Camden railway line

Last updated

Camden Line
Arhs campbelltown camden.jpg
The 'Camden Tram' approaches the first grade after departing from Campbelltown.
Overview
StatusDemolished
Termini
Stations9
Service
Operator(s) Department of Railways
History
Opened10 March 1882
Closed1 January 1963
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Route map

Contents

All distances in km from Central
km
Station
BSicon dCONTgq.svg
BSicon eABZq+r.svg
BSicon dCONTfq.svg
54.7
Main South line at Campbelltown
BSicon exHST.svg
57.6
Maryfields
BSicon exHST.svg
58.9
Kenny Hill
BSicon exHST.svg
61.3
Currans Hill
BSicon exHST.svg
63.1
Narellan
BSicon exHST.svg
63.7
Grahams Hill
BSicon exHST.svg
65.1
Kirkham
BSicon exHST.svg
66.4
Elderslie
BSicon exhKRZWae.svg
BSicon WASSERq.svg
Nepean River
BSicon exKHSTe.svg
67.3
Camden

The Camden railway line is a closed railway line between Campbelltown and Camden in the southwestern outskirts of Sydney, Australia. The passenger service was also known as the 'Camden Tram' and affectionately as 'Pansy'. [1]

History

The Camden railway line was designed as a light railway and construction of the line started in 1881. The line opened on 10 March 1882 and ran between Campbelltown and Camden. The line was originally operated with Baldwin Steam Tram Motors, but these proved unsatisfactory. The NSWGR purchased two small 0-6-0 saddle tank locomotives from Manning Wardle, which were a standard K Class design. These became the S-292 class. The line carried freight and passengers but was rarely busy. From 1901, the line was upgraded to railway standard and typically operated by an E class (later Z20 class locomotive in the 1924 reclassification of locomotives) 2-6-4 side-tank locomotives. Starting in the 1950s, the usual locomotive power on the Camden Branch Line was provided by C30 class locomotives. Passenger trains in the early years used lightweight KA Tramcars which were specially built for the line, but were also used at Yass and Carlingford. Starting around 1917 the trains typically ran with a CCA type end-platform carriage, usually boosted in capacity by various independent carriages when the occasion demanded.

Due to the steepness of the ruling gradient of 1 in 19 (reported to be the steepest grade used by adhesion locomotives in Australia) between Campbelltown and Kenny Hill, there were often multiple attempts made at ascending the grade. Passengers would sometimes have to disembark from the train and walk alongside it, leaving their bags on board. When trains could not successfully ascend the hill, the train would be divided and the second half of train (invariably the part where the passengers were carried) would be left standing on the line until the first half of the train had been stowed at Campbelltown. Such delays on the line were a source of annoyance and inconvenience for passengers. The main source of income for the line was the coal loader at Narellan and the Dairy Farmers Milk Co-operative depot at Camden. The line closed on 1 January 1963. [2]

Traces of the original line's route can still be seen along looking up Kirkham Lane from Camden Valley Way, including a wooden bridge along this section towards Narellan. The elevated section as it passed through this low-lying area are visible – the nearby Nepean River would flood the land around this area when it burst its banks. Cuttings through Kenny Hill are also visible from parts of Narellan Road near the Mount Annan Botanical Gardens. Photographs of the line are on display in the Camden Historic Society Museum in Camden.

The song 'The Camden Tram' by Buddy Williams, which is featured in the repertoire of the Camden Community Band, commemorates the train. [1]

Stations and route

NameDistance from
Central
OpenedClosedRailway lineSuburbs servedOther lines
Campbelltown - Camden
Campbelltown 54.71 km1858- Main Suburban Campbelltown, Blair Athol
SHL
Maryfields 57.60 km19361963Camden Campbelltown
Kenny Hill 58.95 km18821963Camden Currans Hill
Currans Hill 61.33 km18821963Camden Currans Hill
Narellan 63.10 km18821963Camden Narellan
Grahams Hill 63.71 km18821963Camden Narellan
Kirkham 65.14 km18821963Camden Kirkham
Elderslie 66.43 km18931963Camden Elderslie
Camden 67.30 km18821963Camden Camden

Special working

Every year, on Good Friday, three or four special trains were run from Sydney to Maryfields, to cater for public attendance to the Via Crucis religious ceremony held on the grounds of the Franciscan Brothers monastery near Campbelltown. [3] This required out-of-the-ordinary working over the branch line, which also included the provision of an additional locomotive at both the front and rear of each train. The station at Maryfields had a platform suitable for an 8 or 9-car train and was located opposite the entrance to the monastery. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade (slope)</span> Angle to the horizontal plane

