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Fri 21 Jul 1865 - The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)
Page 7 - RAILWAYS.
RAILWAYS.
THE GREAT WESTERN EXTENSION.
Although the construction of a line of railway from Penrith
to Bathurst has been for the last two years in progress,
it is probable that for want of prominent notice having been
directed to the undertaking, few persons are aware of the
magnitude of the works, or of the difficulties that have
attended both their design and their execution. The sight
of continuous lengths of heavy embankments and deep cut-
tings has become familiar to travellers on the Western road,
and while it has relieved the dreary monotony of the jour-
ney, it has given promise of a considerable portion of the
line being opened for traffic before many months have
elapsed. Some of the works are of interest as engineering
achievements, and the merit of these will not fail to be duly
appreciated when the mountain railway is brought into
successful operation. The experience of the working of the
very steep gradients and sharp curves adopted on the new
extensions will be of importance in relation to the construc-
tion of other lines. It would be difficult, except by a per-
sonal inspection, to form an adequate idea of the wild and
rugged country through which the railway to Bathurst is
taken, or of the manner in which the obstacles to railway
construction have been overcome, but these may be to some
extent indicated by a few particulars (mostly obtained on a
recent visit to the line) respecting both the portion of the
railway now advancing towards completion, and its in-
tended extension to Bathurst. Considering the very wide
scope of the late Parliamentary inquiry into the Public
Works Department, it is rather surprising that no evidence
should have been taken as to the selection of the new rail-
way lines. It is true that Mr. Barton, the engineer for
trial surveys, was examined by the committee, but though
he was prepared to give the fullest information with regard
to the lines he had surveyed, about the most important
questions that were put to him were, as to what he took for
lunch, and whether he kept a yactht. From the manner in
which the inquiry was conducted, it was perhaps as well
that that branch of the department was not made the sub-
ject of investigation.
The formidable difficulties in the way of forming a rail-
way between Penrith and Bathurst must be patent to all
who have travelled on that road. It was for a long time
believed that the steepness of what are known as the Blue
Mountains presented insuperable obstacles to the construc-
tion of a locomotive line. Not to dwell on the often quoted
assertion of Mr. Wentworth—that bullock drays were the
proper mode of conveyance for this country,—even so late as
1857, Captain Hawkins, of the Royal Engineers, in a re-
port which may be seen amongst the Parliamentary Papers,
expressed his conviction that no direct line between Sydney
and Bathurst for either a railroad or a tramway could be
obtained. This opinion did not, however, satisfy the resi-
dents in the Western districts who, realising very keenly,
as every traveller on the heavy mountain road must do,
not only the personal discomforts of the journey, but also
the direct loss which the slow mode of transit occasioned,
brought sufficient influence to bear on the Legislature to
make the construction of a line to Bathurst a necessary
part of the system of railway extension. It was towards
the end of 1857 that Mr. Barton was directed to examine
the country with a view to determine the best line
for a railway, and shortly afterwards took charge for that
puropose of a party of Sappers and Miners. A very
elaborate and careful exploration of the country between
the Nepean and Bathurst was made, extending over three
or four years, in the course of which several lines were
suveyed and levels taken, but were afterwards for various
reasons abandoned. For months together the party were
engaged either in following up the various tributaries of the
Nepean or in examining all the spurs and gullies of the
leading ranges. It need scarcely be stated that the broken
nature of the country, the suddenness and the length of the
descents, rendered the discovery of a practicable line
a task of extreme difficulty. One of the lines sur-
veyed was that from Richmond to Hartley, by follow-
ing the Grose Valley, and which, if it had been prac-
ticable, would have been shorter by nine miles than the
mountain line—reckoning from the Nepean. Very good
gradients were obtained along the greater part of the line,
but it was found that the head of the valley of the Grose
was so much lower than that of the Lett, that, even with a
gradient of 1 in 30, between three and four miles of tun-
nelling would have been required The enormous ex-
pense of such a line, together with the difficulty of access,
was the cause of its being abandoned. A line, correspond-
ing in many respects with that now adopted, was laid before
Parliament in October, 1860. It followed the mountain
road for about forty miles, but in order to reach Hartley it
descended, at the rate of 1 in 62, along the sides of one of
the spurs of Mount York (passing near to the recently dis-
covered kerosene mine), then doubling back and crossing
itself through a tunnel, the detour, which had the form of
a narrow loop, included seven long tunnels and six large
viaducts. There were to have been throughout
the line no less than seventeen tunnels of the
aggregate length of five and a half miles, besides
many other very heavy works. The steepest gradient was
to have been 1 in 40, and the sharpest curve ten chains
radius. The estimated cost of carrying out this line was
£26,000 per mile ; and, probably from the belief that Parlia-
ment would not sanction so expensive a line, its adoption
was not proposed. Economical considerations prevailed,
and it was determined that, on the Western line, not more
that £10,000 per mile should be expended. In order to
bring the cost within that sum, it was necessary to adopt
much steeper gradients and sharper curves than those on
the existing lines, and the maximum gradient was fixed at
1 in 30, and the sharpest curve at eight chains radius. It
was under these conditions that Mr. Barton selected the
present line, the cost of which, it is stated, will not exceed
£10,000 per mile.
