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Former railway stations in Perth

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      drwaddles In need of a breath mint

    Location: Newcastle
    Looking at my UBD Perth street directory, I noticed a railway station marked at the site of the Kwinana Marshalling Yards. Link.

    Is this a UBD error or was it once a station for industrial area or railway employees?
    Posted: 16 Dec 2010 22:55

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      crisfitz Chief Commissioner

    Location: Enroute somewhere
    Not so much of a station, more an office building for the administration.
    Posted: 16 Dec 2010 23:16
      wn514 Chief Commissioner

    Location: at a skyhooks concert living in the 70's
    is that kwinana base?
    Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:04
      drwaddles In need of a breath mint

    Location: Newcastle
    A 1979 UBD I have shows a couple of other interesting stations across the network that I didn't realise existed. Will post about them when I have the chance.
    Posted: 17 Dec 2010 11:43
      SKVT Junior Train Controller

    Location: Iapetus
    From what I have seen I believe that in the 1960s and 70s UBD were a bit liberal in their definition of a "station", using the symbol to describe places where passenger facilities existed, places where there were no such facilities but sidings, and places where passenger  facilities once existed but were no longer in use. For example, for some years in the 1960s UBD directories showed "stations" at Spearwood and at Bushmead, the latter being adjacent to the Midland Junction abattoir on the stump of the old Upper Darling Range Railway. Both lost their regular passenger services many years prior to the directories publication and , unless one counts the offloading of livestock as passenger traffic, neither could be classified as a "passenger" station or even a recognised stopping place for passenger trains. The directories even included stations at locations were facilities had been removed, for example in 1968 or thereabouts the "station" of Upper Swan was shown as still in existence when it had been removed, although this was probably due to the draftsman not having caught up with the WAGR.
    Posted: 17 Dec 2010 19:15
      drwaddles In need of a breath mint

    Location: Newcastle
    I don't doubt that, non-core details are often overlooked in lot of their publications. At least if they are simply relics from the past then they give us a clue that there was once passenger services or a station in a particular location. Whilst there's no http://www.nswrail.net equivalent for WA, I'll have to rely on the knowledge of you guys to help answer those queries Smile

    So, nobody knows if there was once a passenger service to the Kwinana marshalling yards?
    Posted: 17 Dec 2010 19:30
      Bulbous Assistant Commissioner

    I remember reading about a platform on the line just north of the Rockingham Road overpass, around where the triangle is for trains heading out to the CBH silos and CSBP, etc....... I have seen pictures of it as well, being a basic wooden stilt platform, but I have no idea where I saw it now........ I recall it being used for passenger trains a long time ago, but it seemed to be more based on shift worker trains, which seemed to run around the shift times for the big companies round the area.......

    How's that for a vague non-answer?  Smile

    Hopefully someone can shed some proper light on this, for the both of us!
    Posted: 17 Dec 2010 19:54
      crisfitz Chief Commissioner

    Location: Enroute somewhere
    I remember reading about a platform on the line just north of the Rockingham Road overpass, around where the triangle is for trains heading out to the CBH silos and CSBP, etc....... I have seen pictures of it as well, being a basic wooden stilt platform, but I have no idea where I saw it now........ I recall it being used for passenger trains a long time ago, but it seemed to be more based on shift worker trains, which seemed to run around the shift times for the big companies round the area.......

    How's that for a vague non-answer?  Smile

    Hopefully someone can shed some proper light on this, for the both of us!
    "Bulbous"


    Found it  Very HappyVery Happy
    http://railwa.fotopic.net/p62756004.html
    Posted: 17 Dec 2010 20:31
      SKVT Junior Train Controller

    Location: Iapetus
    I am informed by older Gunzels that when the line to Kwinana was extended south from Coogee it terminated a few hundred metres north of the existing triangle (not to be confused with the triangle on the line that used to run past AIS to the jetty just north of the plant) and a staff hut with a small wooden landing was built to house the telephone and staff box for the section created. This may be the platform that Bulbous referred to. As far as I am aware, no regular passenger trains ran to Kwinana. There were buses that ran from the new suburbs Calista and Medina (and possibly further afield) taking workers to the Steel plant while it was under construction. I understand that these were Bedfords specially purchased for the construction contract (I will stand corrected if I have inadvertently offended any bus enthusiasts!) and to help cover the fares the workers were paid an allowance called the Kwinana Regional  Allowance Payment which, for some reason, was never abbreviated. The only regular passenger service south of Robbs of which I am aware was during the 1920s, when workers trains ran to the never completed naval base which was being built near Woodmans Point. Apparently the low level concrete platforms are still in existence.
    Posted: 17 Dec 2010 20:36
      bagus70 Assistant Commissioner

    Location: Wanting to revisit Australia again.
    I think I've seen the Kwinana station photos before...
    Posted: 18 Dec 2010 01:29
      drwaddles In need of a breath mint

    Location: Newcastle
    Thanks for the info thus far everyone - keep it coming if there's more Smile

