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 Australia.

History

The Perth to Kalgoorlie railway was built to the 3'6" (1067mm) track gauge, and opened in 1897, following the discovery of massive gold deposits. [Geoffrey Higham.(2007)" Marble Bar to Mandurah - A History of Passenger Rail Services in Western Australia" Bassendean, W.A. : Rail Heritage WA. ISBN 9780959969092 p22] However, it was not until 1917 that the thousand miles of standard gauge railway between Kalgoorlie, WA and Port Augusta, SA was completed as a condition of Western Australia's joining the newly federated Australian colonies in the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. [Higham. Ibid. p129] From 24 October 1917 the Kalgoorlie Express connected with the new Trans Australian Express, and a separate overnight express between Perth and Kalgoorlie for Interstate passengers and mail was introduced by the WAGR in May 1921. [Higham. Ibid. pp129-130] The train ran three times a week, and had no official name. It included sitting and sleeping cars (both first and second class), and a dining car was attached between Perth and Northam. This served dinner on the eastbound service, and was attached to the westbound service for breakfast. Refreshment Rooms were also provided at major stations for passengers wishing to purchase cheaper snacks and drinks.

The twenty year old E class locomotives initially assigned to haul the train were replaced in 1924 with the larger P class locomotives imported from North British Locomotive Works in Glasgow. [cite web
url=http://www.railheritagewa.org.au/museum/p_class.htm
title=WAGR P and Pr Class Steam Locomotive
publisher=www.railheritagewa.org.au
accessdate=2008-07-11] Ten new first class sleeping cars were built by the WAGR Midland Workshops in 1928 to improve accommodation on the train. [cite web
url=http://www.hothamvalleyrailway.com.au/sleeping_cars.htm
title=AZ Sleeping Cars
author=Hotham Valley Railway
publisher=www.hothamvalleyrailway.com.au
accessdate=2008-07-11]

As part of a concerted effort by the various State railway systems to reduce Interstate travel times after the Depression, in 1938 the W.A.G.R. gave the express a makeover, giving it the name "The Westland", and using the ten new Pr Class 4-6-2 pacific-type locomotives built at the Midland Workshops. The new locomotives represented a vast improvement over the older P class locomotives and were named after West Australian rivers. [Higham. Ibid. p194] Only two of these locomotives were available at The Westland's inception, though the Westland used the Pr locomotives almost exclusively until dieselisation during the mid-1950's. [Higham. Ibid. p110] The train included a lounge car but the carriages were still timber bodied, and most still had end platforms.

As with other interstate trains in Australia, facilities were downgraded during the Second World War, but were re-instated in 1946. In 1948 six new, all-steel first class sleeping cars were built for the train, and included hot and cold water and a shower compartment. The other carriages were thoroughly refurbished at the same time, and a re-launching ceremony was held on 28 March 1948. [Higham. Ibid. p109 ] This was to be the last improvement to the train for twenty years, although the introduction of the X class diesel electric locomotives in 1954 marginally reduced traveling time.

Demise

The Westland was replaced by through standard gauge services from the eastern States, following the construction of a new standard gauge line between Perth and Kalgoorlie. These were the luxurious "Indian Pacific" and the "Trans Australian". But right up to that time drinking water in the second class sleepers was provided for passengers from water bags slung from the carriage platform railing, and a stack of fire wood was kept on the platform of the dining car to fuel its stoves! The last run of "The Westland" was on 15 June 1969.

The standard gauge line followed new route through the Avon Valley of the Darling Ranges east of Perth. This was the first section of the new line to be constructed, tracks on this section being dual gauge (1067 and 1435mm). For a short time before its demise "The Westland" was routed via the new Avon Valley line, and the original crossing of the Darling Ranges via the Swan View Tunnel and Chidlow was closed.

Local standard gauge services between Perth and Kalgoorlie were provided by a fast daylight railcar service named "The Prospector", now operated by Transwa.

ee also

*Eastern Railway (Western Australia)

References

Further reading

*Affleck, Fred N. "On track : the making of Westrail, 1950 to 1976" . Perth : Westrail, 1978. ISBN 0-7244-7560-5
*"100th anniversary of rail link" (History of the Eastern Goldfields railway, officially completed on 1 January 1897, to the present, including introduction of the Prospector train on 29 November 1971) Kalgoorlie Miner 1 Jan. 1997, p. 2
* Williams, Brian.(1998) "The Westland".(History of the Perth-Kalgoorlie train).(found in the journal of the AHRS called "Westland", June 1998, p. 3-5)