I'll bet they could'nt, hard to imagine AN shoe horning
themselves into Adelaide station with all that real
estate out at Mile End and Keswick, apart from the rent
they would have been forced to pay.
Back then the standard gauge route around the old gaol
was the easiest way to avoid a whole bunch of dual
gauge switches and crossings as well.
There has been a lot of rationalisation of the broad
gauge since then admittedly.
>Although Keswick is a double ended station ,up until Melb to Adelaide
>was standardised,it was effectively a single ended station for std guage
>trains simply because the dual guage track thru the platforms ended for std
>guage about 150 metres on the southern side of the platforms, just under the
>overbridge, so you couldnt shunt a 26 car or even a 16 car IP out the southern
>end.
I was thinking more about MotorRail, remember the Ghan
used to have up to a dozen or more flats behind during
the peak season.
>Even today whilst its theoretically possible to shunt a 26 car set out the
>southern end, it would mean running onto the main line and setting back.
>Since the main line is CTC and track circuited,and set back movements on
>single line CTC sections are normally prohibited, you still couldnt shunt out
>the southern end,at least not without a lot of cooperation from train control.
>Single ended stations are the norm throuout the world , not the exception .
>Unless Adelaide Station has been drastically reduced in size since the 1970s
>its unconceivable that there isnt room.
Have not had a close look for some years, but all that
redevelopment work must have closed things up a bit.
Car parking would be a real problem.
>Adelaide station used to host dozens of country trains per day back in the
>days of the old SAR, all using Adelaide Station,without any apparant lack of
>platforms.
I travelled the Port Pirie express many times Maurie
during the late fifties and it rarely was over six
cars. Mount Gambier about the same, a lot of country
services used the Brills and then the Birds.
The Overland was the only big train and I remember them
extending a platform for it, and that used to have two
divisions, no motorail.!
Do you remember the Cafeteria Car sitting in its bay
platform, plugged into the mains.?
>I regularily travelled on the old relief Overland at easter which used to
>follow the Overland , and we arrived at Adelaide quite often when the Overland
>was still in the station.
>I seem to remember that there were 2 or 3 platforms which were much longer
>than the rest.
>cheers
>MD
Todays operation is a very lean one indeed, no yard
shunters like the good old Government days. ;-)
It is very hard to justify spending big money to bring
interstate trains back into Adelaide station.
People have to make their own way from the long
distance coach terminal, and the airport.
More to the point who is going to fund it and for what
return.?
Cheers
----Tell
Alice Springs NT