10. Transport

Railway
As mentioned earlier, the coming of the railway was the beginning of the small township of Marrar. For just on a century now the South West Railway Line has been the life blood of our district and all those Riverina towns as far west as Hay. In just two years time we will be celebrating its centenary.

The decision to build the line was made only after many years of careful consideration. It was made against strong, and at times hostile opposition from groups who believed they had a better case for a railway in their own districts.

In 1873 the Secretary for Public Works, Mr. John Sutherland proposed that a railway line be built between Cootamundra and the South Australian border, the route of travel to be through the Lachlan and Darling Pastoral Districts.

This proposal immediately came under fire from Mr. George Loughlan, M.L.A., for the district and it was through his efforts that instructions were given in 1876 for a survey for a railway line between Junee and Narrandera. The survey by Railway Surveyor Mays was completed in September of the same year. Mr. McLoughlan then asked State Parliament for the necessary approval to commence the job and this was immediately given. A sum of £384,000/-/- was allocated for the construction of the line.

The residents of Wagga Wagga and the Murrumbidgee Valley were not prepared to take this decision without a fight. They immediately countered with a proposal that the line go from Wagga Wagga or Hanging Rock (now The Rock) to Hay via Narrandera. The wrangle went on for three years before the successful tenderers, Messrs. Fishburn and Morton were instructed to proceed with their contract.

Work on the new line commenced late in 1879. The job was done mainly with ,picks and shovels, ploughs, horses and drays. Bullock teams were used to haul in the heavy supplies. Sleepers and lines were carried into place and laid by hand.

Even with the primitive tools available the job was completed and the line opened two months ahead of schedule. Sir George Dibbs, a passenger on the first train out of Junee, declared the line open in a short ceremony when the train arrived at Coolamon.
As the new railway line moved further west, the Railway Department continued -with their policy to keep their newly acquired property fully enclosed. This policy seems to have been abandoned of late years and now where railway property joins a road fences are in disrepair, and in places lying on the ground. A large area was secured at Marrar for future use and this has proved invaluable over a period of time.

The area known as the Railway Yard was fenced and several large wooden double gates were erected.

As the town was only regarded as a 'whistle stop' siding, a small shed was erected to serve as a Railway Station. It was also used as a Post Office. This building was situated on the north side of the line just west of the present Station Master's house.

With the demand for both goods and passenger services growing every day the small shed was of little use and the present Railway Station and Platform was constructed soon afterwards.

Entrance to the new Railway Station was gained through two white wooden gates directly in front of the building and in line with the present-day fence. A goods shed, still standing, and two steel-framed sheds with open sides for storage of bagged wheat were added.

The Railway Department was the first enterprise, either private or government, to erect steel-framed buildings.

A weatherboard house known as the Ganger's Residence was built on Railway land just opposite the old Post Office. This was the first home of the Winter Family in Marrar. They lived here for several years until Andy Winter built his new home between the Post Office and Winter's Hall. When the Winters moved out, the cottage was sold by the Railway Department. Still in good condition, it was placed on skids and the bullock teams moved in again to tow it to its new site. Today it is the home of Arthur Tinson and stands directly in front of the gates leading into Langtry Oval, Marrar’s new Football Ground.

The Railway Department continued with its building and erected a large stock yard with ramp for loading sheep and cattle into stock vans. The yards were sited about 200 yards on the Coolamon side of the Railway Station, the entrance gate being on the old Coolamon Road.

The yards served their purpose well, but with the coming of modern motor transport, the small amount of use they received did not justify their upkeep and they were demolished in 1948.

On the old loop line and close to where the trucking yards stood is the large modern grain storage shed. Erected for the Grain Elevators Board in 1970 it has the capacity of 1,000,000 Bushels.

The old concrete silos, still in use, were commenced shortly after World War 1 finished, and opened for the receival of wheat for the 1922-23 wheat harvest.

The first weighbridge in the yards was near the trucking yards with entrance also on the Old Coolamon Road. The main railway yard was always between the station and the Temora Road.

