Southern & Silverton Rail was an Australian rail operator founded in 1886 as the Silverton Tramway Company. The company operated the Silverton Tramway, conveying silver-lead-zinc concentrates from Broken Hill to the South Australian border. In 1970, its main line was bypassed by the newly standardised, government-funded line from Broken Hill to Port Pirie. It then diversified to operating hook-and-pull services and in the mid-1990s rebranded to Silverton Rail. In 2006, it was purchased by South Spur Rail Services and rebranded again as Southern & Silverton Rail, before both entities were sold to Coote Industrial. In June 2010 it was sold to Qube Logistics and absorbed into that brand.
History
The Silverton Tramway Company was formed in 1886 by a consortium led by J. S. Reid, to build and operate the Silverton Tramway, a -long -gauge railway running from Cockburn on the New South Wales-South Australia state border to Broken Hill; after the Government of New South Wales enacted into legislation the Silverton Tramway Act of 1886 that granted the Silverton Tramway Company the rights to build and operate a railway. It was headquartered in Melbourne, listing on the London Stock Exchange in 1897, later transferring to the Australian Stock Exchange.
The line the line opened on 12 January 1888. Initially using hired South Australian Railways Y class locomotives, until it received its own locomotives. By the end of 1888, it had concluded a deal for the South Australian Railways to operate the main line services with Silverton servicing the various mines and sidings in Broken Hill. On 1 July 1893, Silverton resumed operating mainline services.
In August 1899, the New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) purchased the Tarrawingee Tramway. As it was isolated and to a different gauge from the rest of its operations, the NSWGR contracted Silverton to operate services until the line closed in 1931.
Following a new line being opened in February 1970 by the Federal Government, the line was made redundant and the company concentrated on operating shunting and track maintenance services to the mines industry in and around Broken Hill with its remaining two diesel locomotives. Under the 1886 Act, the Government of New South Wales had an option to buy out the company for 21 times the annual divisible profits of the preceding seven years. Silverton calculated it was entitled to $5.8 million, but through legislation this was removed, the company having to settle for a $2 million payment.
In 1969, the Dillingham Corporation of Honolulu bought a 33% shareholding, later increasing to 50%. In 1972, it was then taken over by T & G Mutual Life Assurance Society and delisted. It was included in the 1983 purchase of T & G Mutual by National Mutual, and in 1986 was sold in a management buyout to Graham Clements.
Having purchased a number of locomotives from FreightCorp and AN Tasrail, in 1995/96 Silverton Rail leased six locomotives to National Rail for use on Adelaide to Melbourne services as bankers to Tailem Bend. With the introduction of an open access regime in New South Wales the business was rebranded as Silverton Rail, and in August 1999 began operating iron ore services from Cobar to Narromine as a subcontractor to National Rail and relocated the majority of its fleet to Parkes Roundhouse. In August 1999, it also began operating trip workings in Sydney. In August 2000, Silverton began operating grain services from Nyngan to Sydney.
During the early 2000s a new depot was established in Newcastle at the Broadmeadow Yard rail facilities. This small crew provided train crewing and logistics for the Southland (Pelton) Coal Mine near Cessnock to Pacific National until its 2003 closure due to underground fires. Other services from the Broadmeadow Depot included the daily containerised freight service from Tolls Carrington to Port Botany and return, as well as crewing both ends of the Wee Waa to Port Botany export cotton trains. Crewing services were also provided to Interail and Pacific National Rural & Bulk, Pacific National Coal and Railcorp for AK Track Recording Cars, maintenance and emergency recovery trains.