Crows Nest Branch Railway was originally surveyed as a direct line from
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 ...
north to
Crows Nest in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, 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
Cawdor ( gd, Caladair) is a village and parish in the Highland council area, Scotland. The village is south-southwest of Nairn and east of Inverness. The village is in the Historic County of Nairnshire.
History
The village is the location o ...
, Shirley,
Woolmer,
Meringandan 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
Geham is a rural locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Geham had a population of 489 people.
Geography
The New England Highway passes through Geham. The northwest boundary is aligned with Cooby Creek.
Climate
Th ...
,
Mt Luke, Taylor,
Hampton and
Pechey. The extension serviced sawmills in the Pechey and
Perseverance regions with a
siding at Hampton station connecting to the
Munro Tramway servicing
Palmtree, Perseverance and
Ravensbourne.
Until about 1930, a daily mixed train departed Crows Nest at 7.00am each morning except Sunday for the 3-hour trip to Toowoomba. A rail motor service then took over which cut the travel time to a little over 1 hours. The branch was relegated to goods trains only during the mid-1950s and closed completely on 1 July 1961.
See also
*
Rail transport in Queensland
The rail network in Queensland, Australia, was the first in the world to adopt narrow gauge for a main line, and now the second largest narrow gauge network in the world, consists of:
*the North Coast Line (NCL) extending from Brisbane to R ...
References
* "Triumph of Narrow Gauge: A History of Queensland Railways". John Kerr. 1990. Boolarong Press, Brisbane.
External links
1925 map of the Queensland railway system{{Railway lines in Queensland , state=expanded
Closed railway lines in Queensland
Railway lines opened in 1883
Railway lines closed in 1961
Darling Downs
1883 establishments in Australia
1961 disestablishments in Australia