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Line History:
Opened: 1879-1891
Length: 81km (Woolshed Flat - Hawker section)
Closed (in sections): 1956, 1972
Reopened as a Heritage Railway: 1974-2001
Built as a narrow gauge (3' 6" - 1067mm) line from Port Augusta to Oodnadatta, it reached Quorn in 1879, Maree in 1883 and Oodnadatta in 1891. Originally known as the SAR Northern Line, it was transferred from the SAR to the Commonwealth Railways in the early 1920s. In 1922 it was extended to Alice Springs near the centre of the continent and then became known as the Central Australia Line.
Despite crossing some of the driest parts of the continent the line was often damaged by severe flooding. Stories of trains and passengers stranded for days by flood waters and track washouts were common.
The route taken by the line in its southern section had more to do with local politics and influencial land owners than it did to good economic sense and practical railway engineering. Its 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 considered for closure.
When the southern section from Port Augusta to Maree was converted to standard gauge (1435mmm - 4ft 8.5in) in the early 1950s, the Flinders Ranges and Quorn were bypassed by a more direct and less difficult route. The Port Augusta to Quorn section was closed in 1956 although the section from Quorn to Summit was still in use by excursion trains from Peterborough in the 1960s. Also in 1956 the line from Quorn to Maree was terminated at Hawker while the section from Maree to Alice Springs remained in operation with passengers and freight forced to change trains from standard gauge to narrow gauge at Maree. The entire line to Alice Springs, both standard gauge and narrow gauge, was closed in 1980 when a new standard gauge line to Alice Springs was opened on a totally new alignment that avoided all flood prone areas.
The Quorn to Hawker section continued to be operated by the Commonwealth Railways using SAR locomotives and a mixture of CR and SAR rolling stock. The CR ran a single return freight service each week. There were no passenger services. This section of the line was eventually closed in 1972. The line from Peterborough to Quorn was closed in 1987/88.
The Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society restored the entire narrow gauge line from Quorn to Port Augusta in stages from 1974 to 2001. They operate regular steam and diesel hauled passenger services between Quorn and Woolshed Flat and between Port Augusta and Quorn.
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