Millmerran railway line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The Millmerran railway line is a 71 kilometre long branch railway in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia.
The Queensland Parliament approved a railway line to link Pittsworth with the east via the Southern railway line from Toowoomba in October 1885.[ citation needed ]
The line branches off the Southern line in the township of Wyreema (then called Beauaraba) 17 km south of the major regional city of Toowoomba and opened on 19 September 1887. The Southern line branched from Gowrie Junction until the opening of the Drayton Deviation from Toowoomba direct to Wyreema in 1915.[ citation needed ]
Stops were constructed en route to Pittsworth at The Hollows, Umbiram, Southbrook, Greenhills and Broxburn.[ citation needed ]
An extension to the agricultural centre of Millmerran via Murlaggan, Yarranlea, Cecilvale, Brookstead, Pampas and Yandilla was approved in November 1909 and opened for business on 18 October 1911. Much of the line closely parallels the Gore Highway.[ citation needed ]
Grain traffic was substantial and has been the branch lifeblood all along. A rail motor service operated between 1928 and 1969. As occurred elsewhere, road transport took over much of the business with the result that only spasmodic grain transport remains.[ citation needed ]
The line was closed following the 2010–11 Queensland floods. [1] American operator Watco began operating grain trains to and from Brookstead in April 2022 on behalf of GrainCorp.
The line was laid with 30kg/m rail with an axle load of 15.75 tonnes. The maximum grade is 1 in 50 (2%) and the minimum radius curves are 160m. The line speed is 50km/h to Brookstead, and was 30km/h beyond.[ citation needed ]
Oakey is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Oakey had a population of 4,705 people.
The Gore Highway is a highway running between Toowoomba and Goondiwindi in Queensland, Australia. Together with Goulburn Valley Highway and Newell Highway, it is a part of the National Highway's Melbourne-Brisbane link. It is signed as National Highway A39.
The Shire of Jondaryan was a local government area located in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, immediately west of the regional city of Toowoomba. The shire, administered from the town of Oakey, covered an area of 1,910.0 square kilometres (737.5 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1890 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the Toowoomba area to form the Toowoomba Region. Its growth in later years has been fuelled by the expansion of Toowoomba and suburbs such as Glenvale and Westbrook.
Pittsworth is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Pittsworth had a population of 3,294 people.
Inland Rail, also known as Inland Railway and previously Australian Inland Railway Expressway, is a 1,727-kilometre (1,073 mi) railway line under construction in Australia. Once complete, it will connect the ports of Melbourne and Brisbane along a new route west of the mountainous Great Dividing Range, bypassing the busy Sydney metropolitan area and allowing for the use of double-stacked freight trains. The route will also connect to the Sydney–Perth rail corridor, reducing journey times between Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
The Shire of Millmerran was a local government area in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) southwest of the regional city of Toowoomba. The shire covered an area of 4,520.8 square kilometres (1,745.5 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1913 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other councils in the Toowoomba area to become the Toowoomba Region.
Millmerran, known as Domville between 1 June 1889 and 16 November 1894, is a town and a locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Millmerran had a population of 1,563 people.
The Toowoomba Region is a local government area located in the Darling Downs part of Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the early 1900s and beyond.
Wyreema is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Wyreema had a population of 1,834 people.
The Maryvale railway line was a branch railway in the Southern Downs region of Queensland, Australia.
The Goomburra railway line was a branch railway in the Southern Downs region of Queensland, Australia.
The Southern railway line serves the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The 197-kilometre (122 mi) long line branches from the Western line at Toowoomba, 161 kilometres (100 mi) west of Brisbane, and proceeds south through Warwick and Stanthorpe to the New South Wales/Queensland state border at Wallangarra.
Queensland's railway construction commenced in 1864, with the turning of the first sod of the Main Line by Lady Diamantina Bowen, the wife of Queensland's first governor Sir George Bowen at Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. A narrow gauge of 3 ft 6 in was selected due to cost savings in providing a rail link to Toowoomba. Despite being built with bridges wide enough for standard gauge, and the fact that most other lines did not require heavy earthworks, the gauge remained the Queensland system norm.
The Wandoan Branch is a 70 km railway line in the Darling Downs region Queensland, Australia. It links the towns of Miles and Wandoan. It was approved to extend to Taroom, but construction halted during World War I and never recommenced.
The Western railway line is a narrow gauge railway, connecting the south-east and south-west regions of Queensland, Australia. It commences at Toowoomba, at the end of the Main Line railway from Brisbane, and extends west 810 km to Cunnamulla, passing through the major towns of Dalby, Roma and Charleville, although services on the 184 km section from Westgate to Cunnamulla have been suspended since 2011. The Queensland Government was the first railway operator in the world to adopt narrow gauge for a main line, and this remains the system-wide gauge.
Pampas is a rural locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Pampas had a population of 62 people.
Brookstead is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Brookstead had a population of 217 people.
Bongeen is a rural locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Bongeen had a population of 75 people.
Toowoomba–Karara Road is a continuous 82.5 kilometres (51.3 mi) road route in the Toowoomba and Southern Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. Most of the route is signed as State Route 48. Toowoomba–Karara Road is a state-controlled district road. As part of State Route 48 it provides an alternate route between Toowoomba and Inglewood. It is also part of the shortest route from Toowoomba to Texas.
Toowoomba–Cecil Plains Road is a continuous 78.6 kilometres (48.8 mi) road route in the Toowoomba region of Queensland, Australia. Most of the road is not signed with any route number, but a short section near Cecil Plains is part of State Route 82. Toowoomba–Cecil Plains Road is a state-controlled district road, part of which is rated as a local road of regional significance (LRRS).