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Brookton–Dale River railway

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Brookton–Dale River railway
Railway lines in 1926 (distances in miles): The Armadale to Brookton link is sketched in as a direct line
Overview
StatusApproved by Parliament and surveyed but not constructed
LocaleWheatbelt, Western Australia
Termini
Technical
Line length42.7 km (26.5 mi)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Brookton–Dale River railway
Main locations
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
45km
30miles
Armadale
3
Armadale
Dale River bridge (Brookton Highway)
2
Brookton
1
Brookton

The Brookton–Dale River railway was an authorised but never constructed railway line in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The railway line was to head west from Brookton, where it connected to the Great Southern Railway and the Brookton to Corrigin railway, to Dale River. It was the eastern-most section of a proposed but never authorised Armadale to Brookton railway line.

History

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Railway lines in 1926 (distances in miles): The Armadale to Salmon Gums link is sketched in as a direct line

The Great Southern Railway, connecting Beverley to Albany, had reached Brookton in 1889 while the railway line connecting Brookton and Corrigin had opened on 19 April 1915.[1][2]

The Brookton–Dale River Railway Act 1923, an act by the Parliament of Western Australia assented to on 22 December 1923, authorised the construction of a 45-kilometre (28 mi) long railway line from Brookton west to Dale River.[3]

The new railway line was to head north-north-westerly from Brookton for 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi), then westerly for 10.5 kilometres (6.5 mi). From there, it would head south for 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi), then westerly again for 13.8 kilometres (8.6 mi) and, finally, north-westerly for 12 kilometres (7.5 mi), for a total length of 42.7 kilometres (26.5 mi).[3] At the time of its authorisation, it was seen as a part of a proposed Armadale to Brookton railway line.[4][5]

In 1927, a trunk railway line from Fremantle via Armadale, Brookton and Corrigin and on from there to Salmon Gums on the Coolgardie to Esperance railway was proposed, of which only the Fremantle to Armadale and Brookton to Corrigin sections already existed.[1][6]

Construction of the surveyed Brookton to Dale River railway line, as part of a connection to Armadale, was still seen as imminent in 1929.[7] The railway line was not constructed because of difficult conditions during the Great Depression. By November 1932, the Western Australian government, under premier James Mitchell, admitted that it did not have the money to spare to construct the line which was estimated to cost £A 1,600 per mile of construction just for materials. For this reason, the state government had not constructed any railway lines in the previous two years.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b Gunzburg, Adrian; Austin, Jeff; Rail Heritage WA; Gunzburg, Adrian (2008), Rails through the bush : timber and firewood tramways and railway contractors of Western Australia (2nd ed.), Rail Heritage WA, ISBN 978-0-9803922-2-7
  2. ^ "Railway map of Western Australia, 1952". Trove. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Brookton–Dale River Railway Act 1923". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 22 December 1923. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Brookton–Dale River Railway". trove.nla.gov.au. The Pingelly Leader. 20 December 1923. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Brookton–Dale Railway – Early Construction Urged". trove.nla.gov.au. The West Australian. 13 August 1928. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Railway Development - Southern Cross Southwards". Great Southern Herald. Vol. XXVI, no. 2, 724. Western Australia. 23 November 1927. p. 5. Retrieved 21 September 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Brookton-Armadale line: Mr. McCallum's Tour". trove.nla.gov.au. The West Australian. 19 August 1929. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Brookton-Armadale line: Construction again urged". trove.nla.gov.au. The West Australian. 29 November 1932. Retrieved 21 September 2024.