Cottonvale-Amiens branch rail line
Below is information about the villages and railway sidings on the Cottonvale-Amiens branch rail line that serviced the Pikedale Soldier Settlement Scheme.
Construction
Construction of a 20-kilometre railway line west of Cottonvale to the village of Amiens was authorised in 1919 to assist returned soldiers who had been granted land in the region.
The Amiens branch was designed to serve an agricultural area developed for the settlement of returned servicemen after the First World War. For this reason, all the stations along the line were named after battlegrounds on the Western Front - Fleurbaix, Pozieres, Bullecourt, Passchendaele, Bapaume and Messines.
The line was not built to convey passengers but rather to transport fruit from the soldiers' orchards to markets in Brisbane and Sydney. Construction commenced in 1919 and the line was opened on 7 June 1920. Edward, Prince of Wales, travelled the length of the Amiens branch in a royal train to officially open the line on 26 July 1920.
The line closed on 28 February 1974.
(source: Wikipedia)
Links
Click on the links below for further information information about the villages and railway sidings on the Cottonvale-Amiens branch line that serviced the Pikedale Soldier Settlement Scheme.
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