Herke's Siding

[admin]

Type : Siding
Line : North Coast Line
Distance from Sydney : 300.000km (approximate)
Location : -32.071487, 151.952199
Opened : 31 March 1914
Closed : 1922
Status : Closed
Name meaning : Named after the timber mill it serviced
Notes : Originally designated "Beacroft's Siding" in W.N. 13–1914 (the opening notice) — a misspelling of the partner's name (Beecroft). The correct name **Herkes Siding** was confirmed in the same Weekly Notice number with a correcting notice (reference 13–38,224). The siding was on the **Up side** of the Main Line at Mileage 86.44 from Newcastle, between Stratford and Gloucester, with standing room for 21 four-wheeled vehicles. Signal and interlocking arrangements per Circular No. 52 of 1914. **Note on name:** The correct spelling appears as "Herkes Siding" (no apostrophe) in the 1914 correction notice and most 1915 entries; "Herkes' Siding" in some 1915 timetable entries; and "Herke's Siding" (with apostrophe) in the 1921 and 1922 administrative boundary entries. "Herke's Siding" — the possessive form - is consistent with the later entries. No formal notice of closure.

[admin]

Messrs Herkes and Beecroft owned a wood mill at Coxwood railway siding. Often
there were 20 carts at a time at the siding to offload wood for shipment to Sydney, the
carters being paid 1/- per ton. A timber railway at Stratford brought logs from the east
to a mill located south of the village (the Herkes and Beecroft mill?), using timber rails
and horse power.

[admin]

Name of Beacroft's Siding altered to Herkes Siding (North Coast)-This siding, which is situated at mileage 86.44 from Newcastle, between Stratford and Gloucester, is wrongly designated as Beacroft'e siding in Weekly Notice No. 13 of 1914. The correct name is Herkes Siding.

[admin]

# Herke's Siding (North Coast Line)
## Entries from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1914–1922

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**Type:** Siding (Closed — Timber Mill) 
**Line:** North Coast Line (Dungog–Stroud Road section; later Craven–Berrico) 
**Distance from Sydney:** 300.000 km (approximate); Mileage **86.44 from Newcastle** (per 1914 opening notice); between Stratford and Gloucester 
**Location:** -32.071487, 151.952199 
**Opened:** **31 March 1914** (Tuesday, at noon) — W.N. 13–1914 
**Closed:** By 1922 (see notes; formal abolition notice not found in WN) 
**Status:** Closed 
**Name meaning:** Named after the timber mill it serviced (Herke and Beecroft — partners) 
**Side of line:** Up side 
**Standing room:** 21 four-wheeled vehicles 
**Circular:** No. 52 of 1914 (signal and interlocking arrangements — W.N. 13–1914) 

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> **Notes:** Originally designated "Beacroft's Siding" in W.N. 13–1914 (the opening notice) — a misspelling of the partner's name (Beecroft). The correct name **Herkes Siding** was confirmed in the same Weekly Notice number with a correcting notice (reference 13–38,224). The siding was on the **Up side** of the Main Line at Mileage 86.44 from Newcastle, between Stratford and Gloucester, with standing room for 21 four-wheeled vehicles. Signal and interlocking arrangements per Circular No. 52 of 1914.
>
> In active use 1915 — goods shunting times of 10 minutes (Nos. 104 and 107 Pick-up) and 15 minutes (No. 44 Pick-up). Listed in timetable tables 1915 as "Herkes Siding\*" (asterisk = unattended) between Stratford and Gloucester/Bulliac in both Up and Down working timetables.
>
> The 1921 and 1922 references to "Herke's Siding" in the Weekly Notices appear in the context of a Traffic Inspector's district boundary description ("Nundah to West Maitland and Herke's Siding") — these are administrative boundary references, not operational entries, and do not confirm the siding was still open in those years. No formal abolition notice has been found in the WN collection; the closure date of 1922 in your notes may reflect when the timber operations ceased. The district boundary reference suggests the siding's name remained in administrative use even after closure.
>
> **Note on name:** The correct spelling appears as "Herkes Siding" (no apostrophe) in the 1914 correction notice and most 1915 entries; "Herkes' Siding" in some 1915 timetable entries; and "Herke's Siding" (with apostrophe) in the 1921 and 1922 administrative boundary entries. Your notes give "Herke's Siding" — the possessive form is consistent with the later entries.

