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A BRIEF RAILWAY HISTORY IN NEW SOUTH WALES.
Beginnings: The Gauge Debacle | Work Commences | The Great Day | The First ten Years
The Great Railway Years of the C19th: 1865 - 1875 | 1875 - 1885 | 1885 - 1895 | 1895 - 1905
Branch lines and Suburban electrification - early C20th: 1905 - 1915 | 1915 - 1925 | 1925 - 1955
Consolidation, rationalisation and new suburban lines - late C20th: 1955 - 2005
Beginnings
As early as 1833 in the developing colony of New South Wales, the establishment of an early form of rail transport to link Sydney Town with Parramatta was advocated. Nothing came of the proposal but the seed for the genesis of the Railway in NSW had been sown.
A public meeting was called on 29th January 1846 "for the purpose of considering the expediency and practicability of establishing Railways in the Colony". It was from this meeting that a Provisional Committee was appointed to collect information regarding the building of railways to Goulburn, Windsor and Bathurst if practicable.
The Committee authorised a survey to be carried out between Sydney and Goulburn. The plans and subsequent report were approved by a public meeting held in January 1848. A Petition was then presented to the Legislative Council which referred it to a Select Committee. The chairman of this Committee, Mr. Charles Cowper recommended to the Council that a series of resolutions be passed in favour of commencing railways in the colony.
The "Sydney Railway Company" was formed in November 1848 and was incorporated into an Act that was assented to on 10th April 1849.
The Gauge Debacle
Even before a single rail was laid, and for many years to come, the battle of the choice of railway gauge (distance between the rails) was fiercely fought. The British Parliament recognised the importance of a uniform railway gauge, and passed the Railway Gauge Act of 1846, which prohibits the use of any gauge apart from the standard gauge of 4' 8 1/2" (1435mm). All colonies including Australia were expected to adopt this uniform gauge. Accordingly, on 19th February 1850, an Act was passed in South Australia authorising the construction of the Adelaide to Port Adelaide Railway to the standard gauge of 4' 8 1/2".
The Sydney Railway Company Engineer from Ireland was able to persuade the authorities that the Irish Broad Gauge of 5'3" was superior. A Bill was passed on 27th June 1852 that the gauge of the NSW Railways be changed to 5'3". Consequently, both the Victorian and South Australian Colonies amended their choice of gauge to match the choice of NSW. On 20th January 1853, Victoria specified 5'3" in the Melbourne to Hobson's Bay Railway Act. South Australia followed with an alteration to their introductory Railway Act as well.
The Irish Engineer was soon in dispute with the Company and resigned. His position was eventually taken by an engineer from Scotland, who came with vast experience in building standard gauge railways in both Britain and on the Continent. He immediately recommended that for reasons of economy and convenience, the gauge be changed again back to the standard gauge of 4' 8 1/2". Victoria and South Australia immediately protested, as they had already ordered broad gauge locomotives and rolling stock. The NSW engineer refused to change his position, so as a result of an impasse on the choice of gauges, the problem would plague Australian railways for the next 120 years.
Work Commences
After an initial attempt to locate the Sydney terminal station at the corner of Hay and Elizabeth Streets, the company secured 21 acres of land in the Cleveland Paddocks. This site was immediately south of Devonshire Street and became known as Sydney Station.
A public "turning of the first sod" ceremony was held on 3rd July 1850. The daughter of the then Governor-General Sir Charles Fitz Roy performed the ceremonial act. The ceremonial spade and wheelbarrow are still in existence, and are currently held in the State Archives. The day was declared a public holiday in Sydney as many wanted to view the proceedings in order to wish every success to the undertaking.
In March 1851, a contract was let for the construction of the first section of line, from Croydon to Haslem's Creek (now Lidcombe). The discovery of gold in the Bathurst district led to a sudden inflation in the price of labour and materials. This placed the contractor into such a difficult position, that it became necessary to release him from the contract, even after his rates had been increased by 30%.
Later in 1851, a subsequent contract was issued to W. Randle for the completion of the line to Parramatta.
