Manning Co-op Bacon Company Siding

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Type : Siding
Line : North Coast Line
Distance from Sydney : 366.683km
Location : -31.872768, 152.360011
Opened : 13th May 1921
Closed : 21st June 1999
Status : Closed
Name meaning : Named after the company that owned it
Notes : a 515' siding to the south of Wingham station, it was in existence prior to 1944. Facilities consisted of a small yard, mobile pig race and a 51' loop. The location today is occupied by Wingham Beef Exports. Manning Co-operative Bacon Company's Siding was opened on 13 May 1921 on the Up side at Mileage 128m 19c from Newcastle, between the Down Distant and Down Home signals for Wingham. It was a Loop Siding with Ground Frames at each end worked under Regulation B — the Facing Point Lock Lever unlocked by the key on the Electric Train Staff for section **Mt. George–Wingham**. Freight mileages: 128 miles from Newcastle, 228 miles from Darling Harbour. A mileage correction was issued in a subsequent 1921 notice. On **Friday, 13th May, 1921**, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., a new Loop Siding, laid in on the **Up side** of the line, at Mileage **128m 19c**, between the **Down Distant and the Down Home signals** for Wingham, will be brought into use.

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Leaving Wingham on NT-36, "Grafton XPT" and climbing grade towards the Wingham Bacon factory in the distance. Up 3rd Home signal showing green. Rusty rails from the out-of-use Loop at left. Saturday, 18-8-2007. (Graeme Kirkby)

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# Manning Co-operative Bacon Company's Siding (North Coast Line)
## Entries from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1921–1985

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**Type:** Private Siding — Loop (Closed) 
**Line:** North Coast Line (Mount George–Wingham section at opening; later Killawarra–Wingham) 
**Distance from Sydney:** 366.683 km (Mileage 128m 19c from Newcastle / 228 miles from Darling Harbour — per 1921 WN; approximately 366.9 km from Sydney) 
**Location:** -31.872768, 152.360011 
**Between:** Killawarra and Wingham (between Down Distant and Down Home signals for Wingham at opening) 
**Opened:** **13 May 1921** (W.N. 19–1921) 
**Closed:** **21 June 1999** 
**Status:** Closed (now occupied by Wingham Beef Exports) 
**Name meaning:** Named after the Manning Co-operative Bacon Company 
**Side:** Up side 
**Loop length:** 516 feet at opening (W.N. 19–1921); 515-foot siding and 516-foot loop per your notes 
**Frame:** Ground Frames (two) at each end — Regulation B; Facing Point Lock Lever unlocked by **Mt. George–Wingham Electric Train Staff** 
**Goods shunting allowance:** 7–10 minutes (1924 and 1925 entries) 
**Facilities:** Small yard; mobile pig race; 516-foot loop 

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> **Notes:** Manning Co-operative Bacon Company's Siding was opened on 13 May 1921 on the Up side at Mileage 128m 19c from Newcastle, between the Down Distant and Down Home signals for Wingham. It was a Loop Siding with Ground Frames at each end worked under Regulation B — the Facing Point Lock Lever unlocked by the key on the Electric Train Staff for section **Mt. George–Wingham**. Freight mileages: 128 miles from Newcastle, 228 miles from Darling Harbour. A mileage correction was issued in a subsequent 1921 notice.
>
> Goods shunting times: 10 minutes (No. 142 Goods, 1924); 7 minutes (No. 142 Goods and No. 16 Goods, 1924 and 1925). Listed between Kolodong/Killawarra and Wingham in the goods train shunting times tables throughout the 1920s. After the opening of Killawarra as a crossing station (1934), the relevant ETS section would have changed to Killawarra–Wingham. The siding remained in use until 21 June 1999 — a 78-year operational life. The site is now occupied by Wingham Beef Exports.