In an inspection of the works on the Great Western ex-
tension, starting from the terminus of the existing line at
Penrith, notice is first attracted by the now nearly completed
piers for the tubular girder bridge across the Nepean, a
river about six hundred feet in width. These immense
piles of masonry rise more than forty feet above the water
level, their great height, semi-circular ends, and projecting
tops giving them a tower like appearance. Some astonish-
ment may be expressed at the size and massiveness of the
pillars, looking at the low and quiet stream that flows be-
tween them ; but the enormous volume and the violence of
the current on the occasion of a flood rendered it necessary
that the structure should be of proportionate strength and
height. During a recent flood the Nepean rose thirty-seven
feet above its usual level. The rapid progress that has been
made with the erection of the piers since they were taken in
hand last October by Mr. Watkins testifies to the skilful
and energetic manner in which the work has been carried
on, under the management of Mr. Morgan, who is asso-
ciated with Mr. Watkins in the contract. The progress is
at the same time due to the favourable weather that has
prevailed, while the former contractor for the masonry had
his apparatus several times carried away or destroyed, in-
volving a loss of £6000, Mr. Watkins has suffered scarcely
a day's interruption to the work, and no injury whatever to
his plant. Advantage has been taken of the fine weather
to push on with the work, and as all the masonry is far
above water level it is beyond the reach of damage from
floods. Of the four piers, the first and second are
finished, the third will be completed in three weeks,
and the fourth in about two months. In order
to give an idea of the size of the structure it may be
mentioned, that the two centre piers measure 58 feet by 17
feet 6 inches at the foundation, battering upwards at
the ends 1 in15 and at the sides 1 in 20, and that their
extreme height is 59 feet. The piers are 186 feet apart ;
the two in the bank at either end are a little larger than the
intermediate ones. With the view of economising the
masonry, five longitudinal apertures each about six feet
by four, have been left ; they are filled with concrete, and
are covered in half-way with a ceiling course. A large
amount of preliminary work had to be done before the
foundations of the piers could be laid. Divers were sent
down to clear away the gravel from the bed of the river to
receive the sills into which the piles for the coffer dams
were driven. The sills had to be firmly bedded in the shale,
and the sheeting to be closely driven into the sills ; yet in
spite of these precautions the water would continually boil
up from below, and had to be pumped out. The
shale was excavated for a depth of about eighteen
inches to receive the foundations of the piers, which are
about sixteen feet below the ordinary water-level. The
shale was so hard that the tools used in the excavation were
continually being blunted, and on borings being made, it
was found to be more than eleven feet in depth. Immedi-
ately within the coffer dam bays of piles were driven, and
upon these staging was fixed around the piers, to support
the traveller and jenny which have been employed in
lifting the stones from the punts and depositing them in
their places. The sandstone used for the piers is obtained
from a quarry near the top of Lapstone Hill, a distance of
three and a half miles, and is brought down by drays in loads
of from four to five tons. There are about sixty men and
ten cranes employed at the quarry. At the masons' yard,
which is close to the bridge works a large traveller running
on rails thirty five feet apart lifts the blocks of stone on being
dressed to the required sizes, and deposits them on a trolly
upon which they are taken down to a crane fixed on the
wharf, and are thereby deposited in punts which convey
them to either of the piers. A rope is carried across the
river, by means of which the punts are drawn from the
wharf to the piers. The courses are fifteen inches in
thickness, the weight of the stones avenges from two to
three tons, but some of the blocks of the dental course
weigh from five to six tons ; the stones are rock faced and
are set in concrete. A simple contrivance is used for the
direction of the masons in dressing the stones. There is an
exact model of each of the piers, consisting of a succession
of wooden slabs marked so as to show the joints and the
interstices ; each slab represents a course of the masonary,
and they are given out one by one as guides for the size of
the blocks. During the time that the foundations were
being laid the works were carried on night and day ; and
stones are now being laid on one of the piers by night.
