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Brookton to Corrigin railway

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Brookton to Corrigin railway
Map
The Brookton to Corrigin railway line
Overview
StatusClosed
LocaleWheatbelt, Western Australia
Termini
Service
Operator(s)Western Australian Government Railways
History
Commenced1913
Opened19 April 1915 (1915-04-19)
Closed1957
Technical
Line length90 km (56 mi)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Route map

Legend
Great Southern Railway
0
 Brookton
14
 Weam
22
 Nalya
30
 Aldersyde
38
 Mears
44
 Kweda
53
 Bulyee
63
 Lomos
71
 Jubuk
78
 Kunjin
No. 2 Rabbit-proof fence
90
 Corrigin
Merredin to Narrogin railway line
This diagram:

Brookton to Corrigin railway (also known when under construction in 1913 as the Brookton to Kunjinn railway[1]) was a railway line in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, between Brookton and Corrigin.

The planning and opening were significant events in the districts affected.[2]

History

[edit]

The Brookton-Kunjinn Railway Act 1911, an act by the Parliament of Western Australia assented to on 16 February 1911, authorised the construction of the railway line from Brookton to Kunjinn.[3]

When the line was opened in 1915, it was 55 miles 75 chains in length.[2] It was constructed by the Public Works Department (Western Australia).[4]

It connected the Great Southern Railway route with the Merredin to Narrogin railway line, providing railway access for farmers in the region. The Brookton-Dale River Railway Act 1923, assented to on 22 December 1923, authorised the construction of the railway line west from Brookton to the Dale River. It was planned to extend this line to Armadale but the line was never constructed. The Brookton to Dale River section of the line was however surveyed.[5][6][7]

The stopping places on the line in 1915 between the two main towns were:[8][9]

Services were generally sparse.[15][16] By the 1930s it was down to one service a week.[17][18]

However seasonal demand for the service in wheat delivery was evident in the 1940s.[19]

Floods affected services at various stages in the lines history.[20][21]

The railway line ceased operating in 1957.[22]

Closure

[edit]

In 1954, the state government of Western Australia had compiled a list of loss-making railway operations, of which the Brookton to Corrigin line was one, having had a total expenditure of almost six times its earnings in the financial year to June 1953, £A 39,634 expenditure versus earnings of £A 6,668.[23]

The Railways (Cue-Big Bell and other Railways) Discontinuance Act 1960, which was assented to on 12 December 1960, officially closed the Brookton to Corrigin railway. This act affected a number of Western Australian railways, officially closing 13 lines in the state.[24]

Legacy

[edit]

The entire route of the Brookton-Corrigin railway line is listed on the Shire of Brookton heritage list.[25] Apart from the line itself, the Brookton Railway Station precinct and the Kweda Railway siding are also on the shire's list.[26]

In the Shire of Corrigin, the Railway Water Tank at Corrigin is listed on the State Register of Heritage Places[27] and part of the larger and also heritage listed Corrigin Railway Precinct.[28]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Montgomery, C.E (1913), Brookton-Kunjinn Railway, workers' camps, retrieved 25 February 2019
  2. ^ a b "The Brookton-Corrigin railway". The Beverley Times. 1 May 1915. p. 6. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via Trove.
  3. ^ "Brookton-Kunjinn Railway Act 1911". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 16 February 1911. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  4. ^ Gunzburg, Adrian; Austin, Jeff; Rail Heritage WA; Gunzburg, Adrian (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 page 210 - contracted in May 1913 and opened in April 1915
  5. ^ "Brookton-Dale River Railway Act 1923". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 22 December 1923. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Brookton-Armadale line: Construction again urged". trove.nla.gov.au. The West Australian. 29 November 1932. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Brookton-Armadale line: Mr. McCallum's Tour". trove.nla.gov.au. The West Australian. 19 August 1929. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Brookton-Corrigin Railway". The Beverley Times. 24 April 1915. p. 7. Retrieved 24 February 2019 – via Trove.
  9. ^ Part section shows the former railway line as the road named Brookton to Kweda road Western Australia. Department of Land Administration (1992), Mears, Western Australia, Department of Land Administration, retrieved 30 July 2024
  10. ^ Western Australia. Department of Lands and Surveys (1915), Townsite of Nalya, Dept. of Lands & Surveys W.A, retrieved 30 July 2024
  11. ^ "Bulk Handling of Wheat". The Pingelly Leader. 14 April 1921. p. 3. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via Trove.
  12. ^ "KWEDA NOTES". Pingelly-Brookton Leader. 7 January 1937. p. 6. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via Trove.
  13. ^ Country Women's Association of Western Australia. Bulyee Branch (1997), Farming through the years : Bulyee & Kweda, Bulyee C.W.A, retrieved 25 February 2019
  14. ^ "District News". The Pingelly Leader. 6 May 1915. p. 2. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via Trove.
  15. ^ "Brookton-Corrigin Line". The Beverley Times. 20 December 1919. p. 3. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via Trove.
  16. ^ "Brookton—Corrigin line". The Beverley Times. Vol. XII, no. 578. Western Australia. 28 October 1916. p. 3. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via Trove.
  17. ^ "Brookton". Pingelly-Brookton Leader. 16 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via Trove.
  18. ^ "Brookton-Corrigin railway". Sunday Times. 26 November 1939. p. 10. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via Trove.
  19. ^ "Delivery of wheat". The West Australian. 27 December 1947. p. 9. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via Trove.
  20. ^ "Trains delayed". The West Australian. 7 September 1931. p. 9. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via Trove.
  21. ^ "Railway washaway". The West Australian. 21 October 1935. p. 7. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via Trove.
  22. ^ "Brookton". SignallingWA.
  23. ^ "Minister Says Many Railway Sections Show Big Losses", The Farmers' Weekly, 11 February 1954, retrieved 30 July 2024
  24. ^ "Railways (Cue-Big Bell and other Railways) Discontinuance Act 1960". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 12 December 1960. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Brookton-Corrigin Railway Line - Route of". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  26. ^ "Shire of Brookton Heritage Places". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  27. ^ "Railway Water Tank, Corrigin". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  28. ^ "Corrigin Railway Precinct". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
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