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Line History:
Opened: 1879-1891
Length: 81km (Woolshed Flat - Hawker section)
Closed (in sections): 1956, 1972
Reopenned 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 (372km, 231mi) in 1883 and Oodnadatta (770km, 478mi) in 1891. Originally known as the SAR Northern Line, it was transferred from the SAR to the Commonwealth Railways in the early 1920s. In 1926-29 it was extended to Alice Springs (1241km, 771mi) 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.
In the 1950s a new standard gauge (1435mm, 4' 8.5") line was built from Port Augusta to Maree which bypassed the Flinders Ranges and Quorn. The Port Augusta to Quorn narrow gauge line 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 Hawker to Maree was closed making Hawker the terminus of a much reduced line. Passengers and freight to Alice Springs changed trains from standard gauge to narrow gauge at Maree. The entire line to Alice Springs, both standard gauge and narrow gauge, was eventually closed in 1980 when a new standard gauge line to Alice Springs was opened on a totally new alignment.
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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