Railway News Over The Years
By its very nature, railways from around the world create newsworthy stories and photos – some of it romantic, some tragic, and some just plain mundane. I will attempt to add news items about Katanning and the Great Southern Railway on this page as I find it – so please come back and check it regularly.
KATANNING RAILWAY STATION
Great Southern Herald
5 October 1901 (First edition) P3
The Katanning Railway Station building cannot be classed with others built by private enterprise in the town. Its general appearance in front takes one’s memory back to the old digging days and wayside inns, whilst the back, or, more correctly speaking, the side facing Austral Terrace, has more the appearance of a cheap lodging-house than a government building. Until very recently the building also did duty as a residence for the stationmaster, and how he survived the ordeal is a mystery. The very primitive method of running along the line with a flag to signal an incoming train is also resorted to in the absence of a properly equipped signalling apparatus. The accommodation for the loading and unloading of heavy goods is also of the sparest.
CORRESPONDENCE.
TO THE EDITOR.
Great Southern Herald
19 October 1901 – P3
Sir,
Now that the warm weather is at hand, I think it is time that the old uninviting fire bucket which does duty for a water bag on the Railway Station should be replaced by a canvas one such as is in use at other stations of far less importance than Katanning. This ancient and slop-pail looking article contains water in a semi-calorie state, and passengers instead of obtaining a cool drink are sickened. Perhaps the Stationmaster will represent this to his superiors and confer a boon upon those who patronise the railways.
Yours, etc.
TRAVELLER.
CORRESPONDENCE.
TO THE EDITOR.
Great Southern Herald
19 October 1901 – P3
Sir,
The business people here have a decided grievance against the Railway Department in the matter of the shunting of the train from Albany. Arriving to time it pulls up some distance from the platform because there are so facilities for doing otherwise. Passengers who would be able during the stoppage to obtain refreshments are compelled to stop in the carriages with tongues hanging out for often 15 minutes until the shunting is completed and the train drawn up to the station. It is no wonder under these circumstances the refreshment rooms are closed and seeing the growing importance of Katanning I think if proper representations were made, the necessary alterations to allow of the train coming at once to the platform would be made. Hoping the matter will be taken up by others interested.
I am, etc.
PROGRESS.
CORRESPONDENCE.
TO THE EDITOR.
Great Southern Herald
26 October 1901 – p4
SIR, Now the busy season is approaching, naturally produce will go away quickly. How is it that there are not better facilities for loading and unloading produce, goods, etc? Generally speaking, we are. comforted by a truck and wagon loading goods on the crossing to the danger and inconvenience of vehicular and passenger traffic. It seems somewhat peculiar, to say the least, that one who uses the crossing for the purpose of loading has a railway running within a few feet of his chaff shed, yet he prefers to cart his chaff to the crossing. Not only he, but others also, to the inconvenience of the public. When some serious accident has occurred, the sleepy farmers and others will perhaps wake up and, if not too sleepy, call a meeting and if not tired, attend; and if awake, pass a resolution urging upon the Government the immediate necessity of erecting, at once a covered dock where three waggons at least can load at the same time. By-the-by, how would an overhead bridge do?
Yours etc.
SETTLE’.
KATANNING RAILWAY SMASH.
COMMISSIONER REPLIES TO CRITIC.
Great Southern Herald
Saturday 5 July, 1913
The Railway Department recently dismissed from its employ a young night officer named Olson who had been stationed at Katanning. The reason for this step was that the department found that Olson’s neglect in the matter of fixing down the brakes on a rake of trucks in the Katanning station yard was responsible for these trucks moving of their own accord out of the yard and down the line, where they collided with a goods train coming from Albany.
A letter appeared in these columns on Thursday on the matter, in which the following passage appeared:-“I would like to draw attention to the adverse circumstances under which the night stationmaster at Katanning is called upon to work. The yard is composed of one mass of compound points. There are 15 different roads. This is the busiest shunting yard on the G.S R.,yet right through the harvest a night stationmaster is the only man on duty from
12 a.m. to 5.30 a.m. On the night of the collision the official had five wheat specials to contend with singlehanded, besides the ordinary trains.”
The Commissioner of Railways (Mr. J.T. Short) when spoken to on the matter by a “West Australian” reporter yesterday, said that as a matter of fact the general conditions in the Katanning yard and station were similar to those existing in other stations of the kind on the railway system. As to the “mass of compound points”there was no more complication at Katanning than anywhere else. Katanning had one of the most up-to-date yards, except that it was not interlocked. Great improvements only recently had been carried out at Katanning, Wagin, and Narrogin stations.
