Robertstown railway station explained

Robertstown
Coordinates:-33.99°N 139.08°W
Distance:134 kilometres from Adelaide
Line:Robertstown railway line
Structure:Ground
Platform:1
Operator:South Australian Railways 1914–1975
Australian National 1975–1990
Status:Closed and demolished

Robertstown was the terminus of the Robertstown railway line serving the South Australian Mid North town of Robertstown.

History

Robertstown railway station opened on 9 December 1914 after a railway line was built from Eudunda on the Morgan railway line.[1] The goods crane at Robertstown is unique in the fact that it is the only railway crane in South Australia that was of a Scotch Derrick design.[2] Robertstown served passengers and freight, with grain being the primary form of traffic in its later years as regular passenger services had ceased on 23 September 1962. With traffic on the line dwindling, the last passenger train to Robertstown was run by Train Tour Promotions using locomotive 804 to farewell the line on 20 May 1989.[3] Less than a year later, the final train on the line, a grain train departed Robertstown on 21 February 1990. AN formally closed the line on 25 February 1990. Robertstown station was demolished, and the line was removed not long after.

Present Day

Today, the collapsed goods crane and the former station sign are all that remain of Robertstown station. The Goyder Interpretive Garden was built on a small portion of the former yard adjacent to Commercial Street, with a small piece of track preserved.[4] The community plans to restore the goods crane eventually.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ROBERTSTOWN RAILWAY. THE OPENING CEREMONY. A RED-LETTER DAY IN THE DISTRICT.. The Advertiser . Advertiser . 10 December 1914 . 21 June 2021.
  2. Web site: 2 Tonne Scotch Derrick Crane in the Railway Yards at Robertstown . Robertstown Community Management Inc . Robertstown Info . 16 June 2021.
  3. Web site: Kapunda's Railways: Part 2 "The Line Opens" . Allen Tiller . The Haunts of Adelaide: History, Mystery and the Paranormal . 18 February 2014 . 21 June 2021.
  4. Web site: Goyder Interpretive Gardens . Robertstown Community Management Inc . Robertstown Info . 21 June 2021.