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Wagin to Bowelling railway line
Wagin to Bowelling railway line
Overview
Status	Closed
Owner	Government of Western Australia
Locale	Wheatbelt, Western Australia
Termini	Wagin; Bowelling;
Service
Operator(s)	Western Australian Government Railways
History
Commenced	1914
Opened	10 December 1918
Closed	1 June 1986
Technical
Line length	102 km (63 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
	Wagin to Bowelling railway line Main locations 45km; 30miles Bowelling 2 Wagin 1
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

The Wagin to Bowelling railway line was a state government-owned and WAGR-operated railway line in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, connecting Wagin via Bokal to Bowelling. The line was 102 kilometres (63 mi) long. At Wagin, the railway line connected to the Great Southern Railway and the Wagin to Newdegate railway line while, at Bowelling, it connected to the Brunswick Junction to Narrogin railway line.^[1]^[2]

History

The Great Southern Railway, passing through Wagin, was established in 1889, having been constructed in a three-year period from 1886. At the Bowelling end of the future line, the railway had arrived in 1907 with the completion of the Collie to Darkan section of the Brunswick Junction to Narrogin railway line.^[3]

The Wagin-Bowelling Railway Act 1912, an act by the Parliament of Western Australia assented to on 24 December 1912, authorised the construction of the railway line from Wagin to Bowelling.^[4]

The Wagin to Bowelling railway line's contract for construction was awarded on 17 July 1914. It was constructed by the Western Australian Public Works Department. The fist section of the line, from Wagin to Bokal, was opened on 20 November 1917 while the second section, from Bokal to Bowelling, was opened on 10 December 1918.^[3]^[5]^[6]

With the opening of the railway junction at Bowelling, station and town there were prioritised over Darkan. Darkan station was closed while the Bowelling remained in operation until 1967.^[7] The last direct train from Bowelling to Wagin ran on 30 June 1984 while the Bowelling to Bokal section was closed on 1 June 1986. Westrail continued some operations from Wagin and Bokal until 1988.^[8]

Legacy

The railway line is designated as "Not in use" on the Public Transport Authority map^[1] and, unlike other active and inactive Wheatbelt railway lines, is not leased to Arc Infrastructure and therefore not shown on its map.^[9]

The heritage listed Wagin Railway Station was completed on 25 April 1911, replacing an early building that was relocated in 1906.^[10]

The neighbouring Shire of West Arthur has a number of railway related installations on its heritage list. Some, like the Darkan railway station precinct and the Hillman River railway bridge are only connected to the Brunswick Junction to Narrogin line, while the Bowelling railway station is associated with both lines. Unlike these, the Duranillin railway bridge over the Arthur River was constructed for the Wagin to Bowelling line.^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b "Public Transport Authority: Railway System: April 2019" (PDF). Public Transport Authority. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
^ "Railway map of Western Australia, 1952". Trove. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
^ ^a ^b Opening dates for sections from 12. Construction of the W.A. Government Railways network, 1879 - 1931, pages 208-210 Gunzburg, Adrian; Austin, Jeff; Rail Heritage WA; Gunzburg, Adrian (2008), Rails through the bush : timber and firewood tramways and railway contractors of Western Australia (2nd ed.), Rail Heritage WA, ISBN 978-0-9803922-2-7
^ "Wagin-Bowelling Railway Act 1912". www.legislation.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 24 December 1912. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
^ "WAGIN—BOWELLING RAILWAY". Bunbury Herald. Vol. 27, no. 4330. Western Australia. 6 July 1918. p. 4. Retrieved 1 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "THE WAGIN-BOWELLING RAILWAYS". The Southern Argus And Wagin-arthur Express. Vol. XIII, no. 174. Western Australia. 19 April 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 1 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Bowelling Railway Station". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
^ "Duranillin Railway Bridge". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
^ "Arc Map Network" (PDF). Retrieved 1 August 2024.
^ "Wagin Railway Station". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
^ "Shire of West Arthur Heritage Places". inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2024.