Crows Nest railway line

Crows Nest Branch Railway was originally surveyed as a direct line from Toowoomba north to Crows Nest in Queensland, Australia. The branch eventually took a more circuitous route to cover the maximum amount of farming country. The first stage struck out from Pengarry Junction a short distance west of Toowoomba and continued via Birnan, Cawdor, Shirley, Woolmer, Meringdan and Kleinton to terminate at Cabarlah. It opened on 17 September 1883. Shortly after opening, a daily service was provided to Cabarlah.

The second stage of the line to Crows Nest was opened on 6 December 1886 and stops were located en route at Geham, Mt Luke, Taylor, Hampton and Pechey. The extension serviced sawmills in the Pechey region and, in the case of one business at Perseverance, a tramway was built by its owner west to Hampton siding.

Until about 1930, a daily mixed train departed Crows Nest at 7.00am each morning except Sunday for the 3½-hour trip to Toowoomba. A rail motor service then took over which cut the travel time to a little over 1½ hours. The branch was relegated to goods trains only during the mid 1950’s and closed completely on 1 July 1961.

See also

Queensland portal

• Rail transport in Queensland

References

• "Triumph of Narrow Gauge: A History of Queensland Railways". John Kerr. 1990. Boolarong Press, Brisbane.