NSWHRSI NEWSLETTER Issue 27 K will do HRSI NSWHRSI NEWS May 2021 A 1974 view of Coolabah railway station in north western NSW on the Bourke branch line. Christopher Gillespie collection. NSW HERITAGE RAILWAY STATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS ISSUE N.27 WELCOME to the 27th newsletter Larry Angell, JHR, TFSW, ARTC, Newsletter index of NSWHRSI. The objective of this Girilambone Shire Council, Peter newsletter is to inform, educate and Walter, Christopher Gillespie, Nathan WELCOME / MAIN NEWS 1 provide insights about the latest Markcrow, Suzie Wakefield, Dunera GRAFTON RAILWAY BRIDGE 2 updates, plans and heritage news Museum, Bob Richardson, Ladysmith Tourist Railway, Warren Travis, Warren relating to Heritage Railway Banfield, Stephen Imrie, Simon Barber, BOURKE RAILWAY STATION HISTORY 3 Stations and Infrastructure (HRSI) Rodney McDonald, Peter Watters across NSW. The news in is ON YER FEET – THE GRATE INSIGHT! 18 separated into 4 core NSW regions – Northern, Western and Southern HISTORY OF SIGNAL BOXES IN NSW – A NSW and Sydney. BREIF HISTORY 20 MAIN NEWS PANORMA VIEWS OF HERITAGE RAILWAY STATIONS 25 Phil Buckley, NSW HRSI Editor NSW NEWS 26 Copyright © 2014 - 2021 NSWHRSI. All photos and information remains NORTHERN NSW 27 property of NSWHRSI / Phil Buckley unless stated to our various WESTERN NSW 34 contributors / original photographers or donors. SOUTHERN NSW 38 Credits/Contributors this issue – Rob SYDNEY REGION 63 Williams, Trove, Glad Eldridge, Leonie Montgomery, Weston Langford YOUR SAY - HERITAGE PHOTOS 80 collection, Robert Taaffe, NSWSR, Ralph Snowball, Collywolly, SARNSW, Jess Drady, Lake Macquarie Library OTHER NEWS, LINKS AND NEXT ISSUE collection, Broken Hill Shire Council, 81 Page | 1 NSWHRSI NEWSLETTER Issue 27 GRAFTON RAILWAY BRIDGE by Rob Williams Due to the numerous river crossings the North Coast Line was built in various stages. The final stage to complete the link from Sydney to Brisbane was completed in 1932 with the bridge across the Clarence River linking South Grafton to Grafton railway stations. It’s a unique bascule type meaning it can be raised and lowered by counterweights to allow ship movements. The bridge has two levels, the top being for cars and the bottom for both pedestrians and rail. Right, Grafton bridge, Credit Grafton Rowing Club I can recall as a kid that there was a huge outcry and division of opinion in the late 1970’s that a person was employed to sit in the control room even though no ships had come through for many years. From memory it was a strong union that kept his “job” to sit there on top of the bridge waiting for that ship to one day appear. Eventually he lost his job plus the water main crosses the bridge too so it’s impossible to raise now. Page | 2 NSWHRSI | Issue 27 3 BOURKE RAILWAY STATION - HISTORY Located at the 824.830 km marker in north western NSW, is a disused and unconventional railway station design. This is the modern day relic remains of the former once operational Bourke railway station. How did such a strange design appear in northwestern NSW? HISTORY By 1877, there was significant political pressure to minimise the diversion of trade from western New South Wales to Victoria and South Australia via river trade along the Darling and Murray rivers. The town of Bourke had become the key centre for pastoralists in western New South Wales since its formation in 1861. Provision was thus made to extend the line to Dubbo, reaching Wellington in 1880 and Dubbo in 1881. At the time, Dubbo had grown into a town of strategic importance on the stock routes between northern New South Wales and the Victorian goldfields. NSWHRSI | Issue 27 4 March 1880 story in The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser “BOURKE RAILWAY STATION. A deputation introduced by Mr. Coonan, M.L. A. — Messrs R.Green (mayor of Bourke), W. H. Daniel (town clerk), C. Cowper (sheriff). Hinton. Fetherstonhaugh, Readford, A.Booker, and H. L. Beyers, M.L. A. — waited on the Minister with regard to the site of the terminal station of the Bourke and Dubbo Railway Extension. Mr. Coonan, M.L. A., who was principal spokesman, called the attention of the Minister to the necessity of carrying out the programme the Government had in view of extending the railway beyond Dubbo towards Bourke. The deputation were desirous of having the railway carried on with as little delay as possible, and taken close to the town of Bourke. They were already aware that the Government intended to earn the railway on through Dubbo, but as they were undecided as to where it would end, they wished to direct attention to the many reasons for bringing this terminus as near