Agricultural railways of Western Australia

Agricultural railways in Western Australia were a system of railway lines that were built after the Western Australian 1905 Royal Commission on Immigration, which stated the need for a policy that "all considerable areas of agricultural land must have a 15 mile rail service."[1] The lines were designed and constructed by the Public Works Department of Western Australia, for the Western Australian Government Railways.[2]

Royal commissions

The Western Australian 1947 Royal Commission into the Management Workings and Control of the Western Australian Government Railways[3][4][5][6] also placed these railway lines and their construction into context:

In order to carry out the wishes of the Government to construct railway in agricultural areas as cheaply as possible, lines were built with 45 lb rail sections which practically followed the surface of the ground, with (a) earth ballasting (b) half round timber sleepers (c) providing the bare minimum station facilities.

The 1947 commission called these lines spur lines at time of construction, in distinction to loop lines, however the completion of most sections made most lines loop lines.

The 1947 royal commission report also made a distinction between Southern Agricultural Spur Lines, Northern Agricultural Spur Lines, and South West dairy and timber lines; these broadly relate to geographical regions.

In the 2000s the lines were collectively identified as Wheatbelt railway lines of Western Australia.

Agricultural spur lines

Line sectionLength in milesAgricultural area Year opened
Narrogin-Darkan 50 Southern 1906
Wagin-Dumbleyung 25 Southern 1907
Narrogin-Darkan 50 Southern 1906
Wagin-Dumbleying 25 Southern 1907
Katanning-Kojonup 33 Southern 1907
Collie-Darkan 40 Southern 1907
Greenhills-Quairading 31 Southern 1908[7]
Donnybrook-Noggerup 23 Southern 1908
Narrogin-Wickepin 26 Southern 1909
Noggerup-Boyup Brook 23 Southern 1909
Katanning-Nyabing 38 Southern 1912
Dumbleyung extension 24 Southern 1912
Boyup-Kojonup 51 Southern 1912
Tambellup-Gnowangerup 24 Southern 1912
Gnowangerup-Ongerup 35 Southern 1913
Quairading-Bruce Rock 49 Southern 1913[7]
Merredin-Bruce Rock 31 Southern 1913
Wickepin-Corrigin 40 Southern 1914
Corrigin-Bruce Rock 37 Southern 1914
Yilliminning-Kondinin 73 Southern 1915
Brookton-Corrigin 56 Southern 1915
Kukerin-Lake Grace 24 Southern 1916
Wagin-Bokal 34 Southern 1917
Kondinin-Narambeen 32 Southern 1917
Bokal-Bowelling 28 Southern 1918
Nyabing-Pingrup 22 Southern 1923
Narrambeen-Merredin 54 Southern 1925
Lake Grace-Newdegate 39 Southern 1926
Dwarda-Narrogin 37 Southern 1926
Goomalling-Dowerin 15 Northern 1906
Toodyay-Bolgart 24 Northern 1910
Wokarina-Naraling 26 Northern 1910
Dowerin-Korrelocking 32 Northern 1911
Korrelocking-Kununoppin 28 Northern 1911
Goomalling-Wongan Hills 34 Northern 1911
Kununoppin-Merredin 37 Northern 1911
Southern Cross-Bullfinch 22 Northern 1911
Naraling-Yuna 12 Northern 1912
Northampton-Ajana 33 Northern 1913
Wongan Hills-Mullewa 198 Northern 1915
Wyalkatchem-Bencubbin 52 Northern 1917
Bolgart-Calingiri 15 Northern 1917
Calingiri-Piawaning 19 Northern 1919
Bencubbin-Kalkalling 32 Northern 1923
Piawaning-Miling 27 Northern 1925
Amery-Kalannie 61 Northern 1929
Burakin-Kulja 8 Northern 1929
Lake Brown-Bullfinch 50 Northern 1929
Kulja-Bonnie Rock 68 Northern 1931

See also

Notes

  1. Western Australia. Royal Commission on Immigration (1905), Report of the Royal Commission on Immigration together with appendices and minutes of evidence, Govt. Printer, retrieved 3 July 2015
  2. The WAGR did not have control over construction of its own railways until after the 1920s; see Gunzburg, Adrian; Austin, Jeff; Rail Heritage WA; Gunzburg, Adrian; Austin, Jeff (2008), Rails through the bush : timber and firewood tramways and railway contractors of Western Australia (2nd ed.), Rail Heritage WA, ISBN 978-0-9803922-2-7 in relation to the contractors, PWD and WAGR relationship.
  3. Royal Commission Appointed to Inquire into the Management, workings and control of the Western Australian Government Railways; Gibson, Alexander J; Du Plessis, D. H. C (1947), Report of the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the Western Australian Government Railways, Govt. Pr, retrieved 3 July 2015
  4. "Railing at the Railways.". Westralian Worker (Perth, WA : 1900 - 1951). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 4 July 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  5. "Railways Report May Be Late.". The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 28 November 1947. p. 9 Edition: Home Edition. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  6. "Business Job For Railways.". The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 12 December 1947. p. 7 Edition: City Final. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  7. 1 2 Tilley, Allan (1998). To Greenhills and Beyond. Greenwood: Rail Heritage Publications. pp. 35, 50. ISBN 0 646 36007 8.
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