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Manned station, depot, terminus and a major break-of-gauge location on the narrow gauge Peterborough-Terowie Line and the broad gauge Terowie-Rosewater-Adelaide Line . Apart from some short sections of dual gauge track in the depot, the two gauges were kept completely separate.
Multiple loops and sidings for the station, goods and livestock transfers with a loco depot and servicing facilities.
The platform at Terowie station was where US Army General Douglas Macarthur made his famous "I shall return" speech after he had been evacuated from the Philippines in 1942. He was changing trains from a narrow gauge service from Alice Springs to a broad gauge service to Adelaide. There is a plaque on the platform commemorating the event.
The line from Terowie to Peterborough was converted to dual gauge with the addition of broad gauge (5'3", 1600mm) in 1970 and the gauge transfer facilities and loco depot at Terowie were eventually closed and moved to Peterborough. The town then lost its sole reason for existence, servicing the break-of-gauge facilities.
The Adelaide-Terowie-Peterborough line line was closed in 1988 so Terowie no longer has a rail service. The town has since had a tourist revival due to its preserved pre-1960s era shops and buildings.
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