Eudunda railway station

Last updated

Eudunda
Eudunda Station Building June 2021.jpg
The Eudunda railway station building in 2021.
General information
LocationRailway Parade, Eudunda
Australia
Coordinates 34°10′30″S139°05′07″E / 34.1751°S 139.0853°E / -34.1751; 139.0853
Elevation409m
Operated by South Australian Railways 1860 - 1978 Australian National 1978 - 1994
Line(s) Morgan line
Robertstown line
Distance111 kilometres from Adelaide
Platforms1
Tracks3
Construction
Structure typeGround
Other information
StatusClosed
History
Opened23 September 1878
Closed15 December 1968 (passenger)
11 March 1994 (freight)
Services
Preceding station Australian National Railways Commission Following station
Hampden
towards Adelaide
Morgan railway line Sutherlands
towards Morgan
Terminus Robertstown railway line Point Pass
towards Robertstown

Eudunda railway station was located at the junction of the Morgan railway line and the Robertstown railway line. Situated in the town of Eudunda, South Australia, it was located 111 kilometres from Adelaide by rail.

Contents

History

Opening

Eudunda railway station opened on 23 September 1878 as part of the final extension of the Northern Railway from the existing terminus at Kapunda. The extension helped to provide a connection to the Murray River. [1] The station facilities included a stone station building on a passenger platform and a goods shed. Infrastructure to provide water to steam locomotives was also provided, including a water column and water tank at the southern end of the station, and a large dam that held nearly 4 million gallons of water. [2] The dam burst on 3 separate occasions in 1903, 1913, and 1915 due to heavy weather events. [3] [4] [5] [6] The most serious of these was in 1913 as a large thunderstorm caused the town to flood and significant damage to the dam, as the dam burst was unable to be stopped early. [7] Goods trains often hauled grain and livestock from the station, and grain would become the sole commodity transported in later years. Eudunda became a junction station on 9 December 1914, with the opening of the railway line to Robertstown. [8] The junction was located east of the town. During the 1950s-1960s, grain silos were provided at the station yard, allowing bulk handing of grain for goods trains without the need for bagging. [9]

Closure

The station closed for regular passenger use on 15 December 1968, but some special train tours used the station afterwards. It ceased to be a junction station on 2 November 1969, with the closure of the line between Eudunda and Morgan. [10] [11] In 1978, the station and all associated infrastructure were included in the transfer of South Australian Railways non-metropolitan assets to Australian National. [12] The last passenger train to use the station was a tour run by Train Tour Promotions to Robertstown on 20 May 1989. [13] [14] Eudunda became the terminus of the line with the closure of the Robertstown line on 25 September 1990. On 11 March 1994, the Kapunda-Eudunda section of the line was closed after the last grain train was run from Eudunda. [15] This section was pulled up the following year. In 2003, the railway yard land was transferred to the Regional Council of Goyder. [16]

Present day

The ganger's shed was relocated to the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide around 1990, where it has since been on display. [17] A scaled down 2D replica of the first locomotive to pass the town, the Pioneer is placed next to the station building, which is privately owned and fenced off. The water tower and water column at the southern end of the yard are intact. Most of the non-grain goods infrastructure has been demolished, except for the base of the goods crane. The grain silos were painted in 2022 by artist Sam Brooks, becoming a part of the Australian Silo Art Trail. [18] The project, known as 'Eudunda: The Storytime Silos features art based on local author Colin Thiele's book 'The Sun on the Stubble,' and the Ngadjuri story book made in collaboration with local Ngadjuri elder Quentin Aeguis. [19] In 2024, the section car placed on the weighbridge was cosmetically restored. It was originally donated to the Eudunda community in 1997. [20]

Related Research Articles

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Rail transport in the Australian state of South Australia is provided by a number of railway operators who operate over the government-owned railway lines. The network consists of 1435 mm standard gauge links to other states, the 1600 mm broad gauge suburban railways in Adelaide, a freight-only branch from Dry Creek to Port Adelaide and Pelican Point, a narrow-gauge gypsum haulage line on the Eyre Peninsula, and both copper–gold concentrate and coal on the standard-gauge line in the Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor north of Tarcoola.

