This presentation, The Short North Line Part 1, covers operations of passenger and freight trains on both the ‘up’ and ‘down’ between Sydney and Hawkesbury River, and briefly covers originating/terminating yards for Short North traffic, including Central, Chullora, Enfield, Yennora, Minto, Cooks River, Botany and Rozelle.
What was essentially the western line opened between Central and Parramatta (near Granville) back in 1885. The Short North Line effectively branches off this track at Strathfield, the Strathfield Junction to Hornsby section opening in 1886, followed closely by the Hornsby to Hawkesbury River section in 1887. Included in this latter section is the famous Cowan Bank. While not of consequence to Part 1, the remaining sections of the Short North, namely the Hawkesbury River to Mullet Creek, Mullet Creek to Gosford and Gosford to Islington Junction (just beyond Broadmeadow) were opened in 1889, 1888 and in 1887 respectively in a time of active rail construction. Opening of the Hawkesbury River bridge back in 1889 effectively merged the ‘Metropolitan Railway’ and the ‘Great Northern Railway’ into the NSWGR.
We will start our journey into Sydney and move north. Included are a number of cab rides, one on the long drag up the Cowan Bank on a loaded 20 wagon grain train where we are down to 12kph and pulling 1,000 amps, and another down the Cowan Bank in an empty 40 wagon grain train travelling ‘on the boards’ where signals permit.
Locomotive types seen in action include DL, EL, G, GL, MZ, S, T, NR, 44, 442/JL, 47, 48, 81 and 82 Class operated by Freight Australia, Freight Corp, Independent Rail, Lachlan Valley Rail Freight, National Rail, Pacific National and Queensland National, while passenger rolling stock includes Suburban. Interurban, Explorer, XPT and CHP Railmotors operated by CityRail, CountryLink and the Paterson Rail Motor Society.
Approximate run time: 85 minutes.