Central Western railway line, Queensland

The Central West line is a railway line in Queensland, Australia. It was opened in a series of sections between 1867 and 1928. It commences at Rockhampton and extends west 863 kilometres (536 mi) to Winton.

Following its separation from the colony of NSW in 1859, Queensland consisted of a vast area with a non-indigenous population of approximately 30,000 people, most of who lived in the southeast corner of the colony. The government was keen to facilitate development and immigration, and had approved the construction to the Main Line from Ipswich, about 160 kilometres (99 mi) to the fertile Darling Downs region in 1864. This was the first narrow gauge (1067mm or 3’6”) main line in the world.

Following the establishment of the settlement of Rockhampton in 1858, and the discovery of gold at nearby Canoona in 1859, there were calls for improved land transportation in the region. Despite the goldrush being short-lived, it established Rockhampton as the main port for central Queensland, and Parliament approved the Central West line once the Main Line had proven the viability of the controversial narrow gauge.

The first section opened to Westwood, the place where the roads to Taroom, Springsure, Peak Downs and the central west diverged, 46 kilometres (29 mi) from Rockhampton, in September 1867. Freight being carried by bullock teams from further west found no advantage to transferring to rail for such a short distance, and so the government was forced to extend the line in sections from 1874, reaching Blackwater in 1877 and the Nogoa River in 1879, leading to the establishment of the town of Emerald.

Construction then proceeded west virtually tracking the Tropic of Capricorn, with settlements developing once the line was built. It reached Barcaldine in 1886 after crossing the Drummond Range using 1 in 33 (3%) grades and 4 chain (circa 80-metre) radius curves (the tightest used on the system) to avoid major earthworks, and reached Longreach in 1892.

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