South Maitland Railway, New South Wales

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South Maitland Railway
East Greta No1 Tunnel Colliery coal loader
Legend km Station 0 Main North line at Maitland East Greta Junction East Greta No 2 Colliery East Greta East Greta No 1 Colliery Aberdare Junction 6 Stanford Merthyr Branch Glen Ayr Colliery Ayrfield No 1 Colliery Ayrfield No 2 Colliery Heddon Greta Bee Siding Kurri Road North Kurri Kurri Stanford Merthyr Colliery Pelaw Main Colliery Richmond Vale railway 14 Weston Hebburn No1 Colliery Greta Main Colliery Hebburn No2 Tunnel Colliery Abermain Abermain No1 Colliery Neath Neath Colliery Abermain No3 Colliery Hebburn No2 Colliery Abermain No2 Colliery Elrington Colliery Aberdare South Colliery Aberdare Central Colliery 22 Caledonia Aberdare Colliery Bellbird Junction 25 Cessnock Aberdare Extended Colliery Cessnock No2 Colliery Bellbird Colliery Cessnock No1 Colliery Pelton Colliery Stanford Main No2 Colliery Maitland Main Colliery Millford Colliery

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).^[1]

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.^[2] Passenger services were operated privately between 1961 and 1967^[3], 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.^[4]

[edit] Relocation for F3 to Branxton link

This article or section contains information about planned or expected future infrastructure. It may contain speculative information and may change upon or during construction.

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.^[5] 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.

[edit] References

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