The Finsbury railway line is a defunct railway in north western
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
which was used mainly for industrial purposes in the 20th century. It ran through the suburbs of
Woodville,
Woodville North,
Pennington and
Ottoway, connecting the
Outer Harbor line with the
Dry Creek-Port Adelaide line. It serviced four stations;
Actil,
Woodville North,
No. 18 Shed, and
Finsbury Stores. It closed in 1979 and was dismantled in 1985.
Route
The Finsbury line departed from the main Outer Harbor line north west of
Woodville station, and headed north, parallel to the eastern side of the
Cheltenham Park Racecourse
Cheltenham Park Racecourse was a horse racing track located in the suburb of Cheltenham in Adelaide, South Australia, between around 1921 and 2008.
History
The Port Adelaide Racing Club began thoroughbred racing at the course and in 1921 th ...
, where the Actil station was located, 8.2 kilometres from
Adelaide station. It crossed
Torrens Road
Torrens Road is an arterial road in the northwestern suburbs of Adelaide, Australia. The road is aligned southeast to northwest and is parallel with Port Road for most of its length.
Route
It commences at the City Ring Route along the edge of ...
and turned due north, parallel to Audley Street through Woodville North and Glenroy Street,
Pennington. The Finsbury station was located where the al-Khalil mosque now stands, at the corner of Torrens Road and Audley Street. The line then crossed
Grand Junction Road
Grand Junction Road is the longest east–west thoroughfare in the Adelaide metropolitan area, traversing through Adelaide's northern suburbs approximately 8 kilometres north of the Adelaide city centre.
Route
Travelling from the Port Adelaide r ...
and travelled parallel and between Eastern Parade and Agnes Street, before meeting the Dry Creek line.
History
The Finsbury line was opened in September 1940 and departed from the main Port Line at
Woodville station. It headed in a northerly direction and serviced a wartime munitions works at
Cheltenham Park (Actil Station) and a Government Supply Depot at Finsbury station. It was built primarily to service wartime industrial plants. Following the conclusion of the war, the industrial activity in
Athol Park was maintained for a period, before declining to an extent that the Finsbury line was regarded as unnecessary, leading to its removal. A few remnants like the rail corridor and ballast at Gillman Junction, a former platform at Woodville, a goods platform and some track covered by concrete are all that exist of the line today.
References
Further reading
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{{Closed Railway lines of Adelaide
Closed railway lines in South Australia
Railway lines opened in 1940
Railway lines closed in 1979