The Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company was a railway company formed by a syndicate of Victorian capitalists to construct a railway from Moama to Deniliquin in New South Wales, Australia. [1]
The Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company was a railway company formed by a syndicate of Victorian capitalists to construct a railway from Moama to Deniliquin in New South Wales, Australia. [1]
The rich Riverina district of New South Wales, which lies between the Murray and the Murrumbidgee Rivers, was handicapped in the middle of the 19th century by its distance from the seaboard. The Government of Victoria sought to capture the trading potentialities of the area.
A broad gauge (5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)) railway was opened by the Victorian Railways (VR) between Melbourne and Echuca in 1864. Echuca lies on the Murray River, which forms the border between Victoria and New South Wales. Consequently, pressure arose to have the line extended across the river, northward to Deniliquin. However, the Government of New South Wales was adamant in its refusal to construct a railway which, to a large extent, would have only served Victorian interests. [1]
In a weak moment during March 1874 and under considerable political pressure, the Government of New South Wales passed an Act which enabled the construction by a private syndicate of a 1600mm gauge railway from Moama to Deniliquin. The line was 44 mi (71 km) long, connecting with the Victorian Railways line at the bridge over the Murray River, near Echuca. [2]
Work commenced at Echuca where a junction was made with the Victorian northern railway. The initial crossing of the Murray was made over a temporary trestle bridge, 1,700 feet (520 m) in length and built from red gum piles. As it was necessary to permit the passage of river craft, a lifting span was incorporated.
Clear of the Murray, the railway entered Moama. The country from Moama to Deniliquin comprises a series of almost level plains. The permanent way was laid on the surface and ballasted with sand. Throughout its length, there were only five curves of 80 chains (1.6 km). The line was built within a period of 12 months. [1]
On 4 July 1876, Moama celebrated the opening of the line with great gusto; a whole bullock being roasted and eaten in honour of the event. The Official gathering was held at Deniliquin where some 600 guests enjoyed the hospitality of the directors of the company.
The only member of the NSW Legislature present at Deniliquin for the opening was the local Member for Murray, William Hay. [3] Such was the disinterest by the NSW Government in providing a rail connection to the town that it was reputed to have quipped that "The New South Wales Government would as soon think of proposing to make a railway to the Moon as to Deniliquin". There remains no rail connection at Deniliquin with the NSW Railway system. [1]
A contract was signed in September 1875 for an iron bridge to replace the temporary wooden one. A contemporary newspaper account highlights the terrors associated with the crossing of the original temporary bridge. "Frequently, passengers from Echuca would cross the river in a boat and board the train at Moama rather than risk what appeared to be a very perilous journey across the bridge. Passengers......state that the train appeared to crawl over the rickerty structure, which swayed and creaked as if it was going to collapse every minute and let the train.......drop into the swift-moving stream of the River Murray". [1] [4]
On 1 December 1923, under the terms of the 1922 Border Railways Act, the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company was taken over by the New South Wales government for transfer to the Victorian Railways. [5] Since that date, the line has been part of the Victorian railway system.
All four of the Company's locomotives were built to the design of the Victorian Railways T class 0-6-0 tender engine of 1874. None have been preserved, however VR T class number 94 (originally 265) is preserved and on display at the Newport Railway Museum.
| Class | Wheel arrangement | Fleet number | Manufacturer | Builders number | Year introduced | Year withdrawn | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unclassed (Later VR T) | 0-6-0 | 1 | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1588 | 1875 | 1925 | |
| Unclassed (Later VR T) | 0-6-0 | 2 | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1589 | 1875 | 1925 | |
| Unclassed (Later VR T) | 0-6-0 | 3 | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1664 | 1876 | 1927 | renumbered as T class 96 |
| Unclassed (Later VR T) | 0-6-0 | 4 | Beyer, Peacock & Company | 1735 | 1878 | 1925 |
Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company owned a number of fixed-wheel passenger carriages and guards vans.
The first class cars, 1 & 2 A, had four compartments and six wheels; they became 4 & 43 X in the VR roster. Car 4 X was converted into a workmen's sleeper and lasted into the 1980s. [6] [ self-published source? ] Second class cars had five compartments and four wheels. Guards vans 1 and 2 D also had six wheels, becoming VR 27 & 33 Z, and remained in service until the 1970s. [7] [ self-published source? ] [8] [ self-published source? ] All of these appear to be of similar design to existing VR carriages, if not identical. It is not clear how many of each the D&MR owned, and it is most probable that VR stock was used at various times.
A variety of four-wheel rolling stock was also acquired by the VR when they took-over the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company in 1923.
Amongst the goods stock of the D&MR were nine fixed wheel open wagons similar in design to their 'standard' 10 ton capacity I wagons, which the VR had been building through the 1880s. These wagons were classed ID and numbered 31, and 33 to 50. In 1922 five more had been built to the standard pattern of I wagons of that period by Newport Workshops, as ID 46 to 50. After 1923, these last five wagons were re-numbered into the I wagon group to replace accident damaged vehicles, some surviving until the 1970s. [9] [ self-published source? ]
There were also four flat wagons coded NK numbered 1 to 4, [10] [ self-published source? ] twenty-seven box vans coded HD numbered 5 to 31, [11] [ self-published source? ] and thirteen ballast wagons coded ND numbered 13, and 65 to 76. [12] [ self-published source? ] Many of these were scrapped soon after acquisition, however some survived as late as the 1970s. There may have been other wagons owned by the D&MR, apart from the many from VR that were used frequently on through traffic.
