Penfield railway line

Penfield railway line is a defunct railway in northern Adelaide which was used mainly for industrial purposes in the World War II years. It started just north of the Salisbury station on the Gawler line. The line then went north west and then turned north through Defence land in what is now Edinburgh. It serviced four stations; Hilra, Penfield 1, Penfield 2, and Penfield 3. It was double track for the whole length. The line had a balloon loop for trains to go the other way. The line was closed and dismantled in 1991.

The line opened in 1941 to service various World War II armaments factories at what was then known as Penfield. As it was built for industrial purposes, sidings branched off both the Up and Down tracks at many locations. The largest siding went into what is now the RAAF base at Edinburgh. During the war years this branch line was used by many passenger trains carrying workers to the munitions factories in the area as well as freight trains carrying raw materials in and armaments out. Passenger trains were necessary because Salisbury was still a semi-rural community at the time and most of the workforce had to be brought in from other districts.

A more limited peak hour passenger service to Penfield continued after the war, serving staff at the government Weapons Research Establishment, later to become the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO).

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