Western Australian Government Railways
Encyclopedia
Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was most common name of the Western Australia
n government
rail transport authority from 1890 to 1976. It is, in its current form, known as the Public Transport Authority (PTA) of Western Australia.
In earlier times it had an extensive system of railway branches and lines throughout Western Australia. The network of branches were of vital importance in the state prior to the expanded use of motor transport for the moving of agricultural
, forestry and mining
products.
Legislative restrictions were implemented at some stages to limit competition from road transport. Notably in the 1930s through to the 1950s the Transport Co-ordination Board kept strict control over trucking, buses and commercial road traffic.
The transformation from WAGR with a full range of branches listed below– through to Westrail (another name during its changes) to the PTA– caused a loss of local branches, and sidings.
The move from a small customer oriented system to a predominantly bulk carrier main line system, in the late twentieth century left many smaller communities smarting from the loss of local employment and facilities usually associated with the older style of working. However in the wheatbelt, bulk handling of grain continued despite the changes.
Some branches were isolated from the main system, such as the Marble Bar
and the Hopetoun
lines. Most branch lines in the system were constructed by the 1930s. The main era for closures was in the post-World War II
era of the 1950s when many non-paying branches were closed.
With the completion of the standard gauge
line to Kalgoorlie
in the mid 1960s, many lines closed and by the early 1970s, dieselisation
had seen diesel completely replace steam locomotive
s.
(Source: State Records Office of Western Australia website)
is entirely electrified, between May 1924 and March 1969 the State Electricity Commission operated the only 1067mm narrow gauge electrified line in Western Australia as part of the WAGR network. The line was a half-mile in length and operated in East Perth. The electric locomotive used on the railway is preserved at the Rail Transport Museum
in Bassendean, though is currently not on display.
The Rail Road Services commenced in 1941 with one vehicle, and by the 1960s there were more than 50 buses in service. The Dual purpose passenger/freight buses that commenced in 1949 had a Foden
chassis and Gardner 6 cylinder diesel engines. They were green and cream in livery. WAGR also operated articulated trailer bus
es. In the 1950s the main passenger bus was made of an AEC chassis with a 6 cylinder diesel engine. In the early 1960s the 3 Scenicruiser Guy chassis and Leyland 6 cylinder diesel engined vehicles in red and cream colour schemes commenced on the Perth-Albany and Perth Narembeen routes. They were named 'Pride of the West', 'Queen of the South', and 'Wheatlander'.
In the late 1960s Hino Buses were being utilised as long distance travel buses for the Perth-Meekatharra, Perth-Esperance, Perth-Geraldton, and Perth-Albany Services
In the early 1970s the WAGR Bus service included seasonal 6 day 'Wildflower Study Tours' from Perth and along roads to and from Geraldton through the northern Wheatbelt .
In the early 1970s the King Karri Scenicruiser buses ran from Bunbury through Maniump, Pemberton, Northcliffe, Walpole to Albany at the same time the Albany Progress
overnight train was still operating - making it possible to do a round trip by rail from Perth to Albany and bus from Albany to Perth via Bunbury.
In the mid 1970's some services reflected where rail services had either closed or had ceased providing facilities for passengers - the following selection is the not the total service at the time
with suburban truck services between Perth and Midland, Perth and Fremantle, Perth and Kewdale and Perth and Gosnells. The Country services were extensive having Perth and country rail stations as terminal locations.
For most of the years that the WAGR existed as that entity, main offices, and divisional offices and buildings were all within a short range of Perth Railway Station. Rationalisation of the diverse addresses and locations occurred with the construction of the East Perth Head Office building.
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...
n government
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
rail transport authority from 1890 to 1976. It is, in its current form, known as the Public Transport Authority (PTA) of Western Australia.
History of Operations
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, forestry and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
products.
Legislative restrictions were implemented at some stages to limit competition from road transport. Notably in the 1930s through to the 1950s the Transport Co-ordination Board kept strict control over trucking, buses and commercial road traffic.
The transformation from WAGR with a full range of branches listed below– through to Westrail (another name during its changes) to the PTA– caused a loss of local branches, and sidings.
The move from a small customer oriented system to a predominantly bulk carrier main line system, in the late twentieth century left many smaller communities smarting from the loss of local employment and facilities usually associated with the older style of working. However in the wheatbelt, bulk handling of grain continued despite the changes.
