Steamtown Peterborough Railway Preservation Society

rdf:langString Steamtown Peterborough Railway Preservation Society

rdf:langString Steamtown Peterborough Railway Preservation Society Inc.

rdf:langString Steamtown Peterborough Railway Preservation Society Inc.

rdf:langString Former operating heritage railway

rdf:langString The Steamtown Peterborough Railway Preservation Society Inc. (known colloquially as Steamtown and Steamtown Peterborough) was a not-for-profit incorporated society that operated a heritage steam railway from Peterborough, South Australia, north along a section of the Peterborough to Quorn railway line, between 1977 and 2002. The society based its operations on the former South Australian Railways roundhouse at Peterborough and purpose-built sheds and yard at Peterborough West. Peterborough is on the East-west rail corridor connecting Sydney and Perth. The society's formation reflected the fact that before the 1881 narrow-gauge route was rebuilt as a standard gauge line in 1970, it was South Australia's busiest regional railway hub – venue of the headquarters of the Northern Division of the South Australian Railways, regional train control, and railway workshops and maintenance facilities employing more than 1,000 people to look after more than 100 passing trains a day. After 1970, however, the scale of railway operations progressively reduced as the functions undertaken at Peterborough were moved elsewhere. The society operated for 25 years – in its peak year running 27 scheduled passenger trains – but under-capitalisation, the progressive departure of skilled tradespeople from the town and a dramatic increase in insurance costs brought about its end. The Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre, developed by the Peterborough District Council since 2002 as a static-display museum in the former roundhouse and workshops, has utilised the locomotives and rolling stock previously owned by the society, becoming a significant tourist attraction. Its award-winning sound and light show tells the story of South Australia's early railways and presents a reminder of the town's former importance as a major railway centre.