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## 1914 — Opened as Beacroft's Siding — 31 March 1914; Name Corrected to Herkes Siding — W.N. 13–1914

### Opening Notice — W.N. 13–1914 (Beacroft's Siding — incorrect name)
> **Beacroft's Siding (North Coast)** — On **Tuesday, 31st March, 1914, at noon**, a new Loop Siding, laid in on the **Up side** of the Main line, at Mileage **86.44 from Newcastle**, between Stratford and Gloucester, will be brought into use.
>
> There will be standing room for **21 four-wheeled vehicles** in the siding.
>
> The signal and interlocking arrangements will be in accordance with **Circular No. 52 of 1914**. *(W.N. 13–1914)*

### Name Corrected — Same W.N. 13–1914
> **Name of Beacroft's Siding altered to Herkes Siding (North Coast)** — This siding, which is situated at mileage **86.44 from Newcastle**, between Stratford and Gloucester, is wrongly designated as Beacroft's Siding in Weekly Notice No. 13 of 1914. The correct name is **Herkes Siding**. (13–38,224.) *(W.N. 13–1914)*

> **Note:** Both the opening notice (using the incorrect name "Beacroft's Siding") and the name correction appear in the same Weekly Notice No. 13 of 1914. This unusual self-correction within the same issue suggests the error was discovered during the printing/distribution process and a correction notice was added. The correcting notice reference (13–38,224) confirms it was a formal administrative correction, not merely a footnote.

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## 1915 — Active Use; Goods Shunting Times; Listed in Up and Down Timetables

### Goods Shunting Times — 1915
> - No. 104 Pick-up: Stratford, 10 minutes; **Herkes Siding, 10 minutes**
> - No. 107 Pick-up: Stratford, 10 minutes; **Herkes Siding, 10 minutes**
> - No. 44 Pick-up: **Herkes Siding, 15 minutes**; Stratford, 15 minutes; Craven, 20 minutes; Ward's River, 15 minutes

*(Source: 1915 Weekly Notices — goods shunting time tables, listed multiple times)*

### Listed in Working Timetable — Up and Down — 1915
> **Down journey** (Newcastle to Taree) — **Herkes Siding\*** listed between Stratford and Bulliac/Gloucester.
>
> **Up journey** (Taree to Newcastle) — **Herkes' Siding** listed between Gloucester/Bulliac and Stratford.
>
> **Herkes Siding\*** — listed with asterisk (unattended) in station sequence. *(Source: 1915 Weekly Notices — Working Timetable entries, listed six times)*

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## 1921–1922 — Administrative Boundary Reference

### Traffic Inspector District Boundary — 1921 and 1922
> **Nundah to West Maitland and Herke's Siding** — Traffic Inspector's district boundary reference. *(Source: 1921 and 1922 Weekly Notices)*

> **Note:** These references use "Herke's Siding" in the context of a Traffic Inspector's area of responsibility — not as an operational entry confirming the siding was open. The district boundary may have been defined by this point on the map regardless of whether the siding was still operational.

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## Summary of Key Events

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| **31 March 1914** | **Opened as Beacroft's Siding** — Loop Siding, Up side, Mileage 86.44 from Newcastle (between Stratford and Gloucester); 21 four-wheeled vehicles standing room; Circular No. 52 of 1914 (W.N. 13–1914) |
| **W.N. 13–1914** | **Name corrected to Herkes Siding** — "Beacroft's Siding" was incorrect; Herke and Beecroft were the mill owners (note: "Beacroft" in original WN is an OCR/typographic variant of "Beecroft") |
| 1915 | In active use — 10–15 minutes goods shunting; listed as unattended (\*) in Up and Down Working Timetables; between Stratford and Bulliac/Gloucester |
| 1921–1922 | Name appears in Traffic Inspector district boundary descriptions ("Nundah to West Maitland and Herke's Siding") — not confirmed open as operational siding |
| **1922** | **Closed** — per your notes; no formal abolition notice found in WN collection |

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*Extracted from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1914–1922.* 
*Note: The simultaneous opening notice (Beacroft's Siding) and name correction (Herkes Siding) within the same W.N. 13–1914 is unique in the collection — the only case found where an opening notice and a correction to that same notice appeared in the same Weekly Notice issue. The reference 13–38,224 on the correction notice is a formal administrative number confirming this was not a casual footnote but a properly recorded administrative correction.*