Swan View Tunnel and the Railway Reserves Heritage Trail

As Mundaring’s Railway Reserves Heritage Trail has recently been rated number one in Trails WA People’s Choice Top 10, we have unearthed some interesting photographs of the one and only Swan View Tunnel.

The Tunnel was built when the original Eastern Railway became so busy with many heavy loads travelling the steep gradient (one in 30) that many of the trains had to have a locomotive pushing from behind as well as one in front pulling the train. That fact and the increasing number of accidents brought about the idea of building a deviation.

Charles Yelverton O’Connor was the colony’s chief engineer at the time, and he and his staff surveyed many possible alternatives resulting in the Mahogany Creek deviation being built. A line from Bellevue climbing into the Darling Range alongside Jane Brook and joining the original line at Mt. Helena. A tunnel was cut through the granite near Swan View. The work was scheduled for completion within twelve months but proved to be very difficult. The tunnel is 340 metres long and had to be lined throughout with stone and brick.

Construction at the western end in 1895, a year before opening

It was completed in in 1895 and Officially Opened on 22nd February 1896.

Much more information can be found elsewhere on this website about the dreadful conditions the engine drivers and firemen had to endure whilst travelling through the tunnel as there were no ventilation shafts and it was dark and filled with asphyxiating fumes as the locomotives inched their way through the tunnel. Fainting was common and the crew would hold wet towels up to their faces to protect themselves. There was much speculation as to what would happen if both men were to fall off the footplate and the train was to roll back down the line. This in fact did happen in 1942 when a double headed goods train entered the tunnel, and the crew were overcome by the fumes and smoke and the train careered back down to the Swan View Station at 80 klms an hour. Unfortunately, the points on the tracks had not been returned to their normal position after the train had passed and 31 carriages were derailed, one driver was dead, and the other crew were injured.

After the accident in 1942, which resulted in the construction of a new tunnel bypass

It was decided to build a tunnel bypass, and this was completed in November 1945 at a cost of $300,000 and the tunnel was only then used by downhill trains.

Construction of the deviation right of the original line through the tunnel, 1945

Image 1. Swan View Junction signal box 1934 : Image 2. Swan View Tunnel Eastern Portal 1924

The line from Midland to Northam was used until the Avon Valley dual gauge railway came into operation and the line eventually closed on 13 February 1966.

For more information, please refer to our website and other sources named also referred to within the site.