Sandstone Branch Railway
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[edit]
It was built in 1910,[1][2] and closed in 1949;[3] it was lifted in 1950.[4]
Route[edit]
It was connected to the Mullewa – Meekatharra railway at Mount Magnet.
Locations on line[edit]
- 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.[5]
Proposed link to Leonora[edit]
Prior to[6] and after construction, there were suggestions of connecting to the railway line at Leonora, approximately 100 miles (160 km) south east of Sandstone.[7] 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[edit]
The railway was considered by the railway commissioner of the time in the mid-1930s to be the worst railway in Western Australia.[8][9][10]
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.[11]
Goods shed[edit]
The Sandstone railway goods shed built in 1910 was considered to be of heritage significance, having survived long after closing of the line.[12]
Notes[edit]
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Relation: Mount Magnet-Sandstone Railway (8780689)".
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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