The building of Prescott's Chaff Mill, the loading ramp for rail trucks, the sheds and silos placed the weighbridge in an impossible position. It was removed and re-erected at the eastern end of the yards. Two large wooden access gates were put in facing the Temora Road for wheat delivery and two more just around the corner for chaff and hay coming from and going to Prescott's Yards and the Chaff Mill. All gates were kept locked and often the local Railway Porter would have to walk down and let traffic in and then lock the gates again when the traffic went out.

The weighbridge gave many years of faithful service, but the load limit of 20 tons did not suit the large transports hauling wheat. With the introduction of the metric system its use had finally come to an end. Shortly after the new storage shed was completed, the Grain Elevators Board installed its own modern weighbridge which is in use today.

As the district opened up and closer settlement brought more farmers to the district, the Railway Department built up a thriving business hauling farm machinery. The loading ramp did not suit the unloading of these machines and the large crane, still in use, was built for the job. This was the last major construction for the Railway Department in the yards.

One of the main requirements of the railways was an assured supply of water for their steam locomotives. The only sure way of obtaining water where and when they needed it was to create their own supply.

The long uphill pull from Coolamon and then on to Rockview Siding often meant taking on water at Marrar. To achieve this, a large surface dam was constructed across a gully on the north side of the line about two kilometres from town towards Rockview. Known as Broken Dam, it can still be seen from the train today. An engine and pump were installed at the dam, steel piping laid and four steel tanks on concrete piers erected near the present day crossing. The water was then pumped from the dam to keep the tanks full. It must be remembered that when the railway came through, few, if any, surveyed roads were in existence. The road running north from Winchendon Vale is known as the Old Wagga Road and passes through Marrar.

When the survey of this road, now the Marrar North Road, was completed, it was found that the four railway tanks were standing plumb in the centre of the road. This is most noticeable coming to town from the north where the road detours at the crossing and then moves back onto the Wagga Road. The remains of the old concrete piers that the tanks stood on are still plain to be seen from the crossing.

The first freight to be carted in any volume by the new railway was wheat and chaff and soon whole train loads of these commodities were moving towards the cities. The steam locomotives of the time were very small and had great difficulties hauling these heavy loads up the grade from Coolamon to Marrar and from Marrar to Rockview. In periods of drought and low rainfall, water for the locomotives was a problem when dams at Marrar and Coolamon went dry or were too low to pump.

A further survey by Railway engineers showed that the grade from Kindra Crossing, east to the top of the hill towards Marrar was too steep. This also applied to the section between Marrar and Rockview. With no prospect of larger and more powerful locomotives coming into use in the near future, the Railway Department had two options open to them. They could reduce the size of their trains or make a deviation of the line to cut out the steep grades.

They chose the latter, moving the line from Kindra Crossing on and following the gradual slope of the land in a circular movement to the top of the hill. The actual date of the deviation is not available but it was around the turn of the century. Where the old line went is still visible today.

The Marrar-Rockview deviation was undertaken at the same time. Starting near the old Slaughter Yards, the line veered slightly north, over a new bridge near the cemetery, moved further north, then joined the old line again near Rockview Siding.

When the more powerful locomotives did arrive they were able to take in a lot more water. With an assured and plentiful supply at Junee the need to take in water at Marrar was no longer necessary. The burrowing of rabbits into the bank of the dam and heavy rain caused the bank to finally break. It was never repaired and the tanks and stands at the crossing were finally dismantled and sold.

In 1930, the Coolamon Shire had the road upgraded south of the line from the underpass to Rockview Siding. Portion of this road was laid on what used to be the original railway line.

For 98 years now the Railway has served the people of N.S.W. well. Never as quick as private enterprise to make changes the railway system has, nevertheless, come a long way since those early days of 1881. The little long-funnelled engines gradually became bigger and faster, being replaced in time by the great green and silver steam locomotives. These beautiful sleek powerhouses continued to operate well into the 1950's.

