Unanderra-Moss Vale railway line, New South Wales
| Unanderra–Moss Vale | |||
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| Overview | |||
| Type | Freight, tourist | ||
| Status | Active | ||
| Locale | Illawarra, Southern Highlands | ||
| Termini |
Unanderra Moss Vale |
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| Stations | 9 | ||
| Operation | |||
| Opened | August 1932 | ||
| Owner | RailCorp | ||
| Operator(s) | 3801 Limited (tourist services) | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 57 km (35 mi) | ||
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The Unanderra–Moss Vale railway line is a cross country railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line branches from the Illawarra line at Unanderra and winds west up the Illawarra escarpment to join the Main South line at Moss Vale. The line is one of the most scenic in New South Wales, and for the first 20 km after leaving Unanderra has an almost continuous grade 1 in 30 providing spectacular view over the Illawarra coastline.
The line is 57 kilometres in length, and is double track from Unanderra to Dombarton. The line then becomes single track with several crossing loops. Legacies of the abandoned Maldon – Dombarton railway line that was partly built in the 1980s are a bridge over the old Princes Highway at Unanderra, double track section to Dombarton and unfinished electrification masts. The single track bridge at Dombarton was recycled in February 1992, being installed on the Lavender Bay branch of the North Shore line at Waverton.
The line connects the following current and former passenger stations:
The line was first proposed in the 1880s by residents of Moss Vale and local industry keen for a connection to the port at Port Kembla.
Construction began on 26 June 1925, and the line opened on 20 August 1932. Because parts of the line are susceptible to falling rocks snow sheds were erected to catch falling debris.
The line initially carried mainly limestone from the Marulan Quarry to Port Kembla Steelworks, but also vegetables from Robertson to Sydney and later, coal. Passenger services began in August 1932 with CPH railmotors. From 1938 these were replaced by 30 class steam locomotives. From February 1967 the CPHs once again operated the service. The weekday service was replaced by road transport in September 1985 with road transport taking over.
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Wikipedia