Abandoned Railway Infrastructure in the New England of NSW

[faulcon1]

Here's a video showing what the above title reads. The abandoned part begins at six minutes into the video. This footage shows a railway line of 200km abandoned since the 1980's. Unlike the UK where lines are ripped out, buildings demolished, bridges removed and other infrastructure taken away here its all still there apart from Bolivia Station building which has been demolished.

 

 

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by faulcon1

[Hector Lawn]

Hi Laurence, 

 

Thanks for sharing your video of the abandoned Great Northern Rail line. I actually live in Armidale, the last open station on the the line, but often pass many of these locations when cycling (Dumaresq Station being very local on my regular cycling route) or when journeying North to Queensland. 
 

I always look at the line with sadness when I think of its abandonment but in reality I think it would need too much of an upgrade to be a realistic option of reopening the line - the whole line of track and every bridge would need to be replaced and I’m not sure that the traffic is sufficient to consider the cost of this. It would help if the line was express rated, but as your video states, it already takes 8 hours to get from Armidale to Sydney! If more people from the northern end of this line were to use it trains would need to be significantly faster. However, it would be great if there was an option to get from Armidale to Queensland via this route rather than expensive air services. 
 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Hector

Edited December 31, 2020 by Hector Lawn

[Hector Lawn]

I’ve just been out for my first cycle ride for 2021 on New Years Day. My ride takes me along the Booralong Road which runs virtually parallel to the Great Northern Rail line for the first 8 miles or so north of Armidale. 

First stop was at the rail crossing at Waraine Road 7.5miles out of Armidale, 

looking East back to Armidale:

Not much to see here as the line is so overgrown but you may just be able to make out the tops of the rails.

 

Then looking west toward Black Mountain and Guyra:

You can just make out the cutting between the line of trees. 
 

A mile further up the road and the line passes under the Booralong Road.

Being careful on the lookout for snakes in the knee and sometimes waist high grass while walking in my cycle shorts and ankle length socks I walked to my vantage point under the old wooden bridge that used to take the road over the line:

. . . which has now been superseded by the concrete and tarmac structure behind it. 

 

From here the line heads north towards, what I assume, is the next stop at Black Mountain and so this is where my cycle ride and the Great Northern Rail line part ways. 
 

Hector

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by Hector Lawn