The labour shortage was still a major problem for the colony, so in September 1852, the Government agreed to bring 500 railway labourers out from England at the Governments cost.
The Railway Company found itself in severe financial difficulties and had to request assistance from the Government on a number of occasions. The situation became so difficult that in December 1854, they passed an Act, limiting the Sydney Railway Company to operate between Sydney and Parramatta only under a lease. The company realised that it could not continue to function under this liability, so control of the company, as well as its assets (and debts) were passed over to the Government in July 1855. Under Government control, the work pushed ahead very quickly.
The Great Day
Wednesday 26th September 1855 was deliberately chosen as the day to open the Sydney to Parramatta Railway, to coincide with the 25th anniversary to the day of the opening of the first railway in Great Britain. The day was proclaimed a public holiday and many buildings were decorated for the occasion. Although the morning was wet and gloomy, the bulk of the population turned out to witness the progress of the first official train on the railway.
Shortly before 11.00am the Governor General, Sir William Denison (dressed in full Windsor uniform and accompanied by his wife and family) was escorted to the station by the Volunteer Yeomanry Corps. On arrival at the station the party was received by a salute of 19 guns fired by the Artillery Corps.
The formal opening train consisted of two first class, four second class and five third class four-wheel carriages, in addition to the engine and tender. As soon as the Vice Regal party and other officials boarded the train, there was a scramble for the remaining seats on the train. The locomotive whistle was sounded, a 21 gun salute came from the Artillery, and at 11.20 am precisely the train departed on its epoch-making journey, commencing what was to become that greatest of government enterprises in New South Wales, the NSW Government Railways.
The locomotive driver was William Sixsmith, the fireman William Webster, and the guard Richard Darby. The train did not stop at the intermediate stations of Newtown, Ashfield, Burwood or Homebush on this journey and the time taken to reach the terminus at Parramatta was 40 minutes. The Vice-Regal party was entertained at lunch at the old Woolpack Hotel, which was on the site of the present Parramatta Courthouse.
The other trains ran for the remainder of the day following the opening ceremony and approximately two thousand passengers were carried to celebrate this historical occasion.
The First Ten Years
The railway soon settled down to regular operation. Owing to competition from horse drawn busses, the fares were reduced between Sydney and Newtown in November 1855. In February 1856, the demand for passenger services from Newtown to Sydney was so great, that a local service of trains was introduced providing five trains each way daily.
The original lease for the operation expired during mid 1856. The government of the day was faced with a difficult decision as to whether the Government would lease the line for private operation once again or work the railways with its own staff. No other Government in the world at this time had ventured to finance and operate a railway, but to the credit of the NSW Government of the day, they decided on the 14th August 1856 to assume complete control of all railway operation and development. This was to remain the situation for over 140 years before part of the railway operations would be privatised.
Work commenced immediately on extending the railway lines to Campbelltown and Penrith.
During January 1857, one of the most outstanding figures in New South Wales railway history arrived. Mr John Whitton was appointed to the position of Engineer-in-Chief. His tenure would last for over forty years and he would oversee the construction of the majority of the growing railway system in NSW. One of John Whitton's first battles was to fight the proposals to construct horse drawn tramways in lieu of normal railways as a cost saving measure. These proposals were vigorously opposed by Whitton and resulted in the extension of the network to Richmond being opened on 29th November 1864 as the first railway branch line in the state.
Third Class travel was abolished in June 1863.
By the end of the decade, 229 km (143 miles) of track had been completed. The Western line had reached Penrith (including the branch from Blacktown to Richmond), the Southern line to Picton, and the Northern line from Newcastle to Singleton that included a branch to Morpeth. The sum of £2,746,373 had been expended on the railways and the net earnings had risen from £32,283 in 1856 to £166,032 in 1865. The number of passengers had increased from 350,724 to 751,587 and the tonnage of goods rose from 2,469 tons to 416,707 tons. These figures show what a great impact the advent of the railways was already having on the economy of New South Wales.
The coming of the railways also had a very positive affect on law and order. Travellers no longer risked assault and robbery by travelling on lonely roads or tracks. The speed and community of railway travel ensured the safety of travellers and kept them free from molestation and interference.
