Western Australian Government Railways - History of Operations

History of Operations

From the start, WAGR lines were constructed using the narrow gauge of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) in order to reduce construction costs. They eventually constituted an extensive system of main lines and branches throughout Western Australia. Prior to the expanded use of motor transport, the network was of vital importance in the state, particularly for the moving of agricultural, forestry and mining products.

Legislative restrictions were implemented at some stages to limit competition from road transport, most notably from the 1930s through to the 1950s, when the Transport Co-ordination Board kept strict control over trucking, buses and commercial road traffic.

The transformation from the WAGR, with its numerous branches lines (listed below), to Westrail and then to the PTA, saw the loss of local branch lines and sidings.

In the late twentieth century, the ending of restrictions on competing road transport resulted in the WAGR and its successors moving from being a small customer-oriented system to a predominantly main line bulk carrier operation. This left many smaller communities smarting from the loss of facilities and local employment which were associated with the older style of working. However in the wheatbelt, bulk handling of grain continued despite the changes.

Most branch lines in the system had been constructed by the 1930s. A few were isolated from the network, such as the Marble Bar and Hopetoun lines. During the first two decades of the post-war era many non-paying branches were closed.

With the completion of the standard gauge line between Perth and Kalgoorlie in the mid 1960s, many narrow gauge lines closed, and by the early 1970s a concerted program of dieselisation had seen diesel locomotives completely replace steam locomotives.