 | |
| Industry | Railway operator |
|---|---|
| Founded | 21 March 1890 |
| Defunct | 31 July 1964 |
| Fate | purchased by Western Australian Government Railways |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Western Australia |
Number of employees | 472 (1963) |
The Midland Railway of Western Australia (MRWA) was a railway company that built and operated the Midland line in Western Australia. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Although having its headquarters in London, it had no association with the English Midland Railway.
In December 1883, John Waddington representing a syndicate of English capitalists, proposed to Governor Broome to build a line from York via Northam, Newcastle, Bejoording, New Norcia and along the Berkshire Valley to Geraldton under a land grant scheme. A parliamentary select committee recommended the route be altered to branch off from the Eastern Railway at Guildford and run via Chittering, Bindoon, Victoria Plains, Carnamah, Arrino, Upper Irwin and Dongara to Walkaway where it would join the Western Australian Government Railway's line from Geraldton. The agreement was signed on 27 February 1886, with work commencing a few days later. [1] [2]
Under the land grant scheme, 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) of land was granted for every mile of railway completed, a total of 3,319,000 acres (1,343,000 ha). The consortium was able to select land within 40 miles (64 km) of the new railway. Financing problems delayed construction with construction being suspended in June 1887. The Government tried to rescind the contract, but could not as the consortium had until 1890 to complete the first 160 kilometres of the line. [1] [2] [3] [4]
On 21 March 1890, the Midland Railway Company of Western Australia was floated on the London Stock Exchange and Herbert Bond purchased John Waddington's shareholding in the consortium and work recommenced on the 446 kilometre line from both ends. [1]
The first section from Midland Junction to Gingin opened on 9 April 1891, followed by Walkaway to Mingenew on 16 August 1891. The rest of the line opened in stages until the two sections met on 1 November 1894. [1] [5]
Between 1905 and 1918, the company actively pursued a scheme of land classification and settlement led by land agent and politician James Gardiner. The first subdivision was auctioned at Moora on 22 June 1906.[4] By 1911, 16 subdivisions between Midland Junction and Dongara had been classified and auctioned. From 1910, Gardiner managed the Ready Made Farms Scheme, which provided cleared and fenced farms with houses to prospective settlers.[5] The townsites of Coorow, Winchester and Carnamah formed the backbone of the scheme. The scheme was advertised widely to British citizens and was moderately successful, with 35 of the 58 farms sold by the end of 1915.[6]
In 1915, the Western Australian Government Railways opened the parallel, but longer Northern Railway route about 50 kilometres further east via Wongan Hills and Mullewa. [6]
Between 1914 and 1917, business declined rapidly and the company operated at a loss. This was brought on by decreased revenue owing to the construction of the Northern Railway (which captured railway traffic from the Midland Railway), crop losses due to drought, the loss of men from districts owing to World War I, and the imposition of new federal taxes. In 1918, the land settlement scheme was wound up.[7]
In 1922, the MRWA made the first of a number of proposals for the Western Australian Government Railways to purchase it. In December 1962, with much of the track and rolling stock in need of replacement, the company entered negotiations for the WAGR to purchase the business. This was concluded in December 1963, with the sale effective 1 August 1964. [6] [7]
Up until it cessation, a weekly passenger service operated over the line. [6] [8]
In 1946, the Midland Railway Company began operating a bus service between Perth and Geraldton. Buses to conduct wildflower tours. In 1948, it began operating Wildflower Study Tours from Perth and along roads to and from Geraldton through the northern wheatbelt. Also in 1948, it began operating truck services. By 1962, seven road coaches, six trucks and two prime movers were operated. [6]
The Midland Railway established its workshops and headquarters at Midland Junction. Later on, in 1904, the WAGR relocated their workshops from its overcrowded site at Fremantle to Midland also.
The site of the Midland Railway Company Workshops. A different and separate workshops north west and the other side of the main rail corridor from the Midland Railway Workshops and marshalling yard (which actually worked across the Great Eastern Highway next to the town Post Office) is now the location of the Centrepoint shopping centre and its car-park.
