Tugrabakh

[admin]

Type : Station
Line : North Coast Line
Distance from Sydney : 315.326km
Location : -31.963250, 151.983888
Opened : 23rd August 1921 (original platform) 29 April 1932 (station)
Closed : 10 July 1965
Status : Closed
Name meaning : Named after a mountain and creek in the vicinity which in turn are for the Aboriginal word "stringy bark"
Notes : On 23/8/1921 a Mr W J Simpson opened a platform at this location to serve local residents. This Up side platform was 45.7 metres in length, reduced to 15.24 metres at a later date. 1924 — Listed as Unattended; No Goods. On Sundays, trains call at **Tugrabakh** to **set down extra gang**. *(Source: 1930 Weekly Notices)* Trains called at Tugrabakh and Nooroo to set down workmen (1935 WN — listed together). The station closed on 10 July 1965 — deleted from Public Time-Table (Pages 12, 82 and 83), Working Time-Table Northern Division (Pages 174–182 and 213–220), Local Appendix — North (Pages 79 and 101, "platform abolished"), and Alphabetical List (Page 86). Accommodation table at closure: 248U feet standing room (75.5m) deleted; substituted 50U feet (15.2m) — this reflects the platform length of 18.2 metres at closure (50 feet = 15.24m per W.N. 27–1965).

[admin]

Tugrabakh is a location six km north of Gloucester - about where the railway line swings around in a large curve (see map), but between 1922 and 1965 there was a siding there - the attached clipping indicates this was paid for by the locals. I haven't been able to locate any pictures of the location that show any (previous) railway infrastructure in the area.

[admin]

The Up side platform was 45.7m long when opened and reduced to 18.2m at a later date.
23.8.1921 - Provision of a platform for W.J.Stimson on behalf of local residents.

[admin]

# Tugrabakh (North Coast Line)
## Entries from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1922–1965

---

**Type:** Station (Closed — Platform) 
**Line:** North Coast Line (Gloucester–Yumbunga section; later Yumbunga–Bulliac section reference) 
**Distance from Sydney:** 315.326 km (196 miles from Sydney / 97 miles from Newcastle — per 1922 WN) 
**Location:** -31.963250, 151.983888 
**Between:** Gloucester and Mount George 
**Opened (platform):** **23 August 1921** — Mr W.J. Simpson opened a platform to serve local residents 
**Opened (station):** **29 April 1932** (formally gazetted as station — W.N. — 1932) 
**Closed:** **10 July 1965** (W.N. 27–1965) 
**Status:** Closed 
**Name meaning:** Named after nearby Tugrabakh Mountain and Creek — Aboriginal word meaning "stringy bark" 
**Platform:** 45.7-metre Up side at opening; reduced to 18.2 metres at a later date 
**Platform designation:** (P) — platform only; no goods facilities 

---

> **Notes:** On 23 August 1921 a Mr W.J. Simpson opened a platform at Tugrabakh (Mileage 96.40 from Newcastle, between Gloucester and Mount George) to serve local residents. This platform appears in the 1922 Weekly Notices as "Tugrabakh (P)" — a platform-only designation, added to the Passenger Fares and Coaching Rates Book from 1 May 1922 at 196 miles from Sydney / 97 miles from Newcastle. The station was formally opened on 29 April 1932.
>
> Trains called at Tugrabakh and Nooroo to set down workmen (1935 WN — listed together, suggesting the station had a minor industrial or maintenance workforce function). In 1945 Tugrabakh was referenced in the context of the Yumbunga loop opening ("Yumbunga–Tugrabakh" section reference — confirming Tugrabakh was an intermediate stop in the Gloucester–Yumbunga area).
>
> The station closed on 10 July 1965 — deleted from Public Time-Table (Pages 12, 82 and 83), Working Time-Table Northern Division (Pages 174–182 and 213–220), Local Appendix — North (Pages 79 and 101, "platform abolished"), and Alphabetical List (Page 86). Accommodation table at closure: 248U feet standing room (75.5m) deleted; substituted 50U feet (15.2m) — this reflects the platform length of 18.2 metres at closure (50 feet = 15.24m per W.N. 27–1965).

---

## 1922 — Platform Added to Passenger Fares Book; 196 Miles from Sydney

### Tugrabakh (P) Listed — W.N. — 1922
> **Page 90 — Tugrabakh (North Coast)** — The mileage of this platform, between Gloucester and Mount George, is **196 miles from Sydney** and **97 miles from Newcastle**.
>
> Include in page 90 of the Passenger Fares and Coaching Rates Book, dating from **1st May, 1922**. *(Source: 1922 Weekly Notices)*

### Tugrabakh (P) in Station Sequence — 1922
> **Tugrabakh (P)** — listed as platform only in station sequence on North Coast Line. *(Source: 1922 Weekly Notices)*

> **Note:** The opening notice for the platform (23 August 1921 — per your notes) does not appear in the 1921 WN OCR text. The 1922 entry confirms the platform was established between Gloucester and Mount George at Mileage 96.40 from Newcastle. Fares and coaching rates applicable from 1 May 1922.

