Belair to Bridgewater Line 2023 - A Quick Trip

The history of this line is just too massive and complicated to fit into four minutes so there's no big story here - just relax and enjoy. I'll delve deeper into this line one day.
Bridgewater railway station was once at the edge of the Adelaide suburban passenger network. The line was closed to passengers from Belair to Bridgewater in 1987 and eventually converted to standard gauge.
Some stations are gone without a trace - like National Park, Nalawort, Heathfield, Madurta, Korro, Jibilla, Carripook, and Bridgewater. Long Gully is long abandoned while Belair, Mount Lofty, and Aldgate stations have been preserved in one way or another.
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Still images courtesy State Library of South Australia except Long Gully by D Colquhoun.
outdoorstype.c...

[@JUANORQUIO]

W❤️W! That’s Incredibly Awesome! Cheers!🥂❤️✨

[@mysteriousshinkachu6149]

Nice share love all those engines 🚉🚈🚇🚆🚅🚄🚃🚂 Happy Easter 💕💞🥚🐰🐇🌸

[@Outdoorstype]

Thank you! You too!

[@billyb5057]

cool back in time and today pictures mate some look very different *big like👍Au👀totally viewed*

[@Outdoorstype]

Thanks so much for watching and commenting, Billy B!

[@Ghastly10]

Ahh Mount Lofty station, I remember so many good times catching the train from there, when going to Adelaide back in the day. Was bummed when it got closed, when it did close there was at one point a model railroad in there, probably long gone now.

[@Outdoorstype]

I don't remember a model railway but I do remember a polite B&B owner asking us to not take wedding photos on the grounds at Mt Lofty Station. Lucky we already had...

[@Ghastly10]

@@Outdoorstype Yeah I saw it became a B&B, would be noisy when freight trains go past. If I remember right the model railroad was in the signal control room. But this is going back to about the early 80's I think, so a long time ago. lol 😊

[@Planetrainguy]

How hard is it to bring Broad gauge through there!? I'd love to have the Belair line continue beyond Belair. Also great video, have wanted to see coverage of this for a little while! Thanks.

[@Outdoorstype]

I know right! Maybe I'm missing something (probably the astronomical cost of refurbishing and even maybe duplicating tunnels) but the gov should just dual gauge the line to Mt Barker Junction already! Rebuild Bridgewater station, reactivate Mount Lofty, Aldgate, and Mt Barker stations and we're done!

[@Ghastly10]

All depends the Mount Barker District Council did partition the state gov back in 2021, to do just this but nothing more since then, by the looks of it.

[@BlackDrac82]

Even pre standardisation didn't double track end at Belair? I suspect there are sections that aren't wide enough to support dual track. I'd argue the better option would be to standardise the Adelaide Metro network so theoretically trains could run to Bridgewater (pending ARTC permission). In time a SG link from MB Junction to MB could be built. The only downside being the platforms still in existence at Lofty and Aldgate would need alteration as the rail sits too far from the platform.

[@Planetrainguy]

@@BlackDrac82with today’s machinery and landscaping. I’m sure cutting more into a hillside isn’t all too hard. Only thing holding them back is the expenses

[@BlackDrac82]

@@Planetrainguy yeah, it's always going to come back to money sadly, which is why I think standardising the network is a more viable idea. As well as running trains past Belair, the Overland can return to ARS and passenger services could be run to Virginia and then extended to the Riverlea development.

[@jeremykemp5845]

Well put together Mike. I know there used to be 3 small stations between Aldgate & Bridgewater. All gone into history now

[@Outdoorstype]

Thanks for watching and adding your knowledge to the video!

[@trainco1643]

Aldgate, Jibilla, Carripook and Bridgewater

[@jeremykemp5845]

@@trainco1643 what about the Siding for the mill just before Bridgewater!

[@trainco1643]

@@jeremykemp5845 hmm, I don’t know what siding you’re talking about unfortunately

[@jeremykemp5845]

@@trainco1643 for what I've seen in some train inthusiast diary videos on KZbin, there used to be a short Siding just after the road crossing, on the western side. May have been a delivery spot for the mill

[@redhen334]

Nice work. I’d been puzzled about the Heathfield station location for ages, turns out the Google Maps location is wrong. Watching the NRM Bridgewater to Adelaide front view video shows that the station was located on the east side of the pedestrian crossing that’s at the corner of Bogaduck Road.

[@Outdoorstype]

This is why I tried not to give a history lesson in this video. It's all so difficult for a casual observer like me to unpick! Thanks for adding that to the video Redhen334!

[@redhen334]

@@Outdoorstype no worries. Coverage and history of the stations between Belair and Bridgewater, especially the smaller ones are extremely limited. The opening dates are unknown for a lot of them, I tried doing some research for some of them but couldn’t find anything.

[@Outdoorstype]

I think that would take hours and hours of in person research at the likes of the NRM or State Library - and who has time for that? The line has such a long and venerated history that it could probably do with its own YT channel.

[@richardthethird1000]

U also didn't mention national park station jibbila carripook

[@Outdoorstype]

Yeah. This one was a bit rushed. There is a absolutely no trace of those stations anymore, not that that's an excuse. I'll probably re-do this one in the future and go a bit deeper. Thanks for watching.

[@TedBear1954]

Do the freight trains still use this line?

[@Outdoorstype]

They sure do. Crazy.

[@yanpingjoshua]

First comment!😁❄

[@Outdoorstype]

Indeed, Josh! Thanks for stopping by!

[@darylephillips6778]

Great video Sorry i missed out Wednesday due to a NBN issue .NOW BROKEN NETWORK

[@Outdoorstype]

All good mate. Hope it gets sorted soon.