Gwabegar railway line

Gwabegar railway line

Binnaway Station
Overview
Termini Wallerawang
Gwabegar
Operation
Opened 10 September 1923 (1923-09-10)
Closed June 2007 (2007-06)
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm)
Gwabegar rail line map
Gwabegar Line

Mudgee railway station
Line length 431.7 km (268.2 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)
171.9 Main Western line
at Wallerawang
Irondale
Pipers Flat
Portland
Portland Cement Works (closed)
Cullen Bullen
Invincible Colliery (closed)
193.7 Baal Bone Junction
200.3 Baal Bone Colliery
Ben Bullen
Capertee Tunnel
207.4 Capertee
Airly Loop Junction
Airly Loop
Torbane
Excelsior
Weenga
Carlos Gap
Carlos Gap Tunnel
Vulcan
Clandulla
Charbon
Charbon Colliery Junction
Charbon Colliery
Kandos Cement Works
249.3 Kandos
257.2 Rylstone
Mortonmain
Lue
Havilah
Mount Knowles
Mount Frome
308.1 Mudgee
Munna
Cudgegong River
Pipeclay Creek
Warrobil
Sandy Hollow-Gulgong line
340.6 Gulgong
Wialdra Creek
Puggoon
Tallawang
Birriwa
Coolah Branch
Craboon
Dunedoo
Liamena
Towealgra
Wongoni
Troy Junction-Merrygoen line
417.8 Merrygoen
Neilrex
Mooren
Piambra
Binnaway-Werris Creek line
Binnaway grain sidings
458.7 Binnaway
Murrawal
Deringulla
Ulamambri
508.3 Coonabarabran
Yearinan
Bugaldie
Wittenbra
563.8 Baradine
Kenebri
Merebene
Baradine Creek
603.6 Gwabegar


The Gwabegar railway line is a railway line in the west of New South Wales, Australia which passes through the town of Mudgee to Gulgong and eventually heads to Gwabegar.

The section from Wallerawang to Capertee was opened on 15 May 1882; the section from Capertee to Rylstone on 9 June 1884; the section from Rylstone to Mudgee on 10 September 1884; the section from Mudgee to Gulgong on 14 April 1909; the section from Gulgong to Dunedoo on 28 November 1910; the section from Dunedoo to Binnaway on 2 April 1917; the section from Binnaway to Coonabarabran on 11 June 1917 and, finally, the section from Coonabarabran to Gwabegar on 10 September 1923.[1][2]

Description

Rylstone railway station

The line branches from the Main Western line at Wallerawang and heads north through the townships of Kandos, Rylstone and Mudgee before reaching the junction of the Sandy Hollow to Gulgong line at Gulgong.

The section between Kandos and Gulgong, which for several years was used only for heritage trains running around once per month was subject to heavy speed restrictions.[3] The line had previously been closed from 2 March 1992 until 2 September 2000 but was reopened after repairs.[4][5] The Rail Infrastructure Corporation (RIC) announced in May 2007 that the line north of Kandos would be suspended from use from 30 June 2007.[6] The effect of this suspension is that the line has ceased carrying trains indefinitely although legally it remains open.

The section between Binnaway and Gwabegar is out of use, having closed on 28 October 2005 by the RIC for safety reasons. The line is booked out of use north of Charbon Colliery, but is able to be opened for charter services to operate as far as Kandos.[7][8]

In February 2016 the section from Kandos to Rylstone was reopened for a heritage 660/720 class railcar trip from Lithgow.[9]

Services

The primary traffic on the line are coal trains from the Baal Bone and Charbon collieries which opened in July and December 1986.[10][11][12][13] These trains are operated by Pacific National and Southern Shorthaul Railroad respectively.

Passenger services from Lithgow to Mudgee and Gulgong were operated by 620/720 and later DEB sets until replaced by coaches in the early 1980s.

References

  1. "The Wallerawang - Gwabegar Branch Line" Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin January 1968 & August 1968
  2. "RAILWAY EXTENSION.". Mudgee Guardian and North Western Representative. New South Wales, Australia. 13 September 1923. p. 29 via National Library of Australia.
  3. Railway Digest, April 2007.
  4. Gwabegar Line NSWrail.net
  5. "Freight Traffic Doubts for Mudgee and Blayney to Cowra Lines" Railway Digest October 2000 page 5
  6. "Gulgong-Kandos rail line to be suspended from use". ABC News. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  7. "Signaling & infastructure" Railway Digest November 2014 page 42
  8. "Signaling & infastructure" Railway Digest February 2015 page 43
  9. "The Rylstone Rambler" Railway Digest April 2016 page 56
  10. "Western Report" Railway Digest September 1986 page 280
  11. "Western Report" Railway Digest February 1987 page 52
  12. Baal Bone Colliery Glencore
  13. Charbon Centennial Coal
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