Some branches were isolated from the main system, such as the Marble Bar
Marble Bar, Western Australia
-North Pole:An ironically named locality nearby is known as North Pole , no doubt for its heat. It is the location of rock formations considered to have evidence that puts the origin of life on earth back to 3,400–3,500 mya, due to stromatolites in particular rock sequences...
and the Hopetoun
Hopetoun, Western Australia
Hopetoun is a town on the south coast of Western Australia in the Shire of Ravensthorpe. Located on Mary Ann Haven, Hopetoun is some south-east from capital city Perth and west of Esperance.-History:...
lines. Most branch lines in the system were constructed by the 1930s. The main era for closures was in the post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era of the 1950s when many non-paying branches were closed.
With the completion of the 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...
line to 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...
in the mid 1960s, many lines closed and by the early 1970s, dieselisation
Dieselisation
Dieselisation or dieselization is a term generally used for the increasingly common use of diesel fuel in vehicles, as opposed to gasoline or steam engines.-Water Transport:...
had seen diesel completely replace steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s.
Names
- 1877-1890: Department of Works and Railways (also known as Public Works and Railways)
- 1890-1914: West Australian Government Railways (I)
- 1914-1922: West Australian Government Railways and Tramways
- 1922-1930: West Australian Government Railways, Tramways and Electricity Supply
- 1930-1946: West Australian Government Railways, Tramways, Ferries and Electricity Supply
- 1946-1949: West Australian Government Railways, Tramways and Ferries
- 1949-2000: West Australian Government Railways (II)
- 1975: WAGR adopts the brand name WestrailWestrailWestrail was the name of Western Australia’s public rail service between 1975 and 2000.It had its origins in 1877 as the Department of Works and Railways. This became Western Australian Government Railways in 1890 — a name that persisted for almost a century...
- 2000: The freight business and the Westrail name were sold to Australian Western RailroadAustralian Western RailroadAustralian Western Railroad is the name of the private entity that purchased the Westrail freight business from the State Government of Western Australia. The sale took place in the year 2000 for the price of A$585 million dollars. AWR is a subsidiary of the Australian Railroad Group....
– a subsidiary of Australian Railroad GroupAustralian Railroad GroupAustralian Railroad Group was one of Australia's largest private rail operators, operating across almost 10,000 kilometres of track and began operating in Western Australia on 17 December 2000 following its purchase of the Westrail freight business. It was acquired by QR National...
(ARG) and the freight rail lines were leased to WestNet RailWestNet RailWestNet Rail is the operator of approximately 5000 kilometres of former WAGR railway track in Western Australia, leased from the State of Western Australia following the sale of Westrail in 2000....
– another subsidiary of the ARG. WAGR continued to own the track, but WestNet manages it under the terms of a 49-year lease. The public entity is renamed to the Western Australian Government Railways CommissionWestern Australian Government Railways CommissionWestern Australian Government Railways Commission was the name of the former Westrail between 2000 and 2003.Western Australian Government Railways became Westrail in 1975 and continued to manage both passenger and freight rail services in Western Australia until 18 December 2000.At that time,...
