Tweed Railway Background
Introduction
The Tweed railway covers the Murwillumbah Branch located on the Far North Coast of New South Wales. The branch runs from Casino to Murwillumbah and includes the short lived branch to Ballina.
This area is known as the Northern Rivers of New South Wales and was so named because of the many rivers that flow to the sea in this area. Some of these rivers include the Tweed, Brunswick, Richmond and Clarence Rivers.
The territory between the Richmond and Tweed Rivers was also known as the "Big Scrub", because of the dense growth of bushes, scrub and vines often growing to heights from 50 to 60 feet. In order to reach the sun, the red cedars, much prized for their red timber, often reached heights of 100 feet.
History of the Area
The North Coast area was first surveyed by Captain John Oxley in 1823. Subsequent explorations up the Richmond River noted the fine stands of timber, particularly red cedar, which grew on its banks.
The first settlers that came to the Northern Rivers region were the timber cutters, attracted by the stands of red cedar in the area. The first timber cutters into the Richmond River valley were in 1841. Lismore grew out of the need to service these timber cutters. Lismore was surveyed and proclaimed as a village in 1856.
In the early days transport in the area was extremely difficult with shipping providing the best alternative as roads were often rudimentary or non-existent. During extended periods of wet weather roads became impassable.
The Richmond River was navigatable as far inland as Lismore, which was approximately 15 miles form the sea. Ships of up to 1100 tons and 215 feet were able to cross the bar of the Richmond River at Ballina and steam upstream to Lismore to transport freight. These steam ships commenced operating from 1860 onwards. Larger vessels were able to make port in Byron Bay and appropriate facilities were provided at Byron Bay.
Railway Plans
Plans for Railways were discussed as early as the 1880s, but initially focussed on connecting from the Great Northern Railway that was advancing towards Tenterfield, on the other side of the Great Dividing Range. By doing this it was hoped to stop trade in the Northern Rivers going north towards Queensland.
In 1890 NSW parliament authorised the building of an isolated section of Railway line between Lismore and Murwillumbah. This section of railway line would facilitate the movement of traffic to the coast for on shipment by ship.
The sections of line covered by the Tweed Railway were opened as follows:
- Lismore to Mullumbimby - 15 May 1894
- Mullumbimby to Murwillumbah (including Condong Sugar Mill) - 24 December 1894
In 1900 it was finally decided to build the section of line from Lismore to Casino, which was opened on 9 October, 1903.
The section between Casino and Grafton was approved in 1903 and opened on 6 November, 1905.
The branch to Kyogle was approved in 1908 and opened on 25 June 1910.
These last two sections later became part of the main North Coast link between Sydney and Brisbane, which was completed with the building of the railway bridge across the Clarence River at Grafton in 1932, to complete the missing link and end the status of being and 'isolated railway'.
Casino at the junction of these lines became a major railway town hub for many years.
A further branch line was also approved for construction to Bonalbo. Construction actually started but was halted during the Great Depression and was never completed. It had been envisaged that this branch might form part of a link to connect the coastal railway to the inland railway.
Key Features of the Railway
As suggested, the railway crossed many rivers and waterways in its journey between Casino and Murwillumbah, so it was necessary to overcome a number of geographical obstacles.
Track Formation
It was envisaged that the Lismore to Murwillumbah line would eventually form part of a mainline connection between Sydney and Brisbane, so it was constructed to mainline standards, with ballasted track, substantial earthworks, bridges and tunnels, however all the stations initially only had 'rail-level platforms'. Most of the passenger platforms were raised to standard heights between 1908 and 1924.
The Casino to Murwillumbah railway had ruling gradients of 1 in 50 and in some instances curves down to 12 chains (240metres) radius which limited speeds on the line.
Tunnels
There were nine (9) tunnels on the line to assist the passage of the railway through the ranges separating the various river valleys. The longest tunnel was in the Burringbar Range and was 524 metres in length.
