| Kurrajong Line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 The station sign at Kurrajong (circa 1950). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Termini |
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| Stations | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | New South Wales Government Railways | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 8 November 1926 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 26 July 1952 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Kurrajong railway line was a railway line in the distant rural western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It was an extension of the branch off the Main Western line from Blacktown to Richmond and was operated by the New South Wales Government Railways.
The construction of the railway between Richmond and Kurrajong did not receive Parliamentary authorisation until 1919, by which time roads were being improved to a standard that did not warrant a railway to bring the produce of the area west of the Hawkesbury River to the Sydney market. From its opening in 1926 until its closure in 1952, it remained a minor branch line.
Lobbying for an extension of the Richmond line to Kurrajong began in 1884, but the high cost of bridging the flood-prone Hawkesbury River, and the limited amount of agricultural land available, delayed construction.
Finally, political lobbying by local landholders paid off and the first sod was turned on 2 June 1923. Regular passenger trains began running on 8 November 1926, [1] although the official opening took place on 20 November 1926. [2]
The branch began in the back platform at Richmond and continued across East Market Street on a level crossing which was protected by a station employee with a red flag or red light. It then passed around Richmond Oval, continuing in a north west direction along March Street, at the far end of which it left the town centre and entered its own right of way. That dropped through a cutting towards the river on a 1 in 50 grade, before making its way across the alluvial soil of the level floodplain. Trains were running to that point by April 1925.
Gravel trains ran from the Nepean Sand and Gravel Siding, located just before the line crossed the Old Kurrajong Road. The material was being used in the construction of Sydney Harbour Bridge.
A very short passenger platform was located on the eastern bank of the Hawkesbury river. It opened in 1928 with the misnomer of Nepean Bridge, and was renamed Phillip in 1934. The location was a favourite swimming and picnic spot.
The railway bridge over the Hawkesbury River was erected on concrete piers which were an extension of those supporting the adjacent road bridge. Upon leaving the river, the line ascended on a 1 in 36 grade through the western river bank and reached Bells Line of Road which it crossed at a 45 degree angle and entered North Richmond station, which had a 200-foot (61 m) long platform with shelter and a goods siding.
After leaving the station, the railway continued in a straight alignment, largely through the property of farmers. Being classed as a "pioneer line", the route was unfenced and the rails second-hand, laid on wooden sleepers with ash ballast. Stopping locations were established between North Richmond and Kurrajong at locations which, in 1928, were named Red Cutting, Kemsleys, Thompsons Ridge, Nurri and Duffys. The line through those locations passed orchards and small farms as it slowly climbed into what is the foothills of the Blue Mountains.
Embankments and cuttings became a feature of the line as it headed towards its terminus, Kurrajong station, which was located on a site carved from the side of the ridge on which the village was situated. A concrete slab station building stood on the platform. There was a run-round loop, and looped goods siding which served a goods shed and hand crane.
The regular passenger train on the railway consisted of a Z20-class tank locomotive hauling two carriages. Just like the Camden line, the train was given the nickname "Pansy". [3] The 7-mile (11 km) journey was timed to take between 30 and 35 minutes. Mixed trains were given extra time, to allow for the possible need to shunt at North Richmond or the Nepean Gravel siding.
However, trains of up to five carriages ran to Kurrajong on public holidays. Phillip station was well patronised, and bushwalkers could take advantage of the halts between North Richmond and Kurrajong. Often carriages would be detached at Kurrajong, to return on later trains when the patronage was increased. The gravel trains were usually hauled by a D50-class locomotive which could haul 640 tons from the siding.
The speed limit for passenger and mixed was just 20 mph (32 km/h), with a 10 mph (16 km/h) limit along March Street and through the park opposite Richmond station. The gravel trains were limited to 10 and 5 mph (16 and 8 km/h) respectively.
Safeworking was by means of Ordinary Train Staff, but it was permissible to operate gravel trains between Richmond and the siding whilst the staff was secured at Kurrajong.
Very little freight was handled on the line beyond Hawkesbury River. It was far more convenient for orchardists to use road freight to the Sydney markets, because that provided the opportunity for back loading of fertiliser and other farm requisites.
Whilst the line was initially considered a country branch line, from 10 October 1941 it was brought into the Sydney Metropolitan fare scales, which permitted reduced off-peak returns and child weekend excursions.
The closing date was not one with the usual advance notice. Heavy rain on the weekend of 12 and 13 June 1952, caused the Hawkesbury River to flood and, as was usual with such occurrences, the railway service was suspended. More flooding followed in the following weeks and a bus was substituted on the Kurrajong side of the river, with a floodboat ferrying passengers across the flooded stream. A cutting near the terminus had collapsed and, despite constant efforts, would not stabilise until prolonged dry weather returned.
Consequently, it was announced that, in view of the damage to the line and the fact that the line was never a commercial success, it would not reopen. Protest meetings occurred, [4] but finally, on 17 September 1952, the newly appointed Commissioner for Railways, Reg Winsor, gave the official notification. The total annual income of the line was less than the cost of repairs.
Richmond is a historic town in north-west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Richmond is in local government area of City of Hawkesbury and comes under Sydney Metropolitan area. It is located 20 metres above sea level on the alluvial Hawkesbury River flats, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. It is about 65 km by road from Sydney, 22 km from Penrith, 26 km from Blacktown, 40 km from Parramatta, 78 km from Lithgow and 5 km from Windsor. Richmond Town is now part of Sydney urban area have all amenities including Shopping Malls, Service NSW, Schools, TAFE, University, Post Office, Restaurants, Railway Station, Cafe, Hotel and Supermarkets.
