The Clackline to Miling railway branch, originally known as the Clackline to Newcastle railway line, is a railway line in Western Australia.
The line developed progressively over the years and as it did so, various sections were named differently. Each section of the line needed separate lobbying and discussion in the Western Australian Parliament to get enabling acts. The final section was approved in 1920 [1] and completed in 1925. [2]
After completion it became known as the Miling branch, following final expansion north to Miling, and the closing of the Clackline to Newcastle (Toodyay) section.
The railway line to connect Newcastle to the eastern railway was considered to be best started from Clackline, rather than Northam. [3] [4] The original terminus of the line in the 1890s was a platform, it was later that the second stopping place properly known as Toodyay railway station was completed after the extension to Newcastle-Bolgart Railway was completed.
Following the construction of the standard gauge railway through the Avon valley in the 1960s, the connection with Clackline was no longer needed, and was closed with other former eastern railway connections in February 1966.
In the 1960s the railway line from Toodyay to Miling was altered by the construction of the Eastern Railway through the Avon Valley, through Toodyay and a connection with Northam. [7]
The fate of the railway has been put in question due to the separation of wheatbelt railway lines being designated into specific tiers. [8] [9]
The railway line was developed over time, the construction taking fifteen years to travel over 100 km. [10]
Names used as found in WAGR Annual reports in the 1950s
The line has had derailments in 2019. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]
Toodyay, known as Newcastle between 1860 and 1910, is a town on the Avon River in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 85 kilometres (53 mi) north-east of Perth. The first European settlement occurred in the area in 1836. After flooding in the 1850s, the townsite was moved to its current location in the 1860s. It is connected by railway and road to Perth. During the 1860s, it was home to bushranger Moondyne Joe.
Southern Cross is a town in Western Australia, 371 kilometres east of state capital Perth on the Great Eastern Highway. It was founded in 1888 after gold prospectors Richard Greaves and Ted Paine during their October 1887 expedition successfully found gold, and gazetted in 1890. It is the major town and administrative centre of the Shire of Yilgarn. At the 2016 census, Southern Cross had a population of 680.
The Eastern Railway is the main railway route between Fremantle and Northam in Western Australia. It opened in stages between 1881 and 1893. The line continues east to Kalgoorlie as the Eastern Goldfields Railway.
The AvonLink is a rural passenger train service in Western Australia operated by Transwa between Midland and Northam.
Bolgart is a townsite north of Toodyay in Western Australia. It is in the Shire of Victoria Plains.
Bellevue railway station was a junction station on the Eastern Railway in the Perth suburb of Bellevue.
Clackline is a locality in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) east-north-east of Perth.
The Kep Track is a bicycle, walking and horse track in the Darling Range and further east in Western Australia.
The Meekatharra to Wiluna railway was a 113-mile (182 km) branch line of the Western Australian Government Railways that extended the Mullewa – Meekatharra railway from Meekatharra to Wiluna. Wiluna was the furthest rail terminus from Perth on the Western Australian Government Railways system. Paroo was the highest station, at 1,916 feet (584 m) above sea level; the highest point on the Western Australian railway network, west of Paroo, was 2,134 feet (650 m).
Sandstone Branch Railway was a branch railway line between Mount Magnet and Sandstone in the Mid West region of Western Australia.
The Northampton railway line ran from Geraldton through Northampton and on to Ajana in Western Australia. It operated between 1879 and 1957. It was the first government railway constructed in Western Australia.
Western Australian Government Railways railway system during its peak operational time in the 1930s to 1950s was a large system of over 6,400 kilometres (4,000 mi) of railway line.
Clackline Bridge is a road bridge in Clackline, Western Australia, 77 kilometres (48 mi) east of Perth in the Shire of Northam, that carried the Great Eastern Highway until 2008. It is the only bridge in Western Australia to have spanned both a waterway and railway, the Clackline Brook and the former Eastern Railway alignment. The mainly timber bridge has a unique curved and sloped design, due to the difficult topography and the route of the former railway. The bridge was designed in 1934 to replace two dangerous rail crossings and a rudimentary water crossing. Construction began in January 1935, and was completed relatively quickly, with the opening ceremony held in August 1935. The bridge has undergone various improvement and maintenance works since then, including widening by three metres (10 ft) in 1959–60, but remained a safety hazard, with increasing severity and numbers of accidents through the 1970s and 1980s. Planning for a highway bypass of Clackline and the Clackline Bridge began in the 1990s, and it was constructed between January 2007 and February 2008. The local community had been concerned that the historic bridge would be lost, but it remains in use as part of the local road network, and has been listed on both the Northam Municipal Heritage Inventory and the Heritage Council of Western Australia's Register of Heritage Places.
The Nannup Branch Railway, also known as the Wonnerup to Nannup Railway, was a branch line of the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) between Wonnerup and Nannup.
The Newcastle–Bolgart Railway was the second stage of the Clackline–Miling railway. It was opened on 6 December 1909 by the Western Australian Premier Newton Moore. The line ran between Newcastle and Bolgart, Western Australia. The line came about after community support rallied against the Government, who were seen as not approving the rail to reduce the value of the Midland Railway Company land holdings. At a meeting on 6 November 1906 local MLA Timothy Quinlan then Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly threatened to resign from the government and join the opposition. The meeting proposed that Quinlan should meet with Moore and obtain a definitive answer as to whether he would include the line on the schedule of proposed railways.
West Toodyay was the original location of the town of Toodyay, Western Australia. It is situated in the Toodyay valley, 85 kilometres (53 mi) north east of Perth. The Toodyay valley, discovered by Ensign Robert Dale in 1831, was opened up for settlement in 1836. The original site for the town of Toodyay was determined in 1836 and its boundaries were finalized 1838. The first survey of the town was carried out in 1849. After several serious floods, the decision was made to move the town of Toodyay to higher ground. In 1860, the new town of Newcastle was established 3 miles (4.8 km) further upstream. Newcastle was renamed in 1910 to Toodyay, and the original site became known as West Toodyay.
The Belmont Railway Line was a branch railway in Western Australia that extended from the Eastern Railway at Bayswater to Belmont near the Ascot Racecourse. The line closed in 1956.
Toodyay railway station is located on the Eastern Railway in the Avon River town of Toodyay in Western Australia.
Northam railway station is located in Northam on the Eastern Railway route in Western Australia. It is the second and more recent railway station in Northam.