Contents

Broken Hill railway line

Broken Hill line
Broken Hill line at Parkes railway station
Overview
Status	Open
Termini	Orange Broken Hill
History
Commenced	1885
Completed	1919
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map Legend Main Western line toOrange Main Western line toMillthorpe Orange East Fork Canobolas Nashdale Borenore Amaroo Molong (1200m) Molong–Dubbo line toDubbo Pinecliffe Gregra Manildra (630m) Meranburn Jeerabung Bumberry (931m) Mandagery Cookamidgera Mugincoble Parkes Racecourse Parkes Stockinbingal–Parkes line toStockinbingal Parkes–Narromine line toNarromine Brolgan Nelungaloo Gunningbland (398m) Bogan Gate (553m) Tottenham line to Tottenham Carlachy Monomie Yarrabandai (1850m) Ootha Derriwong (310m) North Borambil Condobolin (964m) Micabil Kiacatoo (1850m) Gunebang Booberoi Euabalong West (920m) Matakana (1850m) Mount Hope line toMount Hope Roto (block post) Temora–Roto line toRoto Wee Elwah Trida (1850m) Conoble Ivanhoe (1850m) Beilpajah Darnick (900m) Manara Sayers Lake Gum Lake Kaleentha (1833m) Menindee (1145m) Box Tank Horse Lake Kinalung (1850m) Wahratta The Gorge Mount Gipps Broken Hill (1169m+890m) South Australia border Crystal Brook–Broken Hill line toCoonamia

The Broken Hill railway line, extending 801 kilometres (498 miles) from Orange, New South WalestoBroken Hill, is now part of the transcontinental rail corridor from SydneytoPerth.

The first railway line in New South Wales opened from Sydney to Parramatta Junction (near Granville station) in 1855 and was extended as the Main Western line in stages to Orange in 1877. The Broken Hill line branched off the Main Western line at Orange and was opened to Molong in 1885. It was extended to Parkes and Forbes in 1893, and extended from Parkes to Bogan Gate and Condobolin in 1898. Roto and Trida were reached in 1919.

A gap remained between Trida and Menindee after an isolated 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge standard-gauge line was opened from Menindee to the town of Broken Hill in 1919. At Broken Hill, the railway met the 1067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow-gauge Silverton Tramway at a break-of-gauge. At Cockburn, the Silverton Tramway connected with the South Australian Railways system to Port Pirie and via a break of gauge at TerowietoAdelaide. The final missing link between Trida and Menindee was completed in 1927. The Broken Hill Express, running from Sydney to Broken Hill, was introduced from November 1927. Included in its composition was Dining Car AB90, making it the first regularly scheduled Dining Car in that state.^[1] In 1970, the standardised Broken Hill – Port Pirie line was opened, completing the Sydney–Perth standard gauge link.^[2] Today, the line is utilised by the Outback Xplorer from Sydney CentraltoBroken Hill, as well as the transcontinental Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth.

A branch line was opened from Molong to Dubbo as an alternative route with better grades in 1925. It closed in 1987. Another branch line was opened from Bogan Gate to Trundle in 1907, Tullamore in 1908 and Tottenham in 1916.^[3]

The maximum length of trains on this line is 1,800 metres (5,900 ft), but only some of the crossing loops are of this length.

• Rail transport in New South Wales

• McCarthy K. Steaming down Argent Street. Sydney Tramway Museum, Sutherland. 1983.

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