Newcastle-Bolgart Railway

The Newcastle–Bolgart Railway was the second stage of the Clackline–Miling railway, was opened on 6 December 1909 by the Western Australian Premier Newton Moore. The line ran between Newcastle (now Toodyay) and Bolgart, Western Australia. The line came about after community support rallied against the Government, who were seen as not approving the rail to reduce the value of the Midland Railway Company land holdings. At a meeting on 6 November 1906 local MLA Timothy Quinlan then Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly threatened to resign from the government and join the opposition. The meeting proposed that Quinlan should meet with Moore and obtain a definitive answer as to whether he would include the line on the schedule of proposed railways.

The matter of a line between Newcastle and Bolgart was first raised in 1897. A number of state governments promised the construction of the line starting with the James Government, the line again promised by the Rason Government. The Labor Government then surveyed the line; this was followed with the Moore Government letting contracts for construction. At the sod turning ceremony Quinlan noted that the line from Clackline had not been a financial success but that opening this section would improve its fortunes.

On 20 October 1908 the tender for the construction of the line was awarded to Barry & McLaughlin as the lowest bidder at £25,744 2s. 4d. With the addition of costs for rail and fastenings the total cost was £48,000, which was £2,000 above the original estimates at the time of presenting legislation to parliament for construction; a significant portion of the tender was costs associated with bridge construction.

Construction officially commenced on 4 December 1908 when the Governor of Western Australia Frederick Bedford turned the first sod of soil during a ceremony near Newcastle. The Governor noted that this was the first time he had officiated at the construction of a railway. During his visit the Governor stated that was he glad he would not leave Western Australia without being associated in some way with the policy of agricultural railways construction for the state. As a memento of the occasion the Governor was presented with a miniature shovel that had a sandalwood handle and gold blade.

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