Type : Station/Loop
Line : North Coast Line
Distance from Sydney : 627.960km
Opened : 17 July 1922
Closed : Before 1987 (station), passenger service discontinued prior
Status : Open (station closed) - loop still in use
Name meaning : Contraction of Corambara, the Aboriginal name for the district
Notes : The Up timber platform was 76.2 metres in length, later reduced to 66.14 metres by 1961. The platform building contained an out-of room, SM's office, general and ladies waiting rooms. A goods shed was provided in the yard. 15/8/1923 - 5 ton yard crane provided. November 1987 - station closed. 763 metre crossing loop and also a dead end 150 metre siding. The station building was demolished sometime prior to 1990 with the platform remaining and the old signal box converted for a waiting room. The platform and signal box were removed around 1995.
Coramba, 1982 (Greg Lee)
Coramba, September 1982 (Greg Lee)
Coramba, 1982 (Greg Lee)
Logs at Coramba, undated
Construction of Coramba railway yards around 1920 (or earlier). The station opened in 1922. (SLNSW)
Location of the one-time Coramba Station, opened 1922, closed 1974. (Google Maps)
Coramba, 1970 (Sharon Rewell)
Coramba in 1987 (Peter Burr)
Coramba Jan 1985
4453 departing with NL27 Daylight Express
Pic shared with kind permission of owner Ian Dunn
Coramaba, 1920s
Coramba NSW Pre 1970 (Sharon Rewell)
Coramba
10th July 1982
One of the best overviews of a station and yard that I've seen
Permission to share kindly given by the owner Philip Vergison
Shane Williams
51 points 1987 loop extention
Generation Gap Coramba 2012 (Scott Sashmo)
Coramba, 1950 (from Old Dorrigo)
Coramba NSW Pre 1970 (Sharon Rewell)
Coramba (1964, Colin Sutton)
Private crossing at Coramba (undated) (State Archives)
5910 at Coramba (Grace Bartram on 26 May 1995)
Henry Foster:
These photos are from the last days at Coramba in June 1983. The semaphore signals are gone and I think that this was the period when the electric staff was still in use. You can see that the down exchanger is sticking up out of its box so must have been cleaned up by a train and we're waiting for Norm Russell to come and straighten it up.
Garry Hayes
Henry Foster yeah the old place looks to be in serious decline there, unfortunately
Greg Lee
Garry Hayes I guess Ron didn't have too much motivation at that stage, knowing that he would soon be out of a job, and the station would be demolished.
Garry Hayes
Greg Lee actually Ron transferred into Coffs after Coramba closed, for a few years before he retired
Henry Foster
Greg Lee There's a bit more to the story. Ron always kept the place looking good and did a lot of work on the gardens; if my memory is any good Mrs Phillips (Shirley?) might have helped out too. I can't remember the year now but some ambitious young bloke, best left nameless, came up from the big smoke to make a name for himself at South Grafton. Breezed in to do a station inspection and discovered that the mud wasps had been busily building nests amongst the safeworking forms in the signal box. This was enough for him to produce a scathing report about the obvious negligence and incompetence he had discovered. Ron didn't say much but I thought from then on that he didn't have the same interest.
Greg Lee
Henry Foster What year was that? Ron was a dedicated railway man, I picked that up the first time I met him. He was also a very nice bloke who had an interest in the history.
Henry Foster
Greg Lee Mate, can't remember but he did make a name for himself around the traps.
Greg Lee
Henry Foster TI, I presume. There was a bloke from Taree who was pretty keen, but I can't remember his name. It doesn't sound like Barry Lamont.
Henry Foster
No, not the Traffic Inspector. I think Maurie Cassidy had retired by then and Peter Wicks was the TI at Taree. I found both of them to be pretty fair. I think Coramba was not in Barry's area.
Greg Lee
Henry Foster Yes, Peter Wicks was the bloke from Taree. I met him a couple of times. If not the TI, then it would have to be the DS. Doesn't sound like Tom Cuthbert to me.
Henry Foster
Greg Lee Might have had the title assistant to the DS?
Greg Lee
Henry Foster OK, I had forgotten there was an assistant DS. There was a bloke in the Traffic Office with the initials AS, not sure what his position was.
Garry Hayes
Greg Lee if it's the AS I'm thinking of he was the ADS under TC, and I seriously doubt he'd do something like that, nor do I reckon he'd be interested in such things.
Henry Foster
As I said, best left nameless but not anyone you have mentioned.
Greg Lee
Henry Foster I only met Tom once, and I found him to be a very fair and decent bloke. He was also very much a railway bloke. He was absolutely outraged when the BLE and GCM were abolished in 1990 (I think it was), and I think he left the job about then.
Henry Foster
Greg Lee I think I only saw Tom once. He jumped out of the up BLE at Landrigans to authorise a proceed order at Landrigans after the staff had disappeared down the bank in the dark.
Colin Sutton
I worked there as RASM R/T from 63 to 66 working. Raleigh at and. Coramba
I remember vividly the run away quad approaching riderless from the South,finally overheating at the. Eastbank gates.
The XPT was held at. Glenreagh and sleepers placed on the line to catch the runaway.
Down goods at Coramba, 2/6/1983 (Neil Munro)
N202 express goods at Coramba, unknown date (Neil Munro)
Plans for the SM's cottage at Coramba
Down freight leaving Coramba, 2/6/1983 (uncredited)
Coramaba signal box interior, prior to 1984 (R T Taaffe)
Coramba, 1/7/1982 (State Archives)
Coramba waiting room sign
NL26 up daylight out of Coramba, 4424 note no HFH/HFZ or PFH has DE dinner & PHS November 1985.
Photo Late Rodney James
Greg Riddel.
Greg Lee :
NR121 shut down in Coramba siding 10/6/24, testing track circuits after weekend shutdown.
Coramba on 17 February 1987 when it was unattended and no longer in use after CTC came through in 1983. No trace of the station is left now. Note the road/rail vehicle in the loop. (Peter Burr)