Keith railway station, South Australia
Keith | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Former Australian National regional rail | |||||||||||
 Grain silos next to the station yard at Keith, 2015. | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Dukes Highway, Keith, South Australia | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 36°05′48″S 140°21′18″E / 36.0968°S 140.3550°E | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 28m | ||||||||||
| Owned by | South Australian Railways 1886 - 1978 Australian National 1978 - 1998 Australian Rail Track Corporation 1998 - present | ||||||||||
| Operated by | South Australian Railways 1886 - 1978 Australian National 1978 - 1990 | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Adelaide-Wolseley | ||||||||||
| Distance | 249 kilometres from Adelaide | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | Ground | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Status | Closed and demolished | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1 May 1886 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 31 December 1990 | ||||||||||
| Previous names | Mount Monster | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Keith railway station was located on the Adelaide-Wolseley line in Keith, South Australia.[1]
History
[edit]Opening
[edit]Keith station was located between Coombe and Brimbago on the Adelaide-Wolseley line, and it was on the Nairne to Bordertown section of the line which opened in 1886.[2] The line opened in stages: on 14 March 1883 from Adelaide to Aldgate, on 28 November 1883 to Nairne, on 1 May 1886 to Bordertown and on 19 January 1887 to Serviceton.[3] The area that the siding was established in was originally known as Mount Monster until the township of Keith was declared in 1889.[4] During the early 20th century, it was proposed to make Keith a junction station for a new railway to Lucindale or to another point on the lines out of Mount Gambier, separate to the existing alignment via Wolseley, but nothing eventuated.[5][6]
Station facilities and upgrades
[edit]The facilities included at the station included a passenger platform, a goods platform, and a goods shed. A crossing loop was also provided, allowing trains to cross each other at this location. A stationmaster and porter were provided in 1908.[7] The station building was upgraded with a new brick building in the 1950s.[8] Given the large output of grain from the area, concrete grain silos were built next to the station yard in 1962, allowing bulk handing of grain for goods trains without the need for bagging.[9] Ownership of the station and the railway line was transferred to Australian National in 1978.
Closure and present day
[edit]The last service to use the station was the Bluebird railcar service to Mount Gambier, known as the Blue Lake. When AN ceased all intrastate passenger services in South Australia including the Blue Lake, the station closed on December 31, 1990. The passenger building and platform were demolished in 2007, but the goods shed remains in disuse.[10] The grain silos are currently owned by Canadian grain handler Viterra, and are still served by rail, usually by Aurizon trains.[11] In 2010, the passing loop was extended to 1871m, allowing 1800m long trains to cross at Keith.[12][13]
References
[edit]- ^ Mid North & Murray Mallee map Archived 2015-02-02 at the Wayback Machine SA Track & Signal
- ^ "THE OVERLAND RAILWAY". Adelaide Observer. South Australia. 20 February 1886. p. 33. Retrieved 30 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Newland, Andrew; Quinlan, Howard (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 - 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 53. ISBN 0-909650-49-7.
- ^ "Keith". Tatiara Tourism. Tatiara District Council. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "The Keith-Lucindale railway". Chronicle. South Australia. 22 June 1912. p. 13. Retrieved 16 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Lucindale to Keith railway". The Mount Barker Courier and Onkaparinga and Gumeracha Advertiser. South Australia. 22 May 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 16 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Keith". Border Chronicle. South Australia. 11 December 1908. p. 3. Retrieved 16 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "New railway station for Keith". The Border Watch. South Australia. 17 February 1953. p. 9. Retrieved 16 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Tatiara Heritage Survey" (PDF). Enviro Data SA. Historical Research Pty Ltd, Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "2007-2008 Annual Report" (PDF). Tatiara District Council. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Our Network" (PDF). Viterra. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ Albanese, Anthony; Marchant, David. "Economic stimulus: passing loop at Keith upgraded" (PDF). Australian Rail Track Corporation. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "South CTC" (PDF). Australian Rail Track Corporation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.