Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre, Peterborough

The Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre ("Centre") is a static railway museum based in the former railway workshops located in Peterborough, South Australia.

Peterborough was the administrative and service centre for the Peterborough Division of the South Australian Railways, employing up to 1,500 people in the workshops during its heyday. The railway workshops covered an extensive area mainly to the west of the township, and it is in these original buildings that the exhibits are displayed.

The turntable and roundhouse are the main features of the exhibit.

The turntable is unusual in that it accommodates three rail gauges: Narrow gauge (1,067 mm or 3 ft 6 in), standard gauge (1,435 mm or 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) and broad gauge (1,600 mm or 5 ft 3 in). In Australia there were only two similar turntables (located at Port Pirie and Gladstone); all three were on the same line, with the one at Peterborough the only one remaining. This unique situation arose from the standardisation project of the late 1960s. At this time the broad gauge line was extended from Terowie to Peterborough and the Port Pirie to Broken Hill section (passing through Peterborough) was replaced by standard gauge line. The Peterborough to Quorn section remained narrow gauge.

Work out when and for how long to visit Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre and other Peterborough attractions using our handy Peterborough day trip site.
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