Type : Station
Distance from Sydney : 852.957km
Opened : 28 September 1930
Closed : 30 June 1974 (station closed), 1995 (signal box closed)
Status : Closed
Name meaning : Named by the Wilson family who settled in the area in 1870
Notes : The 76.2 metre long platform was on the Up side. The location opened with a 402 metre interlocked loop. Station building included a ladies waiting room, out-of room, signal box and SM's office. Watering facilities were supplied. A 5 ton yard crane was installed. 1935 - residence for porter-in-charge built. 1944 - traffic staff residences built. 1963 - crane removed. February 1966 - ashpit removed. A 123 metre goods siding was accessed immediately on the Down end of the platform.
The Risk - Signalman M.Harley on the platform at The Risk signalbox. The station was closed in 1974 although the signal box continued in use and the station was removed around 1995 (taken by Michael Harley in 1994)
The Risk (1994, Michael Harley)
Pump shed at The Risk station. Water was pumped up from the river to supply water to the steam engines operating between Casino / Brisbane line from 1929 to about 1990. (Michael Harley)
The Risk in 1984 (Michael Harley)
The Risk station, 1930 (Northern Star)
Signalman Mick Harley setting a road at the Risk Signal box 1988 (Michael Harley)
Interesting footnote from 1949 that gives the naming of The Risk and also details an attempt by the Railway Commissioners to change the name of the station during the royal visit because it might "perturb the Royal visitors" should the train stop there.
Location of The Risk (Six Maps)
The Risk in 1994 (Kevin Hedley)
The Risk, 2011, Don Copley
3801 taking on water at The Risk in 1988 (Wes Mogg)
Chris Harrison says:
Now that the flood waters of the present are drifting away, back to my January 1994 trip to the north. The Risk for me was another pure delight with all old time atmosphere. Unfortunately the original station building had been reduced in size at this time. But small features here and there of a bygone age were still in existance. I loved in particular the presence of the quadricycle and wondered when it had last run.
Ronny Webb photos, 3801 returning to Brisbane. Taking water at 'the Risk'. The sections were Kyogle/Risk/Border Loop. The Risk & Border Loop now gone & sections are Kyogle/Loadstone/Glenapp all for 1500 meters long trains. On 6/6/86.
Rail Motor Society tour at The Risk, 2019 (Benjamin Francis)
4499 runs into the loop at The Risk with a down freight in January 1994. (Steve McElroy)
44219 + 44239 wait in the loop at The Risk on a down steelie in May 1994. (Steve McElroy)
"Morwood" - this was a house that existed adjacent to The Risk station (was built prior to the station), it was demolished around 1940.
The Risk - Signalman M.Harley on the platform at The Risk signalbox. The station was closed in 1974 although the signal box continued in use and the station was removed around 1995 (taken by Michael Harley in 1994)
The Risk 27-04-1999 (Bob Richardson)
The headlight of 4489 leading 4504 and 4488 on the main, lights up the sticks at the north end of The Risk station loop in January 1994. (Steve McElroy)
44217/48?? Through the Risk on up freight. (Philip Tatarinov)
Here is a photo taken at The Risk, c1987. The two men in the photo are Rick Paxton and Stan Barry. The two machines in the siding are TDX49 and TDX88. Although the two machines look very different, they are both tamping machines. '49 was built by the US company Tamper, whilst '88 was built in Australia at St Marys by the Austrian based company Plasser & Theurer. (Greg Lee)
44227 6322 x NL1 The Risk 8-11-1990 (Leon Batman)
The Risk, August 2022 (Mark Bennett)
Philip Tatarinov
Northern Star, 18/08/1934
29/3/1986 - ARHS tour train in the loop at The Risk (G Lillico)
The disused signal box at The Risk 6/5/97 (uncredited)
The Risk, 15th August, 1962, NSW State Archives
Up Brisbane Limited at The Risk, April, 1986
8042/80?? lead NL-1 Brisbane Limited through The Risk on a crisp clear morning ca 1986/87 "on the bullring". The last hold out of auto-exchangers in NSW, hand exchanges had actually become the norm, and the mechanised practice ceased very shortly after the photo series was taken. (Ian McCarthy)
Photo by M Harley.
Signal Electrician (Barry Eggins) doing a staff balance at The Risk.circa 1975.
The Risk, undated (RG Preston)
(undated) (uncredited)
The Risk 20/7/2024 (Greg Lee)
The engine was 1892 7hp tangye made in birmingham..was used to pull a ships anchor..then sold to the casino gasworks..then to the nsw railways in 1930 and installed here.water was pumped up to this by a tangye kero diesel by this triple acting pump. (Cedric Popkin)
44214 Candy staff change at The Risk signal box , near the border loop , Friday 12/11/1993 (Don Trevena)
13 class taking water at The Risk between 18th February 1938 and 10th May 1944 (Singleton)
Bill Harris at The Risk (Chris Harrison) (1995)
The Risk, 1960s. (Alison Carter)
Cedric Popkin states:
Donny Wilson's bullock team..he was still harnessing them into the late eighties..he owned the land before the line came through. The line divided his property with the dairy on the creek side. He had his own set of gates to bring the dairy cows across. He was killed bringing the cows across..he was in his 90s..both a bit deaf and blind..no glasses or hearing aids..he stopped to chip some weeds with his hoe..the engine clipped the hoe and threw him into the side of the engine. His wife ran the farm with her daughter afterwards.
The Risk - SM's residence (1989) (Peter Lee)