Conference Paper

Author

Venus, Richard

Title

The Adelaide Railway Station: some prehistory

In

2014 South Australian Engineering Heritage Conference - Transactions

Imprint

Engineers Australia, South Australia Division, Adelaide, 2014, pp. 45-61

Abstract

The grand headquarters building of the South Australian Railways on North Terrace was a symbol of a new era. American railways man William Webb had been brought in to wield a new broom and a very large broom it was. Everything about the new look Railways was big - big locomotives hauling big trains and a big station to match. What no-one knew was that there would be major challenges facing the Railways in the near future ranging from the Great Depression to the Second World War and the ascent of the private motor car. South Australia's railways actually started with the line connecting Port Elliot with the river port of Goolwa in 1853 but the line to Port Adelaide was equally significant. Its city terminal was a convenient excavation in the former stone quarry on North Terrace. However, this created the ongoing problem of how best to move people and goods between the two levels which successive remodelling attempted to address. Adelaide has learned to live with its terminal station and it remains a significant landmark in the city.

Related Published resources

isPartOf

• 2014 South Australian Engineering Heritage Conference - Transactions edited by Venus, Richard (Adelaide: Engineers Australia, South Australia Division, 2014), 82 pp. Details