Mundaring Branch Railway

The 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

It has had a number of names in WAGR records - including the following:

• Smiths Mill Line (locality later known as Glen Forrest) after the Eastern Railway was moved to the new line to the north - 1890s to 1920s.
• The Mundaring Loop - 1930s to 1950s. also the Mundaring Line.

There was confusion in the naming of the Mahogany Creek Deviation. The Mahogany Creek railway stopping place was on the Mundaring Branch Railway between Glen Forrest and Mundaring. However the Mahogany Creek Deviation was the incorrect name for the new line that followed the line of the Jane Brook to Mount Helena ^[1] It was on the second route of the Eastern Railway constructed of the Eastern Railway (Western Australia) 1880s to early 1890s, and it passed through the Swan View Tunnel, well to the north of the original Mahogany Creek stopping place and the creek itself.

Connections

The Branch commenced at Bellevue Railway Station, moving up the slope to Greenmount. Steep gradients and deviation inclines occurred through to Glen Forrest

It connected with the newer line at Mount Helena.

Mundaring was the junction point where the Mundaring Weir Branch Railway commenced.

Timetabled passenger services on this branch (until closure in early 1954) tended to terminate at Sawyers Valley.

Closure

Traffic ceased running 1954, the line was not closed by Parliament until 1966.

Following closure, it was eventually made into part of the Railway Reserve Heritage Trail.

See also

• Eastern Railway (Western Australia)

References

1. ^ Le Page, J. S. H. (1986) Building a state : the story of the Public Works Department of Western Australia 1829-1985 Leederville, W.A : Water Authority of Western Australia. ISBN 0724468625 page 216.

Further reading

• Affleck, Fred N. On track : the making of Westrail, 1950 to 1976 . Perth : Westrail, 1978. ISBN 0-7244-7560-5
• Elliot, Ian Mundaring a History of the Shire. 1983. ISBN 0959277609
• Quinlan, Howard & Newland, John R. Australian Railway Routes 1854-2000 2000. ISBN 0-909650-49-7
• Watson, Lindsay The Railway History of Midland Junction. 1995. ISBN 0-646-24461-2