South Australia's South Line - Tailem Bend to Serviceton

As I drove east along the Dukes Highway for my last video, I passed through the small towns dotted along the Dukes Highway. For many years, these towns sustained the first intercolonial rail link and played an important role in the development of the region until the closure of their stations and facilities in 1990.
While The Overland still stops at the deserted and run down Bordertown station, and there’s an intermodal facility there (really just a container crane and a fenced off patch of dirt), most of the old infrastructure is abandoned or gone and nearly all traffic rushes through headed for Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth.
This is still an active railway line but I'm not here to go trainspotting. I'm here to check out what’s left of the old infrastructure that once meant so much to the development of Australia.
I’ll even head over to Serviceton to explain the important role that station played from 1889 to 1996.
Let’s dig a little deeper and fly a little higher as we explore the Adelaide to Wolseley line from Tailem Bend to the border.
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Overview:
The Adelaide-Wolseley railway line is a 313 kilometre line that forms the South Australian section of the Melbourne-Adelaide railway.
The line opened from Adelaide to Aldgate in 1883 and later that year to Nairne; to Bordertown in 1886, and across the border to Serviceton in 1887. The track was converted to standard gauge in 1995.
Today the route is mainly served by interstate freight services. Intrastate grain freight services from the Loxton and Pinnaroo ended in July 2015. Grain trains from Tailem Bend and Wolseley do still run from time to time.
Journey Beyond's 'The Overland' is the only non-suburban passenger train, stopping at Murray Bridge and Bordertown.
Including Tailem Bend, this section of the Wolseley line had 16 stations and sidings:
Tailem Bend
Cooke Plains
Coomandook
Yumali
Ki Ki
Coonalpyn
Culburra
Tintinara
Kumorna
Coombe
Banealla
Keith
Brimbago
Wirrega
Cannawigara
Bordertown
Wolseley
Serviceton
IMAGE CREDITS:
State Library of South Australia
Weston Langford Collection: www.westonlangford.com/
GSWRHS Collection: www.flickr.com/photos/gcargee...

[@kellyswoodyard]

My first relieving firemans job was at Serviceton, in the early '70's, a month long episode. I was a young fireman based in Ballarat. There was a dining hall, a bar, single mens quarters, as Serviceton was the loco change over point between S.A. and Vic. There was always, 24 hours a day, the rumble of S.A. ALCo loco's and the 2 stroke whine of the Victorian EMD loco's. It was as hot as the hobs of hell, and would blow a dog off a chain. I only went there once, that was more than enough for me.

[@Outdoorstype]

That's great history! Thank you.

[@navtejlotey6549]

It is a shame that these rural towns lost their railway stations, only if they were alive and The Overland, The Great Southern or a new sleeper train is made to Serviceton for example from Adelaide could have regular stops there, then rural areas could be alive and accidents could be avoided on main highways. Good video.

[@Outdoorstype]

Thanks! Let's keep learning the story together.

[@kevkoala]

Serviceton is my old home town. Dad was a train examiner there when I was born. To see the station building brings back a few memories. Apart from that, it breaks my heart as to what it used to be.

[@Outdoorstype]

It's still a beautiful place. Thanks for watching.

[@Turner-Be-Thy-Real-Name]

Keith, the classic scene of the abrupt end of the road for many EV er's this past Easter.

[@Outdoorstype]

Saw that! Guess they need a few more chargers. 😂

[@MarkHenstridge]

I am glad that someone is there at Serviceton taking good care of the station, thanks for another great video.

[@Outdoorstype]

And what a great guy, volunteering his time to look after the place and give tours.

[@MrEpsilon2012]

Excellent video - thanks for all your videos. I have been catching up. Your work to document the long neglected and abandoned SA railway network for future generations to understand the history is important work. Thanks for all your videos and considerable amount of driving to document. Look forward to the next one!

[@Outdoorstype]

Thank you. This is my passion project - to bring these old lines to life visually out of old books and photo galleries so that the record of them is renewed. I'm no expert, but I might be when I'm finished!

[@markarthurson7715]

Well done. Thanks.

[@Outdoorstype]

Cheers for watching!

[@mickbellman6052]

The vidoe skills keep getting better every vid. That overhead shot at 4.40. 👌

[@Outdoorstype]

Thanks!

[@RichardFelstead1949]

Well edited and produced Michael.

[@Outdoorstype]

It's my pleasure, Richard. Thanks for watching mate.

[@PeterYoung357]

Great video again. No doubt you know that Serviceton was meant to be right on the border but because of a surveying error Victoria won a court case between the colonies!

[@Outdoorstype]

I meant to include that in there but somehow I forgot! 😊 Thanks for watching!

[@kenfowler1980]

Thanks mate fantastic video! Seeing how busy that line is, the SA government could run railmotors to Serviceton or Vline or someone! Anyway thx again!

[@Outdoorstype]

No worries, Ken! It's hard to see why they'd run passenger trains there again when the Dukes Highway and freeways are actually good now. Much cheaper to find another way to support the people who may still need rail to get around.

[@slepper98]

Excellent presentation, thanks very much. I wonder how much they're asking for that 'thriving country general store'? Bit of paint she'd be sweet. Have a good one, cheers.

[@Outdoorstype]

Good question. Be a good place if you're the kind who likes watching trucks drive by.

[@Antony_Jenner]

Nice video Mike, I am thinking of doing that run soon myself. and come back via the coast.

[@Outdoorstype]

Obviously I agree with that plan. There's so much more I have and haven't explored out that way. Go see it.

[@NR31man]

0:53 The Overland is not. Only passenger train The great Southern passes in the summer months and the Ghan on Special occasions and the Indian Pacific when there’s something happening on the Broken Hill line! And the train still go to Bordertown to load of logs

[@KanesTrains]

Technically the overland is as it is to quite a small degree, a passenger service for locals along the line whereas the other trains you mention are cruises on rails

[@casnick1]

I'll stand corrected, but I think the Overland is the only passenger train to service the area, which I'm guessing he means actually stopping to pick up passengers, which I believe it does at Murray Bridge and Bordertown, in South Australia, and Nhill, Dimboola, Horsham, Stawell, Ararat and Geelong in Victoria.

[@Outdoorstype]

Thanks Hunter, that's a fair comment, but that sentence was way too long so I just went with 'The Overland'. 😂 Nah, seriously, just tryna keep it evergreen as I can and I don't count cruises on rails as non-suburban passenger trains.

[@darkangel2347]

I'm sure many Taylor Swift fans saw these places recently. She did not come to Adelaide to perform so her Adelaide fand hasd to travel to Melbourne to see her at the MCG.

[@Outdoorstype]

haha! Not sure any of them cared though. Thanks for watching.