Type : Loop
Distance from Sydney : 875.10km
Opened : 29 August 1930, re-opened as staff station and crossing loop 13/03/1989
Closed : 1st July 1987 (1st time), 6th July 1995 (2nd and final time)
Status : Closed
Name meaning : From the location adjacent to the NSW/Queensland border.
Notes : Opened as an interlocked loop 419 metres in length. Employee platform was 4.86 metres in length. Re-opened 13/3/1989.
Border Loop signal box (Andrew Duffin)
Construction Camp, Border loop, 1927 (SLNSW)
Last Brisbane Ltd Express through Border Loop 1-7-1987
Border Loop signal box (undated, uncredited - 1960s?). Of particular interest is the "lamp room" - common to the line these were made out of old ships' water tanks.
Relief Cabin Border Loop Railway station just before station closed. (Michael Harley)
Border Loop (undated, dunedoo, flickr)
1976 floods (dunedoo)
Location of the one time loop (Six Maps)
Flood waters flooding across main line at Border Loop, 1976. Main line closed for many days between Casino and Brisbane. Flood was caused by cloud burst in local mountains. 17 inches of rain fell in about 1 1/2 Hours - note the trike in the floodwaters.
Tunnel construction Border Loop near Kyogle 1927
Wagons loaded with rock spoils from construction of the Border Loop Railway tunnel between NSW & Qld 1927
Workman on the construction of the Border Loop tunnel around 1929
Border Loop Signal Box 1971. Note the kerosene lamp on the staff exchanging platform. Taken by Darrell Edwards.
Signalmens quarters Border Loop across the creek from the main house. Taken by Darrell Edwards 1971.
Border Loop signal box "Instructions for Guards" list
on Signal box wall. The signal box has now been closed down for the 2nd and last time
Signalman Mick Harley at Border Loop Signal Box with pet Dingo "Ellie" (Michael Harley, 1978)
Border Loop signal box gutted before being removed in 1998 (Michael Harley)
DROPPING THE PEG: Ron Webb, driver has stepped outside the cab of his 45 class to perform this ritual on a north-bound freight at the crossing facilities at Border Loop, handing the peg to signalman Brian Ellis: Date not recorded. ( Photo: BOB WINCH)
Border Loop 10/3/89, looks like the loop is not in use (Paul Nugent)
Border Loop in 2016 (Darrell Edwards)
Construction at the Border Loop (SLNSW)
Border Loop diagram
Border Loop (final day, 1st time) (Greg Lee)
Border Loop, Greg Lee
The lever frame at Border Loop, the telephones and locking the door for the last time, except it wasn't the last time as the Box was reopened later (Greg Lee)
Border Loop, 1971 (Darrell Edwards)
Rail Motor at Border Loop, 1930. Description indicates that this was a regular weekend excursion train.
First official train to Brisbane at Border Loop in 1930
Border Loop, 1994, Ken Greenwald
Border Loop, 1994, Ken Greenwald
Staff at Per Way inspectors cabin at Border Loop around 1980 (Michael Harley)
Signalman's wife and family on a Villiers Motor Quad on Loop Line at Border Loop 1978 (Michael Harley)
Border Loop in 1971 (unknown photographer)
Up distant signal, QLD end of tunnel - this was a fixed signal as it wax too far away to pull (1971, unknown photographer)
Graeme Duffy waiting for a goods train to go through early 1973 (unknown photographer)
Graeme Duffy & Darren Harley early 73 (unknown photographer)
Alwyn Provost, 1973 (unknown photographer)
View of the Border Loop in 1973 - this demonstrates the isolation of the area (unknown photographer)
Dennis Clapham after a shower at perway camp, Ben 72 on rock wall ( Ben King ) Terry ( Terry Pacey ) Bull ( Al Provost ) Peter ( Peter Watson ) (unkown photographer)
Photo taken from Brisbane end of Border Loop (undated, unknown photographer)
Border Loop - mid 1970s (unknown photographer)
Caption reads "Joyce standing on platform." - 1970s (unknown photographer)
Border Loop signal box, 1970s (unknown photographer)
Border Loop in the 1970s showing all the buildings (unknown photographer)
1978 flood (unknown photographer)
2013 pics of the site (including remains of the frame) (unknown photographer)
Tagged as first train to Brisbane, however the first official train was a motor rail, so probably the first revenue train.
1998 - three years after the final closure (unknown photographer)
Sydney Morning Herald, 16/3/1954 - article on the Border Loop - of interest is the mention of housing shortages - looks like nothing's changed in the last 70 or so years!
Staff exchange, Border Loop (1989, ARHS)
Chris Collins writes:
"That is a Brian Alexander photo from his little photographic books on the Casino Murwillumbah and Border Loop"
Warren Rogers writes:
"Warren Rogers better known as bimbo on loco"
Rodney Foster:
Border loop box.
Photo taken by myself in the early 90s.
I've seen frost still on the ground at 3pm there
Ronny Webb photo. Yeerongpilly driver Ted Sodiak with 8021 at Border Loop with up freight. No date supplied.
Peter Lee :
Those who worked the boxes on the Coast will remember the Seven Day Lamp with mixed emotions.
The Up Homes at The Border were on a specially short post so as to be visible from Queensland.
Most would consider he drainage to be a bit neglected.
On this quiet 1984 Sunday, I am in the possession of a T6 300 form, issued by the SWSA at The Border, who has left the Up Home Cleared for Number Two, and is signing off. I'm taking the TIC back to Glenapp
Border Loop 10/6/1952
Peter Watson 7th class signalman whom transferred from Goobang Junction pretending to have a wash 1972. (Ben King)
Border Loop, 1973 (Ben King)
Border Loop, 1982 (State Archives)
Construction, Border Loop, January 1928 (State Archives)
Border Loop tunnel, 1928 (State Archives)
Rail Motor at Border Loop, driver training, 1930 (State Archives)
4468 brings up the "Brisbane express" to cross steam train 5035 on A.R.H.S to Casino at Border Loop cabin.
31.8.69.
(Eric Marggraf collection)
Border Loop from Brisbane Express, 19 October 1964 (Mitchell Library)
The fireman on 8007, leading a down freight, was about to hand exchange the staff with the signalman at Border Loop. This was the last NSW Railways signal box before the NSW/Queensland border. Although the automatic staff exchanger could be used at Border Loop for some reason, not on this occasion. This was the last location on the North Coast line where staff exchangers were installed and it is believed that the Queensland Railways did not want them used in Queensland. The white piece of timber beside the rail in front of the locomotive was the lid of the box that contained the staff exchanger for down trains. The staff exchanger was required to be lowered into the box when not in use. RT Taaffe Collection
Signal box opened to control a key locked crossing loop on the completion of the Uniform Gauge
line from Kyogle to Merivale Street (South Brisbane). The loop was converted from a key locked type
to a fully interlocked loop in 1944 when a larger interlocking machine was installed.
The crossing loop was closed between 1 July 1987 and 13 March 1989 as part of an ill judged
rationalisation scheme.
The signal box was closed with a signal rationalisation project between Casino and Glenapp that also
saw the construction of two new long loops.
By 1991 the signal box was largely unchanged from when constructed. Insect screens had been added to windows and doors
and the fanlight over the front window had been covered. The residence and platform which stood to the right appear to have
been demolished after road access was provided for the signalmen in the 1970s. RT Taaffe