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The Killarney railway line was a 
Along with approval for the Fassifern and Crows Nest branches in 1880 came parliamentary approval for this branch. Although the owner of the large
1925 map of the Queensland railway system
{{Railway lines in Queensland , state=expanded Closed railway lines in Queensland Railway lines opened in 1885 Railway lines closed in 1964 Darling Downs 1885 establishments in Australia 1964 disestablishments in Australia
branch railway
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a Main line (railway), main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city ...
in the Darling Downs
The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generally ...
region of Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia. It travelled from Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...
to Killarney
Killarney ( ; , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Killar ...
and operated from 1884 to 1964.
Along with approval for the Fassifern and Crows Nest branches in 1880 came parliamentary approval for this branch. Although the owner of the large Canning Downs
Canning Downs was the first residential establishment built by a white person on the Darling Downs in Queensland, Australia. It is located a short drive from the town of Warwick, Queensland, Warwick and originally extended south east to Killarn ...
station offered land to enable a direct route from Warwick to Killarney, a more circuitous route was chosen to serve surrounding farms. It meant that the branch line ran 44 kilometres east from Warwick and then south to Killarney rather than take a direct 32 kilometre route through Canning Downs.
The Southern railway line reached Warwick in 1871. The terminus was then on the northern side of the Condamine River
The Condamine River, part of the Balonne catchment that is part of the Murray-Darling Basin, drains the northern portion of the Darling Downs, an area of sub-coastal southern Queensland, Australia. The river is approximately 500 kilometres (3 ...
. After construction of a bridge over the river and extension of the line south to Stanthorpe
Stanthorpe is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Stanthorpe had a population of 5,286 people.
The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt.
Geography
Stant ...
, a stop at East Warwick became Warwick railway station
Warwick railway station serves the market town of Warwick in Warwickshire, England. The station is served by Chiltern Railways (who manage the station), and also less frequently by West Midlands Trains. It is located around half a mile north ...
and the old terminus was renamed Mill Hill railway station. The branch line to Killarney left the Southern Line a little beyond Mill Hill at what was called Killarney Junction.
The Killarney branch opened as far as Emu Vale on 2 June 1884 and then to Killarney on 24 August 1885. Sidings for the first stage were located at Hermitage, Glencairn, Swan Creek, Karcaruda, Mount Sturt, Yangan and Rockbrae whilst in the second stage Danderoo, Wiyarra, Tannymorel () and Grayson () were stops.
For the duration of the branch, a train ran six days a week. Grain traffic and cheese from a Yangan factory constituted its major cargo and, after the discovery of coal at Mount Colliery east of Tannymorel, it too contributed greatly to the profitability of the line. From 1930, a railmotor
Railmotor is a term used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth for a railway lightweight railcar, usually consisting of a railway carriage with a steam traction unit, or a diesel or petrol engine, integrated into it.
Steam railcars ...
operated the run. The Mount Colliery Tramway, a private 5 km-long horse tramway, opened in 1908. The tramway joined the line at Tannymorel to transport coal from a nearby mine to the railway.
The Killarney line, together with the colliery tramway, closed on 1 May 1964.
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. In 2013, it claimed to be the second largest narrow gauge network in the world. The network consists of the following lines:
*the N ...
*List of tramways in Queensland
List of tramways in Queensland provides three separate lists, each in alphabetical order of the key identifier. They are:
* Non sugar cane tramways, ordered by Tramway Name as contained in Wikipedia articles.
* Sugar cane tramways, ordered by Sug ...
References
External links
1925 map of the Queensland railway system
{{Railway lines in Queensland , state=expanded Closed railway lines in Queensland Railway lines opened in 1885 Railway lines closed in 1964 Darling Downs 1885 establishments in Australia 1964 disestablishments in Australia