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 areaYear opened
Narrogin-Darkan50Southern1906
Wagin-Dumbleyung25Southern1907
Narrogin-Darkan50Southern1906
Wagin-Dumbleying25Southern1907
Katanning-Kojonup33Southern1907
Collie-Darkan40Southern1907
Greenhills-Quairading31Southern1908[7]
Donnybrook-Noggerup23Southern1908
Narrogin-Wickepin26Southern1909
Noggerup-Boyup Brook23Southern1909
Katanning-Nyabing38Southern1912
Dumbleyung extension24Southern1912
Boyup-Kojonup51Southern1912
Tambellup-Gnowangerup24Southern1912
Gnowangerup-Ongerup35Southern1913
Quairading-Bruce Rock49Southern1913[7]
Merredin-Bruce Rock31Southern1913
Wickepin-Corrigin40Southern1914
Corrigin-Bruce Rock37Southern1914
Yilliminning-Kondinin73Southern1915
Brookton-Corrigin56Southern1915
Kukerin-Lake Grace24Southern1916
Wagin-Bokal34Southern1917
Kondinin-Narambeen32Southern1917
Bokal-Bowelling28Southern1918
Nyabing-Pingrup22Southern1923
Narrambeen-Merredin54Southern1925
Lake Grace-Newdegate39Southern1926
Dwarda-Narrogin37Southern1926
Goomalling-Dowerin15Northern1906
Toodyay-Bolgart24Northern1910
Wokarina-Naraling26Northern1910
Dowerin-Korrelocking32Northern1911
Korrelocking-Kununoppin28Northern1911
Goomalling-Wongan Hills34Northern1911
Kununoppin-Merredin37Northern1911
Southern Cross-Bullfinch22Northern1911
Naraling-Yuna12Northern1912
Northampton-Ajana33Northern1913
Wongan Hills-Mullewa198Northern1915
Wyalkatchem-Bencubbin52Northern1917
Bolgart-Calingiri15Northern1917
Calingiri-Piawaning19Northern1919
Bencubbin-Kalkalling32Northern1923
Piawaning-Miling27Northern1925
Amery-Kalannie61Northern1929
Burakin-Kulja8Northern1929
Lake Brown-Bullfinch50Northern1929
Kulja-Bonnie Rock68Northern1931

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. 4 July 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 3 July 2015 via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Railways Report May Be Late". The Daily News (Home ed.). Perth. 28 November 1947. p. 9. Retrieved 3 July 2015 via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Business Job For Railways". The Daily News (City Final ed.). Perth. 12 December 1947. p. 7. Retrieved 3 July 2015 via National Library of Australia.
  7. Tilley, Allan (1998). To Greenhills and Beyond. Greenwood: Rail Heritage Publications. pp. 35, 50. ISBN 0-646-36007-8.
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