The day of the coal-fired locomotive was now rapidly coming to an end; the era of the big diesel engine had arrived. Today these huge brown monsters race along the South West Line hauling a load of over 1,000 tonnes with ease. The little wooden-sided trucks with drop sides and a capacity of 15 tonnes are a rare sight. Today, whole trains made up of 55 tonne aluminium bulk wheat trucks hauled by two of the big brown diesels are a common sight.

Passenger travel has come a long way since the first trains ran between Junee and -Narrandera. The 'dog box' type carriage is seen no more. This early carriage consisted of separate compartments with access doors opening out onto the station platform. Each compartment was fitted with its own wash room and toilet, portion of the seat lifting to gain access. Pity the poor passenger who occupied this portion of the seat on a long journey in a crowded train. Tickets were checked while the train was standing at a station. The day of the Conductor or train Hostess had not yet arrived.

Travelling from Marrar to Sydney took twelve hours of night travel. The old South West Mail which still runs daily, isn't much faster today and those foot warmers that were placed in the carriages during the winter months have long since vanished.

Refreshment Rooms once operated on a 24 hour basis at all major stations, but on a recent trip to the city, Junee and Cootamundra were the only ones open on the whole trip. The beautiful coffee in big thick cups with saucers, and those delicious flaky meat pies, served on a plate with gravy, have, like the steam locomotives, also become a thing of the past. Some tasteless liquid, handed out in a cardboard container with a wooden stick for a spoon, serves as coffee and a dried out pie in a paper bag is the best one can get.

Today the South West Line as far west as Hay and Griffith is served by the Riverina Daylight Express. Travelling in comfort in air-conditioned carriages, the journey from Marrar to Sydney is completed in a little over seven hours. With excellent meals served on the train, the fact that refreshment rooms are closed is of little consequence.

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A view of the concrete silos at Marrar.

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Railway crossing today with old Station Master's house on right.

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Marrar Railway Station 1978.

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Bullock Teams and Their Drivers
Bullock teams have played such a leading part in the settlement of the district that no history book would be complete without mention of them. It was the bullock that could survive on the natural grass and muddy water much better than the horse. The big timber on many thousands of acres fell to the strain of the long teams of up to twenty bullocks.

The trees were dug around with a pick and shovel to a depth of two feet and the roots cut with an axe. With a wire rope, hooked as high as possible, and a huge log on the ground fastened to the rope to keep the bullocks yokes down, the team would strain in unison with the crack of the drivers whip. Very few in number were the forest giants that defied their efforts and were left for the fire to bring down.

The drivers, or 'Bullockies' as we knew them, were in a class of their own, and developed their skills only after many years of hard work. The old hands at the game would undertake to flick a fly off the leaders ear at 20 feet and not touch the bullock with their whip.

One of the first 'bullockies' to arrive in the area was Joe Humphries. A big man with a red, bushy moustache, he built and lived in the home on the west side of the Uniting Church, in later years the home of John Fox and his family.

Tom Jobbins did a lot of clearing on Marrar Station with his team and later share-farmed the same land. What must have been his thoughts as he met Alf Cox and his team of goats in their wagon along the way. Before retiring to Wagga, he lived for a time in the house now owned by Norrnan Curran.

Other regular drivers in Marrar were, Ted Fury who was later succeeded by his son Cecil, Jack Connors, Harry White, and Bob Wilson who drove the Rockview-Murrulebale team.

The last tearn owned and driven in Marrar was that of Tom Brown who lived on the Junee Road on the edge of town.

'Bullocky' Mohr from Coolamon and his son George worked a tearn of bullocks cleaning out dams on Murrulebale Station as late as 1945. George Mohr will be remembered in recent years as the popular licensee of the Royal Hotel.

Like the old soldier, the bullocky and his team has slowly faded away. May their names live on in our memories and may the part they played in the development of our country never be forgotten.

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Alf Cox and His Goat Team
Many methods of transporting goods have been used in the settling of the district, but none more novel than the goat teams of Alf Cox. Alf Cox was the son of Richard Cox who built the first homestead on Marrar Station in 1876. Marrar Station kept a bullock team. Tom Jobbins, a resident of Marrar till the late 1920's was in charge of the team. The bullocks were used for clearing timber, tank sinking and any heavy work on the station.