It appears that all the D&MR stock was originally uncoded, but a later date (presumed to be the mid 1900s) the VR equivalent codes were emplaced with the suffix D added to indicate their unusual origin. [12]
Echuca is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Shire of Campaspe. As of the 2021 census, Echuca had a population of 15,056, and the population of the combined Echuca and Moama townships was 22,568.
Cobb Highway is a state highway in the western Riverina and the far western regions of New South Wales, with a short section in Victoria, Australia, designated part of route B75.
The Australian state of New South Wales has an extensive network of railways, which were integral to the growth and development of the state. The vast majority of railway lines were government built and operated, but there were also several private railways, some of which operate to this day.
Moama is a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. The town is directly across the Murray River from the larger town of Echuca in the neighbouring state of Victoria, to which it is connected by a bridge. At the 2016 census, Moama had a population of 5,620.
Freight Australia was an Australian railway company that purchased the V/Line Freight business from the Government of Victoria in 1999. Initially known as Freight Victoria, it operated rail freight services and controlled non-urban rail track in the state of Victoria, later expanding into freight haulage in other states. Freight Australia was sold to Pacific National in August 2004.
Echuca railway station is located on the Deniliquin line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Echuca, and opened on 19 September 1864.
The Deniliquin railway line is a broad-gauge railway line serving northwestern Victoria, Australia. The line runs from the New South Wales town of Deniliquin into Bendigo, before turning south-southeast towards Melbourne, terminating in Docklands near the central business district. It is a major trunk line both for passenger and freight trains, with many railway lines branching off from it.
The Deniliquin Football & Netball Club, nicknamed the Rams, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the town of Deniliquin located in the Riverina district of New South Wales.
The 1922 Border Railways Acts, were Acts passed by the Parliaments of both Victoria and New South Wales, which authorised the construction of cross border railways in the Riverina region of Australia. Despite being located in New South Wales, the region was closer economically to Victoria and its railway network, operated by Victorian Railways. Another complication was that Victorian Railways used the 1,600 mm broad gauge, while the New South Wales Government Railways used 1,435 mm standard gauge.
As the Victorian Railways' fleet of Z vans began to age, the railways decided to invest in bogie designs for vans. Some van designs were included in a class of new passenger vehicles. Many other vans, for both freight and passenger work, were built separately from any other rolling stock developments, and these are the ones that feature here in detail.
The Victorian Railways used a variety of both 4-wheel and bogie open wagons for the transport of a wide range of loads.
Deniliquin is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Victoria. It is the largest town in the Edward River Council local government area.
PV Pride of the Murray, like many other Australian paddle wheelers, started out life as a timber logging barge. It was built at Echuca on the Murray River in 1924, and relaunched as a tourist vessel in 1977, also at Echuca. In 2022 the vessel was transported overland to Longreach, Queensland, for use as a tourist attraction on the Thompson River.
The first passenger carriages of the Victorian Railways (VR) were fixed-wheel, with a mixture of first- and second-class bodies on either four- or six-wheeled underframes. They were built to the British side-loading, swing-door, cross bench compartment (non-corridor) style; later a saloon style was used to a limited extent, featuring fewer doors per side and perimeter seating - which increased total capacity by allowing more standing passengers.
The Victorian Railways used a variety of boxcars or covered goods wagons for the transport of all manner of goods. This page covers the history and development of the various classes, and how they changed through their lives.
The Victorian Railways used a variety of air-cooled and iced wagons or refrigerated vans for the transport of all manner of goods. This page covers the history and development of the various classes, and how they changed through their lives.
The Moama Historic Precinct is a heritage-listed abandoned settlement location, river wharf and public space on Hunt Street, Moama, New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Echuca - Moama Bridge and the Echuca Wharf on the Victorian side of the river. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Victorian Railways used a variety of flat wagons for the transport of a wide range of loads. Generally speaking, the bogie wagons were custom-built for the job, while the fixed-wheel variants were cut down from former open wagons. Loadings would be placed on the deck and, if necessary, protected with tarps, then secured to the wagons with chains or rope connecting to lashing rings along the side of the wagon frames.
The Victorian Railways used a variety of former traffic wagons around depots and for specific construction, maintenance and similar tasks. Very few of these vehicles were specially constructed from scratch, often instead recycling components or whole wagon bodies and frames from old vehicles that had been withdrawn from normal service as life-expired or superseded by a better design.
Deniliquin railway station was a railway station serving the town of Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia. The station was opened on 4 July 1876 by the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company and was bought by Victorian Railways in 1923. The station was the terminus of the Deniliquin railway line. The station building was demolished and is not in use anymore.