Southern railway line, Queensland
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The Southern railway line serves the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The 197-kilometre (122 mi) long line branches from the Western line at Toowoomba, 161 kilometres (100 mi) west of Brisbane, and proceeds south through Warwick and Stanthorpe to the New South Wales/Queensland state border at Wallangarra.[1]
History
The first section of the Southern railway opened from the end of the Main Line railway at Toowoomba to Millhill to the north of Warwick, on 9 January 1871, the line terminating there to save the cost of a bridge over the Condamine River.[2]
In 1872, tin was discovered at
The Southern line was completed to
As all trains from Brisbane to Warwick and beyond had to travel via Toowoomba, a proposal to provide a direct line to Warwick, known as the
In 1904, the South Western railway line was opened. It left the Southern railway just south of Warwick station to initially reach Thane and then Dirranbandi more than 400 km to the west.
In December 1910 the Roessler railway station was established at the 200 miles (320 km) point between Thulimbah and Stanthorpe. It was named after a pioneer fruitgrower in the district.[7] In September 1916 it was renamed Applethorpe railway station due to anti-German sentiment during World War I.[8]
Prior to the completion of the
A triangle was located to the north of the station to allow locomotives to be turned. The last train to operate on the New South Wales line ran in January 1988.[9] There were various proposals to transfer the New South Wales line to Armidale to Queensland Rail but nothing ever eventuated.[10]
Queensland Rail ceased freight services to Wallangarra in March 2007.[11] The Australian Railway Historical Society operated a twice yearly service to Wallangarra as The Winelander. It last ran in February 2014 before the withdrawal of the Lander carriage stock.[12]
The entire length of the line is maintained by Queensland Rail.[1]
Branch lines
- Millmerran1911
- Allorain 1897, extended to Goomburra 1912, latter closed in 1961, the Allora section in 1993, Allora station layout required trains to reverse when traveling to/from Goomburra
- Warwick - Maryvale 30 km, opened 1911, closed 1960, built as the first section of the abandoned Via Recta
- Warwick - Killarney 44 km, opened 1884–85, closed 1964, 5 km tramway was built from Tannymorel to Mount Colliery by Glengallen Shire Council to serve a coal mine using rollingstock hired from QR, It also closed in 1964
- Cottonvale - Amiens 20 km, opened 1920, closed 1974
Services
In January 1888, the Sydney Mail was introduced, when first class sleeping cars were added to the Wallangarra train (Second class sleeping cars were introduced in 1896). A daily service was provided, departing Brisbane at 19:00, pausing at Toowoomba at 00:30 and arriving at Wallangarra at 07:45. The return service departed Wallangarra at 17:00, pausing at Toowoomba at 00:45 and arriving in Brisbane at 06:15. At Wallangarra passengers transferred to the New South Wales Government Railways' Brisbane Limited.
A
In 1908, the Sydney Mail departed Brisbane at 07:10, calling at Toowoomba at 11:10 and after changing trains at Wallangarra, passengers arrived in Sydney at 11:10 the following day. The return service departed Sydney at 17:10, arriving in Brisbane at 21:10 the following day. Carriage connections were introduced in 1908, with a Parlour Car introduced in 1923, and a Buffet Car in 1924. The Parlour Car was transferred to the Townsville Mail in 1930 following the opening of the Standard Gauge line to Brisbane.
Foot-warmers were introduced to the first class compartments of the Sydney Mail in 1911, and provided each winter until 1958.
In 1947, the four Mail Trains per week was reduced to two per week, and was withdrawn on 1 February 1972.[13]
The last passenger on the line, the
Preservation
Downs Explorer (formerly the Southern Downs Steam Railway) is based in Warwick and operate steam trains on the line about once a month to Wallangarra.[14]
See also
- Rail transport in Queensland
- Travelling post office, Queensland
- Quart Pot Creek Rail Bridge
References
- ^ a b QR Limited (Network Access division) (September 2005). "South Western System: Information Pack (Issue 2)" (PDF). Archived from the original on 19 August 2006.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Keer, J. 'Triumph of Narrow Gauge' Boolarong Publications 1990
- ^ QR Limited. "QR Corporate - QR History - Building to the bush". Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
- ^ "Dalveen Tunnel (entry 601519)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ QR Limited. "QR Corporate - QR History - The common carrier". Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
- ^ a b Bozier, Rolfe. "Wallangarra Station". NSWrail.net. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
- The Brisbane Courier. Queensland, Australia. 24 December 1910. p. 4. Retrieved 12 March 2020 – via Trove.
- The Brisbane Courier. Queensland, Australia. 11 September 1916. p. 11. Retrieved 12 March 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "To the Border or Bust" Railway Digest March 1988 page 99
- ^ "Glen Innes - Wallangarra may go to QR" Railway Digest April 1990 page 130
- ^ a b "Level Crossing Safety: Warwick to Wallangarra" Railway Digest April 2013 pages 40-43
- ^ "End of an era" Railway Digest May 2014 pages 34-35
- ^ "20 Years Ago" Railway Digest February 1992 page 81
- ^ Welcome aboard Southern Downs Steam Railway
External links
- Media related to Southern railway line, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons
- 1925 map of the Queensland railway system