When rail first came to Armidale in 1883, around 8000 people lined the streets to witness the occasion.
In his opening speech the Honourable H. Copeland, Minister for Public Works, was heard to remark that
... he had much pleasure in declaring the railway open for traffic, and he trusted it would bring every benefit that the most ardent admirers of Armidale and New England could conceive
... and for a while, it did.
Eventually running all the way from Sydney Central to the Queensland border, the railway brought people, industry and money to the Northern Tablelands region.
Fast forward almost 150 years and this line, sometimes referred to as "The Great Northern Railway", has become a shadow of its former self.
The line north of Armidale is now littered with decaying bridges and overgrown track, juxtaposed with beautifully restored but dormant stations like Black Mountain, where local pride and effort endeavour to maintain some memories of its former glory.
The last train to Queensland ran in 1988, and the last train north of Armidale ceased service in 1989.
Today, lobby groups campaign both for, and against the re-opening of the line, and while both sides have valid points, no progress will be made in either direction until someone works out how to make money from it. Lots of money.
The railway stands as a monument to our ability to build amazing things - and to our habit of abandoning them, as soon as they stop generating a profit.
Fortunately, if you have the time and the inclination, you can still travel between Armidale and Sydney by rail and imagine how things might have been.
Get a ticket, while you still can.
