Railway

To date there is no known photo of the Cabarlah railway station. The photo above is of a train that did operate at Cabarlah, but the station building was at Crows Nest (see below). "Steam locomotive B13 No.237 photographed at Crow’s Nest in the early part of the 20th century. The goods shed can be seen in the background". Queensland Rail Historical Collection. Courtesy: Greg Hallam, Historian, Queensland Rail

While the railway from Ipswich to Toowoomba was completed in 1867, it took another 16 years to build one from Toowoomba (branching at Pengarry Junction) to Highfields. 

Before the railway was completed in 1883, the road to Highfields (Cabarlah) was a bit of a goat track. In 1867 it was noted to be "the worst in the colony". In 1874  [it] has been of late considerably improved by the erection of numerous culverts across the various gullies". The Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser (Sat 11 Feb 1882 p 3) advertised coach and mail before the railway. Note the time from Ruthven St to the Wilk’s hotel was just under 3 hours. The road was followed by a single wire telegraph line. When the railway line opened, two services a day ran, and it took just under 2 hours.

A trial survey soon showed a route for the railway following the road from Harlaxton and over the ‘Stony Pitch’. There was a better route with less hills some miles to the north west [1].  

After a survey was carried out in 1879, plans for the railway were drawn up in 1880/1 (see sections below from the Queensland State Archives Item ID117321, Drawings - railway). Note there appeared to be plans for a route from Spring Bluff to Cabarlah (Highfields) and another from Meringindan to Crows Nest.  At this stage there were no names for the stations, apart from Meringdan (see map on right below) and the set of drawings were labelled railway from Toowoomba to Highfields.

The Loans estimate for 1881 included £20 000 to build the first stage to Cabarlah. Tenders were called and that of John Gargett and Co. was accepted in May 1882. John Gargett had completed Section one satisfactorily on 1st August 1883. The line was opened on 17th September 1883. 

Before the official opening, a train ran to Highfields in July 1883. An extract from 9 July  newspaper stated:

On arrival at the site of the Highfields station, which is about eleven and a-half miles from the point where the line branches off, the visitors got off and took a stroll round, The new hotel of Mr Barclay's [sic] is just, at this point, a Iarge piece of ground has been cleared for buildings some of which are already in an- advanced state of progression. There is also a turn-table here capable of turning the heaviest engines in use. The sleepers and ballast excited many favorable comments, and we must say that they were worthy of the upraise bestowed on them. The railway shows unmistakable signs of careful and efficient construction, and considering the difficulties that have had to be overcome it has been rapidly completed. Many of the curves are very sharp, while in some places a cattle pit has had to be made to prevent cattle getting onto the line. 

The figure above is from an advertisement for sale of property in 1884, taking advantage of the newly built railway station. Note that the Stationmaster's house  (still in existence) and Gould’s Hotel (i.e. Railway Hotel owned by Mr Bearkley) on the corner of the main road and Costello Road (which burned down in 1904). Cabarlah had a siding, livestock yards, a loading bank and crane, a goods shed and the Station Master’s residence which was built in 1883. The Stationmaster became the gatekeeper as well when the line extended to Crows Nest in 6th December 1886.

 The railway[2] from Toowoomba to Cabarlah officially opened on 17 Sept 1883. The name of the station can be found in advertisements from 12 Sept but nothing before that date. 

Cabarlah enjoyed a short-lived status as a regional railhead prior to its extension to Crow’s Nest three years later. The line carried timber from the hills around Crow’s Nest, livestock, pigs, dairy produce and maize. The rail was limited to maximum speed of 40 km/hr due to steep grades (see drawings above showing gradient of 1 in 30 in some places) and light rail.  The stations from Toowoomba to Crow's Nest included Birnam, Cawdor, Shirley, Woolmar, Meringandan, Kleinton, Geengee, Geham, Mt Luke (Pleasant), Taylor, and Hampton.

The second section of the line was 17 miles 22 chains long (about 28 km). Tenders were called in 1885. This time the contract went to M. Barry and Co. for completion by September 1886. However, not much progress had been made by the end of 1885, according to a Pony Express article. The Brisbane Courier reported in 1886 that the "contractors are making preparations for obtaining ballast from Meringandan, on the main line, and a quarry is now being opened up at that place".

(Brisbane Courier, Wednesday 24 March 1886, p. 2)

Twelve months later it was reported that M Barry & Co. had made good progress – and that the opening was expected at the end of November. Points and crossings in position and turntable will be finished in a few days. The line was finally completed ‘satisfactorily’ and was opened on 6 December 1886[1].

The total cost of the line had been £115 000. (extract from History of Geham School, p. 28). The following is curtesy of Greg Hallam, Historian, Queensland Rail and from an article penned by Len Cuffe in 1967. 

The Crow’s Nest railway was of a hilly and winding nature with no tunnels and few bridges. However a trip on the railway was quite interesting. Leaving the main western line at Pengarry Junction, the railway crossed Gowrie Creek by a trestle bridge and then climbed up a long grade to Birnam and Cawdor.

The line here curved around hills – past Shirley and Woolmer to Meringandan – a township of some note. After leaving ‘the Dam’, the train passed the brickworks at ‘Kleintown’ then on to Gengee where to locomotive stopped for water. The one mile from Gengee to Cabarlah was the most difficult part of the line. To gain momentum for the 1 in 30 grade to Cabarlah, it was necessary to ‘race’ across the trestle bridge situated near the water tank. Also there was a four chain curve (before the cutting) to contend with. The writer well remembers a locomotive stalling in the cutting before Cabarlah. The train was then divided and taken to Cabarlah. Later the loco returned to pick up the carriages. After leaving Cabarlah the train crossed the Crow’s Nest main road and descended to Geham. Leaving Geham there was a long climb to Mount Luke (formerly Mount Pleasant) and on to Taylor and Hampton (the highest point on the line 2315ft). Here the line ran close to the summit of the Great Dividing Range… After leaving Pechey, the line crossed the ‘great divide’ and ran by side cuttings to the terminus at Crow’s Nest (1,788ft).