Pingaring Railway Siding Precinct

Statement of Significance

The railway precinct represents the genesis of the town of Pingaring and the ongoing viability of that settlement. It represents communication, transport and agricultural viability for the area

History

The railway line did not come to Pingaring until 1931, and the trains first ran between lake Grace and Karlgarin in 1932. As early as 1915 the Narrogin to Kondinin line passed through Kulin and ended at the Kondinin railhead. From 1913 the Railway Advisory Board was considering the pattern of railway lines throughout the agricultural areas and looking to a uniform gauge line. Stileman was Chief Engineer of the Westrail, and his plan proposed the extension of the trunk line eastwards from Corrigin through to Forrestania which was planned for expansion under the Empire Immigration Scheme, sharing costs. In 1926 the Wagin line extended eastwards to a railhead at Lake Grace. Considerable lobbying from the Karlgarin community (east of Kondinin), vied for an extension of the Corrigin line (through to Corrigin in 1914), eastwards, as outlined in the Stileman Plan. The Railway Advisory Board finally proposed a spur line from Lake Grace to Karlgarin, and onwards to Hyden at the head of the line. By 1927 fierce discussions were taking place. The Director of Agriculture, GL Sutton, after a deputation from Jilakin settlers, lobbied for a spur line east of Kondinin. The motion to construct the trunk line east from Kondinin was put before Parliament in 1928. The Stileman Plan, the line east from Kondinin was subsequently defeated, due to four main factors; the failure of the Empire Immigration Scheme, the depression, and the overloaded work schedule of the Railway Advisory Board, and the successful lobbying of land-holder interests in Wagin. As late as 1929 surveys were continuing for the Kondinin extension, and late in 1929 the Karlgarin town was surveyed, but in June 1930 the railway gangs commenced constructed at the Lake Grace end of the spur line to Karlgarin and Hyden, with Pingaring a siding along that line. Pingaring Siding was an important point along the line as the Pingaring Rock reservoir provided water for the gangs along the line and the locomotives. The railway line through Pingaring opened in 1931. Pingaring was a critical point along the line, as the Pingaring Rock vvater catchment and reservoir provided a reliable water supply for the railway construction workers and for the steam trains. The water tank was constructed in 1931 by the Western Australian Government Railways using sustenance labour during the Depression, (see ref No. 55 ) The water gravitated through pipes, to the overhead tank 2 kilometres away at the Railway Siding. The railway water tank had a capacity of 30,000 gallons. Many parties, gatherings, meetings and particularly the regular Farmers Union meetings, were held under the water tank, being the coolest place in Pingaring. The goods shed was built in 1931 when the railway line came to Pingaring. It had the only phone in the district, and was used to telephone the grocery orders through to the Lake Grace Railway Station, a system which worked surprisingly well, as the community received their goods on the next train. After the train stopped transporting goods other than grain, the Goods Shed was used by transport companies for dropping supplies of food, goods, equipment and whatever. Les Fisher later purchased the shed and it was removed from the site. A small green shed marks the site. The train also catered for passengers in the early days of its service. One carriage contained 6 compartments, with 2 or 3 first class, and 3 or 4 second class compartments. A trip to Perth would depart at 12 noon, change trains at Wagin, and arrive in Perth at 7am the following day. The passenger train service ended in the early 1950s when the Railway bus took over. Local farmers carted their grain to the siding . The grain was in bags sewn at the top and loaded into closed wagons for cartage to Fremantle. In 1939/40 Co-operative Bulk handling constructed a bulk grain storage facility. It was a "H" class bin, which was replaced by a "D" class bin in 1971, and an "A" class bin in 1980. The loading ramps and stockyards were demolished in 1980 to make way for the increased capacity CBH facility. In 1995 the facilities were increased again with the construction of two more "open Bulkheads". In 1945 two fettlefs dwellings were provided for accomodation for the fettlers and their families. The fettlers worked along the railway line maintaining the facility. In 1970 they were removed from the site, one was relocated to the Pingaring Golf Club, and was subsequently demolished in 1996, and the other was relocated to a Karlgarin farm. The railway line was closed on the 30 June 1957, however on the 15 January 1960 the line was reinstated for a trial between Hyden and Lake Grace. It has remained operation for the cartage of grain and superphosphate since that time.

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