Sandstone branch railway

Sandstone branch railway
Sandstone branch railway
	Map of railway in location to the rabbit-proof fence, and Meekathara railway line on left
Overview
Status	Closed
Locale	Mid West, Western Australia
Termini	Mount Magnet ; Sandstone ;
History
Commenced	1909
Opened	1 August 1910
Closed	28 May 1949
Technical
Line length	150 km (93 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
	Sandstone branch railway Main locations 75km; 50miles Sandstone 2 Mount Magnet 1
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	This diagram: view ; talk ; edit ;

Last updated October 14, 2024

The Sandstone branch railway (also known as the Black Range railway) was a branch railway line between Mount Magnet and Sandstone in the Mid West region of Western Australia.

History

It was built in 1910,^[1]^[2] and closed in 1949;^[3] it was lifted in 1950.^[4]

The Mt. Magnet-Black Range Railway Act 1907, assented to on 20 December 1907, authorised the construction of the railway line,^[5] while the Railway (Mt.Magnet-Black Range) Discontinuance Act 1948, assented to on 21 January 1949, permitted its discontinuation. More specifically, the act permitted the removal of the line to be used for the construction or maintenance of other railway lines in the state, or to be sold by the ministry of railways.^[6]

Route

It was connected to the Mullewa – Meekatharra railway at Mount Magnet.

Locations on line

Mount Magnet – 481 miles (774 km) (from Perth)
Warrambu – 504 miles (811 km)
Mount Ford – 510 miles (820 km)
Paynesville 525 miles (845 km)
Intersection with No 1 Rabbit Proof Fence at 543 miles (874 km)
Anketell – 547 miles (880 km)
Jundoo – 550 miles (890 km)
Sandstone – 575 miles (925 km)

An interactive map of the Sandstone line is available at OpenStreetMap.^[7]

Proposed link to Leonora

Prior to^[8] and after construction, there were suggestions of connecting to the railway line at Leonora, approximately 100 miles (160 km) south east of Sandstone.^[9] Such a connection would have created a loop line linking the Northern Railway ^{[ which? ]} with the Eastern Goldfields Railway. The proposal was not successful.

Reputation of branch line

The railway was considered by the railway commissioner of the time in the mid-1930s to be the worst railway in Western Australia.^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]

Post-Second World War austerity issues were given as part of reason for closing in 1948 due to shortage of 45-pound (20 kg) rails for the required repairs to remain open.^[14]

Legacy

The Sandstone railway goods shed built in 1910 was considered to be of heritage significance, having survived long after closing of the line.^[15] The Sandstone railway station and the station master's house have been demolished but the goods sheet remains on the Shire of Sandstone heritage list, which also includes a railway tank stand and a railway dam at Sandstone.^[16]

At Mount Magnet, the railway station and platform, railway dam, railway bridge and the railway workers houses are on the Shire of Mount Magnet heritage list.^[17]

Notes

↑ 1 August 1910 – page 69, or WN 83Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John R; Australian Railway Historical Society. New South Wales Division (2000), Australian railway routes 1854 to 2000, Australian Railway Historical Society – New South Wales Division, ISBN 978-0-909650-49-0
↑ "WESTERN AUSTRALIA". The Argus . Melbourne. 19 July 1910. p. 7. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.
↑ Mount Magnet to Jundoo closed 31 December 1949, Jundoo – Sandstone closed 28 May 1949 – from page 69 Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John R; Australian Railway Historical Society. New South Wales Division (2000), Australian railway routes 1854 to 2000, Australian Railway Historical Society – New South Wales Division, ISBN 978-0-909650-49-0
↑ "Sleepers Sleep on Sleepers?". The Sunday Times . Perth. 3 February 1952. p. 6. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "Mt. Magnet-Black Range Railway Act 1907". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 20 December 1907. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
↑ "Railway (Mt.Magnet-Black Range) Discontinuance Act 1948". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 21 January 1949. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
↑ "Relation: Mount Magnet-Sandstone Railway (8780689)". 10 October 2019.
↑ "The Black Range Railway". Kalgoorlie Miner . WA. 8 March 1907. p. 4. Retrieved 23 November 2012– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "The Lawlers district". The West Australian . Perth. 9 October 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "Sandstone railway". Geraldton Guardian and Express . WA. 22 July 1933. p. 1. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "Commissioner's comment". The West Australian . Perth. 20 July 1933. p. 14. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "Sandstone Railway". The Mullewa Mail . Vol. 39, no. 1951. Western Australia. 9 September 1933. p. 7. Retrieved 21 July 2024– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "Commissioner's comment". Western Mail . Perth. 27 July 1933. p. 26. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "Sandstone to get road link". The Sunday Times . Perth. 19 December 1948. p. 5. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.
↑ John Taylor Architect; Sandstone (W.A. : Shire). Council; Heritage Council of Western Australia (2002), Conservation plan for Railway Goods Shed (1910), Sandstone, Western Australia, distributed by the Heritage Council, retrieved 22 October 2012
↑ "Railway Goods Shed (former), Sandstone". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
↑ "Shire of Mount Magnet Heritage Places". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 29 July 2024.

