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Hamley Bridge Railway Station
In 1868 a bridge was constructed over the River Light for the Adelaide to Balaklava railway, and was said to be the highest in the State. It was in 1869 that the first train steamed into Hamley Bridge on it's way to Tarlee. The station only had one platform and a small weatherboard office and waiting rooms. Clydesdale horses would shunt the wagons in the rail yard. A railway station was established a few hundred yards north of it and was first known as Alma Railway Station. The railway line from Hamley Bridge to Balaklava was opened on January 15th 1880. In 1880 the narrow gauge western system commenced and Hamley Bridge became a junction as well as a break-of-gauge station, and immediately took on a new importance. This was when the present railway station stone building was built and the additional platforms were added. There were five in all. Two platforms were set aside for the exclusive use of the narrow-gauge trains on the Balaklava line. All traffic of the western system had to be handled at Hamley Bridge. There was a transfer shed at the junction, a boiler house and a locomotive depot. A reservoir was built next to the station to supply water to the elevated water tanks for the steam engines. A signal cabin was built at the end of the platforms. The town then rapidly became a railway town, the railways helped support the whole community with the numerous jobs that were required and the town was also supported by a fertile agricultural district. The district expanded, and in its heyday was a business centre much above average for its size. It was the home of several important industries.
This View of the Hamley Bridge railway station is taken from the south-eastern end of the yard. It shows the overway bridge by which passengers change from the narrow to the broad gauge railway
Railway Staff 1911 Railway Workers – Transhipping at Hamley Bridge
Railway Yards 1926 Steam Train at Railway Station
Railway Yard - 1910 Narrow and broad gauge trains at Hamley Bridge: on the left an "S" class loco (broad) and on the right a "Y" class loco (narrow) The original Railway Bridge was replaced in 1925, and up until recently, was the highest bridge in the Southern Hemisphere. In 1927 saw the removal of the break-of-gauge, and all lines were converted to the broad-gauge system. The last narrow-gauge train rolled out of the station on July 30, 1927. The narrow-gauge rails were pulled up. With this plus with the depression, Hamley Bridge had a grievous blow.
Here is a slideshow of Steam Locomotives of South Australia 1968-1974 and there are some more slideshows below. |