Bridges
Due to the numerous waterways on the line, there are many bridges on the line. These bridges range from steel Pratt Truss bridges across major rivers, such as at Leycester Creek, Wilsons River, down to simple wooden bridges in many locations. Over the years some of the wooden bridges have been replaced, but those that were left started to create maintenance nightmares and contributed to the closure of the line due to the project cost of rehabilitation.
Stations and Sidings
Initially there were 11 stations opened on the Lismore to Murwillumbah section, but over the years a number of stations and sidings have been added. Quite a few stations were moved, sometimes up to a quarter of a mile from their original location.
Wharves
As indicated one of the principal reasons for building the line was to bring traffic to ports and tranship goods to ships for transport to Sydney. There were two principal wharves on the branch. These were located at Lismore and Byron Bay.
Lismore Railway Wharf - was originally constructed by the railway contractor building the line and was used to tranship railway materials and also railway rolling stock for use on the line. It was extended on a number of occasions throughout its life and reached a length of 503 feet long. It received heavy usage up until 1924 and then spasmodic usage up until about 1954 when it appears to have had very little usage.
Byron Bay Wharf - Byron Bay was seen to be the main port for the Lismore to Murwillumbah branch. It was an important focus for passengers and goods services. Shipping services into Byron Bay were predominantly operated by the North Coast Steam Navigation Company. It was however at times a difficult port and subject to difficult weather conditions, which was demonstrated in 1921 when the Wollongbar was driven ashore on the beach and wrecked.
The original wharf was built in 1888, but was replaced in 1928 by a new wharf of approximately 2000 feet long. It was serviced by one mile long branch line operated by the North Coast Steam Navigation Company which connected to the NSWGR in the Byron Bay Goods yard. A petrol mechanical locomotive was used to shunt the line.
Ballina Branch
Over the years there was much agitation by locals to connect Ballina to the Tweed Railway, but nothing came of it until the early 1920s when an act was approved to build a branch off the Tweed Railway at Booyong to Ballina.
It was hoped that the branch would generate traffic for transhipment through the port at Ballina, but the line actually stopped about a mile short of the wharfs, so little goods traffic was shipped through Ballina.
The line was opened on the 20 September, 1930, and due to lack of traffic and patronage it was closed in 1948 when landslides blocked the line following torrential rain.
The line was built to 'pioneer line' standards, though it was fenced for part of its distance and had a number of substantial bridges on the route, including an opening bridge across North Canal, just before the Ballina station.
Types of Traffic Carried
Timber
Because of the substantial timber, especially red cedar, timber was a major traffic generator in the early days.
Crops
Once timber had been cleared from the land, maize and other crops were able to be planted and grown.
Sugar - Sugar cane was introduced on the Richmond River from 1866 and became a major crop in the northern Rivers. A number of sugar mills were established over time. Colonial Sugar Refining Co. (CSR) established a major mill at Condong, a couple of miles downstream of Murwillumbah in 1880. A railway connection was established to the mill with the opening of the branch. This was a major source of revenue for the railways and special trains were run out to Crabbes Creek to collect sugar cane for processing.
Bananas - were grown in the Tweed River valley around Murwillumbah. By 1909 they were being exported to the Sydney Markets, travelling by a special short train to Byron Bay where they were transhipped to ship for onward passage to Sydney.
In the mid 1920s the plantations were ravaged by the 'bunchy top' disease introduced from Fiji. The industry was rebuilt by the introduction of strict control measures from the 1930s and again became a major traffic source for the NSWGRs.
Dairy Products and Livestock
Butter and Milk Products - This area was a rich farming area and a big producer of diary products. A number of butter factories were established to process the products which were then shipped to Sydney and other southern towns.
Pigs - An abattoir was established at Byron Bay to process bacon and this generated significant livestock traffic on the railways, which was then transhipped through the Byron Bay wharf to overseas markets.