Agricultural railways of Western Australia

Railway lines in Western Australia

The 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, for the Western Australian Government Railways.[2] The railways were identified in the early 1900s as specifically light with 40 lb rails,[3] and required for the agricultural region.[4] The Railway Advisory Board of Western Australia was the administrative body that considered the viability of the proposed lines.[5][6][7]

## Royal commissions

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The Western Australian 1947 Royal Commission into the Management Workings and Control of the Western Australian Government Railways[8][9][10][11] 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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In many cases of the lines listed here, specific sections of line are named, where they were later joined to complete a longer route. This list is comparable with the list of sections in the second edition of Rails through the Bush, by Gunzburg and Austin, that identifies the builder of the section, and contract and completion dates.[12]

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

|
|
|

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[13]
Donnybrook–Noggerup | 23 | Southern | 1908
Narrogin–Wickepin | 26 | Southern | 1909
Noggerup–Boyup Brook | 23 | Southern | 1909
Katanning–Nyabing | 38 | Southern | 1912
Dumbleyung–Kukerin | 24 | Southern | 1912
Boyup–Kojonup | 51 | Southern | 1912
Tambellup–Gnowangerup | 24 | Southern | 1912
Gnowangerup–Ongerup | 35 | Southern | 1913
Quairading–Bruce Rock | 49 | Southern | 1913[13]
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
Lake Grace–Hyden | 58 | Southern | 1933

## See also

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* List of Western Australian railway-related acts

## 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. ^ "Western Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 22, 894. New South Wales, Australia. 30 May 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 28 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
4. ^ "Western Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 21, 995. New South Wales, Australia. 15 July 1908. p. 9. Retrieved 28 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
5. ^ "Agricultural Railways". The West Australian. Vol. XXVII, no. 7, 964. Western Australia. 9 October 1911. p. 5. Retrieved 14 September 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
6. ^ "Kondinin Newdegate Railway". The Narrogin Observer. Vol. XVIII, no. 867\. Western Australia. 1 December 1923. p. 6. Retrieved 14 September 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
7. ^ "WHEAT LANDS". The West Australian. Vol. XLI, no. 7, 239. Western Australia. 11 August 1925. p. 4. Retrieved 14 September 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
8. ^ 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
9. ^ "Railing at the Railways". Westralian Worker. Perth. 4 July 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 3 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
10. ^ "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.
11. ^ "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.
12. ^ The listing is found at pages 208–210 Gunzburg, Adrian; Austin, Jeff (2008), Rails through the bush: timber and firewood tramways and railway contractors of Western Australia (2 ed.), Rail Heritage WA, ISBN 9780980392227
13. ^ a b Tilley, Allan (1998). To Greenhills and Beyond. Greenwood: Rail Heritage Publications. pp. 35, 50. ISBN 0-646-36007-8.

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Railway lines in Western Australia

Main lines|

* Eastern Goldfields
* Eastern Railway
* Great Southern Railway
* South Western Railway
* Trans-Australian Railway

Goldfields–Esperance|

* Esperance
* Hopetoun–Ravensthorpe†
* Kalgoorlie–Gnumballa Lake†
* Kanowna†
* Leonora
* Malcolm–Laverton†
* Kambalda–Redmine

Great Southern|

* Donnybrook–Katanning†
* Nornalup†
* Ongerup†
* Pingrup†

Mid West|

* Avon Yard–Mullewa†
* Cue–Big Bell†
* Dongara–Eneabba†
* Geraldton–Ajana†
* Geraldton–Mullewa
* Karara
* Meekatharra-Horseshoe†
* Millendon Junction–Narngulu
* Mullewa–Meekatharra†
* Sandstone†
* Upper Chapman Valley†
* Wiluna†

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
* Mandurah
* Midland (country)
* Midland (suburban)
* Mundaring
* Mundaring Weir
* Spearwood–Armadale†
* Thornlie–Cockburn
* Upper Darling Range
* Yanchep

South West|

* Brunswick Junction–Narrogin†
* Donnybrook–Katanning†
* Flinders Bay†
* Nannup†
* Northcliffe†
* Pinjarra–Narrogin†

Wheatbelt|

* Avon Yard–Mullewa†
* Bonnie Rock†
* Brookton–Corrigin†
* Brunswick Junction–Narrogin†
* Goomalling–West Merredin†
* Hyden
* Kalannie
* Merredin–Narrogin†
* Merredin–Yilliminning†
* Pinjarra–Narrogin†
* Newdegate
* Toodyay West–Miling
* Wagin–Bowelling†
* 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
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