Agricultural railways of Western Australia

Railway lines in Western Australia

Agricultural railways in Western Australia were a system of railway lines that were built after the Western Australian 1905 Royal Commission on Immigration, which stated the need for a policy that "all considerable areas of agricultural land must have a 15 mile rail service."[1] The lines were designed and constructed by the Public Works Department of Western Australia, for the Western Australian Government Railways.[2]

## Royal commissions

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The Western Australian 1947 Royal Commission into the Management Workings and Control of the Western Australian Government Railways[3][4][5][6] also placed these railway lines and their construction into context:

> In order to carry out the wishes of the Government to construct railway in agricultural areas as cheaply as possible, lines were built with 45 lb rail sections which practically followed the surface of the ground, with (a) earth ballasting (b) half round timber sleepers (c) providing the bare minimum station facilities.

The 1947 commission called these lines spur lines at time of construction, in distinction to loop lines, however the completion of most sections made most lines loop lines.

The 1947 royal commission report also made a distinction between Southern Agricultural Spur Lines, Northern Agricultural Spur Lines, and South West dairy and timber lines; these broadly relate to geographical regions.

In the 2000s the lines were collectively identified as Wheatbelt railway lines of Western Australia.[citation needed]

## Agricultural spur lines

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Line section | Length in miles | Agricultural area | Year opened

|
|
|

Narrogin-Darkan | 50 | Southern | 1906
Wagin-Dumbleyung | 25 | Southern | 1907
Narrogin-Darkan | 50 | Southern | 1906
Wagin-Dumbleying | 25 | Southern | 1907
Katanning-Kojonup | 33 | Southern | 1907
Collie-Darkan | 40 | Southern | 1907
Greenhills-Quairading | 31 | Southern | 1908[7]
Donnybrook-Noggerup | 23 | Southern | 1908
Narrogin-Wickepin | 26 | Southern | 1909
Noggerup-Boyup Brook | 23 | Southern | 1909
Katanning-Nyabing | 38 | Southern | 1912
Dumbleyung extension | 24 | Southern | 1912
Boyup-Kojonup | 51 | Southern | 1912
Tambellup-Gnowangerup | 24 | Southern | 1912
Gnowangerup-Ongerup | 35 | Southern | 1913
Quairading-Bruce Rock | 49 | Southern | 1913[7]
Merredin-Bruce Rock | 31 | Southern | 1913
Wickepin-Corrigin | 40 | Southern | 1914
Corrigin-Bruce Rock | 37 | Southern | 1914
Yilliminning-Kondinin | 73 | Southern | 1915
Brookton-Corrigin | 56 | Southern | 1915
Kukerin-Lake Grace | 24 | Southern | 1916
Wagin-Bokal | 34 | Southern | 1917
Kondinin-Narambeen | 32 | Southern | 1917
Bokal-Bowelling | 28 | Southern | 1918
Nyabing-Pingrup | 22 | Southern | 1923
Narrambeen-Merredin | 54 | Southern | 1925
Lake Grace-Newdegate | 39 | Southern | 1926
Dwarda-Narrogin | 37 | Southern | 1926
Goomalling-Dowerin | 15 | Northern | 1906
Toodyay-Bolgart | 24 | Northern | 1910
Wokarina-Naraling | 26 | Northern | 1910
Dowerin-Korrelocking | 32 | Northern | 1911
Korrelocking-Kununoppin | 28 | Northern | 1911
Goomalling-Wongan Hills | 34 | Northern | 1911
Kununoppin-Merredin | 37 | Northern | 1911
Southern Cross-Bullfinch | 22 | Northern | 1911
Naraling-Yuna | 12 | Northern | 1912
Northampton-Ajana | 33 | Northern | 1913
Wongan Hills-Mullewa | 198 | Northern | 1915
Wyalkatchem-Bencubbin | 52 | Northern | 1917
Bolgart-Calingiri | 15 | Northern | 1917
Calingiri-Piawaning | 19 | Northern | 1919
Bencubbin-Kalkalling | 32 | Northern | 1923
Piawaning-Miling | 27 | Northern | 1925
Amery-Kalannie | 61 | Northern | 1929
Burakin-Kulja | 8 | Northern | 1929
Lake Brown-Bullfinch | 50 | Northern | 1929
Kulja-Bonnie Rock | 68 | Northern | 1931

## See also

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* Western Australian Government Railways

## Notes

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1. ^ Western Australia. Royal Commission on Immigration (1905), Report of the Royal Commission on Immigration together with appendices and minutes of evidence, Govt. Printer, retrieved 3 July 2015
2. ^ The WAGR did not have control over construction of its own railways until after the 1920s; see Gunzburg, Adrian; Austin, Jeff; Rail Heritage WA; Gunzburg, Adrian; Austin, Jeff (2008), Rails through the bush : timber and firewood tramways and railway contractors of Western Australia (2nd ed.), Rail Heritage WA, ISBN 978-0-9803922-2-7 in relation to the contractors, PWD and WAGR relationship.
3. ^ Royal Commission Appointed to Inquire into the Management, workings and control of the Western Australian Government Railways; Gibson, Alexander J; Du Plessis, D. H. C (1947), Report of the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the Western Australian Government Railways, Govt. Pr, retrieved 3 July 2015
4. ^ "Railing at the Railways". Westralian Worker. Perth. 4 July 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 3 July 2015 - via National Library of Australia.
5. ^ "Railways Report May Be Late". The Daily News (Home ed.). Perth. 28 November 1947. p. 9. Retrieved 3 July 2015 - via National Library of Australia.
6. ^ "Business Job For Railways". The Daily News (City Final ed.). Perth. 12 December 1947. p. 7. Retrieved 3 July 2015 - via National Library of Australia.
7. ^ a b Tilley, Allan (1998). To Greenhills and Beyond. Greenwood: Rail Heritage Publications. pp. 35, 50. ISBN 0-646-36007-8.