Esperance Branch Railway

Last updated

Esperance Branch Railway
Overview
Termini
  • Coolgardie (NG) and Kalgoorlie (SG)
  • Esperance
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Old gauge Narrow gauge
Route map

Contents

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Kalgoorlie
Eastern Goldfields Railway
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(0km)
Coolgardie
Original rail alignment (closed 1960s)
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(11) Burbanks
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(16) Londonderry
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19 Hampton Siding
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22 Hampton
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60 Kambalda
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68 Redmine spur
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89 Roysalts spur
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(57) Logans Find
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93 Lefroy Siding
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(75) Widgiemooltha (NG)
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101 Widgiemooltha (SG)
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131 Higginsville
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134 Higginsville Siding
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163 Pioneer
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189 Norseman
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193 Cowan
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193 Cowan Minerals
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201 Lake Kirk
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212 Goodia
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223 Bromus
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238 Daniell
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252 Beete
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262 Kumarl
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274 Dowak
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285 Salmon Gums
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288 Salmon Gums grain loop
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296 Circle Loop
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305 Red Lake
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314 Grass Patch
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326 Truslove
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338 Scaddan
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347 Speddingup
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354 Flemming
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362 Gibson
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372 Gibson siding
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374 Caitup
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378 Shark Lake
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386 Collier
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Esperance...
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389 Goods Yard
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390 Grain depot
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390 Fuel depot
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391 Fuel jetty
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392 Esperance Station
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393 km Esperance Port

The Esperance Branch Railway is a railway from Kalgoorlie to the port of Esperance in Western Australia.

It was lobbied for by Esperance residents to be linked into the WAGR railway network to provide land transport to their region. [1] [2] [3]

In the strictest terms it was an extension of the Eastern Goldfields Railway. [4] , [5] but following the Standard Gauge project in the 1960s it has run from Kalgoorlie to Esperance since the mid-1970s, as Coolgardie is no longer connected by rail.

Sub-divisions/Sections

Steam era water supplies

During the time the narrow gauge railway was in operation, due to the distances through dry country, dams and tanks were of importance to supply the steam engines in operation.

Between Coolgardie and Esperance, water supply sources were from Water Supply Department (Coolgardie), Mines Department Dam (Widgiemooltha), [9] and WAGR dams. Early WAGR annual reports took into consideration: Catchment area, Capacity, Pumped or gravitation collection of water, estimated loss by evaporation and absorption, and total amount of water stored. [10]

Esperance Flyer

This passenger train started in 1932. It was 5 hours faster than the mixed goods train, [11] though averaging only about 35 km/h (22 mph). [12] Trains were sped up by a further 1½ hours when diesels took over in 1954. [13] By 1967 a bus had replaced the train. [14]

Gauge and route

The line was originally built as narrow gauge, but with gauge standardisation of the main interstate railway in the late 1960s, it was converted to standard gauge, so as not to become a gauge orphan. The route was also changed somewhat with standardisation, with a junction at Kalgoorlie replacing the junction at Coolgardie. Gauge conversion of the line was completed in the mid-1970s. [15]

Selected stopping locations

Notes

  1. http://henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au/record=b2395637~S2
  2. http://henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au/record=b1891792~S2
  3. http://henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au/record=b1869671~S2
  4. Western Australian Government Railways (1954), Report of the Western Australian Government Railways Commission for the year ended, W.H. Wyatt, retrieved 5 July 2012 Appendix F, page 60 – 'Eastern Goldfields Railway'
  5. [Scrapbook] of newspaper cuttings May 1900-December 1916 relating to Coolgardie-Esperance Railway, 1900, retrieved 18 April 2022
  6. "NORSEMAN RAILWAY". The Evening Star . Vol. 11, no. 3356. Western Australia. 10 February 1909. p. 3. Retrieved 23 June 2024 via National Library of Australia.
  7. "ESPERANCE RAILWAY". The West Australian . Vol. XLIII, no. 7, 877. Western Australia. 9 September 1927. p. 14. Retrieved 23 June 2024 via National Library of Australia.
  8. Alex Gibson and D. H. S. du Plessis (December 1947). "Report to the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the management, workings and control of the Western Australian Government Railways" (PDF). Parliament of Western Australia . Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  9. before railway construction the dam was identified as having 5 million gallon capacity "Widgiemooltha". Western Mail . Vol. XVI, no. 782. Western Australia. 22 December 1900. p. 107. Retrieved 23 June 2024 via National Library of Australia.
  10. Western Australian Government Railways, Tramways, and Electricity Supply; Western Australia. Public Works Department; Western Australia. Railway Dept; Western Australia. Public Works and Railways Dept (1900), Report on the working of the government railways, tramways, and electricity supply for the year ended, Fred. WM. Simpson, Government Printer, retrieved 23 June 2024{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) noting also titled in Trove/NLA entry for variant names of the Department
  11. "BY RAIL TO ESPERANCE". West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 – 1954). 20 December 1932. p. 15. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  12. Fitch, Ron J. (2006). Australian Railwayman: From Cadet Engineer to Railways Commissioner. Rosenberg Publishing Pty, Limited. ISBN   9781922013095.
  13. "Westland will be nearly four hours faster". Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 – 1954). 21 November 1954. p. 6. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  14. "Week-end Bus Service for Kambalda". Beverley Times (WA : 1905 – 1977). 1 December 1967. p. 8. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  15. "Narrow gauge service continues as track is standardised". Railway Transportation: 32–33. November 1973. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  16. Railway Digest October 2009, p17

Further reading

Old photos – Esperance station, Esperance Flyer

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