Abandoned Railway Stations

March 19, 2003 7:53 PM

Serviceton is a small railway town on the border of South Australia and Victoria, and was once a means for traders to escape taxes when travelling between the colonies, due to errors made when surveying the state borders. No train has stopped here since 1986, and now only a handful of people remain in the town, a sad downfall that Tom Waits has immortalized in song. But abandoned railway stations, closed as populations decline or trade routes change, exist the world over, in the city and in the country, and yes, even in France. They look like great places to explore.
posted by Jimbob (2 comments total)

Cool links, Jimbob, thanks. Imagine what those walls could say!

If they weren't so dang close to the tracks, I could see living in one of these.
posted by SteveInMaine at 10:01 AM on March 20, 2003

I'm reminded of this elegy for the slow train.

I also looked for Kenneth Slessor's Night Ride and got this -

Until recently you were able to read the text of a number of Kenneth Slessor poems here. The copyright holder got a bit "upset" over this and has requested I remove them.

I don't want to try anyone's patience by typing it in, but it's worth looking for.
posted by emf at 2:32 PM on March 20, 2003