Belmont Railway Line - A Journey On The Line (1940)

A Journey On The Line (1940)

On leaving Adamstown station, the Belmont line branched off to the left, becoming single track immediately clear of the junction. It commenced to climb at 1 in 40 into hilly country and, in the valley on the left, could be seen branch lines off the main line to the New Lambton and Shortland collieries.

Winding into the hills, it came to the summit and a short tunnel immediately after which was situated Fernleigh Loop. Between Adamstown and the tunnel, an attempt had been made to duplicate the line and the derelict works could still be seen to the left of the line in 1940. Fernleigh Loop had Down and Up loops, one on each side of the main line. The lines here were on a sharp curve. There was no passenger platform, the only building being the signal box.

Still traversing hilly country, the line came to Kahibah, a single platform on the right-hand side and located on a reverse curve. The station buildings here, as at other places, were once painted chocolate colour and finished in cream.

Dudley Junction was the next "station," and, as the name implies, was the junction for the Dudley branch, a short line serving the Dudley colliery, with another connection to Burwood colliery yard. There was a signal box with a very short platform at the Adamstown end of the loop and another platform with a shelter, but no name, existed further along the loop to serve the miners from the Burwood colliery. Alongside the main line was a long loop siding with a crossover in the middle of it, and was used for staging northbound traffic.

Again rising, the line approached Whitebridge, a single platform on the left hand side and in the cutting the line reached the summit level of 295 ft (90 m). above sea level and 241 ft (73 m). above Adamstown.

From here the line descended at 1 in 40 with a number of 10-chain curves to Redhead, a crossing station with island platform. This station was signalled for working on either road, passenger traffic normally using the left-hand road. On the left-hand side adjacent to the station was the Lambton Colliery with its large white buildings.

The next station we came to was Jewell’s, and between it and Redhead were uncompleted duplication works, first on one and then on the other side of the line. A derelict colliery (Redhead) was also passed in this section. Jewell’s had an island platform, but only the left hand side was used, the right-hand track being portion of the uncompleted duplication works long since abandoned. The station buildings here were in a deplorable condition, all windows, doors and about two-thirds of the weatherboards were missing and the platform was overgrown with grass and weeds.

Shortly after passing Jewell's, a branch line curved off to the right to the John Darling mine, the catch points to this siding actually joining the derelict duplication and by the layout it was apparently intended to work each road as an independent single line as far as Redhead.

Redhead was the only location on the branch where steam locomotives could take water. An elevated water tank was positioned at the southern end of the platform. A water column was provided on either side of the tank so that locomotives could take water whilst standing on either track.

The line now proceeded over marshy ground past a half-derelict platform on the right displaying no name but presumably for the miners from the adjacent John Darling colliery. A short distance beyond this platform was the Landmark signal for Belmont, which was about half-a-mile further on, and was the terminus of the line.

The station here consisted of a long platform on the right-hand side, with low buildings and offices. There was a run-round loop, a long goods siding and two additional sidings serving a colliery loading bank. The points at the approach end of the loop were unlocked by a key from the lever frame which worked all the other points.

The line was fully signalled and was worked on the Electric Staff system of the New South Wales Railways, the sections being:- Adamstown - Fernleigh Loop - Dudley Junction. - Redhead - Belmont, with an intermediate instrument at John Darling Junction. The Dudley branch was worked by Ordinary Train Staff, without tickets.

The line, for traffic purposes, was staffed and worked by the New South Wales Railways who also suppled motive power. The owners were responsible for the maintenance work of the line. Coal-dust and ashes formed a substitute for ballast and the riding qualities of the track were anything but smooth, the suburban cars lurching and rolling badly for practically the whole length of the trip.

The station buildings were badly in need of paint and the whole line had a general air of neglect. A tall, disused, lattice signal post was standing a short distance from the Adamstown end of the tunnel, and was apparently once the Down Distant signal.

At the end of the 1930s, the line suffered a severe reduction in its passenger service owing to the bus competition and also the difficulty in running sufficient coal trains to clear the collieries as, the hoppers all being non-air, much time was occupied in applying and releasing hand brakes en route.