The Dorrigo railway line branched from the North Coast line at Glenreagh in the Pacific hinterland of Northern NSW and took a winding 69km path to Dorrigo, on the Dorrigo plateau. It opened in 1924 and effectively closed after flood damage in 1972.
Timber was the main revenue source but the Dorrigo line was one of the costliest branch railways built in New South Wales. It had some of the steepest gradients and tightest curves on the NSW railways and high maintenance costs due to the wet climate.
There were two tunnels, 13 sidings and stations, and many bridges.
The line was intended to eventually link Coffs and Grafton with the northern and north west railway lines at Guyra but this was scrapped around WW1.
Dorrigo station and yard are currently used to store Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum’s large rolling stock collection, the largest in the world, including 45 steam locos. The DSRM has plans to one day run trains from Dorrigo to Megan and open their collection to the public.
The station at Glenreagh remains although the old signal gantry and once iconic water tank are gone. The Glenreagh Mountain Railway maintains a small fleet of rolling stock in their shed at a location sometimes known as ‘Glenreagh West’, and some track around Glenreagh with hopes to run trains to Tallawudjah Creek again, among other plans.
From the hot hinterland of the north coast to the cool climes of the plateau, let’s begin our journey here at Glenreagh, alongside the modern North Coast Line.
LINKS:
Glenreagh Mountain Railway: gmr.org.au/
Glenreagh Gold: / @glenreaghgold7163
Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum: www.dsrm.org.au/
Coffs Collections: coffs.recollect.net.au/
17 дек 2023
