Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway Explained

The Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway inc (OTHR) is a volunteer association aiming to reopen the Oberon to Tarana railway line in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, and run heritage trains.^[1]

The Line

The Oberon railway line is a 24-kilometre disused branch railway, which junctions with the Main Western line at Tarana and heads in a southerly direction to the town of Oberon. Opened on 3 October 1923,^[2] the line was lightly constructed, and included steep grades (1 in 25 or 4 %) and tight curves. It was operated by lightweight locomotives, mainly 19 class steam locomotives, and then 49 class diesels.^[3] It transported local seasonal vegetables, timber and livestock. Passenger services ceased in 1971, and freight services in 1979, with the line effectively closing then.

Rolling stock

In May 2010, end platform carriages CBA850 and HLF854 were acquired on loan from the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum,^[4] as well as railmotor CPH13 from the Canberra Railway Museum.^[5] In May 2010, locomotives 7307 and 7321 were purchased from Patrick Portlink.^[6]

Goals

1. to ensure the preservation of the existing rail infrastructure between & including both the junction station at Tarana and the terminus at Oberon
2. to operate in consultation and co-operation with the local Councils, local landholders and the broader Oberon / Tarana community
3. to progressively rebuild the line in stages to accommodate light traffic such as Railmotors (possibly a CPH rail motor or others) or by means of a light locomotive and carriages.
4. in the first stages of development, utilise OTHR volunteers and donated machinery to facilitate reconstruction
5. to initially focus on the reconstruction of the line and associated infrastructure
6. to encourage the resumption of commercial use of the line

The restoration of the line is being undertaken in three stages.

• Stage 1: Oberon to Hazelgrove
• Stage 2: Hazelgrove to Carlwood
• Stage 3: Carlwood to Tarana

References

• Web site: Tarana to Oberon Railway Act, Act No. 8, 1919. austlii.edu.au. 26 August 2014.

Notes and References

1. http://othr.com.au/ Homepage
2. Web site: Bozier. Rolfe. NSWrail.net. Oberon Line. 7 May 2007. 7 February 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110207111754/http://nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:oberon. live.
3. Vergison. P. The Branch Line Goods. Railway Digest. February. 2002.
4. http://othr.com.au/rolling-stock/carriages/ Carriages
5. http://othr.com.au/rolling-stock/rail-motor/ Rail Motor
6. http://othr.com.au/rolling-stock/locomotives/ Locomotives