Fords railway station

Last updated

Fords
General information
LocationFords Road, Fords, South Australia
Coordinates 34°23′18″S138°52′25″E / 34.388338959994314°S 138.87355604666854°E / -34.388338959994314; 138.87355604666854
Operated by Australian National
Line(s) Morgan line
Distance79 kilometres from Adelaide
Platforms1
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typeGround
Other information
StatusClosed
History
ClosedDecember 1968
Services
Preceding station Aurizon Following station
Freeling
towards Adelaide
Morgan railway line Kapunda
towards Morgan

Fords railway station was located on the Morgan railway line. It served the locality of Fords, South Australia.

Contents

History

The first section of the line opened from Gawler to the copper mining at Kapunda, opened on 13 August 1860. [1] It was extended to Morgan on 23 September 1878 [2] to provide a more efficient freight and passenger connection between the Murray paddle steamers and both the city of Adelaide and Port Adelaide for ocean transport. [3] [4] It is unclear when Fords railway station opened. It was named after a local farmer, John Fords, who held the land in that locality. [5] A goods shed was erected in 1870. [6]

Embankment washaway

On 13 February 1913, a goods train traveling to Kapunda derailed on a high embankment near Fords station. The line gave way just as the train crossed it, with all but the last few carriages derailed off the tracks. The train driver, William Critchley, was washed away into the floods. [7]

Closure

The station closed to regular passenger use in December 1968 but some special train tours used the station afterwards. In 1978, the station and all associated infrastructure were included in the transfer of South Australian Railways non-metropolitan assets to Australian National. [8] The last passenger train to use the station was a tour run by Train Tour Promotions to Robertstown on 20 May 1989. [9] [10] In 1997, the station and railway line were included in the transfer of Australian National's South Australian freight assets to Australian Southern Railroad (later known as One Rail Australia.) The last bulk grain trains operated on the line in circa January 1999 with the line being last used by a light engine movement on 21 May 2003 by Australian Railroad Group locomotive CK4. [11] The station remnants and railway line were included in Aurizon's purchase of One Rail Australia in 2022.

Present day

The goods shed and platform remain but have fallen into a state of disrepair. The station is now privately owned. [12] [ self-published source? ]

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References

  1. ↑ Opening of the Kapunda Railway South Australian Advertiser 14 August 1860
  2. ↑ "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.
  3. ↑ Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 - 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 55. ISBN   0-909650-49-7.
  4. ↑ The Formation of the South Australian Railways National Railway Museum
  5. ↑ NAMES OF RAILWAY STATIONS MEANINGS AND DERIVATIOS.
  6. ↑ Bagots Gap. Fords. Near the Light River.
  7. ↑ Swept Away – The Steam Engine Driver
  8. ↑ "South Australian Railways collection". Research Data Australia. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ Carter, Mark (20 May 1989). "Last pass from Robertstown". Flickr. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  11. ↑ "Burra Railway". Burra History. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  12. ↑ Fords Railway Station and Light River
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