Picton Loop Line
Legend Picton Junction Old Main Tunnel Thirlmere Couridjah Buxton Balmoral Hill Top Colo Vale Braemar Mittagong Junction

The Picton–Mittagong Loop Line is a partly disused railway line between the towns of Picton and Mittagong in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia.

History[edit]

The Picton–Mittagong line was opened in February 1867 as part of the Main South line.^[1][2]

The line ran north-northwest from Picton, over the Picton Viaduct, across the Great South Road before heading northwest. It then headed west-northwest through a 180-metre tunnel in the Redbank Range.

Stations were constructed at Redbank (1885), Couridjah (1867), Buxton (1893),
Balmoral (1878), Hill Top (1878), Colo Vale (1883) and Braemar (1867). There were a number of smaller stops, sidings and passing loops along the line, as well. North of Hill Top, the cutting through Big Hill was for many years the deepest in Australia.

To service the line, Picton became a busy station with a locomotive depot for bank engines, dormitories for train crews, and goods sidings.^[3][4]

The line, while gently curved, had gradients as steep as 1 in 30. It was also a single-track line, and even though deviations were constructed between Hill Top and Colo Vale to ease grades, these factors combined to create a bottleneck, as rail traffic increased. In July 1919 a new double track alignment with ruling 1 in 75 grades between Picton and Mittagong via Bargo opened. The original proposal was for the line to be shifted considerably further eastwards from Appin to Bargo avoiding Picton. This was strongly opposed in Parliament by Picton local interests, hence the 180° curve that cicumnavigates the town.^[1] The old line, now renamed the Loop Line, continued to be served by passenger services until August 1978. Most services were operated by 30 class locomotives and later CPH railmotors, although there was a Sunday evening service to Sydney hauled by main line locomotives as recently as 1973.

From the 1960s the line was popular with steam hauled specials, and was the preferred route for most journeys where they could operate without inhibiting regular services.

Following it relocating to Thirlmere, in June 1976 the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum commenced operating steam services on the line between Picton and Buxton.^[5][6]

The line remained open throughout, although by the 1980s the Buxton to Braemar section saw little use. CPH railmotor CPH22 ran a trip to Braemar and three shuttles between Braemar and Hilltop on 31 May 1987,^[7] before a trestle bridge between Colo Vale and Braemar suffered flood damage, resulting in the line being divided into two separate branches in September 1987.^[8]

Following the Department for Transport calling for expressions of interest for using a number of disused lines, the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum was granted a lease over the Picton to Buxton section in 1993.^[9]

The Mittagong Junction to Braemar section remains open to give access to the Bradken rolling stock and Rocla concrete sleeper facilities.

On 1 March 2019, the NSW Government promised to fund the re-opening of the Picton Loop Line, including the track between Buxton and Colo Vale. The grant will also fund the construction of new platforms at Hill Top and Balmoral.^[10]

Coach route[edit]

NSW TrainLink operates buses in lieu of the former rail service. Six services are provided under contract by Berrima Buslines from Bowral and seven from Picton on weekdays only with stops at:^[11]

• Picton station


• Barbour Road, Thirlmere
  


• West Parade, Couridjah
  


• West Parade, Buxton
  


• Wilson Drive, Balmoral
  


• Wilson Drive, Hill Top
  


• Wilson Drive & Church Avenue, Colo Vale
  


• Mittagong station


• Bowral station

Gallery[edit]

• Existing features and infrastructure


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  Fig 1: Approach to Picton station with
  loop line on the left
  

  
  


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  Fig 2: Viaduct over Stonequarry
  Creek, Picton
  

  
  


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  Fig 3: Gatekeeper's Cottage,
  Picton
  

  
  


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  Fig 4: Tunnel through Redbank Range
  

  
  


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  Fig 5: Looking north with Loop Line
  on left 1919 deviation
  on right
  

  
  


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  Fig 6: Redbank, between Picton and Thirlmere
  

  
  


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  Fig 7: Culvert near Redbank
  

  
  


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  Fig 8: Thirlmere station
  

  
  


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  Fig 9: Couridjah station
  

  
  


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  Fig 10: Former pumphouse
  near Couridjah station
  

  
  


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  Fig 11: Standpipes
  near Couridjah station
  

  
  


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  Fig 12: Buxton station
  

  
  


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  Fig 13: NSWRTM's 2705
  at Buxton station
  

  
  


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  Fig 14: Balmoral station
  

  
  


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  Fig 15: Big Hill Cutting
  north of Hill Top
  

  
  


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  Fig 16: Monument to Human Endeavour
  near Big Hill Cutting
  

  
  


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  Fig 17: Survey peg, in Big Hill cutting
  

  
  


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  Fig 18: Inscription commemorating
  deaths of workers from explosion, 1863
  

  
  


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  Fig 19: Hill Top station
  

  
  


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  Fig 20: Passing loop points, Colo Vale station
  

  
  


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  Fig 21: Colo Vale station
  

  
  


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  Fig 22: Colo Vale Road Underbridge
  

  
  


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  Fig 23: Braemar Industrial Area yards
  

  
  


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  Fig 24: North of Mittagong looking south
  with 1919 deviation on left,
  Loop Line on right
  

  
  

References[edit]