(WAGRC). - 2003: WAGRC renamed to Public Transport Authority (of Western Australia)
(Source: State Records Office of Western Australia website)
Services
The WAGR operated a wide variety of services throughout its history, including the more standard country and suburban passenger and freight workings as well as a limited electrified service, early country railcar services, a road bus service and overnight sleeper services to distant destinations.Named Services
Named services were largely unknown on the WAGR until the expansion following the Second World War. The introduction of named services was part of an effort to increase the prestige of a railway system which had long been viewed as antiquated and inefficient. With the exception of the Perth - Bunbury services, the named trains of the WAGR were sleeper services. The services were (with years operating) -| Name | Origin | Destination | Started | Ended | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany Progress Albany Progress The Albany Progress was a narrow gauge passenger train that was run by the Western Australian Government Railways between 1961 and December 1978. The train ran between Perth and Albany on the Great Southern Railway... |
Perth | Albany | 1961 | 1978 | |
| The Albany Weekender | Perth | Albany | 1964 | 1975 | |
| The Australind Transwa Australind The Transwa Australind is a diesel railcar train operated by Transwa that runs between Perth, Western Australia, and the south-west city of Bunbury on the South Western Railway . The Australind fleet consists of three powered railcars ADP101, ADP102 and ADP103, with two non-driving trailers ADQ121... |
Perth | Bunbury | 1947 | present | |
| The Shopper | Perth | Bunbury | 1964 | 1975 | |
| The Bunbury Belle | Perth | Bunbury | 1964 | 1975 | |
| The Midlander | Perth | Geraldton | 1964 | 1975 | |
| The Kalgoorlie Express | Perth | Kalgoorlie | 1917 | 1938 | Nightly Monday to Friday. It left Perth at 5pm arriving Kalgoorlie at around 7am the following morning. From Kalgoorlie it left at 7pm and arrived in Perth at around 9am the following morning. It had first (two sleepers and an ensuite) and second (four sleepers) class compartments. There was also a sit-up carriage. |
| The Westland The Westland The Westland was the name given in 1938 to the overnight train operated by the Western Australian Government Railways with sitting and sleeping cars that ran between Perth and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, where it connected with the Trans-Australian Railway service to the Eastern states of... |
Perth | Kalgoorlie | 1938 | 1969 | The only named service in WA until the Australind in 1947. |
| The Kalgoorlie | Perth | Kalgoorlie | 1962 | 1971 | |
| The Prospector Transwa Prospector The Transwa Prospector is a standard-gauge passenger train operated by Transwa that runs between Perth, Western Australia, and the Goldfields town of Kalgoorlie.-History:... |
Perth | Kalgoorlie | 1971 | present | |
| The Mullewa The Mullewa The Mullewawas a named Western Australian Government Railways overnight passenger railway service that ran between Perth, Western Australia and Mullewa in the Western Australian 'Mid-West Region'.... |
Perth | Mullewa | 1961 | 1974 |
Unnamed Services
The train between Kalgoorlie and Leonora operated twice weekly. For a period it was a steam train on Tuesday and a diesel on Thursday. It returned to Kalgoorlie on Wednesday and Friday mornings. The service ended when the Sons of Gwalia mine closed at the end of 1963.Electrified Services
While the current Western Australian urban passenger network under Transperth TrainsTransperth Trains
Transperth Trains is a division of the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia. It is responsible for operating Perth’s urban passenger rail system, as part of the Transperth network.- Lines :...
is entirely electrified, between May 1924 and March 1969 the State Electricity Commission operated the only 1067mm narrow gauge electrified line in Western Australia as part of the WAGR network. The line was a half-mile in length and operated in East Perth. The electric locomotive used on the railway is preserved at the Rail Transport Museum
Rail Heritage WA
Rail Heritage WA is the local trading name of the Australian Railway Historical Society Inc.It is the owner and manager of the Bassendean based Western Australia Rail Transport Museum....
in Bassendean, though is currently not on display.
Country Diesel Railcar Services
In the 1940s and 1950s, usage of the Governor Class Diesel services on country lines was common, and services within distance of a couple of hours of Perth were accessed - rather than the longer more distant locations serviced by the overnight sleeper trains.Road Bus Service
Where lines were closed in the 1940s and 1950s , or passenger services discontinued, Road Bus Services were introduced. Most of the services and the same routes continue to the present. .The Rail Road Services commenced in 1941 with one vehicle, and by the 1960s there were more than 50 buses in service. The Dual purpose passenger/freight buses that commenced in 1949 had a Foden
Foden
Foden may refer to:* Ben Foden , English rugby union player* Giles Foden , British author* Wendy Foden, South African conservation biologist- See also :* Edwin Foden, Sons & Co., a former British truck and bus manufacturer...
chassis and Gardner 6 cylinder diesel engines. They were green and cream in livery. WAGR also operated articulated trailer bus
Trailer bus
A trailer bus or articulated trailer bus is a bus formed out of a bus bodied semi-trailer pulled by a conventional tractor unit in the same way as a conventional articulated semi-trailer truck....
es. In the 1950s the main passenger bus was made of an AEC chassis with a 6 cylinder diesel engine. In the early 1960s the 3 Scenicruiser Guy chassis and Leyland 6 cylinder diesel engined vehicles in red and cream colour schemes commenced on the Perth-Albany and Perth Narembeen routes. They were named 'Pride of the West', 'Queen of the South', and 'Wheatlander'.
