Sleeps Hill railway station


Sleeps Hill was a former railway station that served a number of ballast quarries for the South Australian Railways. It was approximately 11–12 km from Adelaide railway station.

History

From 1909, a branch line, parallel to the main line and the Clapham branch line, served the Sleeps Hill quarries. The branch became the second main line in 1915, and the quarries were worked by a backshunt from Eden Hills. For a short time, from 1916, Sleeps Hill was the Southern limit of SAR suburban train workings, until the double track passed through the new tunnels to Eden Hills. The station was relocated to the south of the quarry sidings in the 1940s and removed when Lynton station was opened in the mid-1950s. Some of the foundations of the station buildings, the trees from the station gardens, some of the foundations of the quarry crushing plant, and evidence of the alignment of the spur lines and sidings are all that remain.
In 1995, the western track of the double broad gauge track was converted to standard gauge, and the eastern track was doubled to provide one of the four crossing points on the current Adelaide-Belair passenger service.

Quarries

A pamphlet produced by the SA Department of Mines and Energy in May 1990 states:
The Department of Mines and Energy, and the City of Mitcham, have placed a sign-board with information on the history of the quarries and crushing plant: