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The Willunga Railway Line

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      baytram366 Chief Train Controller

    Location: Adelaide
    Hey guys,
    I posted a message on the Australian Transport Discussion Board a few weeks ago about The old Willunga Line but with not much luck so I thought I will try this board.
    I am currently in the process of writing a book about the former Willunga Railway line from Hallett's Cove to Willunga. The book will be called "The Willunga Railway - Retracing the line and its history".
    I was wondering if anyone can help me out with any information, photographs and maps of the line. I particually need a map of the line showing the exact locations of the all of the stations since I am planning to visit the sights of these stations and take photographs of what is on that location today.
    When the book is finished I may, if money issues don't come up, have it printed and distribute a few copied to those who are intested since a book like this has never been written before.
    Posted: 21 Dec 2004 11:54

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      TA 2000 Chief Commissioner

    Location: SA - I wish!
    Hey guys,
    I posted a message on the Australian Transport Discussion Board a few weeks ago about The old Willunga Line but with not much luck so I thought I will try this board.
    I am currently in the process of writing a book about the former Willunga Railway line from Hallett's Cove to Willunga. The book will be called "The Willunga Railway - Retracing the line and its history".
    I was wondering if anyone can help me out with any information, photographs and maps of the line. I particually need a map of the line showing the exact locations of the all of the stations since I am planning to visit the sights of these stations and take photographs of what is on that location today.
    When the book is finished I may, if money issues don't come up, have it printed and distribute a few copied to those who are intested since a book like this has never been written before.
    "baytram366"



    Use the search tool, as this line has been discussed a number time before around here, also you may want to get of some South Australian Goverment maps as they show where the station were on that line.
    Posted: 21 Dec 2004 12:27
      TA 2000 Chief Commissioner

    Location: SA - I wish!
    What I can tell you about the line is that it was opened in 1915 and closed in 1969 with that last passenger train being in 1964. Willunga railway station is still standing today, however I don't about any of the others. Most of the line has now been converted to bike/walk track.
    Posted: 21 Dec 2004 12:39
      409 Minister for Railways

    If you look through several old Catchpoint magazines (June 1998 - ??? 2000), you would find a great deal of information. You could do that or contact the National Railway Museum in Port Adelaide for information (they produce Catchpoint as well!). Ayn way, best of luck with your book and the Break of Gauge shop is the ideal place to sell your book. (again part of the NRM).
    Posted: 21 Dec 2004 13:07
      duttonbay Minister for Railways

    Perhaps this article in the ARHS Bulletin might be of some use in your research:

    Article Name: The Goodwood - Brighton - Willunga Line
    ARHS Bulletin Vol 16, No 336, Oct 1965, pp181-92
    Author/Contributor Name: Thompson, MH
    Comment: This line south from Adelaide was opened on  21st Jan 1915 .
    The article describes in  detail the construction and operation of  the
    line. 6  photos, 1  map, 10  diagrams. Contributions from CS  Small and
    JG  Southwell appear in  Bn340  Feb 1966 , pp47 -8 . IDENTIFIERS:
    Government Railways SA / Country Railways SA / Suburban Railways
    SA / Adelaide / Willunga SA / Small, CS  / Southwell, JG
    Posted: 21 Dec 2004 16:57
      Guard Class 2 Chief Commissioner

    Location: Elizabeth,South Australia
    Straight from the NRM website:

    Name Miles
    Willunga Line
    Goodwood (J) 3.06
    Clarence Park 3.91
    Emerson 4.43
    Edwardstown 4.90
    Woodlands Park 5.68
    Ascot Park
    Marion 7.06
    Oaklands
    Warradale 8.50
    Hove
    Brighton 9.69
    South Brighton 10.07
    Seacliff 10.60
    Marino 11.36
    Marino Rocks 11.74
    Hallett's Cove 13.38
    Happy Valley 16.41
    Reynella 17.55
    Pimpala 18.41
    Morphett Vale 20.01
    Hackham 21.43
    Noarlunga 24.19
    McLaren Vale 30.18
    Willunga 34.19


    Note: these distances are in miles!

    Hope this helps a little,
    Regards,
    Wayne
    Posted: 21 Dec 2004 22:23
      rhino Chief Commissioner

    Location: Oakbonk SA
    Quote:

    Hallett's Cove 13.38



    Just for the record, there is no such place as Hallett's Cove in South Australia. The correct name is Hallett Cove. Not having a go, just pointing it out. And I admit I don't know what it says on the sign at the railway station.