The first and second piers being finished, a commence-
ment will very shortly be made with the fixing of the
tubular iron girders. This portion of the work has been
contractcd for by Sir M. Peto and Co. The whole of the
plates and bolts have arrived, and they are now being de-
posited on the adjacent ground. Five or six bays of tem-
porary staging will have to be erected between the piers to
support the ironwork while the riveting is in progress. As
at the Menangle bridge, there will be two upright parallel
tubular girders with cross girders between at the bottom.
Each division of the upright girder will consist of a com-
partment 10 feet by 2 feet 3 inches, the vertical side plates
varying from ¼ to ½ inch in thickness ; above and below will be
double boxes each 3 feet by 18 inches, projecting on either
side three or four inches. The cross girders will rest upon
the lower projecting boxes, instead of being fastened to
them as at Menangle. The width between the upright
girders will be 25 feet 6 inches ; and the cross girders which
will carry the roadway will be placed at intervals of three
feet. The plates will be united by angle and T-shaped
pieces, and the rivets will lie five inches apart. The suc-
cession of iron boxes composing the upright girders will,
when riveted together, have all the strength and firmness of
solid bars of iron. It is expected that the work will take
about twelve months to complete.
As the bridge is intended for the main road traffic as
well as the railway, the rails will be laid along the northern
side, leaving the other side available for vehicles. The
bridge will be approached from either end by timber
viaducts ; that on the Emu side will be the longer of the
two ; it will have eight openings of 26 feet, and the piles
will have to be driven a depth of 75 feet, for which it will be
necessary to have a second tier of piles.
Some heavy works are required on Emu Plains before
the ascent of the Blue Mountains is commenced. There is
first an embankment containing 44,718 yards obtained from
side cuttings ; beyond that a timber viaduct with 12 feet
openings 900 feet in length. After a short embankment,
and a bridge with one opening of 20 foot and four of 21 feet,
there is a long embankment containing 190,000 yards of
earth, and commencing the incline of 1 in 30, which is con-
tinued for a length of two miles. So steep is the ascent of
Lapstone Hill by the road—the gradients ranging from 1 in
8 to 1 in 14—that it was found necessary to make a wide
detour, to carry the line round the face of the mountain and
across precipitous gullies, and to introduce a "zigzag,"
for the purpose of obtaining the required elevation.
The stone viaduct which carries the railway line across
Knapsack Gully was finished a few months since, and the
staging is now in course of removal. It is a very fine piece
of masonry, and much admiration has been expressed at
both the boldness of the design and the excellence of the
workmanship. The most noticeable feature of the structure
is its great height, the roadway being 120 feet above the
bed of the gully ; though the piers are very substantial and
well proportioned, their great altitude gives them a light
and slender appearance. Another peculiarity of the bridge
is the steep inclination of the top, being on the gradient of
1 in 36 ; even as seen from the Penrith station, a distance
of four miles, the incline is very perceptible. The opposite
sides of the gully are 388 feet apart ; there are five semi-
circular arches of 50 feet span and two of 25 feet span ; the
piers are 30 feet by 20 feet at the base, and taper upwards
to 15 feet by 9 feet 6 inches at the top. A great deal of
labour was required before the masonry could be commenced,
as the bed of the gully had to be filled in to a depth, at one
part, of thirty feet, to form ground for the masons to work
on. The stone obtainable in the gully not being fit for the
work, a quarry at some distance had to be found, and
roads to connect it with the gully had to be made. The
details of the work were carried out under the immediate
superintendence of Mr. Watkins. The cost of the structure
was about £22,000.
