HI Abandoned Oz it's good to see you doing a proper video of the Sandown Rail line and I heard this section of the Sandown Rail line was going to get converted as part of the Parramatta light rail stage 2 project from Parramatta to Sydney Olympic Park but because Chris Minns is now our Labor Premier of NSW he Stopped the Parramatta light rail stage 2 project to Sydney Olympic
I caught the Sandown train with a mate in the late 70s. We had missed the Carlingford train at Clyde, and that was the next service, and we were curious to see what was down there. Got told off by the guard when the train was stopped at Sandown station for not having a ticket for that service.
Yes, I remember that line. If you were to check out an old Gregory''s street directory, around late fifties or early sixties,. it shows up these old disused lines. Thanks Phil.
The Sandown line branched off the Carlingford line to the right approaching Camelia station. The first station (if you can call it that) was Hardies. It was just a short platform at the level crossing next to Camellia station. Further up the line was Goodyear (for the tyre and rubber products factory), then Sandown. There was, as you point out, a platform at Sandown, but not much else. I recall there being no station sign there in the late 80s when I first ventured out there on a two-car double deck "T set" in regular service. I last went out there by train around 30 years ago on the 11/1/1992 Last 8 car Single Decker tour. Over the next nearly 20 years I went out a few times to photograph freight trains at Sandown or on that line. I was still going out there looking at things up until 7 years ago when I left NSW to live in Victoria. I do recall tank wagons (Possibly bitumen tankers) further down the branch well past Sandown station area where there was a big old pedestrian bridge over the river that also carried big pipes for something. I recall plasterboard or something like it being made on the Rosehill side of that bridge.
if he keep going up where he saw the shipping containers i believe them cars are still there . i recall seeing a locomotive , but i think it is all over grown now as you could see
I really dont know what it is about abandoned railway tracks, but like you, they fascinate me, Im always looking for old abandoned lines, I think its mainly because I feel that all that work, all that effort, and all that infrastructure has gone to waste. Its a bloody shame. They close lines down because of the lack of t5raffic, then so many years later they put them back in again because of the change in lifestyle and transport demands. Odd.
The redbank trams would've linked up to the Sandown line via a level crossing and subsequent connecting to the line to transport freight from there and onto the ferries. Ironic how the Sandown line is being reused for trams
The Redbank Wharf tramline was owned by Sydney Ferries Limited. It ran along the street, not sharing any of the now closed railway. There were of course level crossings with the Carlingford and Sandown lines. The main (if not only) freight traffic hauled by the steam trams, was linseed, which went to a factory opposite the old Parramatta Hospital in George St, near Parramatta Park Gates.
IIRC (1980's), between the eastern side of the old Shell refinery (where Dad worked) and Duck River, there were remnant tracks. I'm not sure if they were a continuation of the remnant tracks where those containers were, or from the Durham St branch that you showed at the end of the video. They really should preserve that old level-crossing signal at the Durham St branch as a heritage thing. Interestingly, Google Maps shows the current satellite view, but the *street map* shows the layout of the old Sandown line including where it branched off the Carlingford line. From this you can see that the Light Rail Depot branch actually does use part of the Sandown line route.
At Sandown the line had a branch to the right feeding no 8 Grand ave which was a bonded container terminal. In the early hours (Early 90's) one morning a sedan ran into the side of a loco shunting containers across the road. The car was totalled in the impact ,the driver survived. Up until the 60's goods trains would pick up product from 10 Grand ave also (Wunderlich roof tiles) Parts of that old track route was evident through the property .
Interesting video. I remember that line, though I don't think I ever travelled on it unfortunately. At first, I thought I was hearing very bad background music in this video and realised just now that it is coming from the nearby factory. LOL.
This was a very funny comment ! Sadly , so much music these days is little better than this ! When entering the MRI scanner room at Westmead Hospital I initially thought that I was hearing modern music , but , of course this was the scanner . Even the technician referred to it as " disco music " ! 😂
Used to explore that area as a kid back in the earlys 80s where all the bush is they use to store timber there they had an old care taker look after the site he lived in a carvan and could only talk through a device he put up to his neck sounded like a robot scared the crap out of me and my mates
Re : Snakes 🐍 Be very careful as they are out and about with the nice weather we had last week. Brown Snakes have been spotted in various suburbs so they’ll definitely be out in these bushy areas
It’s time to collect all leftover and unused iron in plate form.. because it can’t stay in pure form and get rusted.. it can only store in stone form or as thik metal after melting it stay longer. Only gold and few others metal can only remain on its pure form and never impacted with water air or environment at least better then iron when it comes sustainable.. it might help letter to build chassis for vehicle or any motor or steel house and bridges.. actually building house could be good ideas then letting it as carelessly
Interesting that the track is still there but there's no evidence of the electrical infrastructure. I guess it could be used elsewhere but the rails weren't worth lifting. Congratulations, by the way, in braving the threat of snakes. It would deter me.
