Lawrence Road

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Type : Station/Loop
Line : North Coast Line
Distance from Sydney : 736.797km (station)
Opened : 6 November 1905
Closed : 13 June 1970 (station)
Status : Open (loop)
Name meaning : After the name of the road that leads to the town of Lawrence nearby
Notes : A 1750 metre crossing loop on the Up side exists at the location. The 21.3 metre platform was on the Down side and had a general waiting room and store. 28/12/1906 - the low level platform was raised to a standard level and a new shelter was built. 6/6/1978 - platform and shelter demolished. New loop opened 5/6/1995.

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Casino End of Lawrence road loop, the line to the right is the old mainline now used as the loop while the new alignment can be seen to the left 29/9/13 (Ian Douglas)

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Location of Lawrence Road (Six Maps)

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4469/4470  are slowly climbing the 1 in 50 Lawrence Road bank north on Grafton with a northbound interstate freight - 26 July 1982.

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The site of the original Lawrence Rd station before the deviation.

Gerald Tory:

I can remember the platform being there when I started on the Railway.
Plant Section went through and demolished all the old platforms


Gerald Tory:

The property behind the platform was owned by the Kingsley family . I can remember and elderly Gentleman that lived there with the Kingsley family . His name was Donald Frazer and I think he was Mrs Kingsley's Father .
The house that is in the picture is the original home .
I can remember the railway gates on the old line . You used to open and shut them yourself

Greg Lee:

Gerald Tory I've got one of those gates. I drove down the old formation after the deviation opened to get it. I don't know if you know Lloyd Khan? He told me he used to open those gates as well.

Gerald Tory:

Yes mate I know Lloyd Khan very well. When we had to open the gates for my Dad when I was a kid . Sometimes a train would come from Banyabba way and it used to hurtle down on the line past Lawrence Road .
I can remember the tick gates at the crossing at Whipore.
The road used to vere off to the left just before the overpass on the Summerland Way .
The road used to run parallel to the Railway Line and when it got to the Railway / Tick Gates you had to turn sharp right . The Tickie used to inspect your car for fruit and other stuff .
A mate of mine Parents used to be the Tick inspector at the gates . His name was Vince Smith and his wife Pearl lived in the house at the gates

Richard Butcher:

Yes recall that, also visited that area weeks after the deviation, recall the old Expresses up that grade, and 1301:1307:1311 over the time pushing in the rear. Pity the fed.govt. didn't do a lot more easing of the grades.

Graeme Kirkby:

Richard Butcher . And straightening the curves.

Richard Butcher:

Indeed Graeme, and the newer deviation was now probably 15 years ago.

Greg Lee:

Richard Butcher More like 25 years ago now. Time gets away.

Donald Bourke:

Richard Butcher I have been told that the deviation was supposed to go further on the southern end through a cutting and easing the grade on goat farm hill

Gerald Tory:

I was told it was the steepest grade on the North Coast Main Line .
I lived in Lawrence all my life and on a still night you could hear the Train climbing up the steep grade .

Greg Mashiah:

Gerald Tory - While it was not shown separately in the curve and gradient diagrams, and was only a short section, I often wondered how the grade at the Casino end of the former Leeville loop compared with Lawrence bank?

Gerald Tory:

I was on the Railways for 20 yrs and the gradient at the Northern end of Leeville loop was pretty flat compared to Lawrence Road Hill .
They had bank engines stationed at Gurranang and they would assist the down trains up the steep grade on Lawrence Road .
When they reached the top of the grade they would return to Gurranang loop until they were needed again

Gerald Tory:

Rappville range was another steep climb on the line

Richard Butcher:

Gerald Tory I believe it was the steepest section Lawrence Road/ Guranang bank, we took 3801 years ago up there, and I thought she was near stalling point. An ex.Call-boy loco Casino, they used 13 class in the rear to assist trains. Also riding cabs of 1&3 expresses at times a 50 class was attached Ex. south Grafton. Drivers got the poos, as Xpress trains did well,over 50-60MPH. Goods drivers would not go over 30 MPH, memories.

Jeremy Williams:

Gerald Tory:

Lawrence Road range was winding which slowed the trains down .
I was on the track machines and you couldn't get a run up as the speed limits on the curves wouldn't let you

Jeremy Williams:

There is a 70 near the bottom, so that's about as fast as a run-up you can get theses days.

Neil Grimley:

From memory, I think there was a 60 on the Down, Same problem as on the deviation, Down trains were either in Dyno or braking prior to the climb. This made old Lawrence Road a much harder climb with all the curves. Almost stalled there myself back in the mid 90's

Greg Lee:

Gerald Tory Richard Butcher Rappeville range was short but sharp. The bicentennial steam train stuck-up there in 1988. Had two attempts, then went and wimpered in Rappville loop until a diesel came to assist. An old driver told me that they "took it too cheap". Passenger engines have no sands running tender-first. There was a pit in the Rappville siding which suggests to me that there might have been a bank engine there in the early days, similarly to Gurranang.

Richard Butcher:

Yes even thou a deviation my lad mate Peter Lougher told me still a good grade there, I recall 3801 struggling up the old gradient be 20 yrs. ago.

Richard Butcher:

Hi Greg hope you are sparking well mate, yesthe old pit was to clean the fire grate out. Does not surprise me the old 3801 stalling, the old mails and the Brisbane expresses made hard work of the grade, evert one would have their heads out watching the spectacle,gee today's era a. Wash out, no fun, no action, no soot in the eyes. Appreciate your comment mate. Ha e another book on the way getting type set, re Eveleigh, still their Head Tour Guide, say cheers.

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Richards Gwilym -Old Lawrence Road alignment

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Richards Gwilym - the old alignment in 2022