Published Resources Details
Conference Paper
- Title
- A Junction with the Future: The Revitalising of Wallangarra Interchange Railway Station
- In
- Eleventh National Conference on Engineering Heritage: Federation Engineering a Nation; Proceedings
- Imprint
- Institution of Engineers, Australia, Barton, Australian Capital Territory, 2001, pp. 85-92
- ISBN/ISSN
- 1740922155
- Url
- https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.520530092282240
- Abstract
One unfortunate result of Australia's pre-federation history is that the railway systems of the separate colonies adopted different rail gauges. Federation eliminated the need for customs clearance at each State border but the problem of different gauges remained and continues to hamper long distance rail transport. The NSW railway system is based on a gauge of 4ft 81/2 in (1435mm) while the Queensland system uses 3ft 6in (1067mm). In 1887 the two systems met on the border at Wallangarra/Jennings where an interchange station was built which continued in use long after a standard-gauge link had been established between the capital cities of the two States in 1930. The line to Wallangarra from NSW was closed in 1989 and is no longer serviceable. Regular Queensland passenger services to Wallangarra ceased in 1972 and regular freight services were discontinued to Wallangarra in 1976. Queensland Rail (QR) still operates a service 'on demand' and the potential to capitalise on this for tourism has been recognised. The Stanthorpe Shire Council, QR and the Queensland Department of State Development resolved in 1999 to establish the complex as a heritage centre and tourist attraction, and the paper describes the progress that has been achieved.
Related Published resources
isPartOf
- Eleventh National Conference on Engineering Heritage: Federation Engineering a Nation; Proceedings edited by Baker, Keith (Barton, Australian Capital Territory: Institution of Engineers, Australia, 2001), 262 pp, https://search.informit.org/doi/book/10.3316/informit.1740922155. Details