Blayney Railway Station

[faulcon1]

Blayney is now an unstaffed station and is situated on the main western line between Bathurst and Orange. This station is partially disused as it was a junction station for the now disused Blayney-Demondrille cross country line. The line had two branches, the first to Eugowra branching off at Cowra and the second To Grenfell branching off at Kooratha. The only passenger train that stops at Blayney is the Central West XPT and when the train stops at the station the driver and guard become the station staff for the duration of their stop.

The first photo shows the old sign.

The second photo shows the still functioning mainline platform.

The third photo show the back platform for the cross country line.

The fourth photo shows the water column. Here the fireman would have swung the column over to the locos tender. It was the fireman's job only to fill the tender tank which he could operating the small wheel near to the spout. He could turn the water on and off with that wheel making it a one man job. 

Edited December 8, 2021 by faulcon1

[faulcon1]

Carcoar Railway Station is on the disused Blayney to Demondrille cross country line and it once served the historic village of Carcoar.

 

The first photo show the rear of the station building.

The second photo show the simple station name board.

The third photo shows the platform side.

The fourth photo shows the loop looking towards Blayney.

The fifth photo shows the mainline looking towards Blayney.

The sixth photo shows a steel sleeper. There are 120,000 sleepers between Blayney and Cowra most are wood and mostly rotted.

The seventh photo shows the former dock platform at the southern end of Carcoar Station.

The eighth photo show a steel frame with old pieces of rail between Carcoar Station and Carcoar Tunnel.

The ninth photo shows a right hand leading point for the loop. The station was on the loop and this again looking towards Blayney.

The tenth photo shows the crude but effective means of stopping people from operating the point lever.

 

[faulcon1]

Carcoar Tunnel is situated just south of the station and was built in 1886 and is a single bore curving to the right it's entire length. There are no ventilation shafts and because the timber sleepers have not been constantly exposed to all the weather they're in good condition.

I walked through the tunnel (both ways) and a strong cool breeze was blowing through the tunnel north to south. Inside was a dead animal of some sort but I couldn't tell what it had been due to it's advance state of decomposition. Walking back through the tunnel the smell of the decomposing animal wafted on the breeze though the tunnel. I also met a small tortoise in the tunnel on the walk back.    

The first photo shows a close up of the tunnel date.

The second photo shows the northern portal or the Carcoar end

The third photo shows the inside looking north to south.

The third photo shows the southern portal

Some numbers stenciled onto the mouth at the southern portal.

[faulcon1]

Mandurama Station served it's tiny village and was situated on the eastern side

 

The first photo shows the mainline looking north to Carcoar.

The second photo show a substantial bench its purpose is unknown. Beyond it is the base for the hand operated crane.

The third photo shows the one time goods yard.

The fourth photo show the concrete station platform at Mandurama and is looking south. The station and the goods yard are separated by a level crossing which is now just a road.

 

[faulcon1]

Lyndhurst is another station down the line and once served it's small village being once again located on it's eastern side.

 

The first photo show the load bank.

The second photo shows the station platform edging looking north towards Mandurama.

The third photo shows the same platform looking south towards Woodstock. Yes the rails and sleepers are amongst all the grass.

[faulcon1]

Moving southwards we come to Woodstock village and it's station situated in the middle of the village. The station building is supposed to be in private ownership with an ugly steel railing on the platform to stop people falling off the platform.

 

The first photo shows the long load bank opposite the station.

The second photo shows the station itself. The canopy valance is in need of partial replacement.   

[faulcon1]

Cowra Railway Station was the most important on the line serving the large town and had a locomotive depot for locos that worked the cross country line and it's two branches.

 

The first photo shows the station approach which had a large car park and still has.

The second photo shows the dock platform which could have been used for the CPH Railmotor service on the Eugowra Branch

The third photo shows main station building from the railway side.

The fourth photo shows the station name board.

The fifth photo shows the station elevated water tank.

The sixth photo show the water column at the northern end of the platform. I tried pulling the chain to see if I could get it to move but it's either fixed or rusted solid.

The seventh photo a large brick building but I don't know what it was used for.

The eighth photo shows an almost dead snake in the railway yard reminding one to be careful near long grass.

The ninth and tenth photos show two frames with wheels that have been there for some time.

The eleventh photo shows Cowra's hand crane on it's brick pedestal.

The twelfth photo shows Cowra Yard looking south.

The thirteenth photo shows the one time refrigerated goods store in the railway yard.

The fourteenth photo shows Cowra's very long load bank.

The fifteenth photo show the diagram for the main F frame.

The sixteenth photo shows F frame.

The seventeenth photo shows another ground frame in the yard.

The eighteenth photo shows the northern end of Cowra yard under a stormy sky.  

[faulcon1]

Heading south from Cowra we come to Noonbina station which unlike Cowra has been totally obliterated.

 

The first photo show the huge wheat storage shed with the old silos in the distance. They once served the railway.

The second photo shows a fence cutting the line. The main station platform would have been with the mound of earth is.

[faulcon1]

Next station down was Wattamondara and a bit more survives.

 

The first photo show the station platform which was situated in a loop that been lifted. The station name board survives minus it's letters and the metal is slowly rusting away.

The second photo shows the load bank with the once rail served wheat silos beyond. Amazing the line is still in situ.

The third photo shows load bank line, mainline and basic level crossing looking back towards Noonbina.  

[faulcon1]

Next on from Wattamondara is Kooratha where the main station has been obliterated but other signs of the area do survive. This station was once the junction for the line to Grenfell.

 

The first photo shows a water tank with facilities to take water from either side.

The second photo show Kooratha's load bank.

The third photo show a partially dismantled water column at the south end of Kooratha yard.

The fourth photo is between Kooratha and Young and shows a washed away bridge with the line left suspended in mid air.

[faulcon1]

The last place on the line where it connected with the main southern line is Demondrille. In steam days there used to be a huge coaling stage here but that's long been demolished. Locos running between Sydney and Melbourne used to refill their tenders with coal and water and have their fires cleaned.

Trains coming off the line from Blayney could only join the main southern line on the up line and would have to run to Harden and then run round their train to head south. No line was ever laid to allow train to head south straight off the Blayney line.

 

The first photo shows Demondrille signal box which controlled all movements for the coaling stage and the Blayney line.

The second photo shows the now lifted track which ran between the tall pole in the background and the signal box and joined the mainline at the bottom of the photo.