- Newnes railway line
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Newnes Line Legend
Newnes Oil Works 
Newnes Constance 
Newnes Tunnels x2 Deane 
12 Mile Siding, New South Wales 
Main West line at Newnes Junction (1st) The Newnes railway line (also called Wolgan Valley Railway) is a closed and dismantled railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line ran for 32 mi (51 km) from the Main Western line to the township of Newnes.
The line was constructed and operated by the Commonwealth Oil Corporation for their Newnes Oil Shale mine. Surveying and construction was overseen by Henry Deane. The line opened in 1907 and closed in 1932. It was primarily intended to carry goods to and from the mine but also provided passenger services.
The New South Wales Division of Australian Railway Historical Society published The Shale Railways of New South Wales in 1974 which includes a detailed history of this line.Allan Watson, the Lessee of the old Newnes Hotel, has a comprehensive website here.
The steep 1 in 25 (4%) gradients along the descent towards Newnes required a different type of steam locomotive. 4 Shay locomotives were imported from the Lima Locomotive Works in the USA. Although rather slow, their unique build which uses crankshafts to propel the wheels made them very suitable, and if a train had to stop on a steep uphill grade, the train could easily start again and keep moving.
See also
References
- Newnes Line - NSWrail.net
- Deane, Henry (1979), The Wolgan Valley Railway - Its Construction, Australian Railway Historical Society, New South Wales Division, ISBN 0909650098
- Hicks, George, Shays in the Valley
Railway Lines in New South Wales 
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Categories:- Closed regional railway lines in New South Wales
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