Eastern Goldfields Railway
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Goldfields Railway (EGR) was built in the 1880s to connect Perth
, Western Australia
with the rich goldfields at Coolgardie
and Kalgoorlie
. The narrow gauge Eastern Railway line already connected Perth with Northam
, and the EGR extended this line through semi-desert to the goldfields. The railway line was soon running parallel with the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
.
In 1917, the EGR linked up at Kalgoorlie with the Trans-Australian Railway
from Port Augusta
, but with an inconvenient break-of-gauge
.
The chief engineer for both the railway and the pipeline was C. Y. O'Connor
.
Operationally the EGR was the main route to connect with the Leonora
and Esperance
branch lines.
In 1968, the EGR was converted to standard gauge
, on a substantially different route, mostly to the north of the original route, which included access to Koolyanobbing where an iron ore mine operated and which used the rail access to transport ore to the coast.
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
with the rich goldfields at Coolgardie
Coolgardie, Western Australia
Coolgardie is a small town in the Australian state of Western Australia, east of the state capital, Perth. It has a population of approximately 800 people....
and Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
. The narrow gauge Eastern Railway line already connected Perth with Northam
Northam, Western Australia
Northam is a town in Western Australia, situated at the confluence of the Avon and Mortlock Rivers, about north-east of Perth in the Avon Valley. At the 2006 census, Northam had a population of 6,009. Northam is the largest town in the Avon region...
, and the EGR extended this line through semi-desert to the goldfields. The railway line was soon running parallel with the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is a pipeline and dam project which delivers potable water to communities in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields, particularly Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie...
.
In 1917, the EGR linked up at Kalgoorlie with the Trans-Australian Railway
Trans-Australian Railway
The Trans-Australian Railway crosses the Nullarbor Plain of Australia from Port Augusta in South Australia to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia...
from Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
, but with an inconvenient break-of-gauge
Break-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
.
The chief engineer for both the railway and the pipeline was C. Y. O'Connor
C. Y. O'Connor
Charles Yelverton O'Connor CMG was an Irish engineer who is best-known for his work in Australia, especially the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme.-Early life:...
.
Operationally the EGR was the main route to connect with the Leonora
Leonora, Western Australia
Leonora is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located northeast of the state capital, Perth, and north of the city of Kalgoorlie. At the 2006 census, Leonora had a population of 401, about a third of whom are of Aboriginal descent. The area is extremely arid, with a...
and Esperance
Esperance Branch Railway
The Esperance Branch Railway is a railway from Kalgoorlie to the port of Esperance in Western Australia.It was lobbied for by Esperance residents to be linked into the WAGR railway network to provide land transport to their region - Gauge and Route :...
branch lines.
In 1968, the EGR was converted to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
, on a substantially different route, mostly to the north of the original route, which included access to Koolyanobbing where an iron ore mine operated and which used the rail access to transport ore to the coast.
Upgrades
In November 2005, funding was announced for various upgrades of the EGR . These included:- $33.1 million to replace the final 76 km of timber sleepersRailroad tieA railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
between KoolyanobbingKoolyanobbing, Western AustraliaKoolyanobbing is located 54 km NNE of the town of Southern Cross, Western Australia.Iron ore is mined here by a subsidiary of Cliffs Natural Resources of Cleveland, Ohio. Ore is railed to port at Esperance for export...
and Kalgoorlie with concrete sleepers. - $12 million to extend eight crossing loops to accommodate 1800m long trains. The crossing loops are at BodallinBodallin, Western AustraliaBodallin is a town located around half way between Merredin and Southern Cross in Western Australia.The town takes its name from the railway siding of this name, established between 1894 and 1897. When gazetted in 1918 the town was spelt Boddalin...
, Darrine, Wallaroo, Lake Julia, Grass ValleyGrass Valley, Western AustraliaGrass Valley is a small townsite east of Northam, Western Australia in the Avon Valley area.The town is named after a local property of the same name that was established in 1833 by William Nairn....
, BungullaBungulla, Western AustraliaBungulla is a small town located on the Great Eastern Highway in the central Wheatbelt region of Western Australia.The town came into being as a railway station on the line to Merredin. Its name is Aboriginal in origin; the word Bun-Galla means the part of the body situated above the hips. The...
, BooraanBooraan, Western AustraliaBooraan is a railway siding at the 297 km peg of the standard gauge Eastern Goldfields Railway between Northam and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia....
and Seabrook.