The Stonequarry Creek railway viaduct was built for the Picton to Goulburn railway extension, 1862-1869. John Whitton had been denied funds to continue with the expensive wrought iron girder bridges, so he then chose the stone arch viaduct for his major bridge works. The former at Menangle cost £94,562 whereas the Stonequarry Creek viaduct cost £10,437. It has proved to be a most cost-effective structure.
John Whitton signed the plans in July 1862 but the first contractor failed so Murnin and Brown took over the contract in December 1863. The work was supervised by George Cowdery (a future Engineer-in-Chief for Existing Lines) and was opened for traffic on 28 February 1867 for the first section of extension to Mittagong. It construction cost was ₤10,437. This viaduct was a prelude to his extensive use of stone arch viaducts across the Blue Mountains to Lithgow.
It is the oldest railway arch bridge in New South Wales and the first one built for two tracks, the second is over James Street, Lithgow. Economic constraints forced Whitton to build the others for single track. They were progressively bypassed by double track brick arch bridges whereas Stonequarry Creek viaduct continues its original function. The viaduct is accessible from Menangle Street via Webster Street.
This sandstone viaduct carried the double track Main South Railway (was great Southern Railway) over Stonequarry Creek just south of Picton railway station. It is south of the station in terms of the general direction of the line, although it is actually north of the station because the line runs north at this point.
There are five arches of 12 metres clear span which together with pier widths and abutments gives the viaduct a total length of 84 metres. The middle arch is the highest above the creek bed at 24 metres. The piers are solid stone, founded at shollw depth into rock, tapering to the springing levels of the arches which are solid semi-circular, 6 metres radius and 1 metre thick.
At the piers, the internal "V" formed by the adjoining arches is filled by stone rubble to about 5 metres and dished to form a drain. There is a pipe drain down the middle which dishcharges at the springing level. By this arrangement the ballastered tracks are drained and do not get water logged. There is a low stone parapet wall on each side of the viaduct supplemented by a timber fence for the safety of train shunters. The abutments are U-shaped in plan with three internal buttresses.
Not far away from the viaduct the disused 180 m long Old Main Railway Tunnel (Redbank Range Tunnel) between Picton Junction and Thirlmere was opened in February 1867 and was the first railway tunnel to be used by the NSW Railways. It was closed to rail traffic in 1919 when the new deviation line opened. During World War II it was one of a number of disused railway tunnels in the Sydney area in which ammunition, mustard gas spray tanks and other military supplies were stored. After the RAAF moved out in 1950, it was used for commercial mushroom growing.
The tunnel would have long been forgotten were it not for ongoing occurrences of paranormal activity which have made it quite well known. The tunnel has a history of suicides and at least one railway accident, that of a woman named Emily, who these days is looked upon as the tunnel s resident ghost. Local records show that Emily Bollard was struck and killed by a train in 1916. She died at the centre of the tunnel where the apparition of Emily is always seen. On occasions black shadows have been viewed moving rapidly along the entire length of the tunnel. People have reported seeing white lights hovering above them, figures appearing in front and behind in the blackness, ghostly children and strange electrical appearances travelling down the tunnel. Rapid drops in temperature and sudden breezes like those caused by an approaching train have also been felt.
The owner of the property on which the tunnel has been built, Liz Vincent, runs a variety of different ghost tours around the Picton area as well as the Tunnel. As the tunnel is on private property, entry to the property unless by prior authority or arrangement is prohibited.
Picton is a small town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, located 80 kilometres South-west of Sydney, close to Camden and Campbelltown. Picton is home to many historic buildings, including two types of bridges not found easily anymore elsewhere in the state Victoria Bridge a timber trestle bridge that crosses Stonequarry Creek, opened in 1897, and the Picton Railway Viaduct a stone viaduct opened in 1863 to also cross Stonequarry Creek. The viaduct is still in use by the railways.
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