The grade (US) or gradient (UK) of a physical feature, landform or constructed line refers to the tangent of the angle of that surface to the horizontal. It is a special case of the slope, where zero indicates horizontality. A larger number indicates higher or steeper degree of "tilt". Often slope is calculated as a ratio of "rise" to "run", or as a fraction in which run is the horizontal distance and rise is the vertical distance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campbelltown railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Campbelltown railway station is located on the Main Southern line, serving the Sydney suburb of Campbelltown. It is served by Sydney Trains T8 Airport & South line services and NSW TrainLink services to Moss Vale, Goulburn, Canberra, Griffith and Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool railway station, Sydney</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Liverpool railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Southern line, serving the Sydney suburb of Liverpool in Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T2 Inner West & Leppington, T3 Bankstown and T5 Cumberland services. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macarthur railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Macarthur railway station is located on the Main Southern line, serving the Sydney suburb of Campbelltown. It is served by Sydney Trains T8 Airport & South and NSW TrainLink Southern Highlands Line services. It is the southern extremity of the electrified Sydney Trains network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Highlands Line</span> Rail service in New South Wales, Australia

The Southern Highlands Line (SHL) is an intercity rail service operated by NSW TrainLink that services the Macarthur, Southern Highlands and Southern Tablelands regions of New South Wales. First operating in 1869, the service runs from Campbelltown across the Main Southern railway line through to Goulburn, with peak hour services extending the route to Central. The railway service operates alongside a bus route from Picton to Bowral, operating on the route of the Picton – Mittagong loop railway line, and a regional coach service from Bundanoon to Wollongong on the South Coast Line, operating on the corridor of the Unanderra–Moss Vale railway line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railways in Sydney</span>

Sydney, the largest city in Australia, has an extensive network of passenger and freight railways. The passenger system includes an extensive suburban railway network, operated by Sydney Trains, a metro network and a light rail network. A dedicated freight network also exists. Future expansion of the light rail network includes the Parramatta Light Rail. Existing light rail services are the Inner West Light Rail and the CBD & South East Light Rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spirit of Progress</span> Victorian Railways express passenger train

The Spirit of Progress was the premier express passenger train on the Victorian Railways in Australia, running from Melbourne to the New South Wales border at Albury, and later through to Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Southern railway line, New South Wales</span> Railway line in New South Wales, Australia

The Main Southern Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs from Sydney to Albury, near the Victorian border. The line passes through the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes and Riverina regions.

The Main Western Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains, and Central West regions. It is 825 kilometres (513 mi) long, of which 484 kilometres (301 mi) is currently operational.

The railways of New South Wales, Australia, use a large variety of passenger and freight rolling stock. The first railway in Sydney was opened in 1855 between Sydney and Granville, now a suburb of Sydney but then a major agricultural centre. The railway formed the basis of the New South Wales Government Railways. Passenger and freight services were operated from the beginning. By 1880, there was a half hourly service to Homebush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Cargelligo railway line</span>

The Lake Cargelligo railway line is a railway line in Central Western New South Wales, Australia. The first sod was turned commencing construction on 8 June 1913 with the line opening on 13 November 1917. The line branches from the Main South line at Cootamundra and travels in a north-westerly direction to the small town of Lake Cargelligo. The line is used primarily for grain haulage, although passenger service was provided until 1983.

The Rand railway line is a closed railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line ran for 53 km south-west to the town of Rand from the Main South railway line at Henty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales C30 class locomotive</span>

The C30 class is a class of steam locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock & Company and Eveleigh Railway Workshops for the New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales 70 class locomotive</span>

The 70 class were a class of diesel-hydraulic locomotives built by Commonwealth Engineering, Granville for the New South Wales Department of Railways in 1960–61. They were ordered to replace steam locomotives at Port Kembla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond–Kurrajong railway line</span>

The Kurrajong railway line was a railway line in the distant rural western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It was an extension of the branch off the Main Western line from Blacktown to Richmond and was operated by the New South Wales Government Railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic Park railway line</span> Railway line in Sydney, Australia

The Olympic Park railway line is a railway line linking the Sydney Olympic Park precinct to the Main Suburban railway line at Flemington and Lidcombe. Originally opened as the Abattoirs branch in 1911, it was rebuilt and reopened as the Olympic Park railway line in 1998. Passenger services have since been running on it as the Olympic Park Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden railway station</span> Former railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Camden railway station was a railway station in Camden and the terminus of the Camden line in South Western Sydney. It opened along with the line on 10 March 1882 and closed along with it on 1 January 1963. Apart from the station master's residence, the station is no longer extant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryfields railway station</span> Former railway station in Sydney, Australia

Maryfields railway station was a railway station on the Camden railway line, serving the area of Maryfields in Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.

Kenny Hill railway station was a railway station on the Camden railway line, serving the nearby area of Kenny Hill in modern-day Currans Hill, New South Wales, Australia.

Narellan railway station was a railway station on the Camden railway line, serving the suburb of Narellan, New South Wales, Australia. The site of the former station is now occupied by the Narellan Town Centre.

References

  1. 1 2 Willis, Ian (6 January 2020). "Pansy the Camden locomotive". Camden History Notes. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  2. Bayley, William A. (William Alan) (1978), Sydney Suburban Steam Railways, Austrail Publications, ISBN   978-0-909597-20-7
  3. "Camden Branch". nswrail.net. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  4. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, August 1952

Further reading