The Redhen railcars were a self-propelled railcar built by the South Australian Railways’ Islington Railway Workshops between 1955 and 1971. Redhen railcars were the backbone of Adelaide's metropolitan rail system between the late 1950s and the early 1990s.
The first Redhens were introduced by the South Australian Railways in October 1955 to replace ageing suburban steam locomotive hauled trains in Adelaide. Construction of Redhen vehicles continued until 1971, when the latest examples were built to supersede 1920s-era diesel railcars.
TransAdelaide withdrew the last Redhens from regular service in December 1996, following delivery of a new fleet of 3000 class railcars. A number of Redhens have been preserved and are now operated by heritage and tourist railways.
The Gawler Railway Line
The Gawler railway line (also known as the Gawler Central railway line) was opened in 1857 from Adelaide to Gawler, and extended to Kapunda in 1860. Branches were later built from Gawler to termini in Angaston, Truro, Morgan, Robertstown, Peterborough, Spalding and Gladstone. Between Adelaide and Salisbury, the two broad gauge lines are paralleled by one standard gauge line on the Adelaide to Port Augusta line. A little north of Salisbury the standard gauge line heads north-west, and from Salisbury to Gawler there are two broad gauge tracks, with a single broad gauge track north of Gawler.
South of Gawler, there were branches to the Holden factory at Elizabeth South, the Penfield railway line which serviced the former munitions factory and other Defence facilities in the area now called Edinburgh, and the Port Pirie line which also branched from the Gawler line at Salisbury railway station until it was converted to standard gauge with a new track laid alongside the broad gauge tracks. Prior to 1987, at Dry Creek, the Dry Creek-Port Adelaide railway line branched west, and the Northfield railway line used to branch east. In the mid 2000s, a new station was built at Mawson Lakes.
Source Links:
Train Enthusiast's Video Diary 1986-03-02
• Train Enthusiast's Vi...
Red Hen Rail Cars of the SAR
• Red Hen Rail Cars of t...
SRF495: AAGA OUTER HARBOUR (ADELAIDE) CAB RIDE 1992
• SRF495: AAGA OUTER HAR...
Негізгі бет 1986: Gawler to Adelaide on a Red Hen Train (Super 8 footage)
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