Hay railway line

Last updated

Hay Line
Hay branch line - Junee.jpg
Hay railway line in Junee
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Route map

Contents

BSicon exKHSTa.svg
Hay
BSicon exHST.svg
Beabula
BSicon exHST.svg
Uardry
BSicon exHST.svg
Carrathool
BSicon exHST.svg
Groongal
BSicon exHST.svg
Bringagee
BSicon exHST.svg
Benerembah
BSicon exHST.svg
Willbriggie
BSicon exHST.svg
Whitton
BSicon exHST.svg
Gogeldrie
BSicon xABZg+l.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
line to Griffith
BSicon eHST.svg
Yanco
BSicon exCONTgq.svg
BSicon eABZg+r.svg
line to Tocumwal
BSicon HSTACC.svg
Narrandera
BSicon eHST.svg
Grong Grong
BSicon eHST.svg
Matong
BSicon eHST.svg
Ganmain
BSicon HSTACC.svg
Coolamon
BSicon eHST.svg
Marrar
BSicon eHST.svg
Old Junee
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon ABZqlr.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
joins the Main South line at Junee

The Hay railway line is a partly closed railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line branches from the Main South line at Junee, and passes in a westwards direction through the towns of Coolamon and Narrandera to Yanco. The first train arrived in Hay on 4 July 1882. [1] The line beyond Yanco to Hay is now closed, [2] although the section to Willbriggie remained open for grain haulage until 2004. [3] At Yanco, the still-open Yanco to Griffith line branches off in a northwesterly direction to Griffith.

Passenger services

Hay branch line - Junee Hay branch line - Junee 01.jpg
Hay branch line – Junee

Until 1986, passenger service operated over the section of line between Junee and Yanco on their way to Griffith, consisting of a through train to Sydney (the Riverina Express ) on several days per week, with a connection service between Grifith and Junee (connecting with the South Mail ) on the other days. A connecting railcar service was provided at Narrandera for passengers on the Tocumwal line operated three days per week, until withdrawn on Saturday 26 November 1983. [4]

These services were withdrawn in 1986, and replaced by road coach services. [5] Between 1986 and 1996, no passenger trains operated over the line until services were reintroduced in 1996 after considerable political pressure was placed upon the NSW State Government. [6] A weekly locomotive train was initially reintroduced, subsequently replaced by a weekly Xplorer train. Railway stations remain open at Coolamon and Narrandera.

See also

Related Research Articles

Narrandera Town in New South Wales, Australia

Narrandera until around 1949 also spelled "Narandera", is a town located in the Riverina region of southern New South Wales, Australia. The town lies on the junction of the Newell and Sturt highways, adjacent to the Murrumbidgee River, and it is considered the gateway to the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. At the 2016 census, Narrandera had a population of 3,746 people.

Tocumwal Town in New South Wales, Australia

Tocumwal is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Berrigan Shire local government area, near the Victorian border. The town is situated on the banks of the Murray River, 270 kilometres (170 mi) north of the city of Melbourne. The Newell Highway and Murray Valley Highway join at the Murray River, and form part of the main road route National Highway A39 between Brisbane and Melbourne. At the 2016 census, Tocumwal had a population of 2,682. The winner of several 'Tidy Town' awards, Tocumwal is affectionately known as 'The Jewel in the Crown That Is The Riverina District'.

Riverina Region in New South Wales, Australia

The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop into one of the most productive and agriculturally diverse areas of Australia. Bordered on the south by the state of Victoria and on the east by the Great Dividing Range, the Riverina covers those areas of New South Wales in the Murray and Murrumbidgee drainage zones to their confluence in the west.

Electoral district of Murrumbidgee

Murrumbidgee is a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, named after the Murrumbidgee River.

Coolamon, New South Wales Town in New South Wales, Australia

Coolamon is a town in the Riverina region of south-west New South Wales, Australia. Coolamon is 40 kilometres (25 mi) north-west of Wagga Wagga and 506 kilometres (314 mi) south-west of Sydney via the Hume and Sturt Highways. The town is situated on the railway line between Junee and Narrandera. Coolamon had a population of 2,199 at the 2016 census and is 290 metres (950 ft) above sea level. It is the administrative and service centre for the local government area which bears its name—Coolamon Shire.

