Wilmington railway line

Wilmington railway line
Overview
System	South Australian Railways
Status	Closed
Locale	Mid North, South Australia
Termini	Gladstone Wilmington
Continues from	Hamley Bridge-Gladstone line
Operation
Opened	Gladstone-Laura: 2 June 1884 Laura-Booleroo Centre: 13 April 1910 Booleroo Centre-Wilmington: 20 July 1915
Closed	14 March 1990
Operator(s)	South Australian Railways Australian National
Technical
Line length	87.5 km (54.4 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Route map Blue is standard gauge since 1970. Wilmington Terka Melrose Perroomba Booleroo Centre Yandiah Wirrabara Stone Hut Laura Crystal Brook-Broken Hill line to Broken Hill Gladstone Crystal Brook-Broken Hill line to Crystal Brook & Port Pirie Gladstone line to Hamley Bridge & Adelaide [1][2]

The Wilmington railway line was a railway line on the South Australian Railways network. It opened from Gladstone to Laura on 2 June 1884.^[3] It was extended from Laura to Booleroo Centre on 13 April 1910,^[4] and to Wilmington on 20 July 1915.^[5][6]

There were proposals to extend the line towards Port Augusta either through Horrocks Pass or via Quorn,^[7] but neither plan was acted upon.

With the conversion of the Port Pirie to Broken Hill line from narrow to standard gauge in 1969, the line became an isolated narrow gauge railway. Passenger services ceased at this time,^[8] with the line formally closed on 13 March 1990.^[6][9]

References

1. South Australia. Chief Engineer for Railways; Vaughan, A. (Alfred); South Australia. Surveyor-General's Office (1910), Map shewing lines of railways in South Australia, Novr. 1910, Surveyor General's Office, retrieved 1 December 2015
2. Chief Engineer for Railways. "Map showing Lines of Railways in South Australia" (Map). Johnny's Pages - Old S.A.R. Shunter's Memories. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
3. "Gladstone and Laura Railway". Adelaide Observer XLI, (2227) (South Australia). 7 June 1884. p. 33. Retrieved 27 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
4. "Laura-Booleroo Centre Railway". Mount Barker Courier And Onkaparinga And Gumeracha Advertiser 30, (1539) (South Australia). 15 April 1910. p. 2. Retrieved 27 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "A New Railway". The Advertiser. LVIII, (17,712) (South Australia). 22 July 1915. p. 10. Retrieved 27 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
6. Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 - 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 58. ISBN 0 909650 49 7.
7. "Continuation of Wilmington Railway.". Transcontinental. 1 May 1915. p. 7. Retrieved 27 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
8. G F Vincent. "South Australia's Mixed Gauge Muddle" (PDF). National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide. pp. 8–10. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
9. "Gladstone's Railway History". Gladstone, Southern Flinders Ranges, SA. August 2009. Retrieved 27 February 2016.

Further reading

• Evands, John (2010). Proceed to Wilmington. Elizabeth: Railmac Publications. ISBN 9781864770711.