Historic Photo of the Day: 2026-01-27

Today's historic photo of the day: 41 years ago today, the then recently-closed station at Gundagai, NSW, just a year after the last train ran, January 27 1985. Gundagai was 484km from Sydney by rail on a branch line that connected with the main South line at Cootamundra, then ran south to Gundagai and Tumut and with a branch from Gilmore through hilly country to Batlow and Kunama. The line reached Gundagai in 1886 and this station remained the terminus until 1903 when the the line was extended across the Murrumbidgee River and on to Tumut. Passenger services were provided by rail motors that connected with main line trains at Cootamundra and ran south to Tumut. Mixed trains then ran from Tumut to Batlow and Kunama. Throughout 1972 there was a brief period in which direct passenger trains ran from Tumut to Sydney via Gundagai as part of the ill-fated Tulloch railcar venture in which branch line railcars split and joined from their counterparts at Cootamundra and other mainline junction stations and through-ran to branch line terminii. Passenger trains through here reverted to CPH railcars in early 1973, and they survived into the XPT era. I have vivid memories of one afternoon in late 1982 at Cootamundra station arriving on the XPT from Sydney and watching connecting CPHs depart for the various branch line destinations - including Tumut. This was in the days before I had a camera unfortunately and it may have been one of the days that spurred me to purchase my first camera in January 1983. Ultimately, these trains were replaced in November 1983 by road buses. The line Tumut closed to all traffic in early 1984 after flood damage to bridges. Today, Gundagai station has been preserved as a local museum and tourist attraction. It is well worth a visit, but it's a little melancholy without the sound of trains rumbling through.