    Have a look at "Placenames on line", a free portal into the Gazetteer of South Australia, here:

    http://www.placenames.sa.gov.au/
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 08:16
      kipioneer Chief Commissioner

    Location: Aberfoyle Park
    The station locations:
    Reynella Station is now the site of a car park for the transport interchange just south of the old town opposite the garden shop.
    McLaren Vale was to the east of the town, Hackham was to the right of the South Road crossing which was immediately after Honeypot Road.   There are some pine trees here.
    Noarlunga was just after the bridge over the Onkaparinga.
    McLaren Vale was just north of the McLaren Flat road
    Willunga yard stretched from north of the station building to the Aldinga Road.

    This line in its final years was served by a weekly goods train from Mile End which was a daylight trip down there and back.
    The power was often a 500 class diesel.
    Back in those days it wasn't too hard to organise a trip on goods trains for the payment of the normal passenger fare and, I think, the signing of a waiver form.
    This I did one day in the last couple of years of its life and enjoyed, with friends from Adelaide Uni a day out by train to a destination normally unreachable.
    The SAR would put on a centenary car if you gave them a certain number of passengers.  I'm not sure whether this was achieved on this trip or not or whether we just used the brake van which would have been an 8300.  I suspect the latter.
    The train wasn't terribly big, perhaps 3 or 4 wagons which ran right through to Willunga and we were picked up, and dropped off again at Goodwood.
    The only thing you had to worry about was the taking of women on these trips - "we have regulations against that sort of thing" I was told - and they did!   Apparently the sight of a female ankle in the brake van would send guards into a lecherous frenzy so women were not allowed in the brakevans of goods trains by regulation.

    Cab rides were no problem back then.  I was in the cab as we crossed South Road at Hackham.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 09:26
      409 Minister for Railways

    if you ever take a train to Norlunga Central, you will find a short section of track going beyond the end of the platform until an embankment which has a road going across it. It was part of the alignment to Willunga.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 10:29
      rhino Chief Commissioner

    Location: Oakbonk SA
    I didn't think Noarlunga Central was anywhere near the old Willunga line.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 10:33
      rhino Chief Commissioner

    Location: Oakbonk SA
    The old Willunga line turned east at Hallett Cove and went through Morphett Vale. The line south from Hallett Cove to Noarlunga Centre was built after the Willunga line was closed.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 10:34
      409 Minister for Railways

    According to an old SAR map c. 1955 in the M.E.R.M book, Locomotives and Railcars of the South Australian Railways, the present site of Noarlunga Centre station was about halfway along the route to Willunga.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 10:51
      Alco_Haulic Chief Commissioner

    Location: Eating out...
    if you ever take a train to Norlunga Central, you will find a short section of track going beyond the end of the platform until an embankment which has a road going across it. It was part of the alignment to Willunga.
    "409"


    This spur was most likely built with the intention of extending the NC line through to the Willunga Line. But as is the case with this government, an expressway was built instead, a useless oneway expressway at that!

    This spur has also probably been used during peak hours to move railcars out of the way and around to the other platform. Well at least doing that would make its existance less useless.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 10:52
      409 Minister for Railways

    in an addition of the Catchpoint dating from about 1999, it clearly pointed out that the line could be rebuilt with a small amount of re routing and that only minor engineering works would be needed to rebuild the line apart from digging a small tunnel under the South Eastern freeway.

    It was a really stupid discission of the SAR pull up the line just before the popualtion boom in that area. The SAR should have just continued to operate with a major loss on its hands until the populatiopn picked up.
    Crying or Very sad
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 11:01
      rhino Chief Commissioner

    Location: Oakbonk SA
    According to an old SAR map c. 1955 in the M.E.R.M book, Locomotives and Railcars of the South Australian Railways, the present site of Noarlunga Centre station was about halfway along the route to Willunga.
    "409"


    I think you will find that that route in the MERM book was a proposal, not an actual existing line. Back in the 1950s there were many futuristic proposals, West Lakes being one of them (I have seen maps of West Lakes, including the football stadium, the rowing course, mall, etc, from the mid 1950s, but work did not start until the 1970s). The Noarlunga station that did exist was down near the Onkaparinga River near what is now Old Noarlunga, which was, until the 1980s, the only Noarlunga (except for Port Noarlunga). The suburb of Noarlunga Centre did not even exist back then.

