The Picton–Mittagong line was opened in February 1867 as part of the
Main South line. The line ran north-northwest from
Picton, over the Picton Viaduct, across the Great South Road before heading northwest through a tunnel in the Redbank Range. The track then turns southwest. Stations were constructed at
Redbank (1885),
Couridjah (1867),
Buxton (1893),
Balmoral (1878),
Hill Top (1878),
Colo Vale (1883) and
Braemar (1867). There were a number of smaller stops, sidings and passing loops along the line, as well. North of Hill Top, the cutting through Big Hill was for many years the deepest in Australia. The rock-cut inscription dated 1863, commemorating the deaths of two men in an explosion during the excavation of the cutting, north of Hill Top, is considered one of the oldest in Australia. To service the line, Picton became a busy station with a locomotive depot for
bank engines, dormitories for train crews, and goods sidings. The line, while gently curved, had gradients as steep as 1 in 30. It was also a single-track line, and even though deviations were constructed between Hill Top and Colo Vale to ease grades, these factors combined to create a bottleneck, as rail traffic increased. In July 1919 a new double track alignment with ruling 1 in 75 grades between Picton and Mittagong via
Bargo opened. The original proposal was for the line to be shifted considerably further eastwards from
Appin to
Bargo avoiding Picton. This was strongly opposed in Parliament by Picton local interests, hence the nearly circular curve just after Picton station surrounding the now defunct Redbank Tunnel. The line remained open throughout, although by the 1980s the Buxton to Braemar section saw little use.
CPH railmotor CPH22 ran a trip to Braemar and three shuttles between Braemar and Hilltop on 31 May 1987, before a trestle bridge between Colo Vale and Braemar suffered flood damage, resulting in the line being divided into two separate branches in September 1987. Following the Department for Transport calling for expressions of interest for using a number of disused lines, the
New South Wales Rail Transport Museum was granted a lease over the Picton to Buxton section in 1993. The Mittagong Junction to Braemar section remains open to give access to the
Bradken rolling stock and Rocla concrete sleeper facilities. On 1 March 2019, the NSW Government promised to fund the re-opening of the Picton Loop Line between Buxton and Colo Vale. As part of the project, a new station is proposed between Picton and Thirlmere. The grant will also fund the construction of new platforms at Picton, Hill Top and Balmoral.
Coach route NSW TrainLink operