Loxton railway line

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Loxton railway line
Tookayerta grain terminal 1.JPG
Tookayerta grain terminal at the end of the line
Overview
StatusNo trains operating
LocaleMurray Mallee
Coordinates34°58′15″S 140°5′30″E / 34.97083°S 140.09167°E / -34.97083; 140.09167Coordinates: 34°58′15″S 140°5′30″E / 34.97083°S 140.09167°E / -34.97083; 140.09167
TerminiTailem Bend
Loxton
History
Opened2 February 1914 (1914-02-02)
Converted to standard gauge1996
Closed20 July 2015 (2015-07-20)
Technical
Line length271 km (168 mi)(Tailem Bend–Tookayerta)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Old gauge5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)
Route map

km
Adelaide-Wolseley line
to Adelaide
One Rail Australia
Tailem Bend Yard
120.3
Tailem Bend
Adelaide-Wolseley line
Pinnaroo line
169.0
Karoonda loop
Peebinga and Waikerie lines
215.2
Mindarie Mine
222.2
Wanbi loop
243.6
Alawoona loop
271.0
Tookayerta Grain Terminal
Loxton

The Loxton railway line is a closed railway line in the northern Murray Mallee region of South Australia. It ran north-east from Tailem Bend to grain silos near Loxton.[1]

History[]

The first stage of the Brown's Well railway line opened from Tailem Bend to Wanbi on 6 January 1913,[2] and extended to Paruna by the end of April the same year.[3] A branch from Alawoona to Loxton opened on 13 February 1914.[4] The main line to Alawoona and only remaining branch to Loxton closed on 6 January 1996 to be gauge converted from broad gauge to standard gauge to retain connection to the main line from Adelaide to Melbourne after that line was converted.[5][6][7] The last grain train left the silos on 20 June 2015, marking the closure of the line.

Route[]

The railway branched off the main line just south of Tailem Bend, and tracked roughly north-east. The Karoonda Highway from Murray Bridge East paralleled it after about 24 kilometres at Kulde. The railway and highway continued together 100 kilometres north-east through Karoonda to Alawoona, then both turned north for the final 35 kilometres to Loxton.

The line no longer continues to Loxton station, having been curtailed at a bulk grain facility a few kilometres short of the town. The end of the main line became the grain terminal at what was originally the Tookayerta siding.[8] The line closed on 20 July 2015, with all grain traffic now taken by road.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ Mid North & Murray Mallee Lines Archived 2 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine SA Track & Signal
  2. ^ "BROWNS WELL RAILWAY". The Advertiser. LV (16, 919). South Australia. 7 January 1913. p. 8. Retrieved 28 May 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "TAILEM BEND AND PARUNA (BROWN'S WELL LINE)". The Advertiser. LV (17, 016). South Australia. 30 April 1913. p. 2. Retrieved 28 May 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "LOXTON'S GALA DAY". Observer. LXXI (5, 477). South Australia. 21 February 1914. p. 48. Retrieved 28 May 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ Newland, Andrew; Quinlan, Howard (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 - 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. pp. 54, 56. ISBN 0-909650-49-7.
  6. ^ "SA Branches to be Standardised" Railway Digest June 1995 page 15
  7. ^ "South Australia" Railway Digest July 1996 page 37
  8. ^ Freight Study & Rail Operations Investigation Archived 16 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine Flywheel Advisory 17 November 2014
  9. ^ Strathearn, Peri (21 May 2015). "End of line for Murraylands, Mallee grain trains". The Murray Valley Standard. Fairfax Regional Media. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
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