    You can find the route of the original Willunga line in almost any UBD, it is shown as a walking and bike track, which it now is.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 11:27
      kipioneer Chief Commissioner

    Location: Aberfoyle Park
    in an addition of the Catchpoint dating from about 1999, it clearly pointed out that the line could be rebuilt with a small amount of re routing and that only minor engineering works would be needed to rebuild the line apart from digging a small tunnel under the South Eastern freeway.

    It was a really stupid discission of the SAR pull up the line just before the popualtion boom in that area. The SAR should have just continued to operate with a major loss on its hands until the populatiopn picked up.
    Crying or Very sad
    "409"

    South Eastern Freeway? Glen Osmond - Murray Bridge.
    The right of way was retained for future railway use.   The track would have needed to be doubled which would have been a challenge given the embankment and cutting widths.   It was felt it was better to start again which would have been what would have happened in any case if the track had been retained.
    The old Willunga line now has quite a few impediments to its reopening on its existing right of way which otherwise still largely exists.
    The Southern Expressway (the pretend freeway) off-ramp at Reynella occupies the old track bed.   The bridge you see directly in front of you under the Reynella by-pass was built over the dismantled railway by a government with some forethought.  Directly beyond that the cutting has been filled in for a major road junction.
    The next impediment is the Southern Expressway near its end at Old Noarlunga - the railway would need to be sunk underneath it.
    The new suburb of Seaford Rise is a real problem as the alignment has been almost completely built over.
    Beyond that there is no problem.  The Victor Harbor Road crossing before McLaren Vale might need grade separation rather than a level crossing.
    It is possible to extend the railway from Noarlunga Centre southwards towards Aldinga paralleling Commercial Road albiet with a number of level crossings closely spaced through Seaford Rise.   A right of way exists.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 11:50
      TA 2000 Chief Commissioner

    Location: SA - I wish!

    You can find the route of the original Willunga line in almost any UBD, it is shown as a walking and bike track, which it now is.
    "rhino"


    I think part of the route near Hallet Cove as had house's built on it now.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 11:57
      kipioneer Chief Commissioner

    Location: Aberfoyle Park

    You can find the route of the original Willunga line in almost any UBD, it is shown as a walking and bike track, which it now is.
    "rhino"


    I think part of the route near Hallet Cove as had house's built on it now.
    "TA 2000"

    TA2000 - The right-of-way still exists through Hallett Cove as far as I can see from very recent mapping.   Doesn't mean to say that it hasn't been appropriated for other uses though.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 12:05
      allan Chief Commissioner

    Quote:

    Hallett's Cove 13.38



    Just for the record, there is no such place as Hallett's Cove in South Australia. The correct name is Hallett Cove. Not having a go, just pointing it out. And I admit I don't know what it says on the sign at the railway station.

    Have a look at "Placenames on line", a free portal into the Gazetteer of South Australia, here:

    http://www.placenames.sa.gov.au/
    "rhino"


    Hallet Cove was Hallet's Cove until the ?1970s. It was from here that the branchline to Pt Stanvac originated.

    The Reynella Station office is still extant, if a couple of hundred yards removed from its former site.

    The platform at Morphett Vale was levelled only a couple of years ago - it was seen to be hazardous to kids on pushbikes!

    The Noarlunga Centre line is an extension of the Pt Stanvac branch, and runs several miles to the West of the route of the Willunga line.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 18:55
      duttonbay Minister for Railways

    Hallet Cove was Hallet's Cove until the ?1970s.
    "allan"

    The 1966 Working Timetable refers to Hallett Cove.  Double "L" and double "T".
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 19:16
      allan Chief Commissioner

    Yep, my spelling was a little too relaxed. The change occurred before 1963!
    Posted: 22 Dec 2004 19:25
      TA 2000 Chief Commissioner

    Location: SA - I wish!


    The platform at Morphett Vale was levelled only a couple of years ago - it was seen to be hazardous to kids on pushbikes!

    "allan"


    Is the willunga platform the only one still standing.
    Posted: 23 Dec 2004 11:27
      409 Minister for Railways

    What locations do you think that stations should be opened or re opened?
    Posted: 23 Dec 2004 21:55
      TA 2000 Chief Commissioner

    Location: SA - I wish!
    What locations do you think that stations should be opened or re opened?
    "409"
    None.

    Transadelaide have plans to extend the Noarlunga line to seaford I think, though that could be wishful thinking on there part.
    Posted: 24 Dec 2004 01:25
      GNR10 Chief Commissioner

    Yeah maybe Railpage can make it an SRHC project. Good luck getting the funding Rolling Eyes
    Posted: 24 Dec 2004 01:30

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