New South Wales Government Railways Explained

Agency Name:New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR)
Type:Commission
Formed:1855
Dissolved:1932
Superseding:Department of Railways
Jurisdiction:New South Wales
Headquarters:Sydney
Minister1 Pfo:Minister for Transport

The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in New South Wales, Australia, between 1855 and 1932.

History

The NSWGR built its entire route network in normal gauge. Its first line, also the first railway of New South Wales, was the railway line from Sydney to Parramatta (today: Granville railway station) in 1855.

The agency was managed by a range of different commission structures between 1857 and 1932, which reported to either the Minister for Public Works or the Minister for Transport.

The inaugural Chief Commissioner was Ben Martindale and, following the enactment of the he became Commissioner of Railways. John Rae succeeded Martindale in 1861, and in 1877 Charles Goodchap was appointed Commissioner. The set up a corporate body of three railway commissioners to manage the railways and remove them from political influence, resulting in the resignation of Goodchap.

This Board of Railway Commissioners of New South Wales was in place from 22 October 1888 to 4 April 1907, and was replaced by a sole Chief Commissioner of Railways and Tramways until 22 March 1932, when a panel arrangement was restored for a period of nine months, with the Transport Commissioners of New South Wales. On 29 December 1932, the Department of Railways New South Wales was established and Thomas Joseph Hartigan was appointed Commissioner for Railways replacing the functions of the Chief Transport Commissioner.[1] The Department of Railways New South Wales become the official name of the railway and was used on most documentation (drawings & other paperwork), the NSWGR title was still used periodically on public documentation such as advertising and timetables. This continued until the creation of the Public Transport Commission on 20 October 1972. The last Commissioner for Railways was Neil McCusker.

Executives

Chief Commissioner for Railways and Tramways

Chief CommissionerTermNotes
1Tom Richard Johnson4 April 1907 – 3 April 1914[2]
2John Harper4 April 1914 – 31 December 1916[3] [4] [5]
3James Fraser1 January 1917 – 30 November 1929[6] [7]
4William James Cleary1 December 1929 – 22 March 1932[8] [9] [10]

Chief Transport Commissioner

Chief CommissionerTermNotes
1Charles Joachim Goode22 March 1932 – 3 August 1932[11] [12]
2William James Cleary3 August 1932 – 29 December 1932[13] [14]
Succeeded by Commissioner for Railways.

Legacy

The agency was succeeded by the Department of Railways on 1 January 1915; and then following the enactment of the, the Public Transport Commission was formed; later to become the State Rail Authority on 1 July 1980.[15] Further restructures in 1996, 2001 and 2003 resulted in the establishment of the RailCorp, the agency currently responsible for the Sydney suburban and interurban rail network and rural passenger services, and for providing government and commercial freight operators with access to the rails of the Sydney metropolitan area. On 1 July 2013, the operational responsibilities of RailCorp were transferred to NSW TrainLink and Sydney Trains.[16] [17]

Infrastructure

The agency built all of their track to the and ran its first official passenger train on 26 September 1855, between the Sydney terminal (just south of the current) and Parramatta junction (just past Granville) railway stations.

The agency was also a significant electricity generator. It operated several power stations, notably at Ultimo, White Bay, Lithgow, and Zaara Street, Newcastle, until its generation and transmission assets were taken over by the Electricity Commission of New South Wales, on 1 January 1953.[18]

Rolling stock

In 1936, the company owned 1187 locomotives, 457 railcars, 1445 coaches, 172 brake vans and 22,068 goods wagons.[19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: ACT OF PARLIAMENT ASSENTED TO. . . 169 . 25 November 1932 . 7 June 2019 . 4184 . Trove.
  2. News: Government Gazette Appointments and Employment . . 44 . 4 April 1907 . 7 June 2019 . 2073 . Trove.
  3. News: Government Gazette Appointments and Employment . . 10 . 16 January 1914 . 7 June 2019 . 297 . Trove.
  4. News: Government Gazette Appointments and Employment . . 59 . 1 April 1914 . 7 June 2019 . 2021 . Trove.
  5. News: Government Gazette Appointments and Employment . . 1 . 2 January 1917 . 7 June 2019 . 1 . Trove.
  6. News: Appointments . . 81 . 1 June 1917 . 7 June 2019 . 2788 . Trove.
  7. News: Legislative Council . . 16,575 . 29 November 1929 . 7 June 2019 . 9 . Trove.
  8. News: State Railways . . 9 November 1929 . 7 June 2019 . 8 . Trove.
  9. News: Probable Chief Commissioner . . 8 November 1929 . 7 June 2019 . 14 . Trove.
  10. News: Mr W. J. Cleary . . 22 March 1932 . 7 June 2019 . 16 . Trove.
  11. News: Government Gazette Appointments and Employment . . 37 . 22 March 1932 . 7 June 2019 . 1044 . Trove.
  12. News: New Chief Transport Commissioner . . 22 March 1932 . 7 June 2019 . 16 . Trove.
  13. News: Mr Cleary . . 3 August 1932 . 7 June 2019 . 11 . Trove.
  14. News: Mr Cleary . . 16 December 1932 . 7 June 2019 . 9 . Trove.
  15. Web site: Agency Detail . State Records . Government of New South Wales . 6 April 2012 .
  16. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/railcorp-job-cuts-first-of-many-unions-20120515-1yo93.html#ixzz1uwKcuUpH "RailCorp job cuts first of many: unions"
  17. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-news/ruthless-railcorp-reforms-planned-as-middle-management-axed/story-fnb5f12x-1226355250747 "Ruthless RailCorp reforms planned as middle management axed"
  18. News: 1953-01-14 . Railways End 53 Years of Power Generation . 4 . . 2023-10-31.
  19. Book: World Survey of Foreign Railways . 1936 . Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C.. English . 16.