Meekatharra–Wiluna railway

Meekatharra–Wiluna railway
Meekatharra–Wiluna railway
Overview
Status	Closed
Locale	Mid West, Western Australia
Termini	Meekatharra; Wiluna;
History
Commenced	1929
Opened	2 November 1932
Closed	5 August 1957
Technical
Line length	176 km (109 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
	Meekatharra–Wiluna railway Main locations 75km; 50miles Wiluna 2 Meekatharra 1
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

The Meekatharra to Wiluna railway (often referred to as the Wiluna railway) was a 113-mile (182 km) branch line of the Western Australian Government Railways that extended the Mullewa – Meekatharra railway from Meekatharra to Wiluna and operated between 1932 and 1957. Wiluna was the furthest rail terminus from Perth on the Western Australian Government Railways system. Paroo was the highest station, at 1,916 feet (584 m) above sea level; the highest point on the Western Australian railway network, west of Paroo, was 2,134 feet (650 m).^[1]

Overview

The Meekatharra-Wiluna Railway Act 1927, an act by the Parliament of Western Australia assented to on 23 December 1927, authorised the construction of the railway line from Meekatharra to Wiluna.^[2]

Construction began in the late 1920s,^[3] and the line operated between 1932 and 1957, mainly serving the Wiluna gold mining area.^[4]

However Wiluna was also at the end of the 1,900-kilometre (1,200 mi) Canning Stock Route from Halls Creek in the Kimberley region, and so the railway became a vital means of dispatching cattle intended for southern markets.^[5]

The track was susceptible to washaways.^[6]^[7]

There had been consideration of linking Wiluna with Leonora by rail in the 1920s.^[8]^[9]

Intermediate stopping points

Meekatharra - 600 miles (970 km)^[10] from Perth
Gnaweeda - 615 miles (990 km)^[10]
Richardson - 628 miles (1,011 km)^[10]
Yaganoo - 628 miles (1,011 km)^[10]
Paroo - 667 miles (1,073 km)^[10]
Wiluna - ~709 miles (1,141 km)^[10]

Closure

The two sections – Meekathara to Paroo (107.7 km) and Paroo to Wiluna (68.3 km) – were closed on 5 August 1957.^[11]

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

Legacy

At Meekatharra, the railway buildings – consisting of the station, a goods shed and a station masters house – are on the Shire of Meekatharra heritage list.^[13] Meekatharra's rail infrastructure was enlarged after the line to Wiluna closed in 1957 as it became an important hub for transporting equipment for the developing iron ore mines in the Pilbara. This only changed with the roads in the region improving in the 1970s, which moved transport from the rail to the road.^[14]

At the Wiluna end of the line, the railway goods shed dating back to the 1930s is on the shire's heritage list. It is the only building remaining in town of the railway era, the rest having been demolished in the 1990s.^[15]

References

^ "HIGH SPOT". The Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 8 September 1946. p. 7. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
^ "Meekatharra-Wiluna Railway Act 1927". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 23 December 1927. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
^ "The Wiluna Railway". Geraldton Guardian. 15 December 1927. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
^ Montgomery, A. (1927) Report on the request of the Wiluna Gold Mines, Limited, for railway connection of Wiluna with the State railway system Perth : Govt. Printer.
^ "The Canning Stock Route". The Lyons Den. Morrie Lyons. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
^ "Wiluna train still held up by torrent". The Mirror. Perth: National Library of Australia. 14 February 1942. p. 1. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
^ "Rail Washaways". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 1 March 1947. p. 13 Edition: Second Edition. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
^ "Wiluna railway". Kalgoorlie Miner. Vol. 33, no. 8718. Western Australia. 29 September 1927. p. 4. Retrieved 25 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Leonora-Wiluna Railway Extension Leaugue". The Wagin Argus And Arthur, Dumbleyung, Lake Grace Express. Vol. XXI, no. 1151. Western Australia. 12 May 1927. p. 6. Retrieved 25 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Historic Australian Rail Maps". www.railmaps.com.au. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
^ Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John R; New South Wales Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society (2000), Australian railway routes 1854 to 2000 (1st ed.), Australian Railway Historical Society - New South Wales Division, ISBN 978-0-909650-49-0
^ "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.
^ "Shire of Meekatharra Heritage Places". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
^ "Railway buildings". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
^ "Railway Goods Shed". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 29 July 2024.

[1] "HIGH SPOT". The Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 8 September 1946. p. 7. Retrieved 4 April 2012.

[2] "Meekatharra-Wiluna Railway Act 1927". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 23 December 1927. Retrieved 31 July 2024.

[3] "The Wiluna Railway". Geraldton Guardian. 15 December 1927. Retrieved 21 May 2014.

[4] Montgomery, A. (1927) Report on the request of the Wiluna Gold Mines, Limited, for railway connection of Wiluna with the State railway system Perth : Govt. Printer.

[5] "The Canning Stock Route". The Lyons Den. Morrie Lyons. Retrieved 21 May 2014.

[6] "Wiluna train still held up by torrent". The Mirror. Perth: National Library of Australia. 14 February 1942. p. 1. Retrieved 4 April 2012.

[7] "Rail Washaways". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 1 March 1947. p. 13 Edition: Second Edition. Retrieved 4 April 2012.

[8] "Wiluna railway". Kalgoorlie Miner. Vol. 33, no. 8718. Western Australia. 29 September 1927. p. 4. Retrieved 25 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.

[9] "Leonora-Wiluna Railway Extension Leaugue". The Wagin Argus And Arthur, Dumbleyung, Lake Grace Express. Vol. XXI, no. 1151. Western Australia. 12 May 1927. p. 6. Retrieved 25 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.

[:0-10] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Historic Australian Rail Maps". www.railmaps.com.au. Retrieved 4 October 2018.

[11] Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John R; New South Wales Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society (2000), Australian railway routes 1854 to 2000 (1st ed.), Australian Railway Historical Society - New South Wales Division, ISBN 978-0-909650-49-0

[12] "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.

[13] "Shire of Meekatharra Heritage Places". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 29 July 2024.

[14] "Railway buildings". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 29 July 2024.

[15] "Railway Goods Shed". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 29 July 2024.

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