    The only regular passenger service south of Robbs of which I am aware was during the 1920s, when workers trains ran to the never completed naval base which was being built near Woodmans Point. Apparently the low level concrete platforms are still in existence.
    "SKVT"


    Is this inside Woodmans Point reserve?
    Posted: 21 Dec 2010 19:01
      SKVT Junior Train Controller

    Location: Iapetus
    From memory (it has been a few years since I last looked) if you turn West from Cockburn Road onto O Kane Court and travel a few hundred metres there is a large bitumised area. The Platform was about 300metres to the NNW. It was as I recall on the alignment of a siding that ran south through the explosives depot, through a now removed gate in the southern boundary of the depot and either into or just past  the WW2 Naval store which is now a boat shed. When I first visited the explored the area in 1975 the rail access to the shed through the depot had been cut (although the track was still in place south of O Kane Court) and rail access to the shed was from a long branch which left Coogee station and ran parallel to the main line for before swinging SW at a point opposite the lighthouse. I never saw any traffic moving on this branch, although I recall in the 60s and 70s there was a string of old four wheel bitumen tank wagons (?JXAs?) parked in the siding. I was once informed that they ran a shuttle from Cockburn cements seaside sand sucking plant at woodman Point to Soundcem, but were replaced  a sand pipeline was built connecting to two.
    Posted: 21 Dec 2010 20:12
      drwaddles In need of a breath mint

    Location: Newcastle
    Ok guys, I've got my 1979 UBD in front of me and here is the list of stations that are shown which are not in use anymore. I'd love some details about the stories behind each if people have the info Smile

    Midland Line

    - No McIvor Station(!)
    - West Midland now Woodbridge

    Fremantle Line

    - West Perth, almost under the freeway overpass adjacent to the former Perth metropolitan markets
    - Leighton (know about this one)
    - North Fremantle at Tydeman Road (also know about this one)

    Fremantle to Rockingham

    - South Beach and Success Harbour both do not appear
    - Robb Jetty
    - Coogee (at Beach Road)
    - Spearwood (at Rockingham Road on the current freight line)
    - Weston Street (just north of Beard Street overpass, Naval Base)
    - Kwinana (at the marshalling yards)

    Armadale Line

    - Stokely (southern side of Albany Highway level crossing, Maddington)
    - Kingsley (12th Avenue, Armadale - now called Sherwood?)
    - Wungong (northern side of Eleventh Road level crossing)
    Posted: 21 Dec 2010 23:45
      drwaddles In need of a breath mint

    Location: Newcastle
    From memory (it has been a few years since I last looked) if you turn West from Cockburn Road onto O Kane Court and travel a few hundred metres there is a large bitumised area. The Platform was about 300metres to the NNW. It was as I recall on the alignment of a siding that ran south through the explosives depot, through a now removed gate in the southern boundary of the depot and either into or just past  the WW2 Naval store which is now a boat shed. When I first visited the explored the area in 1975 the rail access to the shed through the depot had been cut (although the track was still in place south of O Kane Court) and rail access to the shed was from a long branch which left Coogee station and ran parallel to the main line for before swinging SW at a point opposite the lighthouse. I never saw any traffic moving on this branch, although I recall in the 60s and 70s there was a string of old four wheel bitumen tank wagons (?JXAs?) parked in the siding. I was once informed that they ran a shuttle from Cockburn cements seaside sand sucking plant at woodman Point to Soundcem, but were replaced  a sand pipeline was built connecting to two.
    "SKVT"


    I can't locate it on the aerial photos Sad

    I did find that there is some track left with a buffer stop though...
    http://www.nearmap.com/?ll=-32.131919,115.761897&z=21&t=k&nmd=20101118
    Looks to be pretty well fenced off for some reason though...
    Posted: 22 Dec 2010 00:00
      Bulbous Assistant Commissioner

    Stokely - Actually had platforms on both sides of Albany Highway, each one after the crossing (ie. southbound platfrom on south side, northbound platform on north side). Not really that much either side that couldn't be handled by Gosnells or Maddington, and I rarely saw anyone using the station in the last few years. I think it shut down around the time the electrification was done, but someone will have the correct dates hopefully...

    Kingsley was renamed mainly because one of the northern suburbs was called Kingsley, so there was a desire for less confusion for people not familiar with the system. Never seemed to be a problem, but the locals didn't seem to mind after a couple years......

    I think thatMcIver station was mainly to serve the hospital there, but again, I have no dates for when it came about, or if that was really the main reason for it's appearance.

    South Beach and Success Harbour were constructed for the America's Cup we hosted in 1983 or 1987 (I have no idea when it was held). I remember having steam shuttles running through there during the racing period though, not sure of any details on the rolling stock, but thought it was ARHS stuff......

