The Mundaring Weir branch railway was constructed from
Mundaring, Western Australia
Mundaring is a suburb located 34 km east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Eastern Highway. The suburb is located within the Shire of Mundaring.
The Aboriginal name of the area "Mindah-lung", said to mean "a high place on a high p ...
to the site of the
Mundaring Weir
Mundaring Weir is a concrete gravity dam (and historically the adjoining locality) located from Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. The dam and reservoir form the boundary between the suburbs of Reservoir and Sawyers Valley. The ...
, and opened on 1 June 1898.
Overview
One of the rail lines constructed by the
Public Works Department
This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure.
See also
* Public works
* Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...
in the early 20th century, the line was specifically built for the construction of the weir, and incorporated a
zig zag.
The line taken over by the
Western Australian Government Railways
Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the state owned operator of railways in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra respon ...
some years after its construction. It was improved with ballasting and work on the line to accommodate heavier rolling stock on excursion trains.
The branch was popular for picnics and excursions to the weir between the 1910s and 1940s.
The current route of
Mundaring Weir Road crosses the formation of the railway at two locations before the site of former No 2 Power station, and is parallel from the Weir road junction to the Mundaring Weir Hotel.
Difficulties
Due to the steep grades down to Mundaring Weir, a limited range of locomotives were permitted to be run on the line.
In the 1940s the declining availability of
Msa Garratt steam locomotives affected the number excursion trains that could run to the weir. This was a particular problem during times when the weir overflowed, because the Msa Garratt seemed to be the only engine in service capable of negotiating the steep gradients.
The line was last used for passenger traffic in July 1950, freight traffic in September 1950 and it was closed on 14 November 1952. A bill to officially close the line passed state parliament in December 1952, with the ''Railway (Mundaring-Mundaring Weir) Discontinuance Act 1952'' allowing for the closure and sale or disposal of the materials the line.
Services on the connecting line,
Mundaring branch railway, ceased traffic on 23 January 1954. The line was closed by parliament in 1966.
Different proposals since 1966 to resurrect the railway line as a tourist attraction have not materialised.
Stopping places
The branch commenced to the east of the Mundaring railway station yard.
* Mundaring Weir
* Kardo Mordo, adjacent to the
Mundaring Weir Hotel and Mundaring Weir Mechanics' Institute
* Portagabra (near the current roundabout intersection turnoff to the Kookaburra Outdoor Cinema). Portagabra was the transfer station for cement railed from the Rivervale cement plant for the works to increase the height of Mundaring Weir in 1948.
* O'Connor, opened as No. 2 Pumping Station in 1922. Renamed O'Connor c.1930.
* Wonyil, west along the track where the line formation separates from the Mundaring Weir Road)
See also
*
Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is a pipeline and dam project that delivers drinking water, potable water from Mundaring Weir in Perth to communities in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields, particularly Coolgardie, Western Australia, Coo ...
*
List of railways constructed by the Public Works Department of Western Australia
References
Further reading
*
* Gunzburg, Adrian.(1968) ''The Mundaring Weir railway'', Perth. Australian Railway Historical Society, W.A. Division (Inc.) Copy held at
Battye Library
The J S Battye Library (more properly known as the J. S. Battye Library of West Australian History) is an arm of the State Library of Western Australia. It stores much of the state's historical records and original publications including books, ...
bound with: Port Honey & Companys̀ timber tramway by E.W. Woodland.
*
External links
Route map
{{Railway lines in Western Australia
Mundaring Weir
Railway lines opened in 1898
Railway lines closed in 1954
Railways with Zig Zags
Former Western Australian Government Railways railway lines