Alf Cox was not interested in the bullock team, they were much too slow and cumbersome for his liking. He wanted something that was quick to yoke up and could do small jobs much faster than the bullocks. He secured a number of goats from Mrs. Pullen of Coolamon and proceeded to train them with great skill and patience. The team consisted of eight wether goats with four kept in reserve.

The goats were driven without reins and answered to the drivers call much the same as the bullocks. The team was hitched to a small wagon built by Frank Roberts in his farm smithy. Frank Roberts was a member of the early pioneering family of the Roberts Clan and in later years was responsible for the erection of buildings that housed 'The Busy Store'.

Built with precision and skill, the Roberts Wagon with its small wheels and pole turntable, was a work of art. The bows and yokes for the goats were also constructed by Frank Roberts and were designed on the same lines as bullock yokes. It was four miles of bush track from Marrar Station to the Railway yards, but the goats could haul a load of fourteen bags of chaff or three bales of wool over the distance with ease.

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The Motor Car Arrives
During World War 1 the first motor car arrived in town, the proud owner being Artie Fairweather. The coming of the motor cycle was also a first for Artie Fairweather. Before he purchased his motor car, he had ridden a small motor cycle around town for two years.
The motor car was a Model T Ford and it attracted a gathering of spectators every time it appeared in the street. The occasional motor car had passed through Marrar before this, but little attention had been paid to it. The general comment was 'They might be alright in time, but they'll never replace the horse'.

Fairweather's Ford proved to be a 'goer' and could be relied on to reach its destination on time. By 1920 the motor car had arrived, and the Model T's in Marrar had grown into a fleet. Proud owners of their new vehicles were A.M. Keny, Peter Herrick, Bill Ryan, John Fox, and Bob Watson, and farmers Arthur Wooden and Jack Bourke.

The following years were prosperous ones for the farmer and businessman, and owning a motor car was a sign of social standing in the community.

New names and models of motor cars, many unheard of today, began to appear on the roads. Discussions at times became quite heated as locals argued as to who had the best car. The motor car became the base for humour and jokes and Henry Ford figured in more stories than the legendary Mae West did in later years.

Songs such as 'Come away with me Lucille, in my Merry Oldsmobile' echoed around the world. The United States was regarded as the leading manufacturer of motor cars but they preferred to call their vehicles automobiles. The British had had considerable experience in building cars and trucks during World War 1, and with trade barriers heavily in their favour, pressed the Americans strongly for the Australian Market.

During this period, Australia produced one car the Federal 6. Built in Sydney, it was equal to any vehicle in the country. Ford had by this time introduced mass production, and with other manufacturers trying to compete, price wise, the Australian car was too expensive. Appeals for assistance to the Federal Government to help the Australian company carry on fell on deaf ears and in 1927 the firm closed down. Today the old Federal 6 is a much prized collector's item, but one does appear at Veteran and Vintage car rallies held in Wagga.

The Model T Fords became known as 'Tin Lizzies' and because of their cheap price, around £100, were often passed over. Among the early makes and their owners were the following, Ted Quinn - Buick, Lance Redgrave - Dodge, A.M. Kelly - Willys Knight, Ted Lewis - Star, Joe Case - Overland, Chas Pearce - Chrysler, George Dicks a Jewett and later a Durant. Postmaster Harvey had a Rickenbakker and his successor Harry Friend an Oldsmobile. John Grey who lived in the old Langtry Home for a short time most aptly drove a Gray.

Veterinary Surgeon Matt Rocks of Wagga used a Reo Flying Cloud in his business. The Reo was designed by R.E. Oldsmer, an American, who also built the first Oldsmobile. The first automatic transmission was introduced by Reo in the mid 1930's. It was a previously unheard of innovation and took many years to be generally accepted by the motorist. Chrysler introduced hydraulic brakes as early as 1926, but these were not in general use until many years later.

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