On the opposite side of Knapsack Gully a contrivance
known as a "zigzag" is adopted for the purpose of getting
up the steep ascent. About a quarter of a mile beyond the
viaduct the line comes to a stop ; another line meets it at a
sharp angle and comes back to the head of the gully at a
distance of 120 feet from the bridge ; a height of 135 feet is
gained in a length of about half a mile, the zigzag being on
a gradient of 1 in 33. At each end of the zigzag there will
be a reversing station to allow of the train being shunted,
as upon the intermediate line the engine will be behind the
train.
Beyond the zigzag the line winds round to the south-
ward, and comes on the main road near Wascoe's Inn, at
the top of Lapstone Hill ; the height here above the Plains
is 560 feet, the plains being 86 feet above the sea. From
this point until reaching Blackheath the line keeps
within a short distance of the main road, now on
one side and then on the other, avoiding the steep
ascents and descents of the road by alternate cuttings
and embankments. The line being taken over a succes-
sion of rapid undulations the earthworks are necessarily
very heavy ; one of the cuttings is 11 chains in length, and
51 feet in depth ; another is 8 chains in length, and 48
feet in depth ; one embankment contains upwards of 63,000
yards, and another nearly 54,000 yards ; one cutting is 46
chains in length, and contains 51,200 yards, the deepest
part being more than 50 feet. A considerable
portion of the excavation has been through sand-
stone rock, all of which had to be blasted ; so
cornpact is the material in some of the cuttings that the
sides stand safely at a slope of one-eighth to one. At two
or three places tunnels are carried under the road, to avoid
the necessity for bridges ; owing to the density of the rock
no lining is required. There are a number of level cross-
ings ; the gates will probably be kept by the men engaged
in the repairs of the permanent way. All along the line
there is a steady rise, frequently at a gradient of 1 in 33.
At the Valley the line is 1069 feet above the level of the
sea ; at Cox's Downfall it is 1462 feet ; at Ellison's toll-
bar 1728 feet, at Eighteen-mile Hollow 2050 feet, at the
Blue Mountain Inn 2398 feet, at King's Table Land 2863
feet, and at Blackheath 3525 feet. This latter is the highest
level to which the railway is taken between Penrith and
Hartley. The elevation gained between Emu Plains and
Blackheath, a distance of thirty-eight miles, is 3439 feet,
giving an average gradient of 1 in 58 ; but the average
gradient from Emu Plains to King's Table Land is only
1 in 48.
With regard to the line from Emu to Blackheath, nearly
the whole of the formation is now finished. Four or five of
the heaviest cuttings about the middle of the line are still
in hand, some lengths of fencing have to be done, and the
banks require to be trimmed ; but in three months at the
furthest all the works will be completed. The line was
divided into three contracts, the first and the third of which
nre being carried out by Mr. Watkins, and the inter-
mediate one by Messrs. Duxbury and Kerr. A few weeks
since tenders were advertised for laying the permanent
way, but the contractors whose tender was the lowest
failed to comply with the conditions, and fresh tenders
were invited. In consequence, it is understood, of the second
series of tenders being considered too high, it has been
determined to call for tenders a third time.
After leaving Blackheath the line descends at the rate of
1 in 55 to the Soldier's Pinch, whence it rises with a gra-
dient of 1 in 66 to Shepherd's Tollbar. Near this place the
line parts from the main road, and will only once cross it
until it reaches Bathurst. The chief reason for this devia-
tion is to avoid the steep descent into the Hartley Valleys,
and consequently the steep ascent of the range beyond.
