Sandown railway line

File:Sandown line corridor post-conversion.png

{{Sandown railway line}}

The line diverged from the Carlingford line just south of Camellia station.{{Cite news |last=Walters |first=Chris |date=March 2020 |title=The Last Train to Carlingford |work=Railway Digest}}

It had three simple passenger stations, Sandown, Hardies and Goodyear; additionally, a platform called Cream of Tartar Works closed prior to electrification.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Camellia |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/camellia |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2020-04-03 |website=dictionaryofsydney.org}}{{Cite web |title=Cream Of Tartar Works Platform |url=https://www.nswrail.net/locations/show.php?name=NSW:Cream+of+Tartar+Works&line=NSW:sandown:0 |access-date=2020-03-24 |website=www.nswrail.net}} The closure of Goodyear station preceded the closure of the remaining two.{{citation needed|date=April 2013}}

The Sandown line served a number of factories and industrial sites including a number of sidings and a marshalling yard known as Commonwealth Sidings that were added in 1943 to service a large military stores complex.

There was a short branch line from the Commonwealth Sidings marshalling yard to Redbank Wharf and adjacent sidings.

Another connection from Commonwealth Sidings joined the Carlingford line to the south of Rosehill station.

The Commonwealth Sidings and marshalling yard and the southern connection progressively fell out of use after the end of the Second World War and were either removed or adapted for other uses and the branch line to Redbank Wharf was altered to connect with Sandown yard and then progressively dismantled.

The Sandown Line began life as the Bennett's Railway, opening on 17 November 1888.{{cite magazine |author=Singleton, C.C. |date=May–June 1955 |title=Railways and Tramways of the Parramatta Hills District – Clyde to Carlingford and Sandown Railways. |magazine=Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin |pages=50–54/57–62}} It was electrified in 1959.{{Cite web |title=Camellia |url=https://arhsnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/CAMELLIA2.pdf |access-date=24 March 2020 |website=Australian Railway Historical Society}}

When electrified, the Sandown Line carried an electric suburban service to serve the surrounding industrial area. Passenger services for the Abattoirs line were operated by CPH railmotors operating from Sandown via Lidcombe until November 1984."Goodbye Tin Hare" Railway Digest February 1985 page 40

Passenger service to Sandown ceased on 19 December 1991, while goods service ended in June 2010. The line's racecourse platform at Rosehill continued to be used by special charter trains up to 2019.

The overhead wires were removed in December 2002. Traffic was officially suspended and a Stop Block placed across the tracks on the Sydney side of Access Rd level crossing in October 2016.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}

The western end of the line was utilised by the Parramatta Light Rail project to provide access to a stabling and maintenance facility.{{Cite web|url=http://data.parramattalightrail.nsw.gov.au/s3fs-public/Parramatta-Light-Rail-EIS-Overview.pdf?_dyv4XFArfKUxYF4E.L2o6lx3SwWPvBQ|title=Project Overview|website=Parramatta Light Rail|access-date=24 March 2020}}{{cite web|title=Preferred route – stage 1|url=http://data.parramattalightrail.nsw.gov.au/s3fs-public/PLR_alignment_map.pdf|publisher=Transport for NSW|accessdate=17 February 2017|archive-date=28 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228051101/http://data.parramattalightrail.nsw.gov.au/s3fs-public/PLR_alignment_map.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |date=September 2019 |title=News Update September 2019 Newsletter |url=http://data.parramattalightrail.nsw.gov.au/s3fs-public/190209%20PLR%20Q3%20Newsletter_Sept19_web.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104023211/http://data.parramattalightrail.nsw.gov.au/s3fs-public/190209%20PLR%20Q3%20Newsletter_Sept19_web.pdf |archive-date=4 November 2019 |access-date=4 November 2019 |publisher=Parramatta Light Rail}} This saw the line officially closed which was gazetted for 1 July 2019.[https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gazette_2019_2019-66.pdf TRANSPORT ADMINISTRATION (AUTHORITY TO CLOSE RAILWAY LINES – CARLINGFORD AND SANDOWN LINES) ORDER 2019] NSW Government Gazette 28 June 2019 The section of the Carlingford line from where the Sandown line diverges to the Parramatta Road level crossing was also set for closure.{{cite web|title=Parramatta Light Rail | Stage 1 – Westmead to Carlingford via Camellia: Environmental Impact Statement|url=https://majorprojects.accelo.com/public/e321246b890ccdedc23308fbc50f77ab/01.%20PLR_EIS_Volume%201A.pdf|publisher=Transport for NSW|accessdate=24 August 2017|pages=5–65, 5–66}} Removal of the line and tracks began in July 2019.{{cite web|url=http://data.parramattalightrail.nsw.gov.au/s3fs-public/190209%20PLR%20Q3%20Newsletter_Sept19_web.pdf|title=News Update September 2019 Newsletter|date=September 2019|publisher=Parramatta Light Rail|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104023211/http://data.parramattalightrail.nsw.gov.au/s3fs-public/190209%20PLR%20Q3%20Newsletter_Sept19_web.pdf|archive-date=4 November 2019|accessdate=4 November 2019}} The branch was also considered for being incorporated into Stage 2 of the Parramatta Light Rail network, connecting Camellia and Olympic Park.

• Railways in Sydney
• List of closed Sydney railway stations

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category-inline}}{{Railway lines in New South Wales}}

Category:Closed railway lines in Sydney

Category:Standard-gauge railways in Australia

Category:Railway lines opened in 1892

Category:Railway lines closed in 2010

Category:Camellia, New South Wales

Category:1892 establishments in Australia

Category:2010 disestablishments in Australia

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