The Cooyar railway line was a
branch line in the
Darling Downs region of
Queensland, Australia. The small town of
Cooyar is about halfway to
Kingaroy in the
South Burnett Region. A plan to connect Kingaroy to the south via Cooyar did not eventuate and left Cooyar at the terminus of a branch line running from
Oakey
Oakey is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. The Museum of Army Aviation is located at Oakey Airport.
Geography
The town is situated on the eastern side of the Darling Downs and the Toowoomba Region lo ...
west of
Toowoomba. It was opened on 28 April 1913 after previous stages to
Kulpi and
Peranga opened on 29 April 1912 and 4 November 1912 respectively. The line was partially closed beyond
Acland
Acland is an English surname. The Aclands of Devon (often Dyke Acland: see Acland baronets, Dyke Acland baronets) were an influential family, whose name was derived from Acland near Barnstaple. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alexande ...
on 1 May 1964, with the last segment closed on 8 December 1969.
[''The Cooyar Branch Line'' Milne, Rod Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, July, 1996 pp195-205]
Services
Mixed trains initially ran four times a week and were replaced in 1929 by a daily rail motor service to Toowoomba. The line connected the small towns of
Acland
Acland is an English surname. The Aclands of Devon (often Dyke Acland: see Acland baronets, Dyke Acland baronets) were an influential family, whose name was derived from Acland near Barnstaple. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alexande ...
,
Kulpi,
Peranga,
Narko,
Nutgrove,
Wutul and
Cooyar to the
Queensland Rail western line at
Oakey
Oakey is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. The Museum of Army Aviation is located at Oakey Airport.
Geography
The town is situated on the eastern side of the Darling Downs and the Toowoomba Region lo ...
until 1964. This provided passenger and farm produce services not only to these towns but also to the surrounding townships of
Quinalow
Quinalow is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Quinalow had a population of 173 people.
Geography
The town is located on Darling Downs in the north of the locality and on the bank ...
,
Maclagan and
Evergreen.
Coal was transported between Acland and Oakey, this portion of the branch line remained in service until 1969. A similar parallel branch line existed connected
Haden to the Western Line at
Kingsthorpe from 1910 to 1964. As the competing service of
bullock carts gave way to
motor vehicles rail patronage declined resulting in both services becoming uneconomical to maintain.
With negligible track remaining the Oakey-Cooyar branch line could all but be overlooked as a fading scar on the landscape, it retains its significance however through the still intact
Muntapa Tunnel
Muntapa Tunnel is a heritage-listed tunnel from Narko-Nutgrove Road, Highgrove through to Nutgrove, both in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Queensland Railways and built from 1910 to 1913 by Queensland Railways ...
. A feat of early
Queensland Railways engineering achievement, the Muntapa Tunnel remains the only
tunnel in Queensland to pass under the summit of Eastern Australia's
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...
. This tunnel was constructed with manual labour. It is now home to a colony of bats.
The Oakey-Cooyer branch line is also of early surveying significance. Rail engineering practice of the period avoided the construction of tunnels, so significant surveying was undertaken to avoid tunnelling and to minimise rail
gradients. The largest gradient of a line mandates a larger, more expensive loco or a de-rating of carrying capacity, both of which would result in a less economical service for the line as a whole. The Oakey-Cooyar branch line was repeatedly surveyed to arrive at its built route, which had a negligible gradient over its length, but which required the 300m tunnel. The low gradient required a devious route, particularly at Narko and adjacent to the tunnel.
References
*
*
Queensland Historical Legal Collection
External links
Tunnel location on Google Maps1925 map of the Queensland railway system
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oakey-Cooyar railway line
Closed railway lines in Queensland
Railway lines opened in 1913
Railway lines closed in 1969
Darling Downs
1913 establishments in Australia
1969 disestablishments in Australia