Terowie former Railway and Town: South Australia 2011

Historic railway townTerowie: Former important break of gauge location in South Australia where "ruling gauges met". Video shots and pictures were taken in mid 2011 of the former railway station and yards area as well as some scenes of the town. Included are some clips taken of steam locomotives at Terowie in 1968 when the "Steam to the Silver City" tour passed through sponsored by the by the Victorian based Association of Railway Enthusiasts. By pausing the video, the comemorative signs near the platform can be read. Terowie was once the major transhipment point for all goods and passengers from Adelaide to the north and west from 1881 to 1937 when a standard gauge line was completed to connect Port Augusta and Port Pirie obviously making Port Pirie a three gauge town but which allowed the break of gauge location of Terowie to be by-passed by trains heading west. Trains trains then ran on broad gauge to the break of gauge station at Port Pirie. This would have cut out one of the break of gauge locations for goods and travellers to the west. According to the plaque on the now lonely and long disused Terowie railway station island platform, the great stategist of World War II, General MacArthur, changed trains at Terowie on his way from Alice Springs to Adelaide. Apparently, he and his wartime party set out from Darwin on two Australia National Airways DC3 planes. So bad was the experience for Mrs MacArthur and their son, that on arrival at Alice Springs, she refused to go any further by air. That is the reason they passed through Terowie. They arrived at Terowie at 2PM on March 20 1942. General MacArthur was met by reporters from Adelaide and was assured that the words of the speech he made there on the platform, which included the words "I shall return", would reverberate around the world. A special narrow gauge train was provided from Alice Springs and a broad gauge train from Terowie; and the journey is said to have taken some 60 hours. He joined his party that had continued by air from Alice Springs, after arriving in Adelaide.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• train
• australia
• railway
• sar
• class
• station
• gauge
• steam
• railroad
• trains
• locomotive
• town

[gm16v149]

After seeing this I will definitely stop and have a look next time I drive past.

I always knew about the MacArthur connection and that makes it all the more interesting.

I wonder how long the model locomotives from there and Peterborough would last if they were in Sydney or Melbourne! About 24 hours I reckon.

[reidgck]

@gm16v149 Yeah they wouldn't last too long. The town is well worth a visit. You can stand on the spot where general MacArthur gave his first press conference in Aus. If you go there try the shop that sells hamburgers they are really something. By the way, your video solved the mystery of the contents of the Hampton road trains at Wyndham; iron ore. Apparently it comes from north of Turkey Creek and is exported from Wyndham. Is that right? I didn't follow them all the way to their destination.

[gm16v149]

@reidgck Yes, the mine is called Ridges Mine and it is between Doon Doon and Turkey Creek. Plenty of info with google search.

[reidgck]

@gm16v149 Thanks a lot for that. I must have taken that video when they first started bringing the iron ore to Wyndham and well before the first shipment went out by ship. I will put the info onto the wyndham road train page soon. It explains why the road trains all looked brand new.

[sclm046]

Very enjoyable. Thanks! I will have run an inquiry for "Terowie".

[LMatters1]

This is fantatstic work, you are to be congratulated. My wife had some work planned for me today but so far I've spent most of it watching your videos! Bugger the grass...it can wait.