Wagin to Newdegate railway line

The Wagin to Newdegate railway line is a railway line connecting Wagin via Lake Grace to Newdegate, where the line terminates. The line is 180 kilometres (110 mi) long. At Lake Grace, a 94-kilometre (58 mi) branch line to Hyden exists, while, at Wagin, the railway line connects to the Great Southern Railway. Formerly, at Wagin, it also connected to now inactive railway line to Bowelling.

Wagin to Newdegate railway line
Lake Grace Railway Station in January 2024
Overview
Status	Open
Locale	Wheatbelt, Western Australia
Termini	Wagin Newdegate Hyden (branch line)
Service
Operator(s)	Arc Infrastructure
History
Commenced	1906
Opened	15 February 1926 (1926-02-15)
Technical
Line length	182 km (113 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Route map Wagin to Bowelling railway line Great Southern Railway 0 Wagin 13 Gundaring 22 Ballaying 31 Nippering 41 Dumbleyung 53 Wishbone 62 Moulyinning 67 Candlelight 79 Kukerin 87 Duggan 97 Tarin Rock 108 Neendaling 114 Mablac 119 Lake Grace Lake Grace to Hyden railway line 133 Beenong 138 Kuender 143 Burngup 148 Wardercarrin 156 Dornock 157 Buniche 164 Pingaring 167 Lake Biddy 176 Lancing 182 Newdegate 188 Pederah 196 Karlgarin 213 Hyden

History

The Great Southern Railway, passing through Wagin, was established in 1889, having been constructed in a three-year period from 1886.

The Wagin to Newdegate railway line's contract for construction for the first section from Wagin to Dumbleyung, 41 kilometres (25 mi), was awarded on 3 June 1906. It was constructed by the Western Australian Public Works Department (PWD) and opened on 19 February 1907. The second section, from Dumbeleyung to Kukerin, 38 kilometres (24 mi), was awarded on 17 May 1911 and opened on 3 May 1912, again constructed by the PWD. The third section of the line, Kukerin to Lake Grace, 40 kilometres (25 mi), was awarded to the PWD on 19 July 1915 and opened 25 November 1916. The final 63-kilometre (39 mi) section of the railway line from Lake Grace to Newdegate was awarded to the PWD on 16 January 1925 and opened on 15 February 1926.

In between, in the other direction, westbound, a railway line from Wagin to Bokal was completed in 1917 and extended to Bowelling in late 1918, where it connected to the Brunswick Junction to Narrogin railway line, which had been completed in 1907.

On 2 June 1930, the contract for the branch line from Lake Grace to Hyden was awarded to the Public Works Department. The line, 94 kilometres (58 mi) long, was opened on 5 April 1933.

The railway line, as of 2024, is in service and operated by Arc Infrastructure.

Heritage

A railway crane at the end of the line at Hyden

The heritage listed Wagin Railway Station was completed on 25 April 1911, replacing an early building that was relocated in 1906.

Further east along the railway line, the Dumbleyung Railway Station precinct is on the Shire of Dumbleyung heritage list. The Dumbleyung station was opened in 1913, six years after the railway line to Dumbleyung opened and was operated for 71 years, until 1984, when the station master was withdrawn.

In the Shire of Lake Grace, the Lake Grace Railway precinct, consisting of the station, station masters house and goods shed, and the Newdegate Railway precinct are on the shire's heritage list.

On the Hyden branch line, the Pingaring Railway siding precinct is on the Shire of Kulin's heritage list. In the neighboring Shire of Kondinin, the Hyden Railway siding precinct is on the shire's heritage list. Passenger services to Hyden ceased in the early 1950s and the line was briefly closed in 1957 but reopened in 1960.