In the late 1960s Hino Buses were being utilised as long distance travel buses for the Perth-Meekatharra, Perth-Esperance, Perth-Geraldton, and Perth-Albany Services
In the early 1970s the WAGR Bus service included seasonal 6 day 'Wildflower Study Tours' from Perth and along roads to and from Geraldton through the northern Wheatbelt .
In the early 1970s the King Karri Scenicruiser buses ran from Bunbury through Maniump, Pemberton, Northcliffe, Walpole to Albany at the same time the Albany Progress
Albany Progress
The Albany Progress was a narrow gauge passenger train that was run by the Western Australian Government Railways between 1961 and December 1978. The train ran between Perth and Albany on the Great Southern Railway...
overnight train was still operating - making it possible to do a round trip by rail from Perth to Albany and bus from Albany to Perth via Bunbury.
In the mid 1970's some services reflected where rail services had either closed or had ceased providing facilities for passengers - the following selection is the not the total service at the time
- Albany-Denmark-Nornalup-Walpole Road Bus Service
- Perth Terminal-Wooroloo Hospital-Wundowie-Northam Road Bus Service
- Perth Terminal-Toodyay-Goomalling-Wubin-Mount Magnet-Meekatharra Road Bus Service
- Wagin-Katanning-Pingrup-Jerramungup Road Bus Service
Railway Road Truck Services
There were also road freight services, while the restrictions on non-government trucking were still in forcewith suburban truck services between Perth and Midland, Perth and Fremantle, Perth and Kewdale and Perth and Gosnells. The Country services were extensive having Perth and country rail stations as terminal locations.
Locomotives
The WAGR operated a large number of unique steam, diesel and electric locomotive classes. Often suffering from lack of available funds the WAGR locomotive fleet often consisted of locomotives far older than their expected operational life. Only one electric locomotive was operated by the government during the WAGR years.Chief Mechanical Engineers of the WAGR
Chief Mechanical Engineer was the highest posting at the Midland Railway Workshops, which in turn managed (through construction, repair and design) all aspects of railway maintenance and equipment. The post was established in 1900 and abandoned in 1989.Main Lines
In rail administration, lines were given generic titles such as the Eastern Railway, the South Western, rather than after the destination.- Metropolitan - ER - Eastern Railway - Suburban
- Bunbury - SWR - South Western RailwaySouth Western Railway (Western Australia)The South Western Railway is the main railway route between Perth Western Australia and Bunbury.Constructed by the Western Australian Government Railways, the Transwa Australind currently services this route.- References :...
- Kalgoorlie - EGR - Eastern Goldfields RailwayEastern Goldfields RailwayThe Eastern Goldfields Railway 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...
- Mullewa - NR - Northern RailwayNorthern Railway (Western Australia)-Northampton Line:Opening in 1879 the Northern Line originated as a service between Geraldton port and mines at Northampton. It was the first government built railway in Western Australia - as other lines had been built prior to this date - but they were privately built...
- Leonora - EGR - Eastern Goldfields RailwayEastern Goldfields RailwayThe Eastern Goldfields Railway 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...
- Meekathara - NR - Northern RailwayNorthern Railway (Western Australia)-Northampton Line:Opening in 1879 the Northern Line originated as a service between Geraldton port and mines at Northampton. It was the first government built railway in Western Australia - as other lines had been built prior to this date - but they were privately built...
- Esperance - EGR - Eastern Goldfields RailwayEastern Goldfields RailwayThe Eastern Goldfields Railway 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...
- Albany - GSR - Great Southern RailwayGreat Southern Railway (Western Australia)The Great Southern Railway was the name of a railway company that operated from Beverley to Albany in Western Australia between 1886 and 1896. In 1896 the Western Australian Government Railways took over this company and the railway route also kept the name.- Construction :The first sods for the...
Branches/Sections
For a different way of identifying branches/routes see Quinlan and Newland.- Ajana Branch
- Boulder Branch
- Brookton-Corrigin Branch
- Bullfinch Branch
- Bunbury to Katanning Branch
- Busselton Branch
- Collie to Brunswick Junction Branch
- Collie to Wagin Branch
- Denmark Branch
- Flinders Bay BranchFlinders Bay Branch RailwayA branch railway from Busselton to Flinders Bay, in South Western Western AustraliaOriginally part of the M.C.Davies Timber railway system, which ran between the two jetties at Hamelin Bay and Flinders Bay...
