Peninsula Pioneer Revisited

A history of the railways of Eyre Peninsula and their role in the settlement and development of the region

By Peter Knife

Self Published in 2013

Hard cover, 384 pages, A4 size, Over 500 photographs cover the whole period from 1907 to the present day (2013), and 200 maps and diagrams are also included, bibliography, references, and index

The definitive history of the Eyre Peninsula railways and tramways, this weighty tome covers the Port Lincoln Division of the South Australian Railways in detail, from inception, spread over 26 chapters, while the last chapter deals with other railways and tramways on Eyre Peninsula, including jetty and other tramways and the BHP Coffin Bay Tramway.

While the South Australian Railways would not normally feature in publications sold by the Society, the 3’6″ gauge Port Lincoln Division was renowned for receiving worn-out, hand-me-downs, from other divisions of the SAR, with the result that they satisfy many of the criteria we might use when describing light railways. The division was home to some unique creations such as the Fageol railcars converted from road buses, and the SAR’s experimental internal combustion locomotive from 1913. All are covered in some detail.

The recent closure of the entire southern network of lines on 31 May 2019, as a result of the transfer of the grain transport task to road, offers us another reason to stock this high quality publication