Western Australian Government Railways railway system during its peak operational time in the 1930s to 1950s was a large system of over 4,000 miles of railway line.
Main lines
In rail administration, lines were given generic titles such as the Eastern Railway, the South Western, rather than after the destination.
Metropolitan - ER - Eastern Railway - Suburban
Bunbury - SWR - South Western Railway
Kalgoorlie - EGR - Eastern Goldfields Railway
Mullewa - NR - Northern Railway
Leonora - EGR - Eastern Goldfields Railway
Meekathara - NR - Northern Railway
Esperance - EGR - Eastern Goldfields Railway
Albany - GSR - Great Southern Railway
In different stages of the administration of the WAGR - the term for groups of railways were known by different terms
Eastern Railway - was known as Eastern Lines - started at Fremantle, and included other lines:
Fremantle - Northam
Fremantle - Jandakot - Armadale
Robbs Jetty - Naval Base
Bayswater - Belmont
Bellevue - Helena Vale
Bellevue - Mundaring - Mount Helena
Mundaring - Mundaring Weir
Clackline - Miling
Northam - Kalgoorlie - is also known as the Eastern Goldfields line - started at Northam, and included:
East Northam - Wyalkatchem - Merredin
Amery - Kalannie
Burakin - Bonnie Rock
Wyalkatchem - Mukinbudin - Southern Cross
Coolgardie - Esperance
Kalgoorlie - Leonora
Malcolm - Laverton
Kalgoorlie - Kamballie
Perth - Bunbury
Collie - Collie Cardiff
Pinjarra - Narrogin
Brunswick Junction - Narrogin
Bowelling - Wagin
Donnybrook - Katanning
Wonnerup - Nannup
Picton Junction - Northcliffe
Boyanup Junction - Flinders Bay
Spencers Brook - Albany
York - Bruce Rock
Brookton - Corrigin
Narrogin - Merredin
Yilliminning - Merredin
Wagin - Newdegate
Lake Grace - Hyden
Katanning - Pingrup
Tambellup - Ongerup
Elleker - Nornalup
East Northam - Mullewa
Geraldton - Wiluna
Geraldton - Ajana
Wokarina - Yuna
Walkaway - Narngulu
Cue - Big Bell
Port Hedland - Marble Bar
Names of Lines and abbreviations
Names of lines were abbreviated regularly in WAGR publications - to facilitate List of Stations and Sidings on the Western Australian Government Railways open for Traffic sections in Goods rates books. Also at one stage every location was numbered with a code number.
B - Boulder Line
B.B. - Boyanup - Busselton - Flinders Bay
B.C. - Brookton - Corrigin
B.N. - Brunswick Junction - Collie - Narrogin
C.C. - Collie - Collie Cardiff
C.E. - Coolgarie - Esperance
C.M. - Clackline - Toodyay - Miling
D. - Denmark Branch (Elleker - Nornalup)
D.K. - Donnybrook - Katanning Section
E.M. - East Northam - Wongan Hills - Mullewa
E.R. - Eastern Railway (Fremantle - Northam)
E.G.R. - Eastern Goldfields Railway (Northam - Cunderdin - Kalgoorlie)
F.A. - Fremantle - Jandakot - Armadale
G.A. - Geraldton - Northampton - Ajana
G.M. - Goomalling - Merredin
G.S.R. - Great Southern Railway (Spencers Brook - Albany)
K.B.R. - Kalannie - Kulja - Bonnie Rock
K.L. - Kalgoorlie - Laverton - Leonora
K.P. - Katanning - Pingrup
L.H. - Lake Grace - Hyden
M. - Mundaring
M.W. - Mundaring Weir
N.K.M. - Narrogin - Kondinin - Merredin
N.R. - Northern Railway (Geraldton - Wiluna)
N.W.M. - Narrogin - Wickepin - Merredin
P.P. - Picton Junction - Pemberton - Northcliffe
P.M. - Port Hedland - Marble Bar
P.N. - Pinjarra - Dwarda - Narrogin
S.W.R. - South Western Railway (Perth - Bunbury)
T.O. - Tambellup - Ongerup
W.L.B. - Wagin - Newdegate
W. - Walkaway Branch (Narngulu - Walkaway)
W.B. - Wagin - Bowelling
W.N. - Wonnerup - Nannup
W.Y. - Wokarina - Yuna
Y.B. - York - Quirading - Bruce Rock
Internal WAGR publications usually identified railway lines as Lines, rather than as Branch Lines. Also tables and indexes of loads for locomotives created a large range of 'sections' that were either ganger related lengths, or related to gradients and conditions.
For a different way of identifying branches/routes see also Quinlan and Newland.
Ajana Branch
Boulder Branch
Brookton-Corrigin Branch
Bullfinch Branch
Bunbury to Katanning Branch
Busselton Branch
Collie to Brunswick Junction Branch
Collie to Wagin Branch
Denmark Branch
Flinders Bay Branch
Northampton Branch
Hopetoun Railway
Hotham Valley Branch
Lake Brown Branch
Lake Grace Branch
Meekathara Branch
Mundaring Branch
Mundaring Weir Branch
Nannup Branch
Narembeen Branch
Narrogin to Collie Branch
Northcliffe Branch
Ongerup Branch
Pingrup Branch
Pinjarra to Boddington Branch
Port Hedland - Marble Bar Railway
Sandstone Branch
Toodyay Branch
Upper Darling Range Branch
Wiluna Branch
Yuna Branch
A number of isolated lines did not connect with the main rail systems - these included the Port Hedland - Marble Bar Railway and the Hopetoun - Ravensthorpe Railway. A number of piers were fitted with rail lines to carry goods from the ship to the mainland.
For most of the years that the WAGR existed as that entity, main offices, and divisional offices and buildings were all within a short range of Perth Railway Station. Rationalisation of the diverse addresses and locations occurred with the construction of the East Perth Head Office building.
Head Office - East Perth
Regional centres (current and historical)
Narrogin
Northam
Workshops
Fremantle Railway Workshops
Midland Railway Workshops
Marshalling yards - various yards have existed in the Perth Metropolitan area -
Leighton
Midland
Kewdale
South Fremantle (Robb Jetty).
Grain silos (current and historical)
Bellevue/Midland
Fremantle,
Kewdale
