Western Australian Government Railway lines and operations centres
Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR ) railway system during its peak operational time in the 1930s to 1950s was a large system of over 6,400 kilometres (4,000 mi) of railway line.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/WA_part_railway_network_map_1935.jpg/220px-WA_part_railway_network_map_1935.jpg)
Main lines[]
In rail administration, lines were given generic titles such as the Eastern Railway and the South Western, rather than being named after their destination.
- Metropolitan - ER - Eastern Railway - Suburban
- Bunbury - SWR - South Western Railway
- Kalgoorlie - EGR - Eastern Goldfields Railway
- Mullewa - NR - Northern Railway
- Leonora - EGR - Eastern Goldfields Railway
- Meekathara - NR - Northern Railway
- Esperance - EGR - Eastern Goldfields Railway
- Albany - GSR - Great Southern Railway
In different stages of the administration of the WAGR the groups into which the lines were placed were known by different names.[1]
Eastern Lines[]
- Eastern Railway - was known as Eastern Lines - started at Fremantle, and included other lines:
- Fremantle - Northam
- Fremantle - Jandakot - Armadale
- Robbs Jetty - Naval Base
- Bayswater - Belmont
- Bellevue - Helena Vale
- Bellevue - Mundaring - Mount Helena
- Mundaring - Mundaring Weir
- Clackline - Miling
Eastern Goldfields Lines[]
- Northam - Kalgoorlie - is also known as the Eastern Goldfields line - started at Northam, and included:
- East Northam - Wyalkatchem - Merredin
- Amery - Kalannie
- Burakin - Bonnie Rock
- Wyalkatchem - Mukinbudin - Southern Cross
- Coolgardie - Esperance
- Kalgoorlie - Leonora
- Malcolm - Laverton
- Kalgoorlie - Kamballie
South Western Lines[]
- Perth - Bunbury
- Collie - Collie Cardiff
- Pinjarra - Narrogin
- Brunswick Junction - Narrogin
- Bowelling - Wagin
- Donnybrook - Katanning
- Wonnerup - Nannup
- Picton Junction - Northcliffe
- Boyanup Junction - Flinders Bay
Southern Lines[]
- Spencers Brook - Albany
- York - Bruce Rock
- Brookton - Corrigin
- Narrogin - Merredin
- Yilliminning - Merredin
- Wagin - Newdegate
- Lake Grace - Hyden
- Katanning - Pingrup
- Tambellup - Ongerup
- Elleker - Nornalup
Northern Lines[]
- East Northam - Mullewa
- Geraldton - Wiluna
- Geraldton - Ajana
- Wokarina - Yuna
- Walkaway - Narngulu
- Cue - Big Bell
- Port Hedland - Marble Bar
Names of Lines and abbreviations[]
Names of lines were abbreviated regularly in WAGR publications - to facilitate List of Stations and Sidings on the Western Australian Government Railways open for Traffic sections in Goods rates books.[2][3] Also at one stage every location was numbered with a code number.
- B - Boulder Line
- B.B. - Boyanup - Busselton - Flinders Bay
- B.C. - Brookton - Corrigin
- B.N. - Brunswick Junction - Collie - Narrogin
- C.C. - Collie - Collie Cardiff
- C.E. - Coolgarie - Esperance
- C.M. - Clackline - Toodyay - Miling
- D. - Denmark Branch (Elleker - Nornalup)
- D.K. - Donnybrook - Katanning Section
- E.M. - East Northam - Wongan Hills - Mullewa
- E.R. - Eastern Railway (Fremantle - Northam)
- E.G.R. - Eastern Goldfields Railway (Northam - Cunderdin - Kalgoorlie)
- F.A. - Fremantle - Jandakot - Armadale
- G.A. - Geraldton - Northampton - Ajana
- G.M. - Goomalling - Merredin
- G.S.R. - Great Southern Railway (Spencers Brook - Albany)
- K.B.R. - Kalannie - Kulja - Bonnie Rock
- K.L. - Kalgoorlie - Laverton - Leonora
- K.P. - Katanning - Pingrup
- L.H. - Lake Grace - Hyden
- M. - Mundaring
- M.W. - Mundaring Weir
- N.K.M. - Narrogin - Kondinin - Merredin
- N.R. - Northern Railway (Geraldton - Wiluna)
- N.W.M. - Narrogin - Wickepin - Merredin
- P.P. - Picton Junction - Pemberton - Northcliffe
- P.M. - Port Hedland - Marble Bar
- P.N. - Pinjarra - Dwarda - Narrogin
- S.W.R. - South Western Railway (Perth - Bunbury)
- T.O. - Tambellup - Ongerup
- W.L.B. - Wagin - Newdegate
- W. - Walkaway Branch (Narngulu - Walkaway)
- W.B. - Wagin - Bowelling
- W.N. - Wonnerup - Nannup
- W.Y. - Wokarina - Yuna
- Y.B. - York - Quirading - Bruce Rock
Branches/sections[]
Internal WAGR publications usually identified railway lines as Lines, rather than as Branch Lines. Also tables and indexes of loads for locomotives created a large range of 'sections' that were either ganger related lengths, or related to gradients and conditions.
For a different way of identifying branches/routes see also Quinlan and Newland.[4]
- Flinders Bay Branch
- Northampton Branch
- Hotham Valley Branch
- Mundaring Branch
- Mundaring Weir Branch
- Nannup Branch
- Northcliffe Branch
- Ongerup Branch
- Port Hedland - Marble Bar Railway
- Sandstone Branch
- Upper Darling Range Branch
- Wiluna Branch
Isolated lines[]
A number of isolated lines did not connect with the main rail systems - these included the Port Hedland - Marble Bar Railway and the Hopetoun - Ravensthorpe Railway. A number of piers were fitted with rail lines to carry goods from the ship to the mainland.
Operational centres[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Leighton%2C_Western_Australia.jpg/250px-Leighton%2C_Western_Australia.jpg)
For most of the years that the WAGR existed as that entity, main offices, and divisional offices and buildings were all within a short range of Perth Railway Station. Rationalisation of the diverse addresses and locations occurred with the construction of the East Perth Head Office building.
- Head Office - East Perth
- Regional centres (current and historical)
- Narrogin
- Northam
- Workshops
- Fremantle Railway Workshops
- Midland Railway Workshops
- Marshalling yards - various yards have existed in the Perth Metropolitan area -
- Leighton
- Midland
- Kewdale
- South Fremantle (Robb Jetty).
- Grain silos (current and historical)
- Bellevue/Midland
- Fremantle,
- Kewdale
Notes[]
- ^ The list relates to - The Goods Rates Book of 1 May 1951, similar to: - Western Australian Government Railways Commission (1953), Goods rates book, The Commission, retrieved 6 April 2013
- ^ In some circumstances the rates books were not updated for a while..."New Railway Rates Book". Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 7 February 1935. p. 54. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ^ In the 1951 Goods Rates Book (1 May 1951) further information in the lists include: Letter Code for each station in the system - for example A for Albany, AUG for Augusta; Station name; Line (abbreviations found in this list); Cranes and Capacity - Number and Tons; Weighbridges and capacity - Number and Tons; Can Load and unload Carriages and Horses; Sheep and Cattle races; Warehouse accommodation; Shelter shed. Also each named located had a distinction as to whether it had platform or siding
- ^ * Quinlan, Howard & Newland, John R. (2000) Australian Railway Routes 1854–2000 ISBN 0-909650-49-7
- Rail transport in Western Australia
- Western Australian Government Railways
- Closed railway lines in Western Australia
- Railway lines in Western Australia