Richmond Vale Railway
The Richmond Vale Railway was a 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) colliery railway line in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, servicing coal mines at Minmi, Stockrington, Pelaw Main and Richmond Main. It was over 26 km (16 mi) long and passed through three tunnels, and was the last commercially operated railway in Australia to use steam locomotives.
The line was privately owned, by the private firm of J & A Brown and its successor companies, J & A Brown and Abermain Seaham Collieries Limited (JABAS) and Coal & Allied Industries Limited. It was constructed in sections, the earliest section being from Hexham to Minmi, built by John Eales in 1856 to service his colliery at Minmi. At Hexham the railway crossed the then Hunter River Railway Company's line to Maitland (the current Main North line) and several coal loading staiths were built on the bank of the on the Hunter River to allow the loading of coal onto ships.
In March 1859 J & A Brown purchased the railway & mine from John Eales. By June 1859 they had constructed a connection and exchange siding with the Great Northern Railway at Hexham to allow the coal to be railed to the shipping port at Newcastle. In 1861 J & A Brown extended the railway line at Minmi a further 300 yards and sunk a new pit named 'C' pit, they also established a workshops at this pit.
In 1874 a new tunnel colliery named Duckenfield Colliery was sunk to the North of 'C' pit and a branch railway was laid to this colliery. This was soon followed in 1876 by another new colliery sunk to the East of 'C' pit named Brown's Colliery (also known as Back Creek Colliery), a new branch line was also laid to this mine.
The fastest recorded journey on the line was a late passenger train from Minmi to Hexham at 60 mph (97 km/h).
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