Upper Darling Range railway

Last updated

Upper Darling Range railway
G 118 kalamunda hv gnangarra.jpg
G118 at the Kalamunda Historical Village on the site of Kalamunda station
Overview
StatusDismantled
Termini
Service
System Western Australian Government Railways
History
OpenedJuly 1891
Closed22 July 1949
Technical
Line length35 kilometres
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Route map
Upper Darling
Range railway
BSicon LSTR.svg
to Perth
BSicon BHF.svg
Guildford
BSicon LSTRq.svg
BSicon ABZgr+r.svg
Forrestfield freight line
BSicon xABZgl.svg
BSicon LSTRq.svg
to Northam
BSicon exHST.svg
Bushmead
BSicon exHST.svg
Ridge Hill
BSicon exABZgl.svg
BSicon exKDSTeq.svg
Statham's Quarry
BSicon exSTR.svg
Kalamunda Zig Zag
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No 1 points
BSicon exABHFl+l.svg
No 2 points
BSicon exABHFr+r.svg
No 3 points
BSicon exABHFl+l.svg
No 4 points
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Gooseberry Hill
BSicon exHST.svg
Kalamunda
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South Kalamunda
BSicon exHST.svg
Walliston
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Bickley
BSicon exHST.svg
Carmel
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Pickering Brook
BSicon exABZgl+l.svg
BSicon exLSTRq.svg
to Barton's Mill
BSicon exHST.svg
Canning Mills
BSicon exKBHFe.svg
Karragullen

The Upper Darling Range railway (also known as the Upper Darling Range branch) was a branch railway from Midland Junction, Western Australia, that rose up the southern side of the Helena Valley and on to the Darling Scarp via the Kalamunda Zig Zag. At the time of construction it was the only section of railway in Western Australia to have had a zig zag formation.

Contents

History

Completed in July 1891, the Upper Darling Range railway line was built by the Canning Jarrah Timber Company to supply railway sleepers to Perth's growing railway system. It ran from Midland Junction railway station through to the Darling Ranges and up into Kalamunda. It was later extended to Canning Mills and in 1912 to Karragullen. [1] From Pickering Brook, a line branched off to Bartons Mill. [2] [3]

On 1 July 1903, the line was taken over by the Western Australian Government Railways and became known as the Upper Darling Range branch. The last service ran on 22 July 1949. The line was formally closed by the Railways (Upper Darling Range) Discontinuance Act 1950; it was dismantled in 1952. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Stopping places

Gradient profile map Zigzag1.svg
Gradient profile map

Named stopping places and locations on the line included: [6]

NamePrevious name(s)Distance from Perth Height above sea level
Midland Junction station Helena Vale15 km9.3 mi15 m49 ft
Bushmead (now under Roe Highway)Waterhall17 km11 mi26 m85 ft
Rifle Range23 km14 mi104 m341 ft
Poison Gully Creek (scene of 1904 crash)
Number 1 Points Ridge Hill (lower section of Zig Zag)27 km17 mi
Number 2 Points Statham's Quarry Perth City Council siding from 192028 km17 mi
Number 3 Points
Number 4 Points (upper section of Zig Zag)Possibly known as The Knoll
Gooseberry Hill 30 km19 mi242 m794 ft
Kalamunda Stirk's Landing32 km20 mi242 m794 ft
South KalamundaGuppy's Siding35 km22 mi283 m928 ft
Walliston Wallis's Crossing37 km23 mi311 m1,020 ft
Bickley (named Heidelberg between 1904 and 1915)38 km24 mi318 m1,043 ft
Carmel Green's Landing40 km25 mi286 m938 ft
Pickering Brook Pickering Junction42 km26 mi282 m925 ft
Canning Mills Canning Timber Station48 km30 mi254 m833 ft
Karragullen 50 km31 mi300 m980 ft

References

  1. Upper Darling Range Extension Act 1911 Government of Western Australia 9 January 1912
  2. 1 2 Bromby, Robyn (1988). Australian Rail Annual 1988. Sutherland: Sherbourne Sutherland Publishing. pp. 115–120. ISBN   1 86275 004 1.
  3. 1 2 History of the Railway Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Pickering Brook Heritage Group
  4. Railways (Upper Darling Range) Discontinuance Act Government of Western Australia 29 December 1950
  5. Complaints About New Railway Bill The West Australian 1 December 1950 page 4
  6. Part of this table is sourced from:- Slee, John (1979) Cala Munnda pp. 55–56

Further reading