Naughtons Gap

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Type : Station
Line : Murwillumbah Branch
Distance from Sydney : 815.700km
Location : -28.797785, 153.093123
Opened : 19 October 1903
Closed : 30 June 1975 (passenger services had ceased prior)
Status : Closed
Name meaning : Named after a local landholder (the original name of the location (not the station) was Nortons Gap, later changed to Naughtons Gap)
Notes: A 4.5 metre platform was on the Down side. Always a request stop.

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Naughtons Gap c1940 (Mark Morrison)

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Naughtons Gap c1940 (Mark Morrison)

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Entrance to the Naughtons Gap tunnel. The tunnel lies to the north of the station site. (Timothy Ney, 2017)

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Naughton's Gap tunnel, Murwillumbah branch, 2018 (uncredited)

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Naughtons Gap (early 50s) (Bruce Ware)

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Drawing of the location.

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Naughtons Gap (circa 1950s) (Bruce Ware)

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Location of the one-time station (Google)

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# Naughton's Gap (Murwillumbah Branch)
## Entries from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1907–1975

---

**Type:** Station / Platform (Closed) 
**Line:** Murwillumbah Branch (Casino–Murwillumbah; Grafton-Murwillumbah Line) 
**Distance from Sydney:** 815.700 km 
**Location:** -28.797785, 153.093123 
**Between:** North Casino / Old Casino (south) and Bentley (north) 
**Opened:** **19 October 1903** (per your notes; no WN opening notice found in OCR — 1903 volume based on 1902 working book) 
**Closed:** **30 June 1975** (per your notes; W.N. 26–1975 deletions) 
**Status:** Closed 

### Note on Opening
The Murwillumbah branch opening on 19 October 1903 predates reliable OCR coverage of branch opening notices in the 1903 WN volume (which is based on a South Coast Working Book dated October 1902). No formal WN opening notice has been located.

### Casino Council's Quarry Siding — Mileage 73.20 (Between Naughton's Gap and Bentley)
**W.N. — 1907 (ref. 07–4754):** 
Casino Council's Quarry Siding at Mileage **73.20**, between Naughton's Gap and Bentley (Grafton–Murwillumbah Line):
- Grade: 1 in 500 **falling** from the Main line for **130 feet**, then **rises 1 in 80** to stop block
- Approached on Main Line on **Up journey** on a rising grade of 1 in 50
- Must be worked during **daylight** and **only by trains on the Down journey**
- Loaded trucks for Casino: to be attached to Down trains and left at **Bungubbee** — lifted by Up trains
- Empty wagons from Lismore: to be taken on to Casino and returned to siding by Down trains
- **Standing room: 16 wagons**
- Owing to heavy grade, **20 sprags** to be provided and distributed 10 yards apart (ref. 07–4754)

### Unattended Platform (1924)
**W.N. — 1924:** "**Naughton's Gap (P)**" — unattended platform; listed between North Casino (P) and Bentley (P) in Local Appendix accommodation table

### Motor Working (1930)
**W.N. — 1930:** Naughton's Gap listed as a stop on the Casino–Murwillumbah motor service timetable; 1 minute allowed (approximately)

### Steep Grades (pre-1975)
**W.N. 26–1975:** Steep Grades table — **UP journey:** delete "Naughton's Gap–North Casino" and insert "Bungabee–Old Casino" — confirming Naughton's Gap–North Casino was listed as a steep grade section requiring special working on the Up journey

### Deletions — W.N. 26–1975
**W.N. 26–1975 (ref. A1 73 77203):**
- Grades table (page 104) — delete all reference to Naughton's Gap; Bentley, Fernside, Woodlawn College, Bexhill, Eltham, Booyong, Talofa and St Helena
- Steep Grades (page 115) — UP journey: delete Naughton's Gap–North Casino, insert Bungabee–Old Casino
- Sidings — delete Old Quarry Siding and Booyong from Governor-General's Car restricted list

---

> **Notes:** Naughton's Gap opened 19 October 1903 on the Murwillumbah branch. The opening notice was not captured in the OCR of the 1903 WN volume. A Casino Council's quarry siding at Mileage 73.20 between Naughton's Gap and Bentley was documented in 1907 (ref. 07–4754) — a complex siding with a severe reverse grade (1 in 500 falling then 1 in 80 rising) requiring 20 sprags, daylight working, Down trains only, and a specific arrangement for empty wagon supply via Casino. The station was listed as an unattended platform (P) in 1924. Naughton's Gap–North Casino was listed as a steep grade section on the Up journey requiring special brake application procedures. Station closed 30 June 1975; all Grades table and steep grade references deleted W.N. 26–1975.

