The Westby railway line was a railway line in

New South Wales ) , 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 ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The line opened on 5 August 1925 as a branch off the

Main South line The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Inverca ...

at The Rock to the small community of Westby, a distance of approximately 40 km.A Short History of The Rock to Westby Branch Line Willson, Ross

Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin ''Australian Railway History'' is a monthly magazine covering railway history in Australia, published by the New South Wales Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society on behalf of its state and territory Divisions.Pulletop Pulletop is a rural locality in the south eastern part of the Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of f ...

. Subsequently, the League, when waiting upon the Minister for Lands, sought the line to run as far as

Jingellic Jingellic is a small town that straddles the boundaries of the Greater Hume Shire and Snowy Valleys Council local government areas in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located near a crossing on the upper M ...

. Finally, in 1919, The Rock to Pulletop Railway Act was passed. However, construction did not commence until February, 1923. Whilst the Act had sanctioned the construction only as far as Pulletop, it was continued for a further 5 kilometers to a terminus at Westby.

Operations

Mixed trains were limited to 500 tons and subject to a maximum equivalent length of 45 4-wheeled wagons and goods trains to 900 tons and an equivalent length of 70. The Down Mixed train, which, in 1949, ran Wednesdays only, connected with the Down Albury Mail and the Up Riverina Express, whilst the Up Mixed connected with the Up Albury Mail and the Down Riverina Express. Services came to an abrupt halt in January, 1952, when a bushfire destroyed nearly 4,000 sleepers and a timber waterway. The last train to Westby ran on 16 January 1952. Goods train services were resumed the following wheat season to serve the silo at

Mangoplah Mangoplah is a town approximately south of Wagga Wagga in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2016 census, Mangoplah had a population of 309. The name of the town is believed to mean "Kooris singing" in the Wiradjuri ab ...

. Once the wheat was cleared, they ran on an "as required" basis. Mangoplah platform

Wheat was again transported by rail from the Mangoplah silo the following three seasons.

Closure

It was formally closed from 10 July 1956, however the Act of Parliament enabling the closure was not passed until 1961, the date being retrospective. The track has been lifted for the entire length of the route. A motel was built on the site of the formation at The Rock.

References

Closed regional railway lines in New South Wales Standard gauge railways in Australia Railway lines opened in 1925 Railway lines closed in 1956 {{NewSouthWales-rail-transport-stub

Operations

Closure

See also

References