The Islington Railway Workshops are railway workshops in the northern suburbs of

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 ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. They were the chief railway workshops of the

South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the statutory corporation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Austr ...

, and are still in operation today.Islington Railway Workshops
SA Life

History

The Islington workshops were established in 1883, 27 years after the South Australian Railways opened its first line. Before that, workshops were in the

Adelaide Railway Station Adelaide Railway Station is the central terminus of the Adelaide Metro railway system. All lines approach the station from the west, and it is a terminal station with no through lines, with most of the traffic on the metropolitan network eithe ...

yards adjacent to North Terrace,

. A major expansion occurred from 1899 to 1902. In the 1920s, the workshops were further expanded and modernised as part of William Webb's revitalisation of the railways. From then on, the workshops constructed large numbers of bogie freight vehicles, passenger cars and designed and built modern "big power" steam locomotives and, later, diesel locomotives and railcars. Erecting shop under construction, Islington Workshops, 1902 (SLSA B-12638)

Erecting shop under construction, Islington Workshops, 1902 (SLSA B-12638)

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the workshops were involved in the construction of a number of armoured vehicles for the Australian Imperial Force, most notably the LP1, LP2, LP3 and LP4 series of

armoured cars Armored (or armoured) car or vehicle may refer to: Wheeled armored vehicles * Armoured fighting vehicle, any armed combat vehicle protected by armor ** Armored car (military), a military wheeled armored vehicle * Armored car (valuables), an arm ...

, based on

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

chassis; and the LP1 and LP2 Universal (Bren Gun) carriers. In 2012, some buildings on the site were given provisional listing as a heritage site. In 2013-2014, parts of the workshops were demolished to make way for the Churchill Shopping Centre that opened in May 2014. The site includes Adelaide's first Coles Superstore. In a further expansion to the shopping centre a further part of the workshops was demolished to make room for an

Aldi Aldi (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when t ...

supermarket and a number of specialty stores. Adjacent to the workshops is the

Jack Watkins Reserve Jack Watkins Reserve is a park in the Australian state of South Australia situated adjacent to the Islington Railway Workshops in the suburb of Kilburn within the local government area of City of Port Adelaide Enfield. The park was named aft ...

, which was opened on 30 August 2003. It is named after Jack Watkins,

union organiser A union organizer (or union organiser in Commonwealth spelling) is a specific type of trade union member (often elected) or an appointed union official. A majority of unions appoint rather than elect their organizers. In some unions, the orga ...

and former president of The Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia who successfully lobbied to remove asbestos and other toxic contaminants from the railway site and adjacent properties.

Output

Australian Standard Garratt The Australian Standard Garratt (ASG) was a Garratt steam locomotive designed in Australia during World War II, and used on narrow gauge railway systems in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. History With the outbreak ...

articulated locomotives for the

Queensland Rail Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...

ways and

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...

Heritage listings

Nine surviving historic portions of the former workshops are listed on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

. They are: * the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office * the Fabrication Shop * the Workshops Foundry * the Apprentice School * the Electrical Shop * the Fabrication Shop Annex * a section of the Front Fence * the Time Office and Correspondence Room * the Old Bulk Store

References

{{Reflist Locomotive manufacturers of Australia Railway workshops in Australia 1883 establishments in Australia