Marrangaroo, Middle River Stone Viaduct

Item details


Name of item:	Marrangaroo, Middle River Stone Viaduct
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Rail
Category:	Railway Bridge/ Viaduct
Primary address:	163.334km, Main Western Railway, Marrangaroo, NSW 2790
Parish:	Marrangaroo
County:	Cook
Local govt. area:	Lithgow

Boundary:

The listing boundary is a line at a distance of 20 metres from the viaduct in all directions, including the viaduct, embankments, abutments, supports and track formations.

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
163.334km, Main Western Railway	Marrangaroo	Lithgow	Marrangaroo	Cook	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
TAHE - Country Rail Network (CRN)	State Government

Statement of significance:


	The 1870 Middle River underbridge at Marrangaroo is significant as one of a small series of early stone arch railway viaducts built in New South Wales in the mid-to-late nineteenth century. The bridge is closely associated with Engineer-in-Chief and ‘father’ of the New South Wales Government Railways, John Whitton. It is an impressive and highly visible curved sandstone structure. The bridge has historical significance, largely due to its contribution to the early and continuing development of railway infrastructure and services in western NSW in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, and also as an example of the use of local sandstone during a period of economic restraint but rapid expansion of railway services during which Whitton was required to use local materials as far as possible in bridge construction. It is a fine, intact and representative example of a stone arch railway viaduct.
	Date significance updated: 22 Jun 10
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	John Whitton, Engineer in Chief of Railways
Physical description:	Sandstone arch viaduct (single track, c1870) over Middle River
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Good
	Date condition updated:22 Jun 10
Further information:	The adjacent brick underbridge (completed 1919) replaced the original sandstone bridge as part of duplication works on the Main Western line. The brick viaduct is listed separately as an item of local significance on the ARTC s.170 register.


Current use:	Not in use
Former use:	Formerly carried the Main Western Railway Line

History

Historical notes:

The Middle River railway viaduct was built for the Lithgow to Bathurst railway extension (completed between 1869 and 1875). Engineer-in-Chief of the NSWGR, John Whitton, used stone arch construction almost exclusively between Emu Plains and Wallerawang, despite a government decree to use local timber for bridge construction. This was possible due to the availability of local sandstone, which made the introduction of stone viaducts an economical option (Fraser, 1995). While Whitton’s stone arch viaducts were replaced by brick bridges during duplication works in the 1920s, many of the original stone bridges remain extant, including the Middle River Bridge at Marrangaroo.

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The Middle River railway viaduct is one of a series of early stone arch railway bridges in New South Wales and was constructed during an important phase in the development of the rail network in New South Wales, in particular the continuation of the western railway line beyond the Blue Mountains in the 1870s and 1880s.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	The bridge is closely associated with former Engineer-in-Chief and ‘father’ of the New South Wales Government Railways, John Whitton.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The viaduct is an impressive and highly visible sandstone structure.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The Middle River viaduct is a rare example of stone arch bridge construction, with less than ten similar stone viaducts extant in NSW.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	It is an excellent representative example of a class of railway bridges built during the late nineteenth century.
Integrity/Intactness:	The bridge remains highly intact.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Fraser, Don	1995	Bridges down under: the history of railway underbridges in New South Wales

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	State Government
Database number:	3150081

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