Langley Vale

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Type : Station
Line : North Coast Line
Distance from Sydney : 400.213km
Location : -31.795120, 152.571037
Opened : Circa July 1915
Closed : 26 July 1971
Status : Closed
Name meaning : Named after a local landowner Langley and his wife (maiden name Vale)
Notes : A 45.7 metre Up side platform was constructed, later reduced to 10 metres. There was no town of any size nearby, although the mill houses ("Rotten Row") were sited fairly close by. 6/7/1915 - a trolley line to the nearby wharf was constructed. 28/8/1918 platform construction by W Langley was started and taken over by Public Works to complete. During the 1950s the only passenger traffic of any note was the school train to Taree. Dean Nowlan relocated one of the platform buildings for use as a cow shed directly behind the location of the station when it was demolished in the 1980s, the building no longer exists. This was a siding only at the start - 1915 WNs note "There is a **siding only at Langley Vale**, and passengers must not be booked thereto. *". The WNs don't appear to have a formal opening or closing date for the site.

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Langley Vale (Suzanne Hohnke)

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Location of the Langley Vale station, north of Taree, opened in 1916, closed in 1971. (Six Maps)

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1940's Langley Vale. photo Robert Bulley

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# Langley Vale (North Coast Line)
## Entries from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1916–1975

---

**Type:** Station (Closed — Platform) 
**Line:** North Coast Line (Lansdowne–Coopernook section; later Melinga–Coopernook) 
**Distance from Sydney:** 400.213 km (Mileage 248m 29c approximately; Sawmill Siding at 248m 30c) 
**Location:** -31.795120, 152.571037 
**Between:** Lansdowne/Melinga and Coopernook 
**Opened:** 1916 (platform) 
**Trolley Line to Sawmill:** **6 July 1915** — constructed prior to platform 
**Platform construction:** Started **28 August 1918** by W. Langley; taken over by Public Works to complete 
**Loop Siding:** Laid in **15 February 1922** — removed **17 November 1970** (Frame A abolished — see Lansdowne River Siding entry) 
**Station closed:** **26 July 1971** 
**Status:** Closed 
**Name meaning:** Named after local landowner Langley and his wife (maiden name Vale) 
**Platform:** 45.7-metre Up side at opening; later reduced to 10 metres 
**Setting:** No town nearby; mill houses ("Rotten Row") sited fairly close by 

---

> **Notes:** The trolley line to the Langley Vale Sawmill was constructed on **6 July 1915** — prior to the passenger platform. Platform construction was started on **28 August 1918** by W. Langley (the landowner) but was taken over by the Public Works Department to complete. The station opened in **1916** (before the platform building was formally completed in 1918).
>
> A loop siding was laid in on **15 February 1922**. At opening Langley Vale was purely a siding (no passengers permitted — see 1915 WN entry under Lansdowne River Siding). By 1924 goods shunting times of 25–30 minutes were allowed. The 1924 accommodation table shows Langley Vale as listed between Lansdowne and Coopernook. No passengers were booked to Langley Vale in the early years; it was classified under siding and platform conditions. The 1970 Sawmill Siding abolition (Frame A and 2A points at 248m 30c, 17 November 1970) removed all interlocking equipment, and the loop siding was removed simultaneously. All references to Langley Vale Sawmill Siding (signalling clearance restrictions, Grade entries) were deleted from publications W.N. 51–1970. Station closed **26 July 1971**. All remaining accommodation and Border references deleted W.N. 26–1975.
>
> During the 1950s, the only passenger traffic of note was a school train to Taree. Platform reduced from 45.7 metres to 10 metres at some point prior to closure. Dean Nowlan relocated one of the platform buildings for use as a cow shed directly behind the station location when the station was demolished in the 1980s; the building no longer exists.

