Leycester Quarry Siding

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Type : Siding
Line : Murwillumbah Branch
Distance from Sydney : 827.203km
Location : -28.782313, 153.190623
Opened : 19th October 1910
Closed : 19th February 1952
Status : Closed
Name meaning : Named after the location
Notes: A 20.1 metre dead end siding (by 1942), having been reduced in length. Siding abolished in 1952.
The 1942 WN description as "Old Quarry Siding" (rather than simply "Leycester Quarry Siding") confirms the siding was already considered a legacy facility by wartime. The reduction from 34 to 8 wagons standing room (a drop of nearly 75%) in 1942. The 1953 residual cleanup — deleting "(and Quarry Siding)" from the Leycester entry — is evidence of the dual listing that existed in the Local Appendix where Leycester station and the quarry siding were combined into a single entry.

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1949 diagram

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1942 diagram

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Location of the siding

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# Leycester Quarry Siding (Murwillumbah Branch)
## Entries from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1910–1953

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**Type:** Siding (Closed) 
**Line:** Murwillumbah Branch (Casino–Murwillumbah) 
**Distance from Sydney:** 827.203 km (Mileage **513m 62c** — per 1952 abolition notice) 
**Location:** -28.782313, 153.190623 
**Between:** Fernside / Leycester (south) and Tuncester (north) 
**Opened:** **19 October 1910** (per your notes; no WN opening notice found in OCR) 
**Closed:** **Tuesday, 19 February 1952** — W.N. 7–1952 (ref. S.&T.E. 51–606,705–W.&M.) 
**Status:** Closed 
**Name meaning:** Named after the locality of Leycester 

### Siding Reduction (1942)
**W.N. 47–1942:** "Old Quarry Siding, Leycester (Casino–Murwillumbah) — Reduction in Length" — standing room reduced from **34 wagons** to **8 wagons** (delete 34, insert 8 in column "Standing Room — Other Sidings") (ref. 42–30,754) — consistent with your note of **20.1 metres** remaining by 1942 (a dead-end siding)

### Abolition (1952)
**W.N. 7–1952 (19 February 1952):** Points and crossing in Main line at Mileage **513m 62c** removed; siding abolished; **Frame A** and connections removed; all references deleted (pages 33 and 63) (ref. S.&T.E. 51–606,705–W.&M.)

### Residual Reference (1953)
**W.N. 1–1953:** "Page 45 — Delete '(and Quarry Siding)' from entry relating to **Leycester**" — cleanup of remaining Local Appendix reference to the siding after abolition

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> **Notes:** Leycester Quarry Siding opened 19 October 1910. No WN opening notice found in OCR — consistent with quarry sidings on the Murwillumbah branch not always being formally gazetted. The siding underwent a major capacity reduction in 1942 (from 34 wagons to 8 wagons standing room — W.N. 47–1942), reducing it to a 20.1-metre dead-end by that date. Abolished 19 February 1952 (W.N. 7–1952; Mileage 513m 62c; Frame A removed). Residual Local Appendix reference deleted W.N. 1–1953.

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## 1942 — Siding Length Reduced — W.N. 47–1942

### Siding Length Reduced — W.N. 47–1942
> **Page 63 — Reduction in Length of Old Quarry Siding, Leycester (Casino–Murwillumbah)** — Delete **34** and insert **8** in column "Standing Room — Other Sidings." (42–30,754.) *(W.N. 47–1942)*

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## 1952 — Siding Abolished — 19 February 1952 — W.N. 7–1952

### Siding Abolished — W.N. 7–1952
> **Pages 33 and 63 — Leycester Quarry Siding (Casino–Murwillumbah) — Abolition of Siding** — On **Tuesday, 19th February, 1952**, between 8.0 a.m. and 4.0 p.m., the points and crossing in the Main line at Mileage **513m 62c**, leading to Leycester Quarry Siding, will be removed and the siding abolished.
>
> **Frame "A"** and connections will be removed.
>
> Delete all references to Leycester Quarry Siding. (S.&T.E. 51–606,705–W.&M.) *(W.N. 7–1952)*

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## 1953 — Residual Reference Deleted — W.N. 1–1953

### Local Appendix Cleanup — W.N. 1–1953
> **Page 45** — Delete "(and Quarry Siding)" from entry relating to **Leycester**. *(W.N. 1–1953)*

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## Summary of Key Events

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| **19 October 1910** | **Opened** — Leycester Quarry Siding at Mileage 513m 62c (per your notes; no WN opening notice found in OCR) |
| **W.N. 47–1942** | **Siding length reduced** — standing room from **34 wagons** to **8 wagons**; "Old Quarry Siding" designation (ref. 42–30,754) |
| By 1942 | **20.1-metre dead-end siding** (per your notes) |
| **19 February 1952** | **Siding abolished** — Mileage 513m 62c; points and crossing removed; Frame A and connections removed; all references deleted (W.N. 7–1952; ref. S.&T.E. 51–606,705) |
| **W.N. 1–1953** | Residual Local Appendix reference "(and Quarry Siding)" deleted from Leycester entry |

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*Extracted from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1942–1953.* 
*Note: The 1942 WN description as "Old Quarry Siding" (rather than simply "Leycester Quarry Siding") confirms the siding was already considered a legacy facility by wartime, with the quarrying operation presumably having ceased many years earlier. The reduction from 34 to 8 wagons standing room (a drop of nearly 75%) in 1942 reflects either a physical shortening of the siding or regularisation of standing room to match the actual usable length after infrastructure deterioration. The 1953 residual cleanup — deleting "(and Quarry Siding)" from the Leycester entry — is evidence of the dual listing that existed in the Local Appendix where Leycester station and the quarry siding were combined into a single entry.*