The Merriwa railway line is in the

Hunter Valley The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and ...

of Northern

New South Wales, Australia ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

.
The line branches from the Main North line at

Muswellbrook Muswellbrook ( ) is a town in the Upper Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle. Geologically, Muswellbrook is situated in the northern parts of the Sydney basin, bordering the New Engla ...

and travels southwest to Denman then generally northwest through

Sandy Hollow Sandy Hollow is a small rural town in New South Wales, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous sm ...

to the town of Merriwa, a distance of approximately . The line was completed to Merriwa on 29 October 1917, however the section north west of Sandy Hollow closed in 1988.
There are 3 mines, Bengalla & Mt Pleasant, just southwest & west of Muswellbrook & Mangoola, 1/2 way to Denman with Ballon Loops of this line & a number of Passing Sidings have been built with the traffic to / from the 3 mines @ Ulan near Gulgong.
The section between Muswellbrook and Sandy Hollow, combined with the

Sandy Hollow – Gulgong railway line Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Sandy (surname), a list of people *Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) *(Sandy) Al ...

(formally known as the Sandy Hollow to Maryvale Railway Line when being constructed) forms the

Australian Rail Track Corporation The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is an Australian Government-owned statutory corporation. It operates one of the largest rail networks in the nation spanning 8,500km across five states, 39 worksites and more than 50 First Nations. ...

's Ulan line between Muswellbrook and

Gulgong Gulgong is a 19th-century gold rush town in the Central Tablelands and the wider Central West regions of the Australian state of New South Wales. The town is situated within the Mid-Western Regional Council local government area. It is locate ...

on the

Gwabegar railway line The Gwabegar railway line is a railway line in the Central West and North West Slopes of New South Wales, Australia, which passes through the towns of Mudgee, Gulgong, Dunedoo, Coonabarabran and terminates at Gwabegar. The section from Wall ...

Restoration of Sandy Hollow to Merriwa section

A small group tried to form a preservation society (which was to be called ''Merriwa Railway Museum'') to restore the station and goods shed to their original condition, as well as the railway yard including the historic steam era turntable and steam locomotive water column. The aim was to restore the line and have a steam locomotive run on it again using historic

New South Wales Government Railways The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in New South Wales, Australia, between 1855 and 1932. Management The agency was managed by a range of differen ...

rolling stock. It was intended for tourists and train enthusiasts alike. This group was started in early 2002 but failed to progress. A new railway society, ''The Merriwa Railway Society Incorporated'' (MRS), was officially launched in Merriwa on 24 October 2009, with more than 42 locals and rail enthusiasts in attendance.Scone Advocate article on launch of MRS
Consultation has been undertaken with Upper Hunter Shire Council, the

and the Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator. Since August 2009, the intentions and plans of MRS have been reported in 5 regional and Sydney based newspapers and on the local Upper Hunter

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

radio station, increasing local residents' awareness of the heritage railway restoration plans. Of recent times the appearance of the station has improved with painting.

Gallery

Image:SandyHollowLevelXing.JPG, Level crossing where the railway line crosses

Bylong Valley Way Bylong Valley Way is a New South Wales country road linking the Golden Highway near Sandy Hollow to the Castlereagh Highway near Ilford. It is named after the Bylong Valley, through which the road passes. Route In conjunction with the Bathurs ...

near

Image:SandyHollowLevelXingEast.JPG, Looking east along the railway line from level crossing on Bylong Valley Way near Sandy Hollow, showing rear end of train waiting on crossing loop Image:SandyHollowLevelXingWest.JPG, Looking west along the railway line towards Sandy Hollow from level crossing on Bylong Valley Way

References

External links

Merriwa Railway Society
{{Railway lines in New South Wales Regional railway lines in New South Wales Standard gauge railways in Australia Railway lines opened in 1917 Railway lines closed in 1988