In 1936, the MRWA owned 23 locomotives, 23 carriages and 523 freight wagons. [9] At the time of the sale, the MRWA operated nine diesel locomotives, 10 passenger carriages and 602 freight wagons. [6]
The MRWA operated nine A, nine B, five C and two D class locomotives. All were withdrawn from service in the 1950s. [1]
B6 was placed on a plinth in a park in Geraldton as a display, but in 2000, was removed due to poor condition and road transported to Midland Railway Workshops for possible restoration by members of Rail Heritage WA. However, the group could not proceed with the work required, and were required to vacate the workshops site to allow the site to be redeveloped, with B6 moving to the Western Australian Rail Transport Museum, Bassendean. It has since moved to Walkaway.
In 1957, MRWA took delivery of its first diesel powered locomotive in the form of diesel mechanical shunting unit E30. A year later the first of seven F class mainline diesel electric units entered service. In 1963, two G class were delivered but due to their axle loading were restricted to working between Midland Junction and Watheroo. [1]
In 2002, the name was revived by South Spur Rail Services for a restaurant train business that ran the Spirit of the West for a number of years. [12] [13]
The Australind is a rural passenger train service in Western Australia operated by Transwa on the South Western Railway between Perth and Bunbury.
Walkaway is a small town in the City of Greater Geraldton local government area of Western Australia. At the 2016 census, Walkaway had a population of 270.
Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsibility for tram and ferry operations that it assumed and later relinquished. Westrail was the trading name of WAGR from September 1975 until December 2000, when the WAGR's freight division and the Westrail name and logo were privatised. Its freight operations were privatised in December 2000 with the remaining passenger operations transferred to the Public Transport Authority in July 2003.
Three Springs is a town located 313 kilometres (194 mi) north of Perth, Western Australia on the Midlands Road, which until the opening of the Brand Highway in 1975 was the main road route from Perth to the state's north. The town is the seat of the Shire of Three Springs. Its economy is based on agriculture and mining.
The Northern Railway has had a number of meanings in Western Australian railway history.
The South Western Railway, also known as the South West Main Line, is the main railway route between Perth and Bunbury in Western Australia.
Commonwealth Engineering was an Australian engineering company that designed and built railway locomotives, rolling stock and trams.
The Railway Museum, also known as the Rail Transport Museum, is situated in Bassendean, Western Australia. It is run by the Western Australian division of the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS), which is called Rail Heritage WA.
The WAGR X class is a now-withdrawn class of diesel locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock & Company and Metropolitan-Vickers, Bowesfield Works, Stockton-on-Tees for the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) between 1954 and 1956. Several members of the class have been preserved.
The WAGR C Class was a class of steam locomotives built by Robert Stephenson and Company for the Western Australian Government Railways in 1880 to the same design as the NZR F class.
The Western Australian Government Railways operated many unique steam, diesel and electric locomotive classes. Often suffering from lack of available funds the WAGR locomotive fleet often consisted of locomotives far older than their expected operational life. Only one electric locomotive was operated by the government during the WAGR years.
The G class were a class of diesel locomotives built by English Electric, Rocklea for the Midland Railway of Western Australia in 1963. They were later sold to the Western Australian Government Railways.
The F class were a class of diesel locomotives built by English Electric, Rocklea for the Midland Railway of Western Australia in 1958. They were later sold to the Western Australian Government Railways.
The MRWA B class was a class of steam locomotives built by Hawthorn Leslie in Tyneside, England, for the Midland Railway of Western Australia (MRWA). The class's wheel arrangement was 4-4-0.
The MRWA E class was a single member class of diesel-hydraulic shunting (switching) locomotive built by Commonwealth Engineering, Bassendean, Western Australia, for the Midland Railway of Western Australia (MRWA) in 1957. The locomotive was later owned and operated by the MRWA's successor, the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR).
The WAGR ADE class was a six member class of diesel railcars operated by the Western Australian Government Railways between 1937 and 1962.
The WAGR ADF class was a six member class of diesel railcars operated by the Western Australian Government Railways between 1949 and 1975.
Avon Yard is a railway yard west of Northam, Western Australia. It lies on the southern side of the Avon River on the Eastern Railway between Toodyay and Northam.
The Midland railway line runs from Midland Junction to Walkaway in Western Australia. Built by the Midland Railway of Western Australia, the 446 kilometre line opened in November 1894.
The Midlander was an overnight passenger train operated by the Western Australian Government Railways between Perth and Geraldton via the Midland line from September 1964 until July 1975.
