Penfield railway line

Penfield railway line is a defunct railway in northern Adelaide which was used mainly for industrial purposes in the World War II years. It started just north of the Salisbury station on the Gawler line. The line then went north west and then turned north through Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) in Edinburgh. It serviced four stations; Hilra, Penfield 1, Penfield 2, and Penfield 3. It was double track for the whole length. The line had a balloon loop for trains to go the other way. The line was closed and dismantled in 1991.

History

The line opened in 1941 to service various World War II armaments factories at Penfield. As it was built for industrial purposes, sidings branched off both the Up and Down tracks at many locations. The largest siding went as far as the RAAF base at Edinburgh. During the war years this branch line was used by many passenger trains carrying workers to the munitions factories in the area. This was necessary because Salisbury was still a semi-rural community at the time and most of the workforce had to be brought in from other districts.

Glossary of rail transport terms

Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term railroad and the international term railway (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the US) is the most significant difference in rail terminology. There are also others, due to the parallel development of rail transport systems in different parts of the world.

Various terms are presented here; where a term has multiple names, this is indicated. The abbreviation "UIC" refers to standard terms adopted by the International Union of Railways in its official publications and thesaurus.

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