Mundaring Weir Branch Railway
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The Mundaring Weir Branch Railway was constructed from Mundaring, Western Australia to the site of the Mundaring Weir, and opened on June 1, 1898.
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[edit] Overview
Originally a rail line built by the Public Works department for the construction of the weir, it was later taken over by the Western Australian Government Railways. The branch was a popular picnic and excursion line to the weir in the 1930's and 1940's. Due to the steep grades down to Mundaring Weir, a limited range of locomotives were permitted to be run on the line.
The line incorporated a zig zag.
In the 1940's the declining availability of Msa garratt steam engines available also effected the number of possible excursion trains to the weir, particularly during times of the weir overflowing, as they seemed to be the only available steam engine capable of negotiating the steep gradient.
Due to lack of any scheduled activity on the line in the early 1950's it was closed in 2 December 1952. The services on the connecting line at Mundaring ceased in January 1954, and closed in the 1960's.
[edit] Stopping Places
- Mundaring Weir
- Kardo Mordo (adjacent to the Mundaring Weir Hotel)
- Portagabra (near the current roundabout intersection turnoff to the Kookaburra Outdoor Cinema)This stopping place is not on 1940's timetables.
- O'Connor (next to where Pumping Station Number 2 was located)
- Wonyil (west along the track where the line formation separates from the Mundaring Weir Road)
[edit] References
- Elliot, Ian (1983). Mundaring - A History of the Shire, 2nd ed., Mundaring: Mundaring Shire. ISBN 0-9592776-0-9.
- Watson, Lindsay (1995). The railway history of Midland Junction : commemorating the centenary of Midland Junction, 1895-1995. ISBN 0-646-24461-2 (pbk.).
[edit] See also
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