Corowa railway line

The Culcairn - Corowa railway line[1] is a closed railway branch line in southern New South Wales, Australia. It branched off of the Main Southern railway line at Culcairn and headed south-west to the town of Corowa on the Murray River. The southern terminus was near the Victorian Railways Springhurst - Wahgunyah railway, but no bridge was ever provided over the river.

Brocklesby station c.1925

Corowa railway line
Overview
LocaleRiverina
TerminiCulcairn
Corowa
History
Opened1892
Technical
Line length47.24 miles (76.03 km)
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map

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Main Southern railway line to Sydney
 Culcairn
 Weeamera (closed)
 Hurricane Hill (closed)
 Walla Walla (closed)
 Burrumbuttock (closed)
 Orelda (closed)
 Brocklesby (closed)
 Balldale (closed)
 Hopefield (closed)
 Corowa

History

Construction was underway prior to 1891[2] with the line opening on 3 October 1892 and its main purpose was for the transport of wheat. Railway ballast was also carried along this line for use on the NSW rail network out of the 'Hurricane Hill' quarry siding. Passenger services ceased in 1975, a time when the widespread closure of country branch-line passenger services occurred.[3] The section from Corowa to Brocklesby was decommissioned in January 1989; the last train (An XPT set known as 'The Federation Flyer') ran on that section on 24 January 1988. The section from Brocklesby to Culcairn was decommissioned in December 1991.[4]

Current Status

The old tracks have not yet been removed from their original position but the line itself is in reasonable condition.

NSWSRA removed a majority of the station amenities following the mothballing of the line in 1991.

There has been renewed interest in reinstating the rail line as a heritage railway by the proposed Culcairn-Corowa Heritage Railway Assoc.

Further reading
  • Scrymgeour, Bob (1984), The Culcairn to Corowa railway, Railmac Publications, ISBN 978-0-949817-39-6
  • Gibson, Bob; Australian Railway Historical Society (1981), Memories of Culcairn and the Corowa line, Australian Railway Historical Society, retrieved 3 September 2016
  • Parkinson, Geoff, (compiler.); Abrams, John; Kain, John; Australian Railway Historical Society. Australian Capital Territory Division (issuing body.) (1987), Farewell Southern Branches : 13–16 March 87 : Uranquinty - Kywong; Wagga - Ladysmith; Henty - Rand; Culcairn - Corowa; Galong - Boorowa; Yass Tramway; Albury, Canberra City, A.C.T. Australian Railway Historical Society, Australian Capital Territory Division Incorporated, retrieved 3 September 2016CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • New South Wales Government Railways and Tramways (1880), [Working plans and sections : contracts for new lines ca. 1880-1900], retrieved 3 September 2016

See also

References
  1. Culcairn to Corowa Railway Act of 1890 ( NSW )
  2. "RAILWAY EXTENSION IN THE GERMANTON DISTRICT". The Sydney Morning Herald (16, 508). New South Wales, Australia. 19 February 1891. p. 5. Retrieved 2 September 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "Corowa Branch". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  4. "Corowa Branch - history". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 28 August 2007.

Railway line coords


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