Bowmans railway station

Last updated

Bowmans
General information
LocationBalaklava Road, Bowmans, South Australia
Coordinates 34°09′35″S138°15′42″E / 34.1597°S 138.2618°E / -34.1597; 138.2618
Operated by Australian National
Line(s) Balaklava-Moonta line
Distance112 kilometres from Adelaide
Platforms1
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typeGround
Other information
StatusClosed, mostly demolished
History
Opened1870
Closed1968
Services
Preceding station Australian Rail Track Corporation Following station
Kallora
towards Adelaide
Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line Goyder
towards Port Augusta
Preceding station Australian National Railways Commission Following station
Saints
towards Balaklava
Balaklava-Moonta railway line Port Wakefield
towards Moonta

Bowmans railway station was located at the junction of the Balaklava-Moonta railway line and the Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line in the town of Bowmans, South Australia.

Contents

History

An isolated horse-drawn and gravity operated tramway was built to deliver grain from the plains east of Port Wakefield in the areas of Balaklava, Halbury and Hoyle's Plains (now Hoyleton) to that port. [1] [2] The line was converted into a steam railway and extended to Kadina and Wallaroo in 1878. Bowmans railway station was opened in 1870. It was named after E. and C. Bowman who were well known pastoralists and led the estate along which the railway passed. [3] [4] It became a junction with the opening of a new railway line from Salisbury to Snowtown and Redhill. That line was later extended from there to Port Pirie in 1936.[ citation needed ]

The Port Pirie line was constructed as 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) broad gauge and the Moonta line was constructed as 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge. This problem was solved when the Moonta line was converted to broad gauge on 1 August 1927. [5] [6]

Transfer to Australian National, closure and demolition

The station closed to regular passenger use in 1968. [7] In 1978, the station and all associated infrastructure was included in the transfer of South Australian Railways to Australian National. The Port Pirie line was converted from 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) broad gauge to standard gauge in 1982. [8] The broad gauge line through Bowmans closed on 4 April 1984 with the refreshment rooms, most of the station infrastructure and railway line being removed not long after. [9]

Present day

Only the disused railway platform remains as any evidence of a passenger rail service. [10] The alignment of the southern entrance to the station was converted into a spur to service the Bowmans Rail intermodal terminal. [11]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balaklava, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Pirie railway station (Mary Elie Street)</span> One of Port Piries six railway stations, in operation from 1967 to 1989

Port Pirie railway station (Mary Elie Street) was the fifth of six railway stations for passengers that operated at various times from 1876 to serve the small maritime town (later city) of Port Pirie, 216 kilometres (134 miles) by rail north of Adelaide, South Australia. As with several of Port Pirie's other stations before it, the station was built to accommodate a change of track gauge on railway lines leading into the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamley Bridge–Gladstone railway line</span> Former railway line in South Australia

The Hamley Bridge–Gladstone railway line was a railway line on the South Australian Railways network. It extended from a junction at Hamley Bridge on the Roseworthy-Peterborough line through Balaklava and Brinkworth to Gladstone.

The Balaklava–Moonta railway line was a railway line on the South Australian Railways network. It ran across the top of the Yorke Peninsula.

The Kadina–Brinkworth railway line was a railway line on the South Australian Railways network.

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Kadina railway station was located on the junction of the Balaklava-Moonta railway line and the Kadina-Brinkworth railway line. It served the town of Kadina.

Snowtown railway station was located at the junction of the Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line and the Kadina-Brinkworth railway line in the town of Snowtown, South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallaroo railway station</span> Former railway station in South Australia, Australia

Wallaroo railway station was located on the Balaklava-Moonta railway line. It served the town of Wallaroo, South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halbury railway station</span> Former railway station in South Australia, Australia

Halbury railway station was located on the Hamley Bridge-Gladstone railway line. It served the town of Halbury, South Australia.

References

  1. ↑ "PORT WAKEFIELD RAILWAY". The South Australian Advertiser . Vol. XII, no. 3385. South Australia. 21 August 1869. p. 2. Retrieved 24 September 2018– via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "THE PORT WAKEFIELD AND HOYLE'S PLAINS TRAMWAY, AND THE DISTRICT THROUGH WHICH IT PASSES". The Express and Telegraph . Vol. VI, no. 1, 808. South Australia. 27 November 1869. p. 2 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved 24 September 2018– via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ Names of South Australian Railway Stations with meanings and derivations
  4. ↑ Bowmans town a link to 1840s start of pastoral family's properties push to top of Spencer Gulf in South Australia
  5. ↑ Redhill Railway Opening 15 August 1925
  6. ↑ Callaghan, WH (2002). "Horse and Steam, Wheat and Copper". Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin (January, February, 2002): 9–27, 46–63.
  7. ↑ Railways and Colonisation in South Australia
  8. ↑ Rail Agreement (Adelaide to Crystal Brook Railway) Act 1980 Government of Australia
  9. ↑ Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 - 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. pp. 56–58. ISBN   0-909650-49-7.
  10. ↑ Bowmans.Port Wakefield. All that is left of the large railway station and refreshment rooms at Bowmans
  11. ↑ [https://www.bowmansrail.com.au/ Bowmans Rail
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