The presentations Orange to Broken Hill Line Pt1 & Pt2 covered passenger and freight train operations on the section of track between Orange and Broken Hill (with an excursion beyond Parkes to Bogan Gate and thence on the wheat branch line to Tottenham). This presentation, Orange to Broken Hill Line Pt3, covers passenger and freight operations at Broken Hill, including arrivals/departures on both the ‘up’ and the ‘down’, mine transfer work carried out by Silvertion Tramways, a look at the Broken Hill Railway Museum (where we will inspect the Silver City Comet and other rolling stock) and a brief look at what remains of the abandoned narrow gauge Silverton Tramway operation.
When mining took off in the 1880s in the Silverton/Broken Hill region of NSW, it was obvious that improved infrastructure was required to move large deposits of silver, zinc and lead ore located there. South Australia Railways (SAR) already had a narrow gauge (NG) line to Peterborough and by 1887, had extended the same to Cockburn on the NSW/SA border. However, NSW objected to SA laying tracks on NSW territory, so a private company, Silverton Tramways Company (STCo), was formed. It laid a NG track from Cockburn via Silverton to Broken Hill, the 59 kilometres being completed in 1888. Silverton Tramways operated passenger and freight services on this track for nearly 90 years. The standard gauge (SG) track from the east did not connect to Broken Hill until 1927.
In 1970, this SG line was extended beyond Broken Hill to Adelaide, bypassing the Silverton and SAR NG lines. With its main line operation lost, Silverton Tramways converted their NG equipment to SG and took up shunting and mine transfer work at Broken Hill. We will review this activity as well as the arrival/departure of both ‘up’ and ‘down’ traffic, and a brief look at what remains of the Silverton NG formation. Equipment seen includes DL, NR, 45, 48, 80 and 81 Class diesels, T, W and Y Class steam and other NG rolling stock as well as the preserved Silver City Comet at the Broken Hill Railway Museum (which was the former Silverton NG station), and view the Indian Pacific passenger train.
Approximate run time: 84 minutes.