Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), Tuesday 11 July 1882, page 6


The Railway Extension to

Boggabri.

(Echo.)

The ceremony of opening the railway exten-

sion to Boggabri, on the North-western line of railway on Tuesday next, will be performed by Sir John Robertson, who will leave Sydney for Newcastle, accompanied by Mr. C. A. Goodchap, Commissioner for Railways, by special steamer on Sunday night. The length of the extension is 24 miles. A special train will leave Newcastle at 5 a.m., and reach Boggabri at 2 p.m. The opening ceremony will then take place. The convenience of in-tending visitors from Sydney has been con-sidered, and the Newcastle steamer City of

Brisbane will leave Sydney at 9 p m. on Mon-day night, arriving at Newcastle on Tuesday morning before the departure of the special train. Tbe following is a description of the extension, for which we are indebted to the officers of the Railway Department :- The length of the extension of the North-western Railway, proposed to be opened on the 11th instant, between Gunnedah to Boggabri, is 24.5 miles, Boggabri being distant 65 miles from the junction of the North-western Rail-way with the Great Northern Railway at Werris Creek, and 220 miles from Newcastle, and lying 822 feet above high water mark. The engineering works are all of the lightest character on this extension. There is one large cutting near Gunnedah, from which some 40,000 cubic yards were excavated, but from this point to Boggabri the line passes over level rich alluvial flats, upon a continous embankment averaging from one foot to three feet in depth, formed from side cutting, and pierced by numerous small timber flood openings. Cox's Creek, near Boggabri, is bridged by 20 timber openings of 26 feet span each, and an adjacent tributary of this creek by 11 timber openings of a similar span. The passenger station at Boggabri is a neat brick building with cement dressings, and contains the fol-lowing accommodation - viz., waiting-room 22 x 17, ticket office 14 x 14, ladies' waitingroom 14 x 14, lamp room, yards, latrines, &c. The stationmaster's house is also of brick, and is one story in height, containing four large-sized rooms, and kitchen, pantry, scul-lery, &c. A goods warehouse is also pro-vided, 72 x 22, with platform at each end, 100 feet long by 12 feet wide. Boggabri be-ing a watering station for the locomotives, a pumping engine is erected on the banks of the Namoi River, in the town of Boggabri, and water is pumped thence to the tank, &c, at the station ground. A residence for the pumper is also provided within the station yard, and there are two neat brick cottages for gate-keepers at Clare-street and Boston-street crossings. At about half-a-mile and beyond the passenger station there are extensive sheep and cattle yards, races, drafting yards, &c, provided with the necessary sidings, &c, for trucking large quantities of live stock. The contractors for the general works upon the extension Gunnedah to Narrabri, are Messrs. J. McGuigan and Co. Mr. Joseph Conlon is the contractor for the Bogabri station buildings, sheep and cattle yards, &c. We understand that the further extension of the line to Narrabri will be opened in about three months' time, and the extension of the Great Northern line, from Uralla to Armidale, a distance of about 15 miles, will be opened about the end of the present year.