South Maitland Railway, New South Wales

The South Maitland Railway was once an extensive network of colliery and passenger railway lines which served the South Maitland coalfields in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia. All lines have been closed, except for the Cessnock line, which serves the coal loader at Pelton colliery which is closed but services the nearby Southland Colliery (formally Ellalong Colliery). [cite web |url=http://nswrail.net/library/smr.php |title=The South Maitland Railway Collieries |publisher=NSWRail.net |accessdate=2007-10-29]

A brief history of the line to the mid-1960s is available at "The South Maitland Railways" Delaney, J.W. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin July, 1966 pp145-164

These lines were privately owned by the "South Maitland Railways",which before 1919, was formally the East Greta Coal Co., and were the second last lines in Australia to use steam haulage, having used steam locomotives until 1983. [cite web | Newcastle Regional Museum| work = Newcastle Regional Museum| title = Pelton Coliery| url=http://archive.amol.org.au/newcastle/greta/pelton.html| accessdate = 2007-05-09 ] Passenger services were operated privately between 1961 and 1967 [Driver, R "When diesels came to the South Maitland Railways". Australian Railway History, ARHS, April, 2007] , after which the NSWGR assumed responsibility for a limited service to Cessnock (now ceased).The last NSWGR steam-hauled coal train off the SMR was hauled by No 5069,a 2-8-0 Standard Goods loco, on December 22nd, 1972.

The South Maitland lines connected to the separately privately owned Richmond Vale Railway lines at Pelaw Main. The Richmond Vale lines provided a separate connection to the Main north line at Hexham and were occasionally used as an alternate route when the South Maitland lines were flooded. [ [http://users.tpg.com.au/users/irener/RVR.html History of Richmond Vale railway] ]

Relocation for F3 to Branxton link

The relocation and construction of a new bridge to carry the railway line over the soon to be constructed F3 to Branxton link was put out to tender in 2007. The closing date for tenders has been put back four times. The fifth tender closing date is 19th December 2007. [ [https://tenders.nsw.gov.au/rta/shared/rftdetail.cfm?p_id=12736&p_criteria=RTA%2E0000%2E85%2EMW%2E3773&p_advert=0&p_displayContext=front-end Tenders NSW Roads and Traffic Authority] ] A 900 metre long section of the line is to be relocated and raised as part of the construction of the bridge. The new section will be built to mainline 1XC standards, with 60 kilogram per metre rails and concrete sleepers. The ends of the new section will be adapted back to the existing lightweight rails. The owners of the line will be given back the existing rails and servicable hardwood sleepers from the bypassed section of line.

Additional Reading

"Steam Operations on the SMR" Driver, R Australian Railway History, January, 2004 pp28-39

References