Trans-Australian Railway
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The Trans-Australian Railway crosses the Nullarbor Plain from Port Augusta in South Australia to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia and contains the longest straight stretch of track in the world.
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[edit] History
In 1901 the six Australian colonies federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia. At that period, Perth the capital of Western Australia, was isolated from the remaining Australian States by thousands of kilometres of desert terrain and the only practicable method of transport was by sea, a time-consuming, inconvenient and often uncomfortable voyage across the Great Australian Bight, a stretch of water famed for rough seas.
One of the inducements held out to Western Australians to join the new federation was the promise of a federally funded railway line linking Western Australia with the rest of the continent.
In 1907 legislation was passed, allowing for the route to be surveyed. The survey was completed in 1909 and provided for a route from Port Augusta (the existing railhead at the head of Spencer Gulf in South Australia's wheatfields) via Tarcoola to the gold mining centre of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, a distance of 1063 miles (1711 km). The line was costed at £4,045,000 for a gauge of 4' 8½". Legislation authorising the construction was passed in December 1911 and Commonwealth Railways was established in 1912 to build the line. Work commenced in September 1912 in Port Augusta. The line was built to this standard gauge, even though at the time the state railway systems at both ends were narrow gauge. The entire intercity route was not converted to standard gauge until 1970.
Work proceeded eastwards from Kalgoorlie and westwards from Port Augusta through the years of the First World War. Construction progressed steadily as the line was extended through dry and desolate regions until the two halves of the line met on 17 October 1917.
[edit] Terrain along the route
The final distance was 1051.73 miles (1692.60 km), a small saving on the original survey. At no point along the route does the line cross a permanent fresh watercourse. Bores and reservoirs were established at intervals, but the water was often brackish and unsuitable for steam locomotive use, let alone human consumption, so water supplies had to be carried on the train. In steam days, about half the total load was water for the engine.
During the crossing of the Nullarbor Plain, between Nurina in Western Australia and Watson in South Australia, the line runs for 309 miles (497 km) without a curve. This is the longest straight railway anywhere in the world.
[edit] Diesel power
Because of the inevitable problems of finding suitable water for steam locomotives in a desert, the original engineer, Henry Deane envisaged diesel locomotives for the line. He got as far as making enquiries with potential manufacturers. Unfortunately, a scandal involving the supply of sleepers led to Deane's resignation, before the diesel locomotive proposal had advanced beyond the point of no return. Deane's successor had no interest in diesels and the ideas lapsed for 35 years.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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