Charbon Colliery has been in operation for some 90 years (since the 1920s), initially supplying coal to many local customers along the previously busy Mudgee Line which became operational here back in 1884. Charbon Cement was one such customer until that company closed in 1977. Sabilco, a small lime producer located adjacent to the colliery, remains its last local customer.
In the early 1980’s under the ownership of Boral a major expansion occurred, including a balloon loop off the Mudgee Line at Charbon Junction, and Charbon Colliery in 1986 commenced a then export oriented approach, shipping its thermal coal by rail to Port Kembla for shipment overseas. Charbon featured both an underground mine (in the ‘haystack’ area) and open cut operation (to the south of the coal loader). Centennial Coal purchased Charbon from Boral in 1994 and continued the export driven approach. However in 2013 it announced the closure of the underground operation and more recently in February 14 announced that the entire Charbon Colliery operation would close in 2015. This was devastating news for the local community, with the large Kandos Cement Works closing only back in 2010, and will probably mean the closure of the Mudgee Line beyond the potentially soon to be reactivated Airly Colliery, just north of Capertee.
In light of its declining fortunes, I thought it appropriate to review Charbon coal train operation in its twilight year by chasing Charbon trains empty between Lithgow and Charbon and full on the return journey. This is Trackside Video’s 99th presentation, and includes a limited number of scenes for comparison from its very first presentation, Charbon Coal 1992-1995. (the latter are in 4:3 aspect).
Locomotives seen in operation include 80, 81 and 82 Class and we also view the Speno rail profiling train in operation on this section of soon to be ‘out of use’ Mudgee Line.
Approximate run time: 92 minutes.