Highlights 1865 to 1875
The Great Railway Years 1875 to 1885
Highlights 1885 to 1895
Highlights 1895 to 1905
The Southern Extensions from Jerilderie to Finley, The Rock to Lockhart, Culcairn to Holbrook, Gundagai to Tumut, Temora to Wyalong, Koorawatha to Grenfell, and Goulburn to Crookwell were completed.
The Western Extensions from Parkes to Condobolin, Dubbo to Coonamble, Byrock to Brewarrina and to Warren were completed.
The Far North Coast Line was extended from Lismore to Grafton.
North Western Extensions from Narrabri to Moree & Inverell, and Narrabri to Cryon, along with the branch line to Manilla were completed.
Highlights 1905 to 1915
An isolated section of the North Coast Line between Coffs Harbour and Raleigh was completed, while the main line from Grafton reached Glenreagh. A branch Casino to Kyogle was completed. This would eventually form the main line link to Brisbane.
The Main North Coast Line was extended from Maitland to Wauchope.
The North Western Lines from Muswellbrook to Denman, Manilla to Barraba, Moree to Mungindi, Burren to Pokataroo, Cryon to Walgett, and Mudgee to Dunedoo were all completed.
The Western Branch from Bogan Gate to Tullamore, Cowra to Canowindra and the cross country link from Parkes to Narromine were completed.
The South Western Lines from Cootamundra to Barellan, Finley to Tocumwal, and Lockhart to Oaklands were completed.
The far Southern Branch was extended from Cooma to Nimmitabel.
Highlights 1915 to 1925
The Main North Coast Line between Wauchope and Raleigh was completed along with the branch line between Glenreagh and Dorrigo.
The North Western Branch Lines from Denman to Merriwa, Dunedoo to Coolah, Binnaway to Gwabegar, along with the cross country link from Dubbo to Werris Creek were completed.
The Western Branches from Canowindra to Eugowra, Tarana to Oberon, Tullamore to Tottenham and the cross country link from Molong to Dubbo were completed.
The Far Western line towards Broken Hill reached Ivanhoe, while an isolated section between Broken Hill and Menindee was opened.
The Branch Lines between Barmedman and Rankin's Springs, Wyalong and Lake Cargelligo, The Rock to Westby, Wagga Wagga to Tumbarumba, Gilmore to Batlow, Henty to Rand, Leeton to Griffith and Hillston, and the Cross Country Line from Cootamundra to Forbes were completed.
The Far Southern Branch between Nimmitabel and Bombala was completed.
Highlights 1925 to 1955
The Broken Hill link between Ivanhoe and Menindee was completed.
The Western Branches between Wyalong and Burcher, Ungarie and Naradhan, Junee and Kywong, as well as the cross country link between Hillston and Roto were all completed
The Southern Branches between Bungendore and Captains Flat and Roslyn to Taralga were completed.
The Northern Branch from Moree to Boggabilla was completed.
The electrification of the Sydney Suburban Network was completed with the extension of the underground to St James and Wynyard. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was completed and opened, extending the city railway through to Hornsby.
The Illawarra cross country line between Unanderra and Moss vale was completed.
The Standard Gauge line would be extended from Kyogle to South Brisbane.
Highlights 1955 to 2005
The Cross Country Link between Sandy Hollow and Gulgong was completed.
The standard gauge lines extended from Albury to Melbourne, and Broken Hill to Port Augusta and on to Perth.
The City Circle Line was completed with the construction of Circular Quay Station.
Steam replaced by diesel services in country areas.
Competition from motor transport leads to the rationalisation of the network and closure of many country branch lines.
The Eastern Suburbs Suburban Line was completed to Bondi Junction.
The extension from East Hills to Glenfield was completed.
Privatisation of freight line operations begins.
The Airport Line from Central to Padstow was completed.
Credits:
The Railways of New South Wales 1855-1955. (Leonie I. Paddison BA for the NSW Government Railways). The Weston Company Pty Ltd, Grosvenor Street, Sydney Halstead Press Pty Ltd., Nickson Street, Sydney 1955
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Last updated 29/1/13