The Hawkesbury River, or Hawkesbury-Nepean River, is a river located northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its associated main tributary, the Nepean River, almost encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney. Between Wisemans Ferry and the Pacific Ocean marks the boundary of Greater Metropolitan Sydney in the south and the Central Coast region to the north.
Brooklyn is a suburb and the northern most town on the Pacific Highway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Brooklyn is located on the northern outskirts of Sydney and is located in the local government area of the Hornsby Shire with a population of 722 as of the 2016 census. Brooklyn is surrounded by the Muogamarra Nature Reserve and occupies a strip of waterfront along the southern bank of the Hawkesbury River.
The Axholme Joint Railway was a committee created as a joint enterprise between the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&Y) and the North Eastern Railway (NER) and was established by the North Eastern Railway Act of 31 July 1902. It took over the Goole and Marshland Railway, running from Marshland Junction near Goole to Reedness Junction and Fockerby, and the Isle of Axholme Light Railway, running from Reedness Junction to Haxey Junction. Construction of the Goole and Marshland Railway had begun in 1898, and by the time of the takeover in early 1903, was virtually complete. The Isle of Axholme Light Railway was started in 1899, but only the section from Reedness Junction to Crowle was complete at the takeover. The northern section opened on 10 August 1903, and the line from Crowle to Haxey Junction opened for passengers on 2 January 1905.
The Main North Line is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through Strathfield to Armidale. The line is the main line between Sydney and Armidale. As of 1988, the line closed progressively north of Armidale with services gradually withdrawn till 2004, with the main route between Sydney and Brisbane now the North Coast line.
Clarendon railway station is located on the Richmond line, serving the Sydney suburb of Clarendon. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 Western and T5 Cumberland line services.
Richmond railway station is the heritage-listed terminus railway station of the Richmond line, serving the Sydney suburb of Richmond, in New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 Western and T5 Cumberland line services. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Hawkesbury River railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Northern and Central Coast–Newcastle lines in Brooklyn in the Hornsby Shire local government area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The station serves the town of Brooklyn and is located on the southern bank of the Hawkesbury River. It was designed and build by the Department of Railways New South Wales. It is also known as Hawkesbury River Railway Station group and Brooklyn Station. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Yarramundi is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Yarramundi is located 69 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury.
North Richmond is a town and also considered as suburb of Richmond, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Richmond is located 67 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury. It is separated from Richmond to the south-east by the Hawkesbury River. North Richmond is not part of Sydney metropolitan area as its border is Hawkesbury River, however North Richmond is considered as outskirts of Sydney region. Due to Redbank, a new land estate area in North Richmond, population increased gradually from 2020.
The Lapstone Zig Zag was a zig zag railway built between Emu Plains and Blaxland stations on the Main Western Line of New South Wales in Australia. Constructed between 1863 and 1865 to overcome an otherwise insurmountable climb up the eastern side of the Blue Mountains, the zig zag and associated Knapsack Viaduct, a sandstone arch viaduct, were designed by John Whitton, Engineer-in-Charge of New South Wales Government Railways, and were built by William Watkins. The zig zag was listed on the Blue Mountains local government heritage register on 27 December 1991; while the adjacent Knapsack Viaduct was listed on the New South Wales Heritage Database on 2 April 1999. The Lapstone Zig Zag was the world-first Zig Zag constructed on any main-line railway.
The Coxs River, a perennial river that is part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment, is located in the Central Tablelands, Blue Mountains, and Macarthur regions of New South Wales, Australia.
Kurrajong is a small town in New South Wales, Australia. Kurrajong is located 75 kilometres (47 mi) north-west of Sydney, in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury.
The Hawkesbury River railway bridge is a heritage-listed railway bridge in New South Wales, Australia that carries the Main North railway line across the Hawkesbury River. The bridge crosses between Brooklyn on the northern outskirts of Sydney and Cogra Bay in the Central Coast region. The railway bridge was to be the last link in a railway network that linked the state capitals Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and was a major engineering feat at the time. The original railway bridge was built in 1889 and replaced by the current bridge in 1946. The 1946 bridge was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Richmond railway line is a railway line in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is a branch of the Main Western line. Sydney Trains operates electric passenger train services over the line and markets these as part of the North Shore & Western Line and Cumberland Line.
The Richmond Vale Railway was a 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in colliery railway line in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia, servicing coal mines at Minmi, Stockrington, Pelaw Main and Richmond Main. It was over 26 km (16 mi) long and passed through three tunnels, and was the last commercially operated railway in Australia to use steam locomotives.
The Grose River, a perennial river that is part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment, is located in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia.
Cowan Bank is an 8.6-kilometre (5 mi) double-track section of the standard gauge Main North line in New South Wales, Australia. It starts at Cowan station, 48.8 kilometres (30 mi) north of Sydney, descending from 200 metres (656 ft) AHD to sea level at Hawkesbury River station. It has an average grade of 2.5%.
The Great Northern Railway is a 1067 mm gauge railway line in Queensland, Australia. The line stretches nearly 1,000 kilometres linking the port city of Townsville, Australia to the mining town of Mount Isa in north-west Queensland. Along with a passenger service called the Inlander, it is a major freight route connecting the Mount Isa Mines to the Port of Townsville. In 2010, the line moved 5.8 million tonnes of cargo, and this is expected to increase significantly in coming years.
Australiana Pioneer Village is a heritage-listed open-air museum at Rose Street, Wilberforce, City of Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1969 to 1970. The property is owned by Hawkesbury City Council. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 February 2004.
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