The Hartley Valley is only 2286 feet above the sea ; by
taking the railway through Lithgow Valley, which is
2975 feet above the sea, the descent, and the subsequent
ascent, of 689 feet is saved. The road along the celebrated
Victoria Pass, constructed by the late Sir Thomas Mitchell,
is extremely steep ; for a length of 80 feet the incline is 1 in
6, and the ruling gradient is 1 in 8. Instead
of following that road the line diverges to
the northward upon the Darling's Causeway Range.
There is an easy descent for some distance, and
then an ascent, until a higher level than that at Black-
heath is reached. The line here comes upon the track
known as Bell's line of road, and following generally the
range between the Colo and Lett Rivers, on which
that line was taken, descends at a gradient
of 1 in 50 to Dargan's Creek, the chief tributary of the
river Lett. Thence the line rises at the rate of 1 in 33 for
a length of a mile and a half towards the Clarence Range,
which is a continuation of Hassan's Walls. Through this
mountain there is to be a through sandstone tunnel 539
yards in length, exclusive of the cuttings at either end.
Here the greatest height is reached on any part of the
line between Sydney and Bathurst, the level being 3658
feet above the sea, and the top of the mountain being
3753 feet above the sea. This is stated to be by far the
highest level attained by any railway in the world ; this line
containing a greater length of steep gradients and sharp
curves than any other. Beyond the tunnel the line commences
the descent into Lithgow Valley. In order to reach a
lower level another zigzag is resorted to, of much greater
length than that at Lapstone Hill ; the line
retraverses the face of the spur, descending
along the zigzag at the rate of 1 in 42.
The rocky spur along which the zigzag will be taken is
extremely abrupt and craggy. Two tunnels, of 59 feet and
76 feet, will have to be excavated ; and retaining walls for
the support of the line will have to be carried up from a
considerable depth—at some places of thirty or forty feet.
The zigzag will be three-quarters of a mile in length, and it
will obtain a difference of level of 220 feet ; a descent of 574
feet being made in a length of about two miles and a half
direct distance. The line follows the course of Lithgow
Valley through a tolerably level country, taking some land
belonging to Mr. Thomas Brown, J.P., at Eskbank,
and proceeding to where Bell's Line joins the
Mudgee Road, about two miles from Bowenfels.
Here will be the station for Bowenfels, on land belonging
to Mr. Andrew Brown, J.P., and opposite to his residence
at Coerwul. The line crosses the Mudgee Road, near
Palmer's Creek, and thence rises at the rate of about 1
in 40 to Brown's Gap, and proceeds parallel with the road
to Marangaroo, at the Middle River, the residence of Mr. C.
Sidey ; thence it ascends at the rate of 1 in 40 to
the summit of the Middle River Range, where a tunnel,
216 yards in length, will be made, from which it descends
to Cox's River at the rate of 1 in 40, making a descent
of 300 feet. The end of the line is at Piper's Flat, about
a mile north of Wallerowang, the residence and property
of Mrs. Walker. The station will be about a mile to the
westward of the Mudgee Road ; it will be a distance of nine
miles from the Westem Road at Meadow Flat, nine miles
from Bowenfels, and about forty miles from Bathurst by
railway, and sixty miles from Mudgee. Meadow Flat is
about twenty-one miles from Bathurst.
The plans and sections of the extension from Blackheath
as far as Piper's Flats, a length of thirty-one miles, were
sanctioned by Parliament twelve months since, and in
November last a contract was taken by Mr. Watkins for
the formation and also for the permanent way for a length
of sixteen miles and a-half, to be completed in two years.
The works were commenced at the beginning of the year ;
and already more than 140,000 yards of excavation have
been shifted ; the formation is considerably advanced, and
a quantity of rock from the cuttings has been
stacked in preparation for the ballasting. The
works at the Mount Clarence tunnel are also in active
operation. Three shafts, of the respective depths of 128
feet, 117 feet, and 97 feet, have been sunk to the required
level. From these, and also from the entrances, headings
are being driven, so that the excavation will be carried on
from eight different points simultaneously.
