The disused Mudgee Line

[faulcon1]

Here is a few photos of the abandoned stations on the railway line to the central western town of Mudgee in New South Wales Australia. New South Wales has many abandoned branch and secondary lines due to successive state governments being disinterested in railway transport and being bullied by super powerful road lobby groups. Today in New South Wales if you wish to travel you drive or fly, there is no alternative.

 

This is Ben Bullen Station with the platform on the down line.

Edited September 29, 2016 by faulcon1

[faulcon1]

Kandos Station is the start of the disused line. There was a cement works at Kandos which is know closed and sees no rail traffic. At the time the photo was taken the little station building was being converted into a cafe hence the barrier on the platform to prevent people from falling onto the disused permanent way. The signal in the background is merely a monument.

Edited August 16, 2014 by faulcon1

[faulcon1]

The next station is Rylstone (pronounced RileStone). This view is from the station forecourt. There was a sign on the station building which said "CCTV cameras in operation. I looked very hard but didn't find a single one.

Edited June 27, 2013 by faulcon1

[faulcon1]

This view shows the platform side of Rylstone Station On the left is the former bay platform.

Edited June 27, 2013 by faulcon1

[faulcon1]

The remains of the Ground frame. The house in the upper right of the photo is the former Station Masters house, now in private ownership.

[faulcon1]

The former goods shed with disconnected track work in the foreground.

[faulcon1]

On the leaving the station by car there is this sign. If you obey it you'll wait for the rest of your life.

[faulcon1]

This is the former Lue Station (pronounced Loo)

[faulcon1]

Lue Station from the platform side. All the windows are boarded up and the main door has a notice on it which reads "door is locked from the inside". So they must have locked that first and then climbed out of the windows

[faulcon1]

Lue Station looking towards Mudgee. In the days of steam this station was often a hive of activity. But that was before the railways gave away their traffic to the roads.

[faulcon1]

Looking back towards Rhylstone from Lue. On the left is the remains of the town with most shops boarded up and slowly decaying.

[faulcon1]

Lue trestle bridge. You need to drive under this bridge in order to get to the remaining shops

[roundhouse]

Some superb photos there. Must look this line up on a map.

 

Ian

[faulcon1]

A former level crossing between Lue and Mudgee. The road authorities aren't too worried about the possiblities of a reopening in the future of the line as they have resurfaced the road and have buried the railway line under bitumen. The small yellow sign on the up grade reads 100, meaning 100kph or 60mph the lines maximum speed. The last train travelled over the line in 2002. There was a proposal to reopen the line to serve a new colliery in the Gardens of Stone National Park, known for it's beautiful natural red and yellow sandstone pagodas. They are many millions of years old. But the whole tender process was done on the sly by the previous Labour state government. The present Liberal state government threw the under hand tender process out and abolished the idea. So the Mudgee line will continue to "sleep" for some time to come.

I unfortunately couldn't get good pictures of Mudgee Station as there was a Breast Screening coach parked right in front of the station. The station itself is now an art gallery and an Indian/Thai restaurant.

Edited June 26, 2013 by faulcon1

[faulcon1]

Some superb photos there. Must look this line up on a map.

 

Ian

Thanks for that Ian all photos were taken with a Cannon EOS 450D or the U.S designation a Rebel XSI

Roy.

[faulcon1]

The first photo of Ben Bullen station reminds me of an accident at the open level crossing to the left of the station in the late 1980's. A Mercedes Benz station wagon attempted to cross in front of a freight train and was struck amidships bending the car into a 'U' shape and carrying it for about 150 yards. The car was nearly brand new at the time and other than a bit of scraped paintwork on the loco, the loco suffered no damage. It hit the car at around 70kph. The owner of the car was miraculously unhurt and said the train should have stopped for him. The police didn't agree with him. 

[roundhouse]

When did the line last see passenger services?

[faulcon1]

The line from Kandos to Gulgong was closed in 1992 then reopened again in 2000. When the last passenger train ran is hard to say as surprisingly the line is still 'legally open' but is waiting for a massive cash injection (around $80 to $100 million). I know of a Rail Motor tour that ran to Mudgee around 2005 and the many post and wire fences they ran through as many farmers just extended their property boundaries without permission. Many NSW country railway lines are in a 'mothballed' state. Unlike in the UK where railway lines, sleepers and all infrastructure were removed, our are just left insitu although the authorities do nothing to them. Nearly all of our lines are characterised by sharp curves and steep gradients as they were built through the landscape in the most cheapest way, and often passing through small localities because of political pressure. When asking a relative who is in state politics why the lines have not been upgraded to modern standards I'm told of environmental impacts. Yet they can carve new motorways through virgin land and no environmental impacts rear their ugly heads. There's just no political will to do it. People who have emigrated from the UK to Australia say it's easy to see that the governments here are anti rail transport. Sad but true.

 

Roy. 

Edited June 29, 2013 by faulcon1

[skipepsi]

May be if they thought of it more as rural employment opportunities then they might be more supportive. Alternatively sell a line to the chinese and see what happens!

[faulcon1]

If the Chinese bought the line there would have to be a good reason for them to buy it. It basically goes from somewhere to nowhere with a very sparse population along it's route. Although I've titled the thread 'The Mudgee Line' it's actually the Gwabeger Branch. 

Edited November 23, 2018 by faulcon1

[Ruston]

That is one hell of a disused line! If I lived there I'd be making myself a platelayers trolley, powered by a motorcycle engine, and having a ride along it.

[skipepsi]

That is one hell of a disused line! If I lived there I'd be making myself a platelayers trolley, powered by a motorcycle engine, and having a ride along it.

From the OP the big problem might be wire across the line...........

[Ruston]

From the OP the big problem might be wire across the line...........

Never heard of snips, bolt croppers or battery-powered angle grinders? ;-)

[skipepsi]

Never heard of snips, bolt croppers or battery-powered angle grinders? ;-)

Thinking more in terms of wire at neck height as you sit on the trolley remember jeremy clarkson ?

[Ruston]

Then I guess that some sort of wire cutter mounted on the front like the things on u-boats would be in order.