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Marble Bar Railway
WAGR AI class petrol rail motor used on Marble Bar Railway from 1934 to 1947
Overview
Status	Closed
Owner	WAGR
Locale	Pilbara, Western Australia
Termini	Port Hedland Marble Bar
Stations	12
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	WAGR
Operator(s)	WAGR
History
Opened	July 1911 (1911-07)
Closed	31 October 1951 (1951-10-31)
Technical
Line length	184 km (114 mi)
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Marble Bar RailwayMain locations 75km 50miles Marble Bar2 Port Hedland1
Route map Legend 0 Port Hedland 19 Pippingarra 33 Pundano 49 Strelley 86 Carlindi 92 Pin Pin Shaw River 95 Shaw River 97 No. 4 Siding 103 Warralong 118 Gorge Creek 143 Coongan 151 Eginbah 184 Marble Bar

The Port Hedland–Marble Bar railway was a railway in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, running into the hinterland from the north-west coast.

History

The Port Hedland-Marble Bar Railway Act 1907, an act by the Parliament of Western Australia assented to on 19 September 1907, authorised the construction of the railway line from Port Hedland to Marble Bar.

The line was a Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge branch line which was isolated from the rest of the WAGR system. Construction was commenced in 1909, undertaken by the firm of Henry Teesdale Smith, and the line was opened in July 1911.

The line had been proposed for some years before the date of opening.

The closest railhead of the main WAGR rail system was over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) to the south at Meekatharra so most rolling stock and materials were shipped in and out Port Hedland.

Due to heavy losses on the line, the Western Australian government asked 1922 Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Railway Department to make a specific inquiry into the running of the Port Hedland railway. The commissioner found that "the railway cannot be run effectively so long as it is administered by the Railways Department" and recommended, among other things, that the running of the line be handed over to the Commissioner of the North-West. That was not done.

The reputation of the line for its slow running speed lived on long after the railway had closed, with Patsy Adam Smith's 1969 book about early railways noting the use of the ironic name the Spinifex Flyer.

The Railway (Port Hedland-Marble Bar) Discontinuance Act 1950 was granted royal assent on 18 December 1950, and the last train to run out of Port Hedland operated on 25 October 1951. The railway closed on 31 October 1951.

Iron ore railways that have subsequently been constructed in the Pilbara region are standard gauge railways.

See also

• Don Rhodes Mining and Transport Museum
• Goldsworthy railway
• Mount Newman railway
• Rail transport in Western Australia

References

1. "Port Hedland-Marble Bar Railway Act 1907". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 19 September 1907. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
2. "THE PORT HEDLAND-MARBLE BAR RAILWAY: TURNING THE FIRST SOD". Western Mail. Perth: National Library of Australia. 27 March 1909. p. 25. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
3. Woodland, Edwin W. (1975) The Port Hedland – Marble Bar Railway Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, January, 1975 pp1-6
4. Isdell, James; Thomson, James (James Wylie) (1904), Developing our resources : the great nor'-western railway : Port Hedland to Marble Bar and Nullagine : opening up the Pilbara goldfields, A.E. Forsaith, retrieved 25 May 2012
5. Anketell, R. J (1895), Report on proposed railway line Marble Bar to Port Hedland, and Cossack to Marble Bar, and plans, Govt. Pr, retrieved 25 May 2012
6. Stead, George W. (1922). Royal Commission Appointed to Inquire into the System of State Railways. WA Government Printer. Retrieved 25 May 2012. notably part 5, page 38 – 51 Report of the Royal Commissioner on the Port Hedland-Marble Bar Railway and Copy of Evidence taken. The response by the Commissioner of Railways, H.Pope, comprises section 6 – pages 52–53.
7. "ROMANCE OF THE RAILWAY PIONEERS". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 16 April 1969. p. 14. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
8. "Railway (Port Hedland-Marble Bar) Discontinuance Act 1950". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 18 December 1950. Retrieved 12 August 2024.

Bibliography

• Affleck, Fred (1978). On Track: The Making of Westrail, 1950–1976. Perth: Westrail. ISBN 0724475605. OCLC 6489347.
• Joyce, John; Tilley, Allan (1980). Railways in the Pilbara (2nd ed.). Wembley, WA: J & A Publications. pp. 21–32. ISBN 0959969926. OCLC 222691305.
• May, Andrew S; Gray, Bill (2006). A History of WAGR Passenger Carriages. Midland, WA: Bill Gray. ISBN 0646459023.
• Quinlan, Howard & Newland, John R.(2000) Australian Railway Routes 1854-2000 ISBN 0-909650-49-7

External links

• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-11/archival-map-of-spinifex-express-route/7720178?nw=0 for archival map of the railway
• https://web.archive.org/web/20060820021925/http://railways.pilbara.net.au/index2.html for current railways in the Pilbara

v t e Railway lines in Western Australia
Main lines	Eastern Goldfields Eastern Railway Great Southern Railway South Western Railway Trans-Australian Railway
Goldfields–Esperance	Hopetoun–Ravensthorpe Kalgoorlie–Esperance Kalgoorlie–Gnumballa Lake Kalgoorlie–Kanowna Kalgoorlie–Leonora Malcolm–Laverton Kambalda–Redmine
Great Southern	Donnybrook–Katanning Elleker–Nornalup Katanning–Pingrup Tambellup–Ongerup
Mid West	Avon Yard–Mullewa Cue–Big Bell Dongara–Eneabba Geraldton–Ajana Geraldton–Mullewa Karara Meekatharra-Horseshoe Meekatharra–Wiluna Millendon Junction–Narngulu Mullewa–Meekatharra Mount Magnet–Sandstone Upper Chapman Valley
Peel	Waroona–Lake Clifton Pinjarra–Narrogin
Pilbara	Fortescue Goldsworthy Hamersley & Robe River Marble Bar Mount Newman Roy Hill
Perth	Airport Armadale Belmont Ellenbrook Fremantle Kalamunda Kwinana freight Mandurah Midland (country) Midland (suburban) Mundaring Mundaring Weir Spearwood–Armadale Thornlie Upper Darling Range Yanchep
South West	Boyanup–Flinders Bay Brunswick Junction–Narrogin Donnybrook–Katanning Picton–Northcliffe Pinjarra–Narrogin Wonnerup–Nannup
Wheatbelt	Amery–Kalannie Avon Yard–Mullewa Brookton–Corrigin Brunswick Junction–Narrogin Burakin–Bonnie Rock Goomalling–West Merredin Lake Grace–Hyden Merredin–Narrogin Merredin–Yilliminning Pinjarra–Narrogin Toodyay West–Miling Wagin–Bowelling Wagin–Newdegate Wyalkatchem–Southern Cross York–Bruce Rock
Tourist and heritage railways	Bennett Brook Hotham Valley Oliver Hill
Timber railway lines	Ballaarat tramline Jarrahdale–Rockingham
Trams and tramways	Baldivis tramway Broome Tramway Carnarvon tram Trams in Fremantle Trams in Kalgoorlie Trams in Perth
Approved by Parliament but not constructed	Boyup Brook–Cranbrook Brookton–Dale River Manjimup–Mount Barker Southern Cross southwards Yarramony eastward Yuna-Dartmoor
^† Denotes railway is closed, partially closed or has been removedSee also: Agricultural railways ♦ Wheatbelt railways

• Railway lines in the Pilbara
• 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Australia
• Railway lines opened in 1911
• Railway lines closed in 1951
• 1911 establishments in Australia
• 1951 disestablishments in Australia
• Marble Bar, Western Australia
• Former Western Australian Government Railways railway lines