Railways and Tramways of Australia

Outback interchange

 

The standard-gauge railway to Marree in South Australia was opened on 27 July 1957.

 

The narrow-gauge Central Australia Railway extended north from Port Augusta in stages, reaching Hergott Springs (now Marree) in 1884. More extensions were built, with the line opening to Oodnadatta in 1891 and to Alice Springs in 1929.

 

A substantial increase in coal traffic from Leigh Creek during the 1940s led to the narrow-gauge line reaching saturation point. However, the proposed construction of a power station at Port Augusta was expected to create demand for more coal traffic.

 

A new standard-gauge railway was constructed between Stirling North (near Port Augusta) and Brachina. The new route was to the west of the Flinders Ranges and had much easier gradients, enabling significantly heavier train loads to be conveyed. Between Brachina and Marree a standard-gauge line was opened along a similar route to the existing narrow-gauge route.

 

When the line was complete, a special train travelled overnight on the new standard-gauge railway. At Marree, Acting Prime Minister Arthur Fadden drove the final dogspike and officially declared the line open.

 

Marree became an active break of gauge location between the standard-gauge line to the south and the narrow-gauge line to the north. Passengers changed trains and transhipment facilities enabled the transfer of goods.

 

A new railway route to Alice Springs via Tarcoola bypassed the Central Australia Railway in 1980. The old narrow-gauge line was closed. Marree remained open for standard-gauge trains from the south until 1987, when the railway fell silent.

 

Maree is now a small outback town. It is hard to imagine that it was once an active railway interchange. Yet much of the railway infrastructure remains intact, along with two NSU Class diesel-electric locomotives.

 

Bibliography

B J Castle, ‘The Stirling North – Maree standard – gauge railway’, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, no. 244, February 1958, pp 17–22.

‘Latest rail link forged with modern methods and equipment’, Railway Transportation, vol. 5, no. 9, September 1956, pp 24–7, 36.

H Quinlan & JH Newland, Australian railway routes 1854 to 2000, Australian Railway Historical Society (NSW Division), Sydney, 2000.

G Reid, ‘The demise of the Central Australia Railway’, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, no. 699, January 1996, pp 10–23.

D Smith, ‘The Central Australia Railway’, Australian Railway History, no. 1034, April 2024, pp 28–43.

KA Smith, Tales from a railway odyssey (Volume 1), Railmac, Adelaide, 2001.