He pointed out that while five trains may have passed through the Katanning station on the night of the mishap, it had to be remembered that there was practically one train only at a time in the station. The up special goods train had arrived at 1.35 a.m. and had left, at 4 a.m., and the down special goods train had arrived at 4 a.m. in time to permit the up special leaving, etc. The Commissioner reiterated that the condition of things in the Katanning yard were by no means as suggested in the letter referred to.
TOWN IMPROVEMENTS.
Southern Districts Advocate
23 March, 1925
ONE of the matters dealt with during the visit of the Commissioner for Railways last week will tend materially to improve the town of Katanning on the east side of the railway.
For sometime past the local road board, with the assistance of the member for the district, have been negotiating with the Railways and the Department of Public Works in an endeavour to have the street ending in a cul-de-sac opened through from Bokarup Street to Clive Street, and on Wednesday during the visit of the Commissioner for Railways, that gentleman imparted the pleasing information to the road board representatives that he had decided, provided the local board were willing to remove and re-erect fences, to grant sufficient land from the railway reserve to provide a one chain thoroughfare right throughout the distance, this to come out at the side of the lands office. He also agreed to make available land to give a chain street to link up with the new highway opposite the goods sheds.
The Commissioner appeared to be in a particularly magnanimous mood, as he stated that he was also prepared to hand over to the town the block of land, about an acre in extent at the old well, as this would be cut off from the railway property by the proposed new street. In order to complete this much desired alteration it will be necessary to secure portion of a block of land now held by the Education Department; but in view of the fact that this Department will secure even more territory by the closure of portion of Dore Street, it is anticipated that there should be no difficulty in arranging matters amicably in that direction.
When this street has been opened up it will be a source of much convenience to the general public and tradespeople, and will go far to reduce the too frequent delays at the Clive Street railway crossing, as traffic for the south end of the town will be served by the fresh thoroughfare.
The question of increasing the width of Austral Terrace by the addition of a strip of land from the present railway reserve is also being finalised.
Our Railway Station
Platform to be Asphalted
Southern Districts Advocate
23 March, 1925
The Commissioner for Rail ways (Colonel Pope) made one of his periodical visits of inspection during last week and was at Katanning on Wednesday last.
Members of the local road board including Messrs W. J. Rogers (chairman), W. P. Bird, W. Ruby, A. G. Purkiss and G. McLeod, met the Commissioner, and were introduced as a deputation by Mr A. Thomson, member for the district. The deputation stressed the need for better conditions in regard to the platform of the station, which it was pointed out was in a particularly bad state in the winter time, being totally unfit for pedestrian traffic and most unfit for the handling or haulage of goods to the luggage van. In regard to the latter Mr Jim Old strongly supported the deputation, speaking from personal experience.
The Commissioner, with his officers, inspected the surroundings, and at the conclusion promised that the platform would be asphalted during the present year.
New Diesel on Trial Run
PERTH-ALBANY AND RETURN NEXT WEEK
Great Southern Herald
Friday 25 June 1954 – P1
The Railway Department has advised a new X class diesel electric passenger train will make a trial run on the Great Southern next week, going to Albany on the Thursday and returning the following day. A special timetable will be followed.
(X Class diesel locomotives were still operating Perth-Albany passenger trains up to the early 1970s.)
The Department states the trial run is to be made in order to ascertain what improvement can be effected with the present timetables worked by steam locomotives.
Intending passengers are informed that although the train from Perth on Thursday, July 1, will depart at 7.35 p.m. 15 minutes later than the usual departure time of 7.20 p.m., it will run in advance of normal schedule throughout the greater part of the journey. The same will apply to the train leaving Albany on July 2, although in this case the train will be running later than the usual timetable. Intending passengers are advised to contact local stationmasters for arrival and departure times at intermediate stations.
SPECIAL TIMETABLE
As advertised by the Department, the diesel will work to a special timetable on the trial run. Leaving Perth at 7.35 p.m. on Thursday, July 1, it will arrive in Albany at 8.30 a.m. on Friday, July 2. The return trip will commence from Albany at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 2, arriving in Perth at 9.15 a.m. on Saturday, July 3.
Times of arrival and departure at local intermediate stations will be as follows :
July 1/2 Perth – Albany.
Woodanilling arr. 3.38, dept 3.40 a.m.; Katanning arr. 4.15, dept 4.30 a.m.; Broomehill arr. 4.54. dept 4.58 a.m.; Tambellup arr. 5.25, dept 5.26 a.m.
July 2/3 Albany-Perth.
Tambellup arr. 11.29, dept 11.31 p.m.; Broomehill arr. 11.59, dept 12.2 a.m.; Katanning arr. 12.25, dept 12.40 a.m.; Woodanilling arr. 1.5, dept 1.8 a.m.
KATANNING NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES
Great Southern Herald
Southern Districts Advocate
KATANNING RAILWAY STATION
SIGNALLING INFORMATION
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