Three parties of surveyors are at present engaged in
completing the levels for the remaining portion of the line
sanctioned by Parliament, and it is expected that the
working sections will be ready for tendering in two or
three months.
Shortly before the plans and sections for the extension
beyond Blackheath were laid before Parliament, a repre-
sentation was made to the Minister for Works, by Mr.
George Jarvis, of Hartley, that a better line than that
selected by Mr. Barton could be obtained by going through
the town of Hartley. The line proposed descended the
range about a mile from Blackheath, and passed round to
the south of Mount Victoria. Mr. Barton having made a
survey of the proposed line, reported that it presented
insuperable engineering difficulties ; that tunnelling would
be required lor 4100 linear yards, of which 3566 yards
would be through granite, and the remainder through
sandstone ; that impracticable gradients of 1 in 12½, and
1 in 8½ for long distances, would be necessary, besides at
number of lengthy viaducts, one of which, over the tri-
butaries of Blackheath Creek, would be 600 feet long and
220 feet high, and another 300 feet long and 100 feet high.
The greatest obstacle presented was the fall from the head
of Blackheath Creek down to a valley that had to be
crossed, and where the line would have been 500 feet below
the level of Little Hartley.
Although the contract now taken for the permanent way
terminates at Blackheath, it is probable that a length of
three or four miles beyond will be included in the Line when
opened for traffic, a site having been selected for a station at
the most convenient distance from Hartley.
To sum up the works on the four contracts now in hand
we may state, that the excavation on No. 1 amounts to
462,000 yards, on No. 2 to 320,000 yards, on No. 3 to
350,000 yards, and on No. 4 to 470,000 yards, making a
total of 1,611,000.
From Piper's Flats the line will ascend the main Dividing
Range, which it will cross about two miles north of the
township of Rydal, also crossing the Western Road near
Solitary Creek. It will then follow the valley of this creek
as far as the Fish River, at first southward to Sodwalls,
and thence in a westerly direction. Keeping on the north
side of the Fish River, it will pass round
Tarana Mountain on to Dirty Swamp, a continua-
tion of Frying-Pan Creek ; thence it will go
through Tyndale's Hollow, about two miles north of the
township of O'Connell, and about four miles south of the
Green Swamp, which is close to the Glanmire diggings.
The remaining course of the line will be through the town-
ship of Raglan, and thence through Kelso to Bathurst,
crossing the Macquarie River, a little higher up than the
Denison bridge. The station will probably be between
Russell and Piper streets, within a short distance of the
centre of the town. The site stated to have been selected
by Sir William Denison as the most suitable for a station
was the reserve known as the Ordnance Ground ; but,
besides other objections to that site,—in the event of the
railway being continued further, it would have to be
taken through the centre of the town, for which some
of the most valuable land and buildings would have
to be bought. From the survey at present made of this line
it is not expected that the works will be so heavy as upon
some of the other lines. On the western side of
the Dividing Range granite is met with, but
it is not known to what extent the cuttings will be through
that material. A number of bridges of various sizes will
be required to carry the line over Solitary Creek, which will
be crossed about sixteen times in a length of nine miles ; the
largest of these bridges will be about one hundred feet in
length. The gradients will for the most part be easy ; the
line will ascend the Main Range at a gradient of 1 in 91 ;
then it will descend at 1 in 100, 1 in 50, and 1 in 87. The
worst gradient on the line will be 1 in 33 for a length of a
mile and a quarter, crossing the range between Dirty
Swamp and Tyndale's Hollow ; and there will be a descend-
ing gradient of 1 in 40 to Bathurst Plains. This portion of
the line, although having very easy gradients and light
work, is necessarily rendered tortuous by the roughness of
the country through which it passes. The distance of
Bathurst from Sydney by the railway will be about 143
miles, being twenty-two miles longer than by the road.
It would be useless to speculate as to when the railway
will be completed to Bathurst ; but there is some proba-
bility of the line being opened for traffic as far as what will
be called the Hartley station, about forty-one miles from
Penrith and seventy-five from Sydney, early in 1867.