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## 1915 — Trolley Line to Sawmill — 6 July 1915; Siding Only — No Passengers

### Trolley Line — 1915
> **Trolley line to Langley Vale Sawmill constructed — 6 July 1915.** *(Source: your notes)*

### Siding Only — No Passengers — 1915
> There is a **siding only at Langley Vale**, and passengers must not be booked thereto. *(Source: 1915 Weekly Notices — see Lansdowne River Siding entry)*

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## 1918 — Platform Construction Started — 28 August 1918

### Platform Construction — 1918
> Platform construction at Langley Vale started **28 August 1918** by W. Langley; taken over by Public Works to complete. *(Source: your notes)*

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## 1922 — Loop Siding Laid In — 15 February 1922

### Loop Siding — 1922
> Loop Siding laid in at Langley Vale — **15 February 1922**. *(Source: your notes — formal WN opening notice not found in OCR of 1922 volume)*

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## 1924 — Goods Shunting Times; 25–30 Minutes

### Goods Shunting Times — 1924
> - No. 19 Goods: Lansdowne [minutes]; **Langley Vale, 30 minutes**; Moorland, 15 minutes
> - No. [—]: John's River, 10; Moorland, 10; **Langley Vale, 25**; Lansdowne, 10

*(Source: 1924 Weekly Notices — see Lansdowne River Siding entry)*

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## 1930 — Shunting Times; Mill Siding Working Instructions

### Goods Shunting — 1930
> John's River, 12 minutes; Moorlands, 25 minutes; **Langley Vale, 15 minutes**; Lansdowne, 10 minutes; Kundle Kundle, 10 minutes. *(Source: 1930 Weekly Notices)*

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## 1970 — Sawmill Siding and Loop Siding Abolished; References Deleted — W.N. 51–1970

### Grade and Clearance References Deleted — W.N. 51–1970
> **Page 101 — Grades at Stations, Sidings, Platforms and Signal Boxes** — Delete **Langley Vale Sawmill Siding** and relevant particulars. (A. 1–70–32,706.) *(W.N. 51–1970)*

> **Page 171 — Sidings in which the Governor-General's car and other 72-foot vehicles must not be placed owing to insufficient clearance** — Delete **Langley Vale Siding** and relevant particulars. *(W.N. 51–1970)*

> **Page 303 — Stations and Sidings — Langley Vale** — Delete all reference to gates and Sawmill Siding. *(W.N. 51–1970)*

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## 1971 — Station Closed — 26 July 1971

### Station Closed — 26 July 1971
> **Langley Vale station closed — 26 July 1971.** *(Source: your notes — formal closure notice not found in OCR of 1971 Weekly Notices)*

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## 1975 — Remaining References Deleted — W.N. 26–1975

### References Deleted — W.N. 26–1975
> **Page 81 — Accommodation Provided** — Delete all reference to Lansdowne, **Langley Vale** and Colombatti.
>
> **Maitland–Queensland Border via Kyogle** — Delete all reference to Lansdowne, **Langley Vale** and Pembrook. *(W.N. 26–1975)*

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## Summary of Key Events

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| **6 July 1915** | **Trolley line to Langley Vale Sawmill constructed** |
| 1915 | Siding only — no passengers permitted; section Lansdowne–Coopernook |
| **1916** | **Platform opened** — 45.7-metre Up side |
| **28 August 1918** | Platform construction (re)started by W. Langley; taken over by Public Works to complete |
| **15 February 1922** | **Loop Siding laid in** |
| 1924 | 25–30 minutes goods shunting |
| 1950s | School train to Taree only passenger traffic of note |
| **17 November 1970** | **Loop Siding removed** — Frame A and 2A points at 248m 30c abolished; all Sawmill Siding references deleted (W.N. 48 and 51–1970) |
| **26 July 1971** | **Station closed** |
| 1980s | Station demolished; platform building relocated by Dean Nowlan as cow shed (no longer exists) |
| W.N. 26–1975 | Remaining accommodation and Border references deleted |

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*Extracted from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1916–1975.* 
*Note: Langley Vale is unusual in that platform construction was begun by the landowner (W. Langley) and then completed by Public Works — a reversal of the normal community-initiative pattern where the railway administration builds and locals use. The 71-foot clearance restriction on the Sawmill Siding (Governor-General's car and other 72-foot vehicles not permitted) is one of only a handful of vehicle-length clearance restrictions documented in the North Coast collection.*