Creek.
The John Cox Bray Government in South Australian introduced the Palmerston and Pine Creek Railway Bill in 1883. The £959,300 contract went to C & E Millar of Melbourne on the proviso that they could use coolie labour. The line reached Pine Creek in 1888 and was officially opened on 30 September 1889. Singhalese and Indian gangs did the grubbing and earthwork and 3,000 Chinese labourers laid over 1 km of track per day. A total of 310 bridges and flood openings were built.
The Commonwealth Government took over the line in 1911 and renamed it the Northern Territory Railway. The line was extended to Katherine in 1917. Further extensions in the 1920s saw it eventually reach Birdum, just south of Larrimah, in 1929, when it was further renamed the North Australia Railway, to distinguish it from the Central Australia Railway, which reached Alice Springs from the south in the same year.
Although a railway line from Alice Springs to Darwin had been discussed for many years, the North Australia Railway was closed in 1976. However eventually the standard gauge Adelaide to Darwin Railway was finally completed on 17 September 2003 with the line between Alice Springs and Darwin. The first freight train reached Darwin on 17 January 2004.
[edit] Adelaide suburban network
Adelaide's metropolitan rail network is the only one in Australia's five major cities that has not been electrified. However, there has been several attempts by governments during the 20th century to electrify the system.
In Adelaide, concrete sleepers, installed since the 1990s are of a slightly more expensive gauge-convertible type to facilitate any conversion to standard gauge in the future.
[edit] List of country railways in South Australia
[edit] Mid north
- Port Broughton - Mundoora (1876) was horse-drawn uphill, and gravity-powered to carry bagged wheat down to the port.
- Adelaide - Kapunda, later extended to Morgan, with junctions at Gawler and Roseworthy
- Roseworthy - Burra, later extended to Terowie, then Peterborough, with junctions at Hamley Bridge and Riverton (now closed beyond Burra)
- Hamley Bridge - Balaklava, continuing through Brinkworth to Gladstone
- Brinkworth - Snowtown - Kadina - Wallaroo - Moonta
- Gawler to Penrice and Angaston in the Barossa Valley, carries marble from a quarry at Penrice to soda works at Osborne, near Port Adelaide
- Riverton to Clare and Spalding - closed, the easement is now used for the Riesling Trail cycle path through the Clare Valley
- Adelaide - Port Pirie
- Port Wakefield - Balaklava
- Port Wakefield - Kadina
[edit] Branches from the Melbourne line
- Balhannah to Mount Pleasant via Oakbank, Woodside, Mount Torrens and Birdwood. Opened 1918, closed 1963 (tracks have since been totally removed)
- Mount Barker to Goolwa and Victor Harbor
- Monarto (west of Murray Bridge) north to Cambrai (shortened to Appamurra near Palmer before being closed). The rails from that section were reused in 2001 by Pichi Richi Railway to extend their narrow gauge track from Stirling North to Port Augusta
- Tailem Bend (south east of Murray Bridge) to Pinnaroo continuing into Victoria to Ouyen
- Tailem Bend - Karoonda - Alawoona - Loxton (still in use - the other branches off this line have been removed)
- Wolseley (between Bordertown and the state border) through Naracoorte to Mount Gambier, branching west to Millicent and east to the Victorian network at Heywood near Portland
- Naracoorte - Kingston SE opened 1877, closed.
[edit] North
- Broken Hill - Port Pirie
- Peterborough - Port Augusta via Orroroo and Quorn
- Port Pirie - Port Augusta
- Central Australia Railway: Quorn - Marree (1883) - Oodnadatta (1891) - Alice Springs (1929) (narrow gauge) - closed in 1980
- Port Augusta - Marree (standard gauge) (1957) replaced the narrow gauge line to Marree. Now used to haul coal from Leigh Creek to the power stations at Port Augusta.
- Port Augusta - Kalgoorlie, Western Australia - the first standard gauge line, built in 1917
- Port Augusta - Whyalla (1972) standard gauge
- Tarcoola - Alice Springs (1980)
[edit] Eyre Peninsula
- Port Lincoln - Thevenard (west of Ceduna) with a junction at Cummins and Yeelanna.
- Thevenard to Penong (Via Kevin) (Kevin - Penong Closed)
- Cummins - Buckleboo (north of Kimba) (Kimba - Buckleboo Dormant)
- Yeelanna - Kapinnie (Dormant)
- Whyalla - Iron Knob (private - owned by BHP/OneSteel) - narrow gauge, opened 1901, carries iron ore
- Whyalla (109km) - Iron Baron (private - owned by BHP/OneSteel) opened 1930, extended to Iron Duke in 1990
- Proper Bay (near Port Lincoln) to Coffin Bay to carry lime sand between 1960 and 1989[6]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Bromby, Robin (2006). Ghost Railways of Australia. Sydney: Lothan Books, 232. ISBN 0 7344 0923 0.pp74-75
- ^ The Riesling Trail. The Wilson Vineyard www.wilsonvineyard.com.au. Retrieved on 2006-04-27.
- ^ Linking a Nation. Australian Heritage Commission www.ahc.gov.au. Retrieved on 2006-04-27.
- ^ Lions Club of Yorke Peninsula Rail. Lions Club of Yorke Peninsula Rail www.ypr.org.au. Retrieved on 2006-04-27.
- ^ A History of Rail in South Australia (HTML). National Railway Museum Port Adelaide. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
- ^ See this website for more information
[edit] References
- Andrews FB. "The Salisbury munitions tramways." In Light railways, 187. February 2006.
- Anon. The bay line. SASTA, Adelaide. 1979
- Callaghan WH. The overland railway. ARHS NSW, St James. 1992.
- Castle BJ. "The Balhannah - Mount Pleasant branch line." ARHS bulletin 316, February, 1964.
- Collins N. The jetties of South Australia. Privately published, Woodside. 2005.
- Fluck RE, R Sampson and KJ Bird. Steam locomotives and railcars of the South Australian Railways. Mile End Railway Museum, Roseworthy. 1986.
- Jennings R. Line clear: 100 years of train working Adelaide-Serviceton. Mile End Railway Museum, Roseworthy. 1986.
- Lockyer A. "Jetty and wharf tramways of South Australia". In Light railways, 142. August, 1998.
- Mack D. Little coastal railways of the Adelaide plains. Privately published, Camden Park. 1986.
- McNicol S. SAR railcars. Railmac, Elizabeth. 1989.
- Pantlin G and J Sargent (eds). Railway stations in greater metropolitan Adelaide. Train Hobby, Melbourne. 2005.
- Richardson J.(ed) Along the line no. 2. Traction, Canberra City. 1964.
- Richardson J.(ed) Along the line in South Australia. Traction, Canberra City. 1964
- Sampson R. Rails round Adelaide. Mile End Railway Museum, Walkerville. 1978.
- Thompson MH. "The Goodwood - Brighton - Willunga line." ARHS bulletin, 336, October, 1965.
- Wheaton RT. Rails to the bay. Australian Electric Traction Assoc. Sydney, 1971.
[edit] External links
- RailSA
- eastern map
- western SA map
- Rail enthusiast site about Eyre Peninsula lines
- National Rail Museum
- Railpage Australia
- South Australian Railway Page
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