The Tocumwal railway line is a 1,600 mm gauge railway line in Victoria, Australia. The line runs between the border town of Tocumwal in New South Wales to Southern Cross on the western edge of the Melbourne central business district. The line is utilised by various passenger and freight trains serving the northern suburbs of Melbourne and northern regions of Victoria.

Main Southern railway line, New South Wales 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 Temora–Roto railway line is a partly closed railway line in the southwest of New South Wales, Australia. It branches from the Lake Cargelligo line at the town of Temora and travels west through the northern part of the Riverina to the towns of Griffith and Hillston. A connection to the Broken Hill line created a cross-country route, although this was never utilised to its full potential, and the line beyond Hillston was built to low grade 'pioneer' standards.

Tocumwal railway line, New South Wales Former railway line in New South Wales

The Tocumwal railway line is a closed railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line branched from the still open Junee – Hay line at Narrandera station and then headed south west to Tocumwal station where there was a break-of-gauge with the Victorian Railways Goulburn Valley line from Shepparton.

Yanco–Griffith railway line

The Yanco to Griffith railway line is a railway line in New South Wales, Australia. Together with the Junee- Yanco section of the Hay railway line, it is one of two routes to the town of Griffith, the other route being via Temora. It branches from the Hay railway line at the town of Yanco and passes through the town of Leeton before reaching Griffith. The line is open to passenger trains – a weekly NSW TrainLink passenger service operates on weekends. A passenger station remains open at Leeton.

Griffith railway station

Griffith railway station is located on the Yanco-Griffith line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the city of Griffith.

Great White Train

The Great White Train was an effort in the 1920s by Sydney based industrialists to convince Australians to Buy Australian Made.

Junee railway station

Junee railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main South line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Junee in the Junee Shire. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Tocumwal railway station

Tocumwal railway station is a heritage-listed closed railway station in the town of Tocumwal, New South Wales, Australia. It was once the break-of-gauge between the broad gauge Victorian Railways Tocumwal line from the south, and the standard gauge New South Wales Government Railways Tocumwal line from the north. However, only the line from Victoria is still open.

Creamy Kate and Trailer

Creamy Kate was a New South Wales Government Railways railmotor, numbered 38. It was an evolution of the CPH rail motor class.

New South Wales 600/700 class railcar

The 600/700 class railcars were a class of diesel multiple unit built by the New South Wales Government Railways. They were built to operate on branch lines from 1949 with low traffic volumes later being transferred to Newcastle and Wollongong to operate suburban services until withdrawn in 1994. However, one 600 class railcar was converted to solar operation for use on the Byron Bay Train service. The upgraded train entered service on 16 December 2017 and is believed to be the world's first solar-powered train.

New South Wales 400/500 class railmotor

The 400/500 class rail motors are diesel trains built by New South Wales Government Railways primarily for use on regional lines throughout NSW. The trains have since been phased out following a rationalisation of country branch line rail services in November 1983. The 400 Class power cars were built in 1938 at the Eveleigh Carriage Workshops, while the 500 Class trailer cars were built by Ritchie Brothers at Auburn.

The 1100 class railcar or Budd railcar are a type of diesel railcar built by Commonwealth Engineering for the New South Wales railways department in 1961. They primarily operated on the South Coast Daylight Express until withdrawn in 1993.

Coolamon railway station

Coolamon railway station is located on the Hay line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Coolamon.

Narrandera railway station

Narrandera railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located at Whitton Street, Narrandera, Narrandera Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on the Hay railway line, and was formerly the junction station for the Tocumwal railway line. It was built in 1880 by Charles Hardy to a design attributed to John Whitton. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

References

  1. The Centenary of the Railway from Junee to Hay Pollard, N.J. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, April;May;June;July, 1982 pp65-86;104-112;113-136;148-162
  2. "Hay Branch". nswrail.net. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
  3. NSW Minister for Transport (19 May 2005). "News Release" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2007.
  4. Bob Whitehead (2008). Tocumwal Railway Centenary.
  5. Pollard, N.Rails to the Margins: The Griffith, Hillston, Roto Line. Australian Railway History, Vol 58, no. 836. June 2007.
  6. Date, K (November 1997). "Network Review: Junee- Goulburn". Railway Digest .