Sandy Hollow- Gulgong railway line, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
The Sandy Hollow- Gulgong railway line is a railway line in northern New South Wales
, Australia
. The line forms a cross country connection with the Main North
line and the Gwabegar line
and ultimately on to the Main West line
creating a circuitous bypass of Sydney
for freight traffic heading between the west and north of New South Wales. The line was opened in 1985.
in 1915 and Sandy Hollow
and Merriwa
in 1917. The section between Sandy Hollow and Merriwa has been closed since 1988. The Sandy Hollow Line between Sandy Hollow, Gulgong
and Maryvale, (between Wellington and Dubbo), was originally surveyed in 1860 as a more easily graded crossing of the Great Dividing Range than the Blue Mountains line nearer to Sydney. It was not commenced, however, until 1937, when it began as an unemployment relief scheme of the NSW Government, achieving infamy for having no modern mechanical devices used on it, other than trucks carrying concrete for the tunnels and bridge piers, all other work being done with picks, shovels, hand drills, horses and carts. Construction continued through World War 2 at a desultory pace, held up by money, labour and especially steel shortages, only to be abandoned unfinished, ~92% complete, a few years later in 1951. The line crosses the Great Dividing Range
by following the Goulburn River and Bylong Valley
s from Sandy Hollow to Bylong
, with a tunnel under Cox's Gap.
The tunnel, No.1 of three in the Bylong range and five on the entire line, that was built under Cox's Gap between 1946 and 1949 was used for eastbound road traffic on the Bylong Valley Way
until work recommenced in the early 1980s. It was used in 1978 in the filming of the opening scene for the television series Torque, hosted by Peter Wherrett
. In that scene, a Bolwell Nagari
driven by Wherrett approached as lights in the dark tunnel, then the camera drew back as the car drove out of the tunnel.
The line was opened as a heavy-haul railway to the major coal mine at Ulan
in 1982 and extended to Gulgong in 1985 to meet the line to Dunedoo and Dubbo. It is unlikely to be extended to Maryvale.
Because coal from Ulan is now the primary function of this line, Australian Rail Track Corporation
(ARTC) refer to the line as the Ulan line all the way from Muswellbrook to Gulgong. Coal from the Wilpinjong and Anvil Hill mines will also use this line when those mines begin production. In preparation for this, ARTC are upgrading the lines in the Muswellbrook yard and adding two more passing loops to the Ulan line in 2007.
The line previously used outdated electric train staff
(ETS) safeworking
procedures in 5 sections over its length. This is being replaced with centralised traffic control
(CTC) in 5 stages. The stages correspond to the 5 ETS sections, numbered from Muswellbrook to Gulgong. The 4th stage, to Ulan
, was completed in May 2008. This extends CTC to the westernmost coal mine on the line, covering the majority of train movements on the line.
Progress at upgrading the signaling by ARTC was criticised as slow and causing bottlenecks. The upgrade was previously due to be completed at the end of 2007.
to terminate, load, and return the coal trains up to 1800m long. There is also a crossing loop 900m long. Unlike earlier plans, there are no sidings for general freight, nor any passenger platforms.
Wilpinjong also has a balloon loop.
plan several more, plus and upgrade to centralised traffic control
signalling. The loops (and their lengths) are located at:
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The line forms a cross country connection with the Main North
Main North railway line, New South Wales
The Main North Line is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Central Coast, Hunter and the New England regions. The line was the original main line between Sydney and Brisbane, however this required a change of gauge at Wallangarra...
line and the Gwabegar line
Gwabegar railway line, New South Wales
The Gwabegar railway line is a railway line in the west of New South Wales, Australia which passes through the town of Mudgee to Gulgong and eventually heads to Gwabegar....
and ultimately on to the Main West line
Main Western railway line, New South Wales
The Main Western Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains, Central West, North West Slopes and the Far West regions.- Description of route :...
creating a circuitous bypass of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
for freight traffic heading between the west and north of New South Wales. The line was opened in 1985.
History
A line was built from Muswellbrook, to DenmanDenman, New South Wales
Denman is a small rural town in New South Wales, Australia, in Muswellbrook Shire. The town is located on the Golden Highway in the Upper Hunter Valley region, about 250 km north of Sydney...
in 1915 and Sandy Hollow
Sandy Hollow, New South Wales
Sandy Hollow is a small rural town in New South Wales, Australia in Muswellbrook Shire. The town is located on the Golden Highway in the far west of the Upper Hunter Valley region, about 260 km north of Sydney....
and Merriwa
Merriwa, New South Wales
Merriwa is a town in the far west of the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia, in Upper Hunter Shire. It is located on the Golden Highway, 273 kilometres northwest of Sydney and about half way between Newcastle and Dubbo...
in 1917. The section between Sandy Hollow and Merriwa has been closed since 1988. The Sandy Hollow Line between Sandy Hollow, Gulgong
Gulgong, New South Wales
Gulgong is a 19th century gold rush town in the Central-West of the Australian state of New South Wales. The town is located about north west of Sydney, and about 30 km north of Mudgee along the Castlereagh Highway. At the 2006 census, Gulgong had a population of 1,907 people...
and Maryvale, (between Wellington and Dubbo), was originally surveyed in 1860 as a more easily graded crossing of the Great Dividing Range than the Blue Mountains line nearer to Sydney. It was not commenced, however, until 1937, when it began as an unemployment relief scheme of the NSW Government, achieving infamy for having no modern mechanical devices used on it, other than trucks carrying concrete for the tunnels and bridge piers, all other work being done with picks, shovels, hand drills, horses and carts. Construction continued through World War 2 at a desultory pace, held up by money, labour and especially steel shortages, only to be abandoned unfinished, ~92% complete, a few years later in 1951. The line crosses the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
by following the Goulburn River and Bylong Valley
Bylong Valley
The Bylong Valley is a winding but relatively flat valley that crosses the Great Dividing Range between the Goulburn River National Park and Wollemi National Park, west of the upper Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia....
s from Sandy Hollow to Bylong
Bylong, New South Wales
Bylong is a village in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council. It is located on the Bylong Valley Way.The area is home to numerous horse studs...
