Barokee

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Type : Siding
Distance from Sydney : 219.977km
Opened : Opened 24 July 1924 as Martins Creek Metal Quarry, Renamed Barokee 1 January 1927, Renamed BHP By-products 28 November 1927
Closed : 20 September 1939
Status : Closed
Name meaning : Aboriginal word meaning "place of stone"
Notes : No platform existed at the site, a 90kl tank existed here and there are some indications that the base still exists. BAROKEE 219.977km/ 36.8m Opened as MARTIN CREEK METAL QUARRY 24.7.1924,
changed to BAROKEE 1.1.1927, to B.H.P. By-products 28.11.1927, closed
20.9.1939. Opened with an Up side 440' loop siding, this was truncated in 1934 to a deadend siding.

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BAROKEE 219.977km/ 36.8m Opened as MARTIN CREEK METAL QUARRY 24.7.1924,
changed to BAROKEE 1.1.1927, to B.H.P. By-products 28.11.1927, closed
20.9.1939.
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.
An Aboriginal word meaning 'Place of stone.'
No platform. A 90kl single tier tank on a concrete stand 635mm high was located at the
quarry. Opened with an Up side loop siding, this was truncated in 1934 to a deadend siding.

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Barokee location (Hi Res)

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# Barokee (North Coast Line)
## Entries from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1924–1939

---

**Type:** Siding (Loop Siding, later Dead-end) 
**Line:** North Coast Line (Martin's Creek–Wallarobba section) 
**Distance from Sydney:** 219.977 km (Mileage 136.55) 
**Between:** Martin's Creek and Wallarobba 
**Opened:** **24 July 1924** as **Martin's Creek Metal Quarries Siding** (W.N. 30–1924) 
**Renamed:** **Barokee** — **1 January 1927** (W.N. — 1927) 
**Renamed:** **BHP By-products** — **28 November 1927** (W.N. — 1927) 
**Loop Truncated to Dead-end:** 1934 (W.N. 28–1934) 
**Closed:** **20 September 1939** (W.N. 40–1939) 
**Status:** Closed 
**Name meaning:** Aboriginal word meaning "place of stone" 
**Side of line:** Up side 
**Loop length at opening:** 440 feet standing room 
**Grade:** 1 in 943 feet, rising on the Down journey 
**Frame at closure:** Frame "A" (removed with connections on closure) 
**Water:** 90 kl tank present at site (some indications the base still exists) 

---

> **Note on spelling:** The 1927 Weekly Notice rename entry reads "R.4ROKEE" in the OCR text — this is a clear OCR error where the capital "B" was read as "R" and the "a" as "4". All subsequent entries (1928, 1929, 1934, 1939) confirm the correct spelling as **Barokee**.
>
> **Note on names:** Three names in 15 years — Martin's Creek Metal Quarries Siding (1924), Barokee (1927), BHP By-products (1927). The 1927 renaming to Barokee was specifically to avoid confusion with the Departmental and State Quarry Sidings at Martin's Creek station itself. The subsequent rename to BHP By-products reflects the takeover of the quarry operations by the Broken Hill Proprietary Company.

---

## 1924 — Siding Opened as Martin's Creek Metal Quarries Siding — 24 July 1924

### Siding Opened — W.N. 30–1924
> **Provision of Siding for Martin's Creek Metal Quarries Ltd., Mileage 136.55, between Martin's Creek and Wallarobba (North Coast)** — On **Thursday, 24th July, 1924**, between 8.0 a.m. and 5.0 p.m., a new Loop Siding, laid in on the **Up side** of the line at Mileage **136.55**, between Martin's Creek and Wallarobba, to be known as **MARTIN'S CREEK METAL QUARRIES SIDING**, will be brought into use.
>
> Description — There are **440 feet standing room** in the Siding. *(W.N. 30–1924)*

---

## 1927 — Renamed Barokee — 1 January 1927; Renamed BHP By-products — 28 November 1927

### Renamed Barokee — W.N. — 1927
> **Alteration of Names of Martin's Creek Metal Quarries Sidings** — Commencing at once [**1 January 1927**], the name of Martin's Creek Metal Quarries Sidings at Mileage **136.55**, between Martin's Creek and Wallarobba, is to be altered to **"BAROKEE."**
>
> These Sidings must not be confused with the Departmental and State Quarry Sidings at Martin's Creek. *(W.N. — 1927)*

### Renamed BHP By-products — 28 November 1927
> From **28 November 1927** the siding at Mileage 136.55 was renamed **BHP By-products**. *(Source: external records — not found under this name in OCR text of Weekly Notices, likely due to OCR corruption)*

