Riverton Railway Station

Riverton Railway Station was located at the junction of the Roseworthy-Peterborough railway line and the Spalding railway line in South Australia.

Riverton
Riverton railway station (circa 1929)
General information
Location	Hannaford Avenue, Riverton, South Australia
Coordinates	34°09′31″S 138°44′58″E
Owned by	South Australian Railways 1860 - 1978 Australian National 1978 - 1997 One Rail Australia 1997-2022 Aurizon 2022-present
Operated by	South Australian Railways 1860 - 1978 Australian National 1978 - 1986
Line(s)	Roseworthy-Peterborough line
Distance	102 kilometres from Adelaide
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Other information
Status	Closed
History
Opened	21 February 1870
Closed	December 1986
Services
Preceding station Aurizon Following station Tarlee towards Adelaide Roseworthy-Peterborough railway line Saddleworth towards Peterborough

History

Riverton Railway Station opened on 21 February 1870 when the Roseworthy-Forresters railway line was extended to the towns of Manoora and Burra. It became a junction station on 5 July 1918 with the opening of the branch line to Clare (later extended to Spalding in 1922). Both lines were constructed as 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad gauge.

Shooting

A shooting occurred at the station in April 1921 when a man named Mr Percy Brookfield, MLA, was dangerously wounded. It is reported that a Russian got out of the Broken Hill express while the train was standing at the station and fired about 40 shots from a revolver, which he kept on reloading. Several people were killed or injured in the shooting. The man who did the shooting was arrested.

Closure

Regular passenger services on the Spalding line was replaced by a co-ordinated bus service on 24 May 1954. In 1978, the station and all associated infrastructure was included in the transfer of South Australian Railways to Australian National. The Spalding line closed in 1984 and was removed by 1989. Regular passenger services on the Peterborough line ceased in December 1986. Some special train tours used the station up until 2004. In 1997, the station and railway line were included in the transfer of Australian National's freight assets to Australian Southern Railroad (later known as One Rail Australia.) Bulk grain trains last used the line in October 2005.

Present day

The station building, water tower and signal cabin remain. The southern platform was demolished sometime in the 2000s. Until 2014, some Redhen railcars were kept at the station. The station building is now a private residence.