The Coonamble Line lies in the central north of the state. It extends north from Dubbo to the town of Coonamble on the Castlereagh River. It incorporates Dubbo, Troy Junction, Talbragar, Mogriguy, Eumungerie, Balladoran, Marthaguy, Gilgandra, Kamber, Curban, Armatree, Gular, Brightling, Combara and Coonamble. The line operated passenger trains in the mornings and afternoons from Monday to Saturday. It was possible to catch the train to Dubbo in the morning and return home in the afternoon. Eumungerie Railway originally opened as the name Coalbaggie Creek on the 18th February 1903, a station with a 40m up-side platform, with a short loop opposite. A water tank located at the down end of the loop, a few months after opening Coalbaggie Creek was renamed Eumungerie.
Resident Margaret Lesslie (nee Salter) describes seeing the first train roll into town. "I remember the first train that went through Eumungerie. I couldn’t have been very old at that stage but I remember coming in with my father (Wallace Salter) in the dray to pick up some groceries dad had sent out on the train. Previously, we had to go to Dubbo to collect our groceries; flour, sugar, potatoes, onions. Dad used to buy everything in bulk but this time he had it sent out on the train, and I came in with dad on the dray and we stood on the platform, he and I, and as the train drivers went passed, we waved to them. They acknowledged our wave. We collected our potatoes and pumpkin and all that we had; put them up in the dray and away we started for home. Home was Mountain View, and then the time came to unload. Mother had a big box; a great big box in the pantry that she used to put the flour in and sugar; to keep it mouse proof, to keep all that away from the mice. Well we unloaded when we bought it home and put it in this great big box." The Station Masters Residence
The most expensive element of the expansion of Eumungerie was the construction of a Station Master's residence, at a cost of ₤686*, in the early part of the century. This original residence, north of the platform, burnt to the ground in 1964/65, leaving behind the original outback dunny. The dunny stood alone for some years before being rehoused at a local property. The Station Master's house was replaced with a prefabricated building south of the platform for the Station Master, John Galbraith, his wife, Betty, and their family in the late 60s. This building was removed when the railway closed in the mid 70s. The railway shed and new toilet was moved to Wongarbon 15th Oct 1973.
The Eumungerie Railway Station closed in 1974. All that remains of the station today is a small hut and a relocated 3-lever frame, and a low mound. The loop has been lengthened and now serves a loading bank and silos. Semaphore signals are present at each end of the loop. The line is only currently used seasonally for grain traffic from numerous silos along the line.
* Source: EumungerieRail.blogspot.com
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