Railways of Western Australia

Railways of Western Australia The first WAGR line opened on 26 July 1879 between Geraldton and Northampton growing from that time.

The Fremantle to Guildford railway line opened in 1881 and I would like to share the history of WA railways with the general public to increase awareness of volunteers preserving our rail heritage and what services are offered for the public to appreciate. The marvelous knowledge of rail fans is a little much for the uninitiated so I offer this portal for people to take their first step and maybe

become more interested in rail and join more detailed pages than this. I am not a part of Hotham Valley Railway, just a grateful patron.

Thanks to Richard Rigg for sharing his Dad's collection, here we see ADG V --- crossing the Bunbury Bridge.
11/06/2026

Thanks to Richard Rigg for sharing his Dad's collection, here we see ADG V --- crossing the Bunbury Bridge.

While on trial with X1028, a 4 car original Prospector (WCA MAN D3650 HM6U x 2 as built, Cummins KTA19R x 2 from early 1...
11/06/2026

While on trial with X1028, a 4 car original Prospector (WCA MAN D3650 HM6U x 2 as built, Cummins KTA19R x 2 from early 1990s) passes through Jumperkine in the Avon Valley in September 1975. (Photos: JOHN KENT)

A brand new ADE Governor Class Diesel Railcar at Armadale station in December 1937. It would most likely be on trial. Th...
11/06/2026

A brand new ADE Governor Class Diesel Railcar at Armadale station in December 1937. It would most likely be on trial. The original B&W photo has been coloured using an AI program. As such, the livery shown here may or may not be correct. I might be old, but I wasn’t around in 1937 to see what livery it was! Original photo most likely taken by a photographer from the Civil Engineering Branch of the WAGR. (Don Finlayson Collection)

Ex WAGR/Westrail LZ3114 (EMD 16-645E3 3,000hp) in ARG livery at Fremantle with a container train on May 22nd 2008. Form...
11/06/2026

Ex WAGR/Westrail LZ3114 (EMD 16-645E3 3,000hp) in ARG livery at Fremantle with a container train on May 22nd 2008. Formerly L267, LZ3114 is currently operational with Aurizon. (Photo: DON FINLAYSON)

Some made it out of the scrap line, others didn’t. Here in the yard at Midland Workshops in 1972, Dd596 which now reside...
10/06/2026

Some made it out of the scrap line, others didn’t. Here in the yard at Midland Workshops in 1972, Dd596 which now resides at the Gosnells Railway Markets, W931 at the Pichi Richi Railway in South Australia, but sadly W928 didn’t make it out alive! (Photos: JOHN KENT)

The Transwa WDA/WDB/WDC and WEA/WEB classes are classes of railcars built by United Goninan, Broadmeadow for Transwa in ...
10/06/2026

The Transwa WDA/WDB/WDC and WEA/WEB classes are classes of railcars built by United Goninan, Broadmeadow for Transwa in 2004–2005 to replace the WAGR WCA/WCE class railcars on the AvonLink, MerredinLink and Prospector services in Western Australia. The trains are capable of 200 km/h operation and run at approximately 160 km/h in service. Here is a new Prospector (2 × Cummins N14E-R 518 Horizontal in-line 6) at Merredin on trial on May 17th 2004, prior to its introduction into service on June 28th 2004. (Photos: DON FINLAYSON)

In the yard at Midland Workshops in November 1969. WAGR X1021 Jarroo (Crossley HST-V8) and shunter Z1152. The WAGR X cla...
10/06/2026

In the yard at Midland Workshops in November 1969. WAGR X1021 Jarroo (Crossley HST-V8) and shunter Z1152. The WAGR X class were built by Beyer, Peacock & Company and Metropolitan-Vickers, Bowesfield Works, Stockton-on-Tees in the UK for the WAGR between 1954 and 1956. The WAGR Z class (Gardner 8LW 140hp) was a class consisting of three six-wheeled diesel-mechanical locomotives which were active in Western Australia from November 1953 to January 1983. X1021 was scrapped, but all three members of the Z Class survive. Z1152 is with Hotham Valley Railway. (Photos: JOHN KENT)

On board A1502, on the way back to Midland after a trial run to Avon, with a double headed L Class train about to pass. ...
09/06/2026

On board A1502, on the way back to Midland after a trial run to Avon, with a double headed L Class train about to pass. Earlier, A1502 (EMD 12-567C 1,200hp) is stopped at Jumperkine for inspection after a major overhaul at Midland Workshops in November 1973. A1502 was exported to Chile. (Photos: JOHN KENT)

In 1969, Commonwealth Railways ordered six single-cab NJ class (EMD 12-645E 1,500hp) locomotives from Clyde Engineering ...
09/06/2026

In 1969, Commonwealth Railways ordered six single-cab NJ class (EMD 12-645E 1,500hp) locomotives from Clyde Engineering in Granville NSW for use on the narrow gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Central Australia Railway between Marree and Alice Springs. They hauled freight trains and The Ghan. All six were sold with Australian National's South Australian operations to Australian Southern Railroad in August 1997 and renumbered as the 1600 class. Some were transferred to the Australian Railroad Group to operate services in Western Australia. Here is NJ5 (later 1605) with an AB Class (EMD 12-645E 1,500hp) at Albany with a wood chip train on January 27th 2004. (Photos: DON FINLAYSON)

A night shot of the old Prospector at Kalgoorlie Station in April 1978. (Photo: JOHN KENT)
09/06/2026

A night shot of the old Prospector at Kalgoorlie Station in April 1978. (Photo: JOHN KENT)

Address

Willetton, WA
6955

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Railways of Western Australia posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Railways of Western Australia:

Shortcuts

Share