    West Midland was renamed not that long ago, at a guess to associate it with the adjacent area (being the suburb Woodbridge), especially seeing as there is no suburb of West Midland. Nothing much else though, it is still the same crappy platform, but it does now have concrete sleepers past it......  Laughing
    Posted: 22 Dec 2010 00:06
      Kafoopsy Chief Commissioner

    Location: Perth, WA
    What edition number is the 1979 UBD?  That was back in the days when traffic lights were not marked on the maps!
    Posted: 22 Dec 2010 01:00
      drwaddles In need of a breath mint

    Location: Newcastle
    21st edition - yep, no traffic lights.

    I have a couple of other old UBD's but I don't think any of them pre-date 1979 and they are stored in boxes at the moment...
    Posted: 22 Dec 2010 01:03
      Mouse Chief Train Controller

    Location:
    West Midland was renamed not that long ago, at a guess to associate it with the adjacent area (being the suburb Woodbridge), especially seeing as there is no suburb of West Midland.


    According to HOWARAS, it was the 4th of October for the rename.

    Also according to Wikipedia, Woodbridge was originally a part of Midland - hence the 'West Midland' original naming. Pinpointing a date for the introduction of the Woodbridge suburb is more difficult - it is in my 2005 Gregory's directory but not the 2002 edition (I don't have any Universal Press/Publishers books for 03-04), yet it does show up in my earliest StreetSmart (2002).

    As a quick sidenote, UBD were still showing it as 'West Midland' in their 2006 edition, another example of their lack of attention to detail it would seem.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:48
      Bulbous Assistant Commissioner

    Mouse - Thanks for the inof there, much appreciated. I thought that the triangle there had been known as the Woodbridge Triangle for quite some time, and the Woody Hotel round the corner, but I have always just assumed that Midland ran right into Guildford, except for the station names!
    Posted: 22 Dec 2010 12:31
      NA1971 Locomotive Driver

    Location: boddington
    west perth did used to be "under"the freeway ,as i recall just after  the bus station was built the bus's used to exit at fitzgerald street ,then they moved it up to oppisite the markets,thats roughly about the time the station moved further up the line towards city west

    this is just from memory but dates may elude me
    as a kid i remember the old station.

    as a side note i have a ubd from 1968 and an msd from 1972
    Posted: 22 Dec 2010 14:44
      Kafoopsy Chief Commissioner

    Location: Perth, WA
    What edition is the 1969 UBD?  My earliest one is the 15th edition (1970, I think)
    Posted: 22 Dec 2010 15:23
      SKVT Junior Train Controller

    Location: Iapetus
    The shuttle service for the America cup used a mixture of Westrail (mainly ADGs as I recall) and HVTR stock. Westrail hired a W and a  few Tassie cars to run a steam shuttle from Fremantle to South Beach (as an aside Westrail published special tickets for the service and some can still be found in the guards compartment in SSD1 at Dwellingup). The Ws burned Newcastle coal and looked odd belching thick black smoke.

    I believe the original South Beach station was located a few hundred metres North of the 1986 station. Located in the rail reserve commencing few metres south of the level crossing giving access to the boat harbour there is the remnants of what looks like a platform edge.  It runs for about two chains parallel to and and about two metres east of the railway line. This may be old platform. In the mid 1970s there was a siding which left the main line (via a switchlocked set of points) at roughly the point where Douro road swung north to Marine Terrace . It split into two roads (a "main" and a loop) then ran into what is now the car park on the West side of Marine Terrace,  terminating next to the said platform. A siding ran from the loop to the east side of Marine Terrace where there was a woolstore (as I recall) that had a loading platform along the edge of the road. The building still stands: I think it is a sailmakers and the loading platform is still extant. A similar arrangement existed in Elder Place at the Woolstore East of what is now the Coles Store. I don't know when it was last used: in 1978 while collecting litter in the street (as part of a fund raising exercise, not a CBO!) I observed that the south end of the siding was under about a metre of sand drift and weeds were growing on it.  I never got a photo, perhaps someone has a shot of this location
    when it was interesting.
    Posted: 22 Dec 2010 16:11
      NA1971 Locomotive Driver

    Location: boddington
    What edition is the 1969 UBD?  My earliest one is the 15th edition (1970, I think)
    "Kafoopsy"


    me?

    i dont know will confirm when i get home tonight from work,back cover shows a morris 1100 as a hire car for MMA airlines with a prop aircraft
    Posted: 22 Dec 2010 17:01
      scoot Junior Train Controller

    Location: Safety Bay, Western Australia
    Two out and back trains each day leaving Fremantle at 8am and 5 pm.


    As an aside to this timing, I can let you know that as late as 1998, long after the Jandakot line had been pulled up, the replacement bus service between Armadale and Fremantle (route 224) ran only once a day, in each direction. So much for progress, eh!

    I don't think there was ever a dedicated passenger service between Fremantle and Armadale, although there may have been a mixed train from time to time.

    My father, now 78, was a guard in those days, on that line as well as others long gone, and believes that is the case. There simply was no population in the area to generate income to pay for a  service.

    Shane
    Posted: 29 Dec 2010 14:03

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