Related Research Articles

Toodyay, known as Newcastle between 1860 and 1910, is a town on the Avon River in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 85 kilometres (53 mi) north-east of Perth. The first European settlement occurred in the area in 1836. After flooding in the 1850s, the townsite was moved to its current location in the 1860s. It is connected by railway and road to Perth. During the 1860s, it was home to bushranger Moondyne Joe.

The Mid West region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is a sparsely populated region extending from the west coast of Western Australia, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) north and south of its administrative centre of Geraldton and inland to 450 kilometres (280 mi) east of Wiluna in the Gibson Desert.

Meekatharra is a town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. Meekatharra is a Yamatji word meaning "place of little water". At the 2016 census, Meekatharra had a population of 708, with 34.0% being of Aboriginal descent.

Mount Magnet is a town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is one of the region's original gold mining towns, and the longest surviving gold mining settlement in the state. The prominent hill that is adjacent to the current townsite was called West Mount Magnet in 1854 by explorer Robert Austin, having named a smaller hill 64 km away, East Mount Magnet. Both hills had an extremely high iron content which affected the readings of his compass. West Mount Magnet had its Aboriginal name reinstated by the Surveyor General in 1972, "Warramboo", meaning campfire camping place. The magnetic variation at Mount Magnet is zero: magnetic north equals true north.

Mount Barker is a town and locality on Albany Highway and the administrative centre of the Shire of Plantagenet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. At the 2021 census, Mount Barker had a population of 2,855.

The Eastern Goldfields Railway, was built in the 1890s by the Western Australian Government Railways to connect Perth with the Eastern Goldfields at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie.

Bencubbin is a town in Western Australia in the north eastern Wheatbelt, 275 km north-east of Perth. The town lies within the Shire of Mount Marshall and is home to approximately 294 people as of 2011. Surveyor General John Septimus Roe first surveyed the region in 1836 and he was followed by sandalwood cutters and stockmen, but it was not until 1908 that the first permanent settlers arrived.

Nungarin is a town located in the north east of the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, approximately 278 kilometres (173 mi) east of Perth and 39 kilometres (24 mi) north of Merredin. It is the main town in the Shire of Nungarin. At the 2006 census, Nungarin had a population of 142.

The Shire of Cue is a local government area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, about 420 kilometres (260 mi) east-northeast of the port city of Geraldton and about 650 kilometres (400 mi) north-northeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of 13,623 square kilometres (5,260 sq mi), and its seat of government is the town of Cue.

The Shire of Sandstone is a local government area in the eastern Mid West region of Western Australia, about 740 kilometres (460 mi) northeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of 32,882 square kilometres (12,696 sq mi), and its seat of government is the town of Sandstone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandstone, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Sandstone is a small town in the Mid West region of Western Australia 157 kilometres (98 mi) east of Mount Magnet and 661 kilometres (411 mi) north of the state capital, Perth. At the 2016 census, Sandstone and the surrounding Shire of Sandstone had a population of 89 people, including 19 families. Sandstone is the administrative centre and only town in the Shire of Sandstone local government area.

The Ongerup branch railway, also known as the Tambellup, Gnowangerup to Ongerup railway is a former railway line in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

Paynesville is a ghost town and locality in the Mid West region of Western Australia between the towns of Mount Magnet and Sandstone.

State Batteries in Western Australia were government owned and run ore-crushing facilities for the gold mining industry. Western Australia was the only Australian state to provide batteries to assist gold prospectors and small mines. They existed in almost all of the mineral fields of Western Australia.

The Mullewa–Meekatharra railway was a section of the Northern Railway in Western Australia.

The Meekatharra to Wiluna railway was a 113-mile (182 km) branch line of the Western Australian Government Railways that extended the Mullewa – Meekatharra railway from Meekatharra to Wiluna and operated between 1932 and 1957. Wiluna was the furthest rail terminus from Perth on the Western Australian Government Railways system. Paroo was the highest station, at 1,916 feet (584 m) above sea level; the highest point on the Western Australian railway network, west of Paroo, was 2,134 feet (650 m).

Railway dams and reservoirs were used to supply water to an extensive railway system that ventured into low rainfall, and poor water quality areas of the inner regions of Western Australia in the 1890s.

Western Australian Government Railways railway system during its peak operational time in the 1930s to 1950s was a large system of over 6,400 kilometres (4,000 mi) of railway line.

Main Roads Western Australia controls the major roads in the state's Mid West region. There are four main highways through the Mid West: The north-south coastal route of Brand Highway and North West Coastal Highway, the inland alternative Great Northern Highway, and the northern section of Goldfields Highway, which links Meekatharra with Kalgoorlie. A network of main roads connects towns within the Mid West to each other, the highways, and neighbouring regions, with local roads providing additional links and access to smaller townsites. Roads are often named after the towns they connect.

The Nannup branch railway, also known as the Wonnerup to Nannup railway, was a branch line of the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) between Wonnerup and Nannup.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] 1 August 1910 – page 69, or WN 83Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John R; Australian Railway Historical Society. New South Wales Division (2000), Australian railway routes 1854 to 2000, Australian Railway Historical Society – New South Wales Division, ISBN 978-0-909650-49-0

[2] "WESTERN AUSTRALIA". The Argus . Melbourne. 19 July 1910. p. 7. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.

