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Morgan railway station

Coordinates: 34°02′10″S 139°40′23″E / 34.03608895066457°S 139.67300704198266°E / -34.03608895066457; 139.67300704198266
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Morgan
Morgan Railway Station (1910)
General information
LocationRailway Terrace, Morgan, South Australia
Coordinates34°02′10″S 139°40′23″E / 34.03608895066457°S 139.67300704198266°E / -34.03608895066457; 139.67300704198266
Owned bySouth Australian Railways 1878 - 1969
Operated bySouth Australian Railways 1878 - 1968
Line(s)Morgan line
Distance169 kilometres from Adelaide
Platforms2
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeGround
Other information
StatusClosed
History
Opened23 September 1878
ClosedNovember 1969
Services
Preceding station South Australian Railways Following station
Eba
towards Adelaide
Morgan railway line Terminus

Morgan railway station was the terminus of the Morgan railway line. It served the town of Morgan, South Australia.

History

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Morgan railway station opened when the North-West Bend railway reached it on 23 September 1878. It was built to provide a more efficient freight and passenger connection between the Murray paddle steamers and both the city of Adelaide and Port Adelaide for ocean transport. [1] The station was named after Sir William Morgan, who was the Chief Secretary of the state at that time. [2] The station building consisted of a ticket office, refreshment rooms, railway platform and goods cranes. [3] Locomotive 'Pioneer' had made the first trial run to Morgan as early as 17 April 1878. [4] Morgan eventually became one of the busiest shipping ports on the Murray and the second biggest in South Australia. [5] About six trains a day carried freight from the Murray to the sea at Port Adelaide.

Decline and closure

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Rail transport at the port declined during the early 20th century as road transport approved. Regular passenger services ceased in December 1968. The last train Duchess of Gloucester pulled out of Morgan in November 1969. [6] The railway line was eventually dismantled with the station being officially closed.

Present day

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The station building was registered as a South Australian Heritage on 4 March 1993. [7] The station was converted into a historic railway museum. [8]

There were proposals to extend the line beyond Morgan to Wentworth, and even as far as Hay to provide a more direct railway route to Sydney. [9] [10]

References

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  1. ^ North West Bend railway 23 September 1878
  2. ^ Names of South Australian railway stations
  3. ^ Morgan Railway Museum
  4. ^ Morgan's railways
  5. ^ History of the Morgan Township Early Pastoral Activity near Morgan
  6. ^ Morgan's railways
  7. ^ SA Heritage Places Database Search
  8. ^ Morgan Railway Museum
  9. ^ "Hay to Morgan". The Maitland Weekly Mercury. NSW. 10 June 1922. p. 3. Retrieved 3 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Public Works". South Australian Register. Adelaide. 14 June 1879. p. 3 Supplement: Supplement to the South Australian Register. Retrieved 3 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.