SAR Port Augusta-Hawker

Line History:

Opened:  1879-1891
Length:  81km (Woolshed Flat to Hawker section)

Closed (in sections):  1956, 1972
Reopened (in sections):  Port Augusta to Quorn 1974-2001 as a Heritage Railway

Built as a narrow gauge (3ft6in - 1067mm) line from Port Augusta to Oodnadatta. It reached Quorn (39km, 24mi) in 1879, Maree (372km, 231mi) in 1883 and Oodnadatta (770km, 478mi) in 1891. Originally known as the  Northern Line , it was transferred from the SAR to the Commonwealth Railways (CR) in January 1911. The SAR continued to operate the line until 1926 when the CR took over. In 1926-29 the line was extended to Alice Springs (1241km, 771mi) near the centre of the continent and then became known as the  Central Australia Railway .

Despite crossing some of the driest parts of the continent the line was often damaged by severe flooding. There were ocassions where trains and passengers were stranded for days by flood waters and track washouts.

The route of the line in its southern section had more to do with politics than good practice. The route from Port Augusta to Quorn took it through the Flinders Ranges via the Pichi Richi Pass which required steep grades and tight curves. The route of the northern section was largely dictated by the availability of reliable water sources. The economics of the line was so poor that in the early 1900s it was frequently considered for closure.

In the 1950s a new standard gauge (4ft8.5in, 1435mm) line was built from Port Augusta to Maree which bypassed the Flinders Ranges and Quorn. Passengers and freight to Oodnadatta and Alice Springs changed trains from standard gauge to narrow gauge at Maree. In 1956 the sections of the original narrow gauge line from Hawker to Maree and from Port Augusta to Quorn were closed leaving the section from Quorn to Hawker (the  Hawker Line ) still operating. Occasional excursion trains from Peterborough continued to use the line from Quorn to Summit in the 1960s.

The most famous of its passenger trains was "The Ghan" which ran, originally, from Port Augusta to Alice Springs. Delays and late running were common. It was said that if, according to your watch, the train was on time then you needed a new watch. The Ghan still runs today but as a modern luxury express service from Adelaide to Alice Springs and on to Darwin on the northern coast of the continent. The track to Alice Springs is on a completely new alignment up to 300km west of the old narrow gauge route.

The Hawker Line was operated by the Commonwealth Railways using SAR locomotives and a mixture of CR and SAR rolling stock to run a single return freight service each week. This service was needed because of the poor condition of the roads in the area. No passenger service was provided. The line was eventually closed in 1972.

The Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society was formed in 1972 and was operating steam and heritage diesel trains from Quorn to Summit by 1974, and then onto Woolshed Flat by 1979.

The line from Peterborough to Quorn was closed in 1987.

By 2001 the Pichi Richi Railway had restored the entire narrow gauge line from Quorn to Port Augusta. They now operate regular steam and diesel hauled heritage passenger services between Quorn and Woolshed Flat and between Port Augusta and Quorn.