The Nimmitabel & Eden Railway is a hypothetical railway built from Nimmitabel to the coast in the Eden/Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia. The history is derived from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works reports from 1892 & 1903 on the railway from Eden to Bega on the far south coast of New South Wales.
History.
Description of the Line:
The railway from
Eden to Bega follows the line that was first proposed in 1881, commencing at a
jetty jutting into Calle-Calle Bay, Eden, New South Wales. It then crossed an
isthmus and headed north to the site of the station near the post office. From
here it passed to the west of Lake Curabo then followed the shores of
Calle-Calle Bay then turning in a northerly direction until it reaches Pambula
Lake, which it follows southern shore until the Pambula River. Crossing the
river, the line passes through the north eastern corner of Pambula township.
Continuing it skirts the eastern shore of Lake Merimbula then crosses the outlet
of Merimbula Lake and passes through Merimbula township. The station at
Merimbula is situated adjacent to the wharf. The line then ascends the Merimbula
River valley towards Wolumla, crossing the summit through a tunnel before
reaching the junction station of Wolumla.
Wolumla is the
site of the junction for Nimmitabel, although all of the workings associated
with the junction are handled at Merimbula. A branch continues in a north
- north westerly direction till it reaches the eastern bank of the Bega River,
which it follows to the terminus at Bega. The main line climbs steadily from
Wolumla to Nimmitabel, the junction on the New South Wales Government's Cooma to
Bombala line.
The ruling gradient on the line is 1 in 40 proceeding from Eden to Bega, 1 in 50 proceeding from Bega to Eden, and 1 in 40 from Wolumla to Nimmitabel.
Stations on the line are located at Eden (terminus), Pambula, Merimbula, Wolumla (junction), Bega (branch terminus), Candelo, Bemboka and Nimmitabel (junction).
Construction & Permanent Way:
The line was built by a private concern, the Nimmitabel and Eden Railway Company, the first stage between Eden & Bega was commenced in 1894 and was running by 1896. The progress on the main line to Nimmitabel was much slower due to the difficult terrain over Brown's Mountain and was completed during 1898. Track work was second hand double headed and new bullhead rail purchased locally and from the UK. Chairs were a mixture of 2 bolt (local) and 3 bolt (imported).Locomotives & Traffic:
The line is operated by the Nimmitabel & Eden Railway (N & E Railway) with running rights enjoyed by the NSWGR between Nimmitabel and Merimbula. A daily goods, mixed and a passenger service is provided by the NSWGR between Nimmitabel and Merimbula. The N & E provides local passenger services between Bega and Eden, with a daily return service from Merimbula to Nimmitabel. Coal was also discovered on the escarpment, as had happened further up the coast in the Illawarra region, so there are several coal trains run each day between the mines and the coal loaders at Merimbula and Eden wharves, and also to Nimmitabel both by the N & E and NSWGR.The N & E acquired a varied stud of locomotives including some ex NSWGR types such as an N67, Manning Wardle S29 classes and no. 292. Manning Wardles dominated the early locomotive roster. Over the years, the N & E acquired further industrial types including Hudswell Clarkes, Hunsletts and Bagnalls. Government locos in use between Nimmitabel and Merimbula included the P6, C79, A93, B55, B205, O446, J483 and I17 classes. Locomotives hired to the N & E by the NSWGR at various times include Q158, R285, F351, E10, M40 and I17 classes.
Goods rolling stock was generally imported or based on designs used in the UK at the time. Over a period of time, greater use was made of NSWGR rolling stock for day to day operations. The coal mining companies provided their own stock which was usually a hopper type of wagon. Any coal that was transported over the NSWGR was in government owned wagons.
The N & E
acquired some ex government carriages for its passenger services. Government
services used any suitable stock, although Redfern carriages were the most
common.