Station
Distance from Sydney : 194.739km
Opened : 14 August 1911 as West Maitland Marshalling Yard, 15 April 1922 renamed Telarah
Closed : n/a
Status : In use
Name meaning : after Telarah House, an adjacent property
Notes : 132 metre Up side platform. 31/8/1914 interlocking introduced. 10/4/1916 trucking yards built. 30/6/1922 passenger platform with waiting shed and awning erected (this was the same year that a request was made for the Kempsey Mail to stop at the station). 1937 - electric lights added. 1945 - Lamp Room added at Down end of yard. 11/4/1945 - central interlocked loop installed. 1947 - crossing loop added. 24/1/1956 - triangle to Great North opened. Station rebuilt 1997.
Undated photo of Telarah prior to modernisation (uncredited)
Visit of Flying Scotsman Locomotive, 4 March 1989 at Telarah Signal.
This photograph was taken by Brian R Andrews of Killingworth, NSW.
Telarah (Allan Sharp, 1982)
Telarah (1982, Warren Banfield)
Telarah (1984, uncredited)
Telarah in 2014 (no copyright)
The surviving sections of the former Telarah station building at Pelaw Main. (1997 (flickr)
Telarah (4/3/89) (flickr)
Telarah (Stephen Miller)
Telarah from NT35 24/4/2021 (Lance Lyon)
3AB7 behind 48120-48136-4490 have arrived at Telarah while 761-661 Newcastle service waits to depart. 4454 is in the yard. 9-7-1992
Facilities at Telarah early 1980s - rather primitive to say the least!
Telarah in the early 1980s
Telarah derailment, 7.2.1965 (Ken Magor)
Pilgrim's Train at Telarah in 1933
Two new (Qld) suburban carriage shells at Telarah being forwarded by goods train en-route to Brisbane for fitting out etc. - January 1962. ((c) Graham Ahern)
Philip Tatarinov writes:
Who remembers when, I think Rick Endecott went through the jacks, south end Telarah yard. The 44 was on a 30 degree angle. Forgotten who my mate was, but we relieved the brake down crew. First time I ever saw a sling used to right a loco. Forgotten date.
Telarah (1980s ?) (not credited)
Now here's a bit of a mystery - this is an article from The Maitland Daily Mercury, Friday July 22nd 1921. This is the very first mention of Telarah (station) in any newspaper and it indicates that the station was to be called "Telarah" and would open as such on July 25th with two attendants being sent. It does mention the "marshalling yards platform" but seems to indicate that trains would commence stopping there for the first time from the 25th. this is at odds with the opening of "West Maitland Marshalling Yards" on the 14th August 1911 - was the platform here only an employee platform until 1921 ? Also, the "official" change of name is 15/4/1922 - but it would appear that for the best part of a year before that it already bore the name "Telarah" and not "West Maitland Marshalling Yards"
Telarah, May 2020 (Stephen Joseph Miller)
Telarah, 11/3/2019 (Rob Rouse)
A relic from Telarah signal box (Darrell Edwards)
1981 lever plates (Cheech Cat)
Derailment at Telarah
Pilgrim's Train at Telarah in 1933
Telarah from NT35 (Lance Lyon) (24/4/2021)
I'm thinking that gangers at Telarah in 1937 may have had a bit too much spare time on their hands!
3AB7 behind 48120-48136-4490 have arrived at Telarah while 761-661 Newcastle service waits to depart. 4454 is in the yard. 9-7-1992
Where the C.T.C. signalling to Casino commenced. A view from NT-25, the "Grafton XPT" approaching signal MD-301 at Telarah with the turnout indication displayed from double track to the single line. The Starting signal, MD-305 is under the overbridge ahead. 25-3-1994. (Graeme Kirby)
Up pass near Telarah 1981 (Steven Nell)
TELARAH 194.739km/14.6m Opened as MAITLAND MARSHALLING YARD 14.8.1911,
changed to TELARAH 15.4.1922.
Line opened from Maitland to Dungog 14.8.1911, single track, construction contract
from Maitland to Dungog let to Carson, Cary & Simpson on 28.4.1908.
The station is said to have been named after Telarah House, an adjoining property.
The Up side platform is 132m long, with booking office & general waiting room ..
The school opened as HOLMSVILLE 10.1890, to TELARAH 1.1950, post office opened
15.11.1915.
31.8.1914 - Interlocked without loop & Electric Staff working introduced.
10.4.1916 - Trucking yards built.
30.6.1922 - Passenger platform a 131m long with waiting shed and awning erected.
1926 - Installation of cattle race and yard crane.
1937 - Provision of electric light at station and signal box.
1945 - Provision of a lamp room at Down end of yard.
11.4.1945 - Central interlocked loop laid in.
1947 - Crossing loop laid in.
24.1.1956 - Triangle connection to North Main line opened.
Telarah, Maitland Council Abattoir siding and Walka power station siding - a brief history.
Up goods approaching Telarah (undated)
Telarah (undated) (Booth collection)
4464 Down goods at Telarah, 5/3/83 (Munro)
Construction of the triangle at Telarah (21/03/1955) (uncredited)
Telarah (undated)
Telarah, 24/09/1966
Telarah signal box, undated
Telarah, 4/5/97
Telarah, 4/5/97
3MB4 Down freight at Telarah, 15/4/2009 (Con Munro)
AS27 empty Coal to Stratford, 13/6/1996 (Neil Munro)
5/3/1983 - Down goods at Telarah (Neil Munro)
3661 leads a tour train at Telarah station, 24/9/1966 (A Grunbach)
Down goods at Telarah, 14/12/1957 (C Winney)
Up ballast train at Telarah, undated (C Winney)
665 departs Telarah for Newcastle (undated) (Booth Collection)
3/11/1990 - ballast train at Telarah (Winney Collection)
Telarah station - 4/5/1997 (uncredited)
Looking north from the end of the platform at Telarah (Booth Collection)
Telarah looking from platform towards Maitland, 4 November 2007 (Weston Langford Collection)
Telarah looking North from Platform, 4 November 2007 (Weston Langford Collection)
Overbridge reconstruction, Telarah, 1971 (State Archives)
Telarah (undated) Glenn A. Rose
48124+8001 6AB6 Telarah 30-05-93 (Leon Batman)
Up coal and Down empty coal at Telarah, 13/6/1996 (NW Munro)
Two-car diesel railcar set 630+730 after arriving on a local service from Newcastle sits at Telarah, NSW, June 10, 1984.