---

## 1907 — Casino Council's Quarry Siding — Mileage 73.20 — W.N. — 1907

### Quarry Siding — W.N. — 1907
> **Casino Council's Quarry Siding at Mileage 73.20, between Naughton's Gap and Bentley — Grafton to Murwillumbah Line** — This siding is on a grade of **1 in 500, falling** from the Main line for a distance of **130 feet**, and then **rises to the stop block on a grade of 1 in 80**, and is approached on the Main Line on the **Up journey** by a rising grade of 1 in 50. It must be worked during **daylight**, and **only by trains on the Down journey**.
>
> Loaded trucks for Casino are to be attached to Down trains and left at **Bungubbee**, from where they will be lifted by Up trains. When necessary to supply empty wagons from Lismore, they should be taken on to Casino and returned to the siding by Down trains.
>
> There is standing room for **16 wagons** in this siding. Owing to the heavy grade, **20 sprags** should be provided and distributed 10 yards apart. (07–4754.) *(W.N. — 1907)*

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## 1924 — Unattended Platform

### Unattended Platform — W.N. — 1924
> **Naughton's Gap (P)** — unattended platform; Murwillumbah Branch. *(Source: 1924 Weekly Notices)*

---

## 1975 — Grades and Steep Grades Deleted — W.N. 26–1975

### Grades Table Deleted — W.N. 26–1975
> **Page 104 — Grades at Stations, Sidings, Platforms and Signal-boxes — Casino–Murwillumbah Branch** — Delete all reference to **Naughton's Gap**; Bentley, Fernside, Woodlawn College, Bexhill, Eltham, Booyong, Talofa and St Helena. (A1 73 77203.) *(W.N. 26–1975)*

### Steep Grades Amended — W.N. 26–1975
> **Page 115 — Steep Grades where Trains must Stop to Apply and Release Brakes — Casino–Murwillumbah Branch:** 
> **UP JOURNEY** — Delete **Naughton's Gap–North Casino**, insert **Bungabee–Old Casino**. (A1 73 77203.) *(W.N. 26–1975)*

### Sidings List — W.N. 26–1975
> **Page 172 — Sidings in which the Governor-General's Car (GG) and other 72-feet Vehicles must not be placed** — Delete all reference to **Old Quarry Siding** and Booyong. (A1 73 77203.) *(W.N. 26–1975)*

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## Summary of Key Events

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| **19 October 1903** | **Opened** — Murwillumbah branch; no WN opening notice found in OCR |
| W.N. — 1907 | **Casino Council's Quarry Siding (Mileage 73.20)** — between Naughton's Gap and Bentley; grade 1 in 500 falling 130 feet then 1 in 80 rising; daylight Down trains only; 16 wagons standing; 20 sprags required; loaded trucks left at Bungubbee (ref. 07–4754) |
| By 1924 | **Naughton's Gap (P)** — unattended platform |
| W.N. — 1930 | Listed in Casino–Murwillumbah motor service timetable |
| Pre-1975 | Listed in Steep Grades table — Naughton's Gap–North Casino (Up journey) |
| **30 June 1975** | **Station closed** |
| **W.N. 26–1975** | Deleted from Grades (page 104), Steep Grades (page 115 — Up journey), and Old Quarry Siding from Governor-General's Car list (ref. A1 73 77203) |

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*Extracted from NSW Government Railways Weekly Notices, 1907–1975.* 
*Note: The Casino Council's Quarry Siding at Mileage 73.20 (between Naughton's Gap and Bentley) has one of the most complex working restrictions in the Murwillumbah branch collection — a combination of severe reverse grades (1 in 500 falling then 1 in 80 rising), daylight/Down trains only restriction, mandatory sprag provision (20 sprags at 10-yard intervals), and a specific empty wagon routing via Casino rather than direct from Lismore. The steep grade reference (Naughton's Gap–North Casino on the Up journey) reflects the significant climb from the Casino plain to the range, which remained a critical operating constraint until the branch's closure.*