Bourke as possible. This town was of great and growing importance, and it was mainly owing to the easy access to it by conveyances, that it had increased in importance, so that the line could be easily taken there. Again owing to the importance of the place a handsome revenue would be obtained from it, were the line brought into the town. With reference to the extension to Cobar, he thought the Minister would see that by carrying the line to Cobar he would not facilitate that to Bourke while if they brought the line to Bourke, the people of Cobar would also be accommodated. The importance of Bourke was shown by the following statistics of revenue collected there. The Customs revenue from the Bourke bond in 1878 was £10,000,and in 1879 £12,000 ; 50 steamers arrived at the town annually, bringing about 200 tons each ; while from 55,000 to 60,000 wool bales of wool left the place yearly. The daily traffic was about 500 tons. The live stock trade was now all diverted to Melbourne or Adelaide, but with a railway it would be brought to this market. Cobar sent away about 2000 tons of copper a year, but that went via Orange, and was still retained in the colony, so that this trade would not be affected injuriously by the line to Bourke. About £40,000 had been expended upon the Bourke bridge, and that would be all thrown away if the railway were not brought there. The south west Queensland trade would all be caught by New South Wales with this line, and the increase of revenue would be very great. These were very strong reasons why come directly to the town of Bourke, and he knew of no sound reason that could be adduced against it. Other speakers followed in the same strain, one of them asserting that the accounts given of the late floods at Bourke were grossly overdrawn by interested persons. The highest flood that ever happened in Bourke for 20 years only extended over the river flats with a depth of about afoot. A very low embankment would remove every danger as far as the line might be concerned. Mr. Covveu pointed out that Bourke was peculiarly fitted for a terminus, as being in the very centre of a magnificent pastoral country; and that Cobar, which had also been proposed as the terminus, was a town, or rather village, solely dependent on one mine, which, though everyone ' wished it prosperity, might decline like the Peak Downs and other mines, while Bourke would certainly improve. The Cobar Copper Company, if circumstances warranted it, could construct a tramway for NSWHRSI | Issue 27 5 themselves to communicate the Bourke and Dubbo line, a line which would bring to New South Wales a vast amount of traffic now diverted to other colonies. Mr Lackey could scarcely at once give the deputation the information asked for as to the terminus, but up to the present time there was nothing to cause the Government to waver from their first intention as to the line between Dubbo and Bourke. If the railway officers said that Bourke was not a proper site for a railway terminus, the Government could not make it there, and it might be a mile or so north or south of the town. But they must have a good site, and up to the present nothing had boon settled. With reference to the observations and remarks of Mr. Coonan and others he would say that the Cobar deputation would not interfere with the purpose of the Government as to this line. They wished to secure the large traffic which was now evading New South Wales, and were pushing on the line in the Darling district. It would be at Wellington, very shortly and at Dubbo 5 or 6 months after, and he hoped that then there would be very little delay, before the first sod for the commencement of the line to Bourke was turned. The Government felt the importance of it, and he did not think the residents of Bourke need feel anxious about it. This closed the interview, and the deputation, after thanking the Minister, withdrew.” CONSTRUCTION With the expansion of the NSWGR system west of Dubbo, the coming of the iron rails finally opened up the vast inland to white settlement. As the new farmers headed west this enabled the creation of the new towns. Bourke railway station seen in the 1880s. NSWSR The north western railway line reached Narromine in 1883.The railway station was the first building in the future town. The nearby established village of Warren was provided with its own rail connection at the nearby town of Nevertire in 1882, and eventually a branch opened to Warren in 1898. Further expansion of the northwest line saw rail reach the site of Nyngan in 1883.The nearby village of Canonbar where a coach stop had been created, decided to move to the more established the town of Nyngan.