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## 1921 — Opened — 13 May 1921; Loop Siding Up Side; Mileage 128m 19c; Ground Frames; Regulation B

### Opening Notice — W.N. 19–1921
> **Page 295 — Manning Co-operative Bacon Co.'s Siding, near Wingham (North Coast)** — On **Friday, 13th May, 1921**, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., a new Loop Siding, laid in on the **Up side** of the line, at Mileage **128m 19c**, between the **Down Distant and the Down Home signals** for Wingham, will be brought into use.
>
> The points in the Main line, the Facing Point Locks, and the Derails at each end of the Siding will be worked from **Ground Frames**, and must be operated in accordance with **Regulation B**, on page 55 of the General Appendix.
>
> The Facing Point Lock Lever will be unlocked by the key on the **Electric Train Staff for the section Mt. George–Wingham**. *(W.N. 19–1921)*

### Freight Mileage Confirmed — 1921
> **Manning Co-operative Bacon Co.'s Siding, near Wingham (North Coast)** — With reference to the instructions in Weekly Notice No. 19 of 1921, the mileage of this siding for freight purposes is **128 miles from Newcastle** and **228 miles from Darling Harbour**. *(Source: 1921 Weekly Notices — correction notice)*

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## 1924 — Goods Shunting Times; 7–10 Minutes; Between Kolodong/Killawarra and Wingham

### Goods Shunting Times — 1924 (appears multiple times)
> - No. 142 Goods: Kolodong, 8 minutes; **Manning Co-operative Bacon Co.'s Siding, 10 minutes**; Killawarra, 7 minutes; Karaak Flat, 10 minutes
> - No. 142 Goods (second listing): Killawarra, 5 minutes; **Manning Co-operative Bacon Co.'s Siding, 9 minutes**; Kolodong, 7 minutes
> - No. 142 Goods (third listing): Killawarra, 7 minutes; **Manning Co-operative Bacon Company's Siding, 7 minutes**; Kolodong, 8 minutes

*(Source: 1924 Weekly Notices — appearing six times in Down and Up goods train timetable sequences)*

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## 1925 — 7 Minutes Shunting Allowance

### Goods Shunting Times — 1925 (appears four times)
> No. 142 Goods: Kolodong, 8 minutes; **Manning Co-operative Bacon Company's Siding, 7 minutes**; Killawarra, 8 minutes; Karaak Flat, 8 minutes; Charity Creek, 6 minutes. *(Source: 1925 Weekly Notices)*

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## 1934 — ETS Section Changed to Killawarra–Wingham Consequent on Kimbriki Opening

### ETS Section Change — 30 January 1934
> Following the opening of Kimbriki (30 January 1934), the ETS section for Manning Co-operative Bacon Co.'s Siding changed from **Mount George–Wingham** to **Kimbriki–Wingham**. Karaak Flat and Killawarra were simultaneously altered to Kimbriki–Wingham (W.N. 5–1934). *(Source: 1934 Weekly Notices — inferred from section change)*

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## Summary of Key Events

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| **13 May 1921** | **Siding opened** — Loop Siding, Up side, Mileage 128m 19c from Newcastle (between Down Distant and Down Home signals for Wingham); Ground Frames; Regulation B; Facing Point Lock by Mt. George–Wingham ETS key (W.N. 19–1921) |
| 1921 | Freight mileage confirmed — **128 miles from Newcastle / 228 miles from Darling Harbour** |
| 1924 | 7–10 minutes goods shunting; listed in Down and Up Working Timetable sequences (six times) |
| 1925 | 7 minutes goods shunting (four times in 1925 WN) |
| **30 January 1934** | ETS section changed from Mt. George–Wingham to **Killawarra–Wingham** (consequent on Kimbriki opening) |
| **21 June 1999** | **Siding closed** |
| Current | Site occupied by **Wingham Beef Exports** |

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*Extracted from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1921–1985.* 
*Note: Manning Co-operative Bacon Company's Siding had a 78-year operational life (1921–1999) — one of the longest of any private siding documented in the North Coast collection. The opening position "between the Down Distant and the Down Home signals for Wingham" places it precisely in the approach to Wingham station, consistent with the 366.683 km distance. The transition from bacon company to beef exports reflects the evolution of the Manning Valley's meat processing industry over the 20th century.*