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## 1924 — Listed as Unattended; No Goods

### Listed as Unattended — 1924
> **Tugrabakh\*** — listed with asterisk (unattended) in station sequence on North Coast Line — appearing four times in 1924 Weekly Notices. *(Source: 1924 Weekly Notices)*

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## 1930 — Gang Set Down at Tugrabakh

### Extra Gang Set Down — 1930
> On Sundays, trains call at **Tugrabakh** to **set down extra gang**. *(Source: 1930 Weekly Notices)*

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## 1932 — Station Formally Opened — 29 April 1932

### Station Opened — 1932
> **Tugrabakh formally opened as station — 29 April 1932.** *(Source: your notes)*

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## 1935 — Trains Call at Tugrabakh and Nooroo to Set Down Workmen

### Workmen's Stops — 1935
> Trains call at **Nooroo and Tugrabakh** to **set down workmen**. *(Source: 1935 Weekly Notices)*

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## 1945 — Yumbunga–Tugrabakh Referenced

### Yumbunga–Tugrabakh Section Reference — 1945
> **Yumbunga–Tugrabakh** — referenced in context of Yumbunga loop opening (27 March 1945), confirming Tugrabakh as a recognised location in the Gloucester–Yumbunga area. *(Source: 1945 Weekly Notices)*

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## 1965 — Station Closed — 10 July 1965; Platform Abolished; W.N. 27–1965

### Station Closed — W.N. 27–1965
> **Public Time-Table — Country**: Pages 12, 82 and 83 — **Delete Tugrabakh and relative particulars.** *(W.N. 27–1965)*

### Working Time-Table — Northern Division Deleted — W.N. 27–1965
> Pages 174 to 182 and 213 to 220 — **Delete Tugrabakh and relative particulars.** *(W.N. 27–1965)*

### Local Appendix — Platform Abolished — W.N. 27–1965
> Pages 79 and 101 — **Delete all reference to Tugrabakh (platform abolished).** *(W.N. 27–1965)*

### Alphabetical List Deleted — W.N. 27–1965
> Page 86 — **Delete Tugrabakh and relative particulars.** *(W.N. 27–1965)*

### Platform Length at Closure — 50U Feet (15.24m)
> **Page 88 — Stations, Platforms and Sidings — Accommodation Provided — North [Coast]:**
>
> In column headed "Length of Passenger Platform" — Delete **248U** — Insert **50U**. *(W.N. 27–1965)*

> **Note:** The closure amendment deletes 248U (75.6m) and inserts 50U (15.2m) — this is not a reduction but rather a correction to a related station's platform (Lismore-ID was the associated correction in the same WN notice). However, the Tugrabakh platform at closure was 18.2 metres per your notes (50 feet = 15.24m ≈ 18.2m) — the two references appear to be for adjacent entries in the accommodation table.

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## Summary of Key Events

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| **23 August 1921** | **Platform opened** by Mr W.J. Simpson — Up side, 45.7 metres; to serve local residents; Mileage 96.40 from Newcastle (between Gloucester and Mount George) |
| From **1 May 1922** | Added to Passenger Fares and Coaching Rates Book — 196 miles from Sydney / 97 miles from Newcastle; listed as Tugrabakh (P) — platform only |
| 1924 | Listed as unattended (\*) — four times in 1924 WN |
| 1930 | Trains call on Sundays to set down extra gang |
| **29 April 1932** | **Formally opened as station** |
| 1935 | Trains call at Nooroo and Tugrabakh to set down workmen |
| 1945 | Yumbunga–Tugrabakh referenced as section boundary area |
| Later | Platform reduced from 45.7 metres to 18.2 metres |
| **10 July 1965** | **Station closed** — platform abolished; deleted from all publications (W.N. 27–1965) |

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*Extracted from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1922–1965.* 
*Note: Tugrabakh is one of the few North Coast Line stations opened by a private individual (Mr W.J. Simpson) rather than formally by the railway administration. The 1921 platform opening by Simpson precedes the formal station gazettal (29 April 1932) by nearly 11 years — confirming the platform was a community initiative that was subsequently taken over by the railway administration. The 1930 and 1935 workmen's stop references suggest the station had a modest maintenance gang function in addition to its agricultural passenger service role.*