- Northampton BranchGeraldton to Northampton railwayThe Geraldton to Northampton railway was the first government railway constructed by the Western Australian Government Railways in 1879. It was closed in 1957.The railway station built for the line in 1879 was the first railway station in Geraldton....
- Hopetoun Railway
- Hotham Valley Branch
- Lake Brown Branch
- Lake Grace Branch
- Meekathara Branch
- Mundaring BranchMundaring Branch RailwayThe Mundaring Branch Railway is an historical section of the original Eastern Railway main line across the Darling Scarp in the Western Australian Government Railways system.- Name variation :...
- Mundaring Weir Branch
- Nannup Branch
- Narembeen Branch
- Narrogin to Collie Branch
- Northcliffe Branch
- Ongerup BranchOngerup Branch RailwayA 94 km branch line to Ongerup from Tambellup on the Great Southern Railway main line between Perth and Albany was opened on 6 January 1913 to serve the growing agriculture industry and closed on 13 October 1957. It was authorised for construction under the Tambellup-Ongerup Railway Act 1911...
- Pingrup Branch
- Pinjarra to Boddington Branch
- Port Hedland - Marble Bar Railway
- Sandstone Branch
- Toodyay Branch
- Upper Darling Range Branch
- Wiluna BranchWiluna Branch RailwayThe Wiluna Branch Railway was a branch line of the Western Australian Government Railways which extended from Meekatharra to Wiluna.- Intermediate stations :The line is an extension of the Northern Railway.* Meekatharra* Paroo * Wiluna...
- Yuna Branch
Isolated lines
A number of isolated lines did not connect with the main rail systems - these included the Port Hedland - Marble Bar Railway and the Hopetoun - Ravensthorpe Railway. A number of piers were fitted with rail lines to carry goods from the ship to the mainland.Operational Centres
- Head Office - Management - East Perth
- Regional Centres (Current and historical)
- Narrogin
- NorthamNortham, Western AustraliaNortham 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...
- Workshops
- Fremantle Railway Workshops
- Midland Railway WorkshopsMidland Railway WorkshopsThe Midland Railway Workshops in Midland, Western Australia were the main workshops for the Western Australian Government Railways for over 80 years.-History:...
- Marshalling Yards - various yards have existed in the Perth Metropolitan area -
- Leighton
- MidlandMidland, Western AustraliaMidland is a suburb in the Perth, Western Australia metropolitan area, as well as the regional centre for the City of Swan local government area that covers the Swan Valley and parts of the Darling Scarp to the east. It is situated at the intersection of Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern...
- KewdaleKewdale, Western AustraliaKewdale is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Belmont. Kew Street was one of the first roads in this district, hence the naming of the suburb....
- South FremantleSouth Fremantle, Western AustraliaSouth Fremantle is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Fremantle.-History:The first development in the area may have been when Richard Goldsmith Meares who established a lime burning kiln in 1831...
(Robb Jetty).
- Grain Silos (Current and historical)
- Bellevue/Midland
- Fremantle,
- Kewdale
Legacy and Preservation
A large number of locomotives and rolling stock types of the WAGR, as well as many examples of WAGR architecture and railway infrastructure have been preserved, both in Western Australia and other places around the world, notably the other Australian States.Further Information
- Affleck, Fred N. On track : the making of Westrail, 1950 to 1976 . Perth : Westrail, 1978. ISBN 0-7244-7560-5
- Gunzburg, Adrian.(1984) A history of W.A.G.R. steam locomotives Perth, W.A : Australian Railway Historical Society, Western Australian Division. ISBN 0959969039
- May, Andrew and Gray, Bill. A History of WAGR Passenger Carriages. Perth:The Author, 2006. ISBN 0-646-45902-3
- WAGR Publicity Section, Perth. Pamphlets and information sheets produced in the early 1960s.
- The Rail Heritage WA website
External links
- State Records OfficeState Records Office of Western AustraliaThe State Records Office of Western Australia is the Western Australian government authority with responsibility for identifying, managing, preserving and providing access to the State's archives...
has a web page with the largest collection of records available about the WAGR. - PTA overview
- WAGR goods wagons information
- WAGR passenger carriage history
- Brief History