Camden railway line, New South Wales

The Camden railway line is a closed railway line between Campbelltown and Camden in the southwestern outskirts of Sydney, Australia. The passenger service was also known as the 'Camden Tram'.

History

The Camden railway line was designed as a light railway and construction of the line started in 1881 the line opened on 10 March 1882 and ran between Campbelltown and Camden. It carried freight and passengers but was rarely busy. It was usually operated by either a Z13 class locomotive, a Z20 class locomotive or later a C30 class locomotive. Due to the steepness of the grade between Campbelltown and Kenny Hill, the passengers would sometimes have to disembark from the train and walk alongside it, leaving their bags on board. The line closed on 1 January 1963. ["Sydney Suburban Steam Railways", William A. Bayley]

Traces of the original line's route can still be seen along looking up Kirkham Lane from Camden Valley Way. The elevated section as it passed through this low-lying area are visible - the nearby Nepean River would flood the land around this area when it burst its banks. Photographs of the line are on display in the Camden Historic Society Museum in Camden.

Special working

To cater for public attendance at a religious ceremony, held on Good Friday of each year, in the grounds of a monastery near Campbelltown, three or four special trains were run from Sydney which required "out-of-the-ordinary" working over the branch line, including the provision of an additional locomotive at both the front and rear of each train. Maryfields, a platform opposite the entrance to the monastery, had a platform suitable for an 8 or 9-car train. [Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, August, 1952]

tations and route

The intermediate stations from the Campbelltown end were: Maryfields formerly Rudds Gate, Kenny Hill, Currans Hill, Narellan, Grahams Hill, Kirkham, and Elderslie. They have all disappeared without trace.

ee also

* Railways in Sydney

References

External links

* [http://nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:camden Camden Branch] - NSWRail.net

Further reading

* "Goodbye, Camden Tram" Winney, I.K. & anor Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, April, 1963