This website has been archived from TrainWeb.org/sarail to TrainWeb.US/sarail.
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| Welcome to this website which is dedicated to modeling the South Australian Railways (SAR) and the Commonwealth Railways of Australia (CR). These two railway systems serviced some of the remotest areas of Australia and employed a diverse range of locomotives and rolling stock including narrow, standard and broad gauge lines. The history of these two essentially government railways is linked to the political and economic development of inland Australia. The SAR was operated by the state government of South Australia and had close working relationships with the Victorian Railways (VR) and the Silverton Tramway (a private railway linking far west New South Wales and South Australia through Broken Hill). The South Australian Railways was unique in this country demonstrating English, American and colonial/Australian influences in its design, operation and equipment. The SAR operated extensive narrow, standard and broad gauge lines within several divisions, including interconnections with the CR, Silverton Tramway (NSW) and the Victorian Railways (VR). While operating with overlapping territory for decades, the SAR were ceded to the CR in 1978, becoming 'Australian National' railways (AN) from that point on with the inclusion of the former Tasmanian Government Railways which because of its narrow gauge operation had links with both the SAR & CR. One of the best histories of the SAR can be found on the website of National Railway Museum at Port Adelaide, South Australia. The NRM has the most extensive collection of SAR and CR locomotives, rolling stock and memorabilia.
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