Railways and Tramways of Australia

The Bethungra Spiral is one of two railway spirals in Australia. It is approximately 25 km south of Cootamundra and 30 km north of Junee, on the New South Wales Main South Line.

 

Cootamundra to Junee railway

The railway line from Cootamundra to Junee was opened in 1878: from Cootamundra to Bethungra on 15 April, and from Bethungra to Junee on 6 July. Between Cootamundra and Junee the line crosses the Bethungra Range and steep gradients were used when the line was built. Trains heading north from Bethungra climbed gradients of 1 in 40 (2.5%). Duplication of the Main South line from Sydney was completed as far as Cootamundra in 1917. The single line south of Cootamundra had the potential to become a bottleneck as traffic density increased. Around 1935 a possible lengthy deviation was investigated to the west that would avoid the Bethungra Range, but this never eventuated. In the 1940s the line was duplicated and the opportunity was taken to provide an easier gradient for northbound trains to climb. The original line was retained for southbound trains as they descend the gradient. Thus, only Up trains use the Bethungra Spiral, unlike the Cougal Spiral, which is used by trains in both directions.

 

The Second World War brought an increase in railway traffic and created impetus for duplication of the line between Cootamundra and Junee. Work commenced at Cootamundra in January 1940, with duplication being opened in sections. Construction of the Bethungra Spiral took place between 1942 and 1946. Various cuttings, bridges and two tunnels were required. Hard grey and pink granite made construction difficult, and manpower shortages because of the war also presented a challenge. Around 350,000 cubic yards (267,594 cubic metres) of rock were removed during construction work.

 

Bethungra spiral

The spiral was opened on 15 July 1946, completing the duplication of the railway between Cootamundra and Junee. Steam locomotive 5711 hauled No. 12 freight, the first train to operate on the Bethungra Spiral. Today 5711 is preserved at the Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum. Up trains use the spiral, which is 1 mile 61 chains (2.8 km) longer than the Down line. No. 1 tunnel is 222 feet (67.7 metres) in length and takes the line underneath the Down line, which was the original line built in 1878, and is 47 feet (14.3 m) above the tunnel. No. 2 tunnel is 245 feet (74.8 metres) in length and the upper part of the spiral passes over it 85 feet (25.9 m) above. Continuing around the spiral, trains pass over the bottom section, located in the tunnel which was passed through a short time before. Finally, a flyover takes the Up line back across the Down line to the western side.

 

Construction of the Bethungra spiral meant that Up trains now climb a maximum gradient of 1 in 66 (1.5%), compared to 1 in 40 (2.5%) before the spiral was opened. Completion of the spiral meant that northbound trains were able to carry heavier loads and the need for assistant engines was eliminated. Also, the range of the D57 Class heavy goods locomotives was extended from Cootamundra south to Junee. A new roundhouse at Junee was officially opened in September 1947.

 

The Bethungra Spiral has remained in use since 1946. Following a number of rockfalls, rectification work was undertaken from January to May 1994. The work included widening and reconstruction of cuttings; stabilisation work using rock bolts, shotcreting and cable mesh; and improving drainage. The Bethungra Spiral was listed on the State Heritage Register in 1999.

 

The Bethungra Spiral is best seen by travelling over it on a train journey. The train from Melbourne to Sydney operates twice a daily: a day service and an overnight service. The overnight train passes over the Bethungra Spiral during darkness, so the day train is recommended. The twice weekly Griffith to Sydney train also travels over the Bethungra Spiral. A viewing platform provides views of the spiral. It can be reached by turning off the Olympic Highway onto the unsealed Bethungra Waterworks Road, and then driving approximately 2 km to a clearing with an information sign.

 

A model of the Bethungra Spiral can be seen at the Broadway Museum in Junee.

 

References

1870s railway town, information board, Junee station.

Department of Railways Information Bureau, Main Southern Line maps, rev. ed., Department of Railways, Sydney, 1967.

Love, D & I Dunn, Byways of steam 13, Eveleigh Press, Sydney, 1997.

New South Wales Government Railways, The Bethungra Spiral, New South Wales Government Railways, no date.

‘Bethungra Spiral’, Office of Environment & Heritage, <www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=5011929>,

     accessed 21 March 2019.

Rogers, D ‘The Bethungra Spiral rectification project’, Railway Digest, vol. 32, no. 6, June 1994.