Today
The formerly electrified line, which boasted 3 stations (Dunheved, Cochrane & Ropes Creek), has now been truncated at the Sims Metal recycling facility on Christie Street, Dunheved and all track and overhead wiring beyond this point has been removed.
Other than the island platform, the only other remnants of Dunheved station are the footbridge, including the steps leading to the island platform with the remains of an electrical hut located under the stairs. A large hole in the platform with a few metal pulleys is the only remaining evidence that the signal box was located within the station building. In April 2011, the stairs had been removed and the railings on the footbridge were made good. The stairs had been the standard pattern precast concrete on steel framework, and had weathered to the point where the concrete was crumbling. There is still (May 2011) a park on the north side of the oldd station, which still looks like a station. The footbridge is shown on computer maps as a street, which can be confusing.
The rail formation and yard area at the Western end of Dunheved station is now used by a local company for the storage of concrete pipes.
A satellite view of the line north of Link Rd (Dunheved) on NSWRail Maps 22 April 2008 shows that the urban sprawl has swallowed up the site of Cochrane Railway Station under Ropes Crossing Boulevard and has Ropes Creek Railway Station under threat of extinction with a lot of earth work under way with construction of local roads with the expansion of the new suburb of Ropes Crossing well under way.
At 8 June 2009, Ropes Creek Station platform has been heavily excavated and shortened to approximately 50 m with only the area containing the overhead footbridge and platform buildings remaining and fenced off from public access. This has been designated a heritage area.
Within this fenced off area, signals (both semaphore and colour light) along with other various pieces of trackside equipment has been unceremoniously dumped in piles with no regard to their heritage importance. A large sign on the fence indicates that the station is part of a proposed "Cultural Park".
Owing to the Campbelltown to St Marys (Cumberland Line) trains now operating in peak hours only and terminating at Blacktown, and the abolition of The River (the St Marys to Wyong service), there is now no requirement for the electrification of the storage sidings on the former Ropes Creek Line. Overhead wiring between the points on the Up Main to the Up Storage Sidings and the electric train stop boards has been removed, so no electric trains will ever visit the line under their own power. The sidings are now used for the storage of track machines during rail shutdowns or whenever scrapped rolling stock is delivered to the Sims Metal recycling plant.
Read more about this topic: Ropes Creek Railway Line
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