, with a tunnel under Cox's Gap.
The tunnel, No.1 of three in the Bylong range and five on the entire line, that was built under Cox's Gap between 1946 and 1949 was used for eastbound road traffic on the Bylong Valley Way
Bylong Valley Way
Bylong Valley Way is a New South Wales country road linking the Golden Highway near Sandy Hollow to the Castlereagh Highway near Ilford. It is named after the Bylong Valley, through which the road passes.- Connections :...
until work recommenced in the early 1980s. It was used in 1978 in the filming of the opening scene for the television series Torque, hosted by Peter Wherrett
Peter Wherrett
Peter Wherrett was an Australian motoring and motor sport journalist and race car driver.Wherrett learned to drive when his parents got their first motor car when he was twelve...
. In that scene, a Bolwell Nagari
Bolwell Nagari
The Bolwell Nagari is a sports car produced by Bolwell in Australia. The original Mk VIII Nagari was built from 1969 to 1974 and the Mk X Nagari was launched in 2008.-Mk VIII Nagari:...
driven by Wherrett approached as lights in the dark tunnel, then the camera drew back as the car drove out of the tunnel.
The line was opened as a heavy-haul railway to the major coal mine at Ulan
Ulan, New South Wales
Ulan is a small village in eastern New South Wales, Australia. Ulan Post Office opened on 1 September 1893.There is a coal mine at Ulan. The Sandy Hollow - Ulan Railway was built to serve this coal mine...
in 1982 and extended to Gulgong in 1985 to meet the line to Dunedoo and Dubbo. It is unlikely to be extended to Maryvale.
Current status
Australian Rail Track Corporation
Australian Rail Track Corporation is a federal government owned corporation established in 1997 that owns, leases, maintains and controls the majority of main line standard gauge railway lines on the mainland of Australia, known as the Defined Interstate Rail Network .-History:The Interstate...
(ARTC) refer to the line as the Ulan line all the way from Muswellbrook to Gulgong. Coal from the Wilpinjong and Anvil Hill mines will also use this line when those mines begin production. In preparation for this, ARTC are upgrading the lines in the Muswellbrook yard and adding two more passing loops to the Ulan line in 2007.
The line previously used outdated electric train staff
Token (railway signalling)
In railway signalling, a token is a physical object which a locomotive driver is required to have or see before entering onto a particular section of single track. The token is clearly endorsed with the name of the section it belongs to...
(ETS) safeworking
Safeworking
Signalling block systems enable the safe and efficient operation of railways, so as to avoid collisions between trains. Block systems are used to control trains between stations and yards, and not normally within them. Any block system is defined by its associated physical equipment and by the...
procedures in 5 sections over its length. This is being replaced with centralised traffic control
Centralized traffic control
Centralized traffic control is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America and centralizes train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system consists of a centralized train dispatcher's office that...
(CTC) in 5 stages. The stages correspond to the 5 ETS sections, numbered from Muswellbrook to Gulgong. The 4th stage, to Ulan
Ulan, New South Wales
Ulan is a small village in eastern New South Wales, Australia. Ulan Post Office opened on 1 September 1893.There is a coal mine at Ulan. The Sandy Hollow - Ulan Railway was built to serve this coal mine...
, was completed in May 2008. This extends CTC to the westernmost coal mine on the line, covering the majority of train movements on the line.
Progress at upgrading the signaling by ARTC was criticised as slow and causing bottlenecks. The upgrade was previously due to be completed at the end of 2007.
Station layout
Ulan has a balloon loopBalloon loop
A balloon loop or turning loop allows a rail vehicle or train to reverse direction without having to shunt or even stop. Balloon loops can be useful for passenger trains and unit freight trains, such as coal trains....
to terminate, load, and return the coal trains up to 1800m long. There is also a crossing loop 900m long. Unlike earlier plans, there are no sidings for general freight, nor any passenger platforms.
Wilpinjong also has a balloon loop.
Crossing Loops
In 2007, there are four crossing loops, though ARTCAustralian Rail Track Corporation
Australian Rail Track Corporation is a federal government owned corporation established in 1997 that owns, leases, maintains and controls the majority of main line standard gauge railway lines on the mainland of Australia, known as the Defined Interstate Rail Network .-History:The Interstate...
plan several more, plus and upgrade to centralised traffic control
Centralized traffic control
Centralized traffic control is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America and centralizes train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system consists of a centralized train dispatcher's office that...
signalling. The loops (and their lengths) are located at:
- Kerrabee - 1800m
- BylongBylong, New South WalesBylong is a village in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council. It is located on the Bylong Valley Way.The area is home to numerous horse studs...
- 1800m - Coggan Creek - 1800m
- UlanUlan, New South WalesUlan is a small village in eastern New South Wales, Australia. Ulan Post Office opened on 1 September 1893.There is a coal mine at Ulan. The Sandy Hollow - Ulan Railway was built to serve this coal mine...
- 900m - GulgongGulgong, New South WalesGulgong is a 19th century gold rush town in the Central-West of the Australian state of New South Wales. The town is located about north west of Sydney, and about 30 km north of Mudgee along the Castlereagh Highway. At the 2006 census, Gulgong had a population of 1,907 people...
- 400m