[3] Mount Magnet to Jundoo closed 31 December 1949, Jundoo – Sandstone closed 28 May 1949 – from page 69 Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John R; Australian Railway Historical Society. New South Wales Division (2000), Australian railway routes 1854 to 2000, Australian Railway Historical Society – New South Wales Division, ISBN 978-0-909650-49-0

[4] "Sleepers Sleep on Sleepers?". The Sunday Times . Perth. 3 February 1952. p. 6. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.

[5] "Mt. Magnet-Black Range Railway Act 1907". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 20 December 1907. Retrieved 1 August 2024.

[6] "Railway (Mt.Magnet-Black Range) Discontinuance Act 1948". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 21 January 1949. Retrieved 1 August 2024.

[7] "Relation: Mount Magnet-Sandstone Railway (8780689)". 10 October 2019.

[8] "The Black Range Railway". Kalgoorlie Miner . WA. 8 March 1907. p. 4. Retrieved 23 November 2012– via National Library of Australia.

[9] "The Lawlers district". The West Australian . Perth. 9 October 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.

[10] "Sandstone railway". Geraldton Guardian and Express . WA. 22 July 1933. p. 1. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.

[11] "Commissioner's comment". The West Australian . Perth. 20 July 1933. p. 14. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.

[12] "Sandstone Railway". The Mullewa Mail . Vol. 39, no. 1951. Western Australia. 9 September 1933. p. 7. Retrieved 21 July 2024– via National Library of Australia.

[13] "Commissioner's comment". Western Mail . Perth. 27 July 1933. p. 26. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.

[14] "Sandstone to get road link". The Sunday Times . Perth. 19 December 1948. p. 5. Retrieved 22 October 2012– via National Library of Australia.

[15] John Taylor Architect; Sandstone (W.A. : Shire). Council; Heritage Council of Western Australia (2002), Conservation plan for Railway Goods Shed (1910), Sandstone, Western Australia, distributed by the Heritage Council, retrieved 22 October 2012

[16] "Railway Goods Shed (former), Sandstone". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 29 July 2024.

[17] "Shire of Mount Magnet Heritage Places". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 29 July 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

v t e Railway lines in Western Australia
Main lines	Eastern Goldfields Eastern Railway Great Southern Railway South Western Railway Trans-Australian Railway
Goldfields–Esperance	Hopetoun–Ravensthorpe ^† Kalgoorlie–Esperance Kalgoorlie–Gnumballa Lake ^† Kalgoorlie–Kanowna ^† Kalgoorlie–Leonora Malcolm–Laverton ^† Kambalda–Redmine
Great Southern	Donnybrook–Katanning ^† Elleker–Nornalup ^† Katanning–Pingrup ^† Tambellup–Ongerup ^†
Mid West	Avon Yard–Mullewa ^† Cue–Big Bell ^† Dongara–Eneabba ^† Geraldton–Ajana ^† Geraldton–Mullewa Karara Meekatharra-Horseshoe ^† Meekatharra–Wiluna ^† Millendon Junction–Narngulu Mullewa–Meekatharra ^† Mount Magnet–Sandstone ^† Upper Chapman Valley ^†
Peel	Waroona–Lake Clifton Pinjarra–Narrogin ^†
Pilbara	Fortescue Goldsworthy Hamersley & Robe River Marble Bar ^† Mount Newman Roy Hill
Perth	Airport Armadale Belmont ^† Ellenbrook Fremantle Kalamunda Kwinana freight Mandurah Midland (country) Midland (suburban) Mundaring Mundaring Weir Spearwood–Armadale ^† Thornlie Upper Darling Range Yanchep
South West	Boyanup–Flinders Bay ^† Brunswick Junction–Narrogin ^† Donnybrook–Katanning ^† Picton–Northcliffe ^† Pinjarra–Narrogin ^† Wonnerup–Nannup ^†
Wheatbelt	Amery–Kalannie Avon Yard–Mullewa ^† Brookton–Corrigin ^† Brunswick Junction–Narrogin ^† Burakin–Bonnie Rock ^† Goomalling–West Merredin ^† Lake Grace–Hyden Merredin–Narrogin ^† Merredin–Yilliminning ^† Pinjarra–Narrogin ^† Toodyay West–Miling Wagin–Bowelling ^† Wagin–Newdegate Wyalkatchem–Southern Cross ^† York–Bruce Rock ^†
Tourist and heritage railways	Bennett Brook Hotham Valley Oliver Hill
Timber railway lines	Ballaarat tramline Jarrahdale–Rockingham
Trams and tramways	Baldivis tramway Broome Tramway Carnarvon tram Trams in Fremantle Trams in Kalgoorlie Trams in Perth
Approved by Parliament but not constructed	Boyup Brook–Cranbrook Brookton–Dale River Manjimup–Mount Barker Southern Cross southwards Yarramony eastward Yuna-Dartmoor
^† Denotes railway is closed, partially closed or has been removed See also: Agricultural railways ♦ Wheatbelt railways