Re: Tunnels

["Henry's Cat" <geracen@wantree.com.au>]

Roderick Smith <rodsmith@werple.net.au> wrote in message
01bee64a$baf2df40$e02d11cb@rodsmith">news:01bee64a$baf2df40$e02d11cb@rodsmith...
>
> WA:
> AFAIK Upper Swan [Swan View?] was the only one.  It is preserved as part
of
> a walking track today.

Certainly the only _real_ tunnel in WA. It's called the Swan View Tunnel,
about 1 km down (away from Perth) from Swan View station on the old Eastern
Railway.

Upper Swan is on the Midland Railway (now Westrail's main Geraldton line)
about 5km from where I am now in Belhus. There used to be a siding there,
and it is the site of one of the most underprotected level crossings I've
seen. Just flashing lights, no boomgates, and a blind bend for motorists
(both directions) and train drivers (northbound). That's only important if
you don't see the lights, but they're hard to see when the sun's behind
them. Immediately south of the level crossing the railway emerges from a
small cutting. The road concerned is the Great Northern Highway (part of
Highway 1), and road trains use it all the time.

cheers
Neil