Northam Railway Station, Western Australia
Original station
The line to Northam opened on 13 October 1886 at the end of a 15 kilometre branch line from Spencers Brook on the Eastern Railway. When the Eastern Railway was extended to Southern Cross on 1 July 1894, it was done so via Northam.
Northam became an important junction station with a large yard, signalbox and locomotive depot to serve lines radiating out to Goomalling, Mullewa, Mukinbudin and Wyalkatchem. In 1900, a new station opened on the south-west side of the town.
New station
As part of the construction of a new dual gauge Eastern Railway from Midland via the Avon Valley, a new station was opened on the eastern side of the town on 7 October 1966 by the Minister for Railways Charles Court. Part of the original line along Fitzgerald Street was retained to allow access to the steam locomotive depot and oil and flour mill sidings. It was later removed.
Today, the dual gauge Eastern Railway terminates at Northam and becomes the standard gauge Eastern Goldfields Railway. Narrow gauge lines branch off east of the town north to Goomalling and south to York and Albany via the Great Southern Railway.
Between the western side of the town and Toodyay lies Avon Yard.
Old station
The original station closed on 12 February 1966 and has been converted to a museum.
Passenger services
Transwa's AvonLink, MerredinLink and Prospector services stop at Northam, at least one service each day.
The Indian Pacific also passes here, running once or twice a week (depending on the time of year) between East Perth and Sydney Central, but does not stop at the station.
References
- ^ Newland, Andrew; Quinlan, Howard (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 - 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 67. ISBN 0-909650-49-7.
- ^ Welcome to the Old Railway Station Museum Northam Heritage Forum
- ^ "Northam - a Westrail hotspot" Railway Digest September 2000 pages 28-29
- ^ The Northam District The West Australian 20 April 1900 page 2
- ^ Breath of life for old railway station Avon Valley Advocate 11 September 2006
- ^ Brookfield Rail Network Map Brookfield Rail
- ^ Old Railway Station Museum About Australia
- ^ Old Northam Railway Station improvements on show Avon Valley Advocate 21 May 2013
- ^ Municipal Heritage Inventory Shire of Northam 21 September 2012 page 47
- ^ "AvonLink and MerredinLink Timetable" (PDF). Transwa. Public Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ "Prospector Timetable" (PDF). Transwa. Public Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
External links
Media related to Northam railway station at Wikimedia Commons- Northam Station History of Western Australian Railways & Stations gallery
