Mundaring Weir Branch Railway
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The Mundaring Weir Branch Railway was constructed from
Mundaring, Western Australia Mundaring is a suburb located 34 km east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Eastern Highway. The suburb is located within the Shire of Mundaring. The Aboriginal name of the area "Mindah-lung", said to mean "a high place on a high pl ...
to the site of the
Mundaring Weir Mundaring Weir is a dam (and historically the adjoining locality) located from Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. The dam and reservoir form the boundary between the suburbs of Reservoir and Sawyers Valley. The dam impounds the Hele ...
, and opened on 1 June 1898.


Overview

One of the rail lines constructed by the
Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...
in the early 20th century, the line was specifically built for the construction of the weir, and incorporated a
zig zag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...
. The line taken over by the
Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...
some years after its construction. The branch was popular for picnics and excursions to the weir between the 1920s and 1940s. The current route of
Mundaring Weir Road Mundaring Weir Road (Kalamunda-Mundaring road) is a road in the outer eastern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia that links Mundaring and Kalamunda. Although an earlier rough track existed in a similar route, the Kalamunda-Mundaring road ...
crosses the formation of the railway at two locations before the site of former No 2 Power station, and is parallel from the Weir road junction to the Mundaring Weir Hotel.


Difficulties

Due to the steep grades down to Mundaring Weir, a limited range of locomotives were permitted to be run on the line. In the 1940s the declining availability of
Msa Garratt The WAGR Msa class was a class of Garratt-type articulated steam locomotives. The class was built at the Midland Railway Workshops and operated by the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) between 1930 and 1963. It was the first Gar ...
steam locomotives affected the number excursion trains that could run to the weir. This was a particular problem during times when the weir overflowed, because the Msa Garratt seemed to be the only engine in service capable of negotiating the steep gradients. Due to lack of activity on the line in the early 1950s it was closed on 14 November 1952. A bill to officially close the line passed state parliament in December 1952. Services on the connecting line,
Mundaring Branch Railway The Mundaring Branch Railway is a historical section of the original Eastern Railway main line across the Darling Scarp in the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) system. Name variation It has had a number of names in WAGR records †...
, ceased traffic on 23 January 1954. The line was closed by parliament in 1966. Different proposals since 1966 to resurrect the railway line as a tourist attraction have not materialised.


Stopping places

The branch commenced to the east of the Mundaring Railway Station yard. * Mundaring Weir * Kardo Mordo, adjacent to the Mundaring Weir Hotel and Mundaring Weir Mechanics' Institute * Portagabra (near the current roundabout intersection turnoff to the Kookaburra Outdoor Cinema). Portagabra was the transfer station for cement railed from the Rivervale cement plant for the works to increase the height of Mundaring Weir in 1948. * O'Connor, opened as No. 2 Pumping Station in 1922. Renamed O'Connor c.1930. * Wonyil, west along the track where the line formation separates from the Mundaring Weir Road)


See also

*
Goldfields Water Supply Scheme The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is a pipeline and dam project that delivers potable water from Mundaring Weir in Perth to communities in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields, particularly Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. The project was commi ...
*
List of railways constructed by the Public Works Department of Western Australia These railways constructed by the Public Works Department, Western Australia, Public Works Department of Western Australia were operated by the Western Australian Government Railways after construction. References Further reading

* {{ ...


References


Further reading

* * Gunzburg, Adrian.(1968) ''The Mundaring Weir railway'', Perth. Australian Railway Historical Society, W.A. Division (Inc.) Copy held at
Battye Library The J S Battye Library (more properly known as the J. S. Battye Library of West Australian History) is an arm of the State Library of Western Australia. It stores much of the state's historical records and original publications including books, ...
bound with: Port Honey & Companys̀ timber tramway by E.W. Woodland. * {{refend


External links


Route map
Closed railway lines in Western Australia Mundaring Weir Eastern Railway (Western Australia) Railway lines opened in 1898 Railway lines closed in 1954 Railways with Zig Zags