---

## 1928 — Goods Train Shunting Times; 9 Minutes Allowed at Barokee

### Goods Shunting Times — 1928
> No. [—] Goods — **Barokee, 9 minutes**; Hilldale, [—] minutes; Wiragulla, [—] minutes for work. *(Source: 1928 Weekly Notices — OCR: "Earokee" = Barokee)*

---

## 1929 — Full Working Instructions; Loop Siding on Up Side; Metal Screens; Width/Height Restrictions

### Working Instructions — W.N. — 1929
> **Barokee (North Coast)** — This Loop Siding is laid in on the **Up side** of the line at Mileage **136.55**, between Martin's Creek and Wallarobba, and is on a grade of **1 in 943 feet, rising on the Down journey**.
>
> Metal screens are provided at the chutes to enable the metal to be loaded into trucks, and **no engine, covered van, or other vehicle which exceeds a width of 10 feet or a height of 10 feet 4 inches** above the rail level is to be allowed to proceed on the Siding sufficiently far to foul the screens. *(W.N. — 1929)*

---

## 1934 — Loop Connection at Grafton End Removed; Points Direction Altered — 12 July 1934

### Connection at Grafton End Removed — W.N. 28–1934
> **Barokee (North Coast) — Removal of Connection at Grafton End of Siding** — On **Thursday, 12th July, 1934**, between 10.0 a.m. and 4.0 p.m., the connection between the Main line and the Grafton end of the Siding, worked from **Frame "B,"** will be removed. *(W.N. 28–1934)*

### Points Direction Altered — W.N. 28–1934
> **Page 31 — Barokee (North Coast)** — Substitute **"Down"** for **"Loop"** in column headed "Direction in which Points Face." *(W.N. 28–1934)*

> **Note:** These two entries together confirm the conversion of Barokee from a loop siding to a dead-end siding in July 1934. The removal of the Grafton-end connection (Frame B) and the substitution of "Down" for "Loop" in the points direction column indicate the siding now faced Down trains only — consistent with your notes that the loop was "truncated in 1934 to a dead-end siding."

---

## 1939 — Siding Abolished — 20 September 1939

### Siding Abolished — W.N. 40–1939
> **Barokee (North Coast) — Abolition of Siding** — On **20th September, 1939**, the siding at Barokee was abolished. **Frame "A" and connections were removed.** *(W.N. 40–1939)*

### Shunting Charges Deleted — W.N. 41–1939
> **Merchandise and Livestock Rates Book — Charges for Shunting — Martin's Creek–Barokee (North Coast) — Abolition of Siding** — The siding at Barokee has been abolished. Delete relative particulars. *(W.N. 41–1939)*

### Final Deletion from All Publications — W.N. 41–1939
> - **Pages 203 and 252 — Barokee (North Coast) — Abolition of Siding** — Delete Barokee and relative particulars.
> - **Pages 31, 58, 73 and 264** — Delete Barokee and relative particulars.
> - **Page 5–4** (Collieries) — Delete Barokee and relative particulars. *(W.N. 41–1939)*

---

## Summary of Key Events

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| **24 July 1924** | **Opened as Martin's Creek Metal Quarries Siding** — Up side loop siding at 136.55; 440-foot standing room (W.N. 30–1924) |
| **1 January 1927** | **Renamed Barokee** — to avoid confusion with Departmental/State Quarry Sidings at Martin's Creek station; note: OCR reads "R.4ROKEE" — confirmed as BAROKEE from all subsequent entries |
| **28 November 1927** | **Renamed BHP By-products** — reflecting takeover of quarry by Broken Hill Proprietary Company |
| 1928 | 9 minutes allowed for goods work at Barokee (OCR: "Earokee") |
| W.N. — 1929 | Full working instructions — grade 1 in 943 feet rising Down; metal screens at chutes; width 10 feet / height 10 feet 4 inches above rail restriction |
| **12 July 1934** | **Loop converted to dead-end** — Grafton-end connection (Frame B) removed; points direction changed from "Loop" to "Down" (W.N. 28–1934) |
| **20 September 1939** | **Siding abolished** — Frame A and connections removed (W.N. 40–1939) |
| W.N. 41–1939 | Deleted from all publications — shunting charges, collieries list, rates book, local appendix |

---

*Extracted from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1924–1939.* 
*Note: The OCR corruption of "BAROKEE" as "R.4ROKEE" in the 1927 rename notice was identified by cross-referencing with the 1928 and 1929 entries where the name appears consistently as "Barokee" (or OCR variant "Earokee"). The width and height restrictions at the metal loading screens (10 feet wide, 10 feet 4 inches high) reflect the tight clearances of the quarry loading infrastructure — any standard-width covered van would have been prohibited from entering far enough to reach the screens.*