LITHGOW DISTRICT RAILWAY STATIONS:
3. NEWNES JUNCTION
From Blue Mountains Map 1921
The years around 1910 were rather busy for the Great Western Railway. The 10 Tunnels Deviation to eliminate the great Zig Zag was being built, deviations of the main line to accommodate this were being constructed and the line was being duplicated. Duplication was completed to Mt Victoria. New platforms were erected on most stations, between Lithgow and Glenbrook, the one at Bell being typical (see the previous Blog).
A branch line from the oil shale mines at Newnes in the Wolgan Valley was completed in 1907. The Newnes Junction station shown above was on the as yet undeviated main line to Lithgow, which was still a single track. The present station was built on the new line in 1910 and is about 500 metres south of the original platform. It is the highest station on the western railway (3503 feet above sea level).
The railway to Newnes closed in 1932 but the station remained open until 1975. The buildings were destroyed in the 2019 Gosper's Mountain bush fire.
Before the fire After the fire
A famous photograph of the Station Master at Newnes Junction during the heavy snow storm of July 17/19 1965. The caption reads: "The down Central West Express stands at Newnes Junction waiting for the tracks ahead to be cleared. The diesel loco is obscured by the station master...who has cleared enough snow from the platform to keep his feet dry. (Daily Telegraph)"
Video: After the fire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-v1CaynrYohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-v1CaynrYo
Video showing Newnes Station:
https://whttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjmT9xe6miIww.youtube.com/watch?v=SjmT9xe6miI
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