Coffin Bay tramway

Railway in South Australia

Coffin Bay Tramway

Overview
Status| Closed and removed
Owner| BHP
Termini|

* Coffin Bay
* Billy Lights Point, Port Lincoln

Service
Operator(s)| BHP
Rolling stock| DE class
History
Opened| 1966
Closed| 1989
Technical
Line length| 39.5 km (24.5 mi)
Track gauge| 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)

The Coffin Bay Tramway was a 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) gauge railway located on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. Running for 40 kilometres from Coffin Bay to Billy Lights Point, Port Lincoln it was built and operated by BHP to carry lime sand for steelmaking at Whyalla, Port Kembla and Kwinana. Construction commenced in 1964 with the line opening in 1966.[1][2][3][4]

Although built as a high standard railway line, it was known as tramway because of a law that only allowed the Government of South Australia to operate railway lines in the state.[2][4][5]

Two EMD G12 DE class (DE08/09) locomotives were ordered from Clyde Engineering, Sydney for the line.[6] Both entered service in November 1965 on the BHP Whyalla Tramway. Only DE08 was transferred to the Coffin Bay Tramway when it opened in 1966. It returned to Whyalla in 1968, being swapped for two smaller EMD G8 locomotives (DE01/02).[3] A fleet of 31 wagons were built by Comeng, Bassendean.[4][7]

Following storm damage to the wharf at Billy Lights Point, the line closed in 1989. The track was lifted in the early 2000s and reused on the Eyre Peninsula Railway.[4][7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Early Starts on SAR Industrial Spur and Standard Gauge Lime-Sand Line Railway Transportation September 1964 page 7
2. ^ a b A Standard Gauge Industrial Railway in Mothballs Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin August 1977 pages 184-189
3. ^ a b Griffiths, David (1985). BHP Tramways Centenary History. Mile End Railway Museum. pp. 57, 58. ISBN 0-9595073-4-5.
4. ^ a b c d Knife, Peter (2006). Peninsula Pioneer. Wahroonga: Peter Knife. pp. 302–308\. ISBN 0975783505.
5. ^ Lime sand from Coffin Bay Railway Gazette 5 January 1968 page 15
6. ^ Two Diesel-Electric Loco Orders to Clyde Railway Transportation December 1964 page 7
7. ^ a b Doncaster N: Going, Going, Gone – Coffin Bay Tramway Catch Point issue 144 July 2001 pages 28/29

* v
* t
* e

Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

Cities|

* Port Augusta (western suburbs only)
* Port Lincoln
* Whyalla

Townships|

* Ceduna
* Cleve
* Coffin Bay
* Cowell
* Cummins
* Elliston
* Kimba
* Lock
* Smoky Bay
* Streaky Bay
* Thevenard
* Tumby Bay
* Wudinna

Governance|

| Federal division|

* Grey (part)

|

State electoral districts|

* Flinders
* Giles
* Stuart

Local Government|

* Ceduna DC
* Cleve DC
* Elliston DC
* Franklin Harbour DC
* Kimba DC
* Lower Eyre Peninsula DC
* City of Port Augusta (part)
* City of Port Lincoln
* Streaky Bay DC
* Tumby Bay DC
* City of Whyalla
* Wudinna DC

Protected areas|

* Coffin Bay National Park
* Gawler Ranges National Park
* Lake Gilles
* Lincoln National Park
* Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area
* Munyaroo Conservation Park
* Pinkawillinie Conservation Park

Coastal features|

| West coast|

* Anxious Bay
* Calca Peninsula
* Cape Blanche
* Cape Carnot
* Cape Catastrophe
* Cape Finniss
* Cape Radstock
* Cape Wiles
* Coffin Bay Peninsula
* Jussieu Peninsula
* Mount Dutton Bay
* Point Avoid
* Point Labatt
* Point Weyland
* Point Whidbey
* Slade Point
* Sleaford Bay
* Fishery Bay

|

East coast|

* Cape Burr
* Cape Donington
* Cape Hardy
* Lipson Cove
* Lucky Bay
* Memory Cove
* Point Boston
* Point Lowly
* Yorkey Crossing

Islands adjoining Eyre Peninsula coast|

| West coast|

* Baird Bay
* Jones Island
* Unnamed island, Baird Bay
* Eba Island
* Grantham Island
* Nicolas Baudin Island
* Pigface Island

|

East coast|

* Bicker Isles
* Boston Island
* Curlew Island
* Entrance Island
* Lipson Island
* Little Island
* Louth Island
* Tumby Island

Infrastructure|

| Highways|

* Birdseye Highway
* Eyre Highway (part)
* Flinders Highway
* Lincoln Highway
* Tod Highway

|

Railways|

* BHP Whyalla Tramway
* Coffin Bay Tramway
* Eyre Peninsula Railway
* Port Lincoln railway station

Other|

* Joy Baluch AM Bridge
* Tod Reservoir

Related and uncategorised|

* The Peninsulas zone (wine)

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