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

Eudunda is a town in the Mid North region of South Australia, situated 110 kilometres northeast of Adelaide in the Regional Council of Goyder. As of 2021, Eudunda had a population of 815 people. Eudunda is known as the birthplace of author and educator Colin Thiele.

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

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

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan railway line</span> Former railway line in South Australia

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Point Pass is a small town in the Mid North of South Australia, 115 kilometres north of Adelaide. It is located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north of Eudunda, in the Regional Council of Goyder. As of 2021, the population of Point Pass was 123.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robertstown railway line</span> Former railway line in South Australia

The Robertstown railway line was a railway line on the South Australian Railways network. It opened on 9 December 1914 from a junction with the Morgan line at Eudunda running 21.6 kilometres via Point Pass to Robertstown. The line was used by both passenger and freight trains, though the regular passenger service on the line was withdrawn on 23 September 1962. Grain trains serving the Robertstown silos were among the last traffic to use the line in its later years. Train Tour Promotions ran the last passenger train using locomotive 804 on 20 May 1989, with the last freight train being a grain train on 21 February 1990. The line formally closed on 25 September 1990. The line was lifted in the years following, with all stations on the line being demolished. The only significant railway remnants left are the former Robertstown station sign and the former goods crane. The goods crane has collapsed, though there are plans to restore it.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">District Council of Eudunda</span> Local government area in South Australia

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

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References

  1. ↑ "Opening of the North-West Bend Railway". The South Australian Advertiser . Adelaide. 2 November 1878. p. 9. Retrieved 3 September 2014– via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "Gustav Newsletter - No 7 September 2002" (PDF). Eudunda Family Heritage Gallery. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  3. ↑ "SAVING A BROKEN DAM". The Advertiser . No. 14, 078. Adelaide. 1 December 1903. p. 5. Retrieved 18 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ "EUDUNDA". Daily Herald . No. 922. South Australia. 6 March 1913. p. 8. Retrieved 18 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ "Last Week's Floods". Kapunda Herald . No. 3, 694. South Australia. 14 March 1913. p. 3. Retrieved 18 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "EUDUNDA". Kapunda Herald . No. 3, 818. South Australia. 13 August 1915. p. 3. Retrieved 18 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ McCarthy, David; Rogers, Tony; Casperson, Keith. "Floods in South Australia 1836–2005" (PDF). Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth. Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "Robertstown Railway". The Advertiser . Adelaide. 10 December 1914. p. 9. Retrieved 16 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "NEW LINCOLN JETTY BULK WHEAT NEED". The Mail (Adelaide) . No. 2, 204. South Australia. 4 September 1954. p. 88. Retrieved 15 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ Hennell, David. "The 1956 Morgan floods" (PDF). Australian Timetable Associated. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  11. ↑ Harvey, Dean. "A CONCISE HISTORY OF STEAMRANGER 1961 - 1988" (PDF). SteamRanger Enthusiast Pages. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "South Australian Railways collection". Research Data Australia. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  13. ↑ Kellner, Lydia (15 August 2019). "All aboard! Here's a property that will have you doing the locomotion". The Weekly Times. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  14. ↑ Carter, Mark (20 May 1989). "Last pass from Robertstown". Flickr. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  15. ↑ "Interactive Maps of Railways and Colonisation in South Australia". Railways & Colonisation in South Australia. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  16. ↑ Kerrigan, S.J. "Council Agenda – 18-11-0". Regional Council of Goyder. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  17. ↑ Drymalik, Chris. "National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide, Exhibits Guide" (PDF). ComRails. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  18. ↑ Brooks, Sam. "Eudunda Silo Art". Australian Silo Art Trail. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  19. ↑ "Eudunda Silo Art". Clare Valley Tourism. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  20. ↑ "Eudunda Railway Carriage In Centenary Gardens Restored By Volunteers". Southern Goyder News. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
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