View source for Railway dams and reservoirs of Western Australia

{{Use Australian English|date=March 2014}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
'''Railway dams and reservoirs''' were used to supply water to an extensive railway system that ventured into low rainfall, and poor water quality areas of the inner regions of [[Western Australia]] in the 1890s.
Some of the dams were made redundant with the completion of the [[Goldfields Water Supply Scheme]] which provided a more certain supply along the Eastern and Goldfields lines.
==Droughts==
Seasonal variations and drought conditions<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14429566 |title=WESTERN AUSTRALIA. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=18 December 1901 |accessdate=28 March 2013 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article95921912 |title=Water Shortage in Western Australia. |newspaper=[[The Recorder (Port Pirie)|The Recorder]] |location=Port Pirie, SA |date=30 January 1936 |accessdate=28 March 2013 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> in various areas made rainfall and re-filling of dams a reportable event in the West Australian media.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37941617 |title=Western Australia. |newspaper=[[Western Mail (Western Australia)|Western Mail]] |location=Perth |date=12 December 1940 |accessdate=28 March 2013 |page=38 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
==Water quality==
Water quality was a perennial problem, and some dams and supplies had levels of unwanted salinity and other ingredients that seriously affected the life-time of the boilers in steam locomotives used by the [[Western Australian Government Railways]] (WAGR).
==Eastern Railway==
In the 1890s the [[Eastern Railway (Western Australia)|Eastern Railway]] was designated as being from [[Fremantle, Western Australia|Fremantle]] to [[Kalgoorlie, Western Australia|Kalgoorlie]].
Railway dams were located at:
* [[Midland, Western Australia|Midland Junction]]
* [[Chidlow, Western Australia|Chidlows Well]]
* [[Clackline, Western Australia|Clackline Junction]]
* [[Spencers Brook, Western Australia|Spencers Brook]]
* [[Burlong Pool, Western Australia|Burlong Pool]]
* [[Northam, Western Australia|Northam]]
==Eastern Goldfields Railway==
The Eastern Goldfields railway started east of Northam, following development of other branch lines from Northam.
* [[Cunderdin, Western Australia|Cunderdin]] (to [[Public Works Department (Western Australia)]] in 1903)
* [[Tammin, Western Australia|Tammin]]
* [[Kellerberrin, Western Australia|Kellerberrin]]
* [[Merredin, Western Australia|Merredin]]
* [[Burracoppin, Western Australia|Burracoppin]]
* [[Bodallin, Western Australia|Bodallin]]
* Parkers Pool (1899) (Parkers Road 1900+)
* [[Southern Cross, Western Australia|Southern Cross Parsonage]] (Parsonage dropped 1905)
* Yellowdine No. 1
* Yellowdine No. 2
* Karalee<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yilgarn.wa.gov.au/karaleedam.asp |title=Shire of Yilgarn – Karalee Dam |website=yilgarn.wa.gov.au |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829040751/http://yilgarn.wa.gov.au/karaleedam.asp |archive-date=2007-08-29}}</ref>
* Koorarawalyee
* Boorabbin No. 1
* Boorabbin No. 2
* Boondi
* Woolgangie No. 1
* Woolgangie No. 2
* Bullabulling No. 1
* Bullabulling No. 2
* Broad Arrow
* Bardoc
* Goongarrie
* Kanowna (not WAGR 1903)
* Coolgardie
* Niagara (not WAGR 1903)
* Malcolm (1905 +)
* Laverton (1905 +)
==Great Southern Railway==
The Great Southern Railway was originally a private land grant railway, and was later taken over by the government.
* 1890s (Beverley – Albany)
* Later starting points of the Great Southern were at York, Spencers Brook, Avon Yard.
* 195 – Mile (Yornan)
* Wagin Lake ([[Wagin, Western Australia|Wagin]])
* Tambellup
* Cranbrook
* Albany
==Northern Railways==
* [[Mullewa, Western Australia|Mullewa]]
* [[Yalgoo, Western Australia|Yalgoo]]
* [[Mount Magnet, Western Australia|Mount Magnet]]
* Day Dawn (1903 +)
* Stakewell (1905 +)
* Nallan (1905 +)
==WAGR annual reports==
The information about the dams – ''Return of Reservoirs'' – can be found in the [[Western Australian Government Railways|WAGR]] annual reports,<ref>{{Citation | author1=Western Australian Government Railways Commission | title=Report on the working of the government railways for the year ended 30th June | publication-date=1900 | publisher=Govt. Printer | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/25577460 | accessdate=27 March 2013 }}</ref> but there is no consistency as to which appendices they are listed in during the period 1899–1905.
* 1899	Appendix G p.&nbsp;47
* 1900 Appendix D p.&nbsp;57
* 1901 Appendix D p.&nbsp;61
* 1903 Appendix F p.&nbsp;54
The appendices are fully expanded tables that include the capacity of the dams, as well as their location in miles from the Perth railway station.
==See also==
* [[Granite outcrops of Western Australia]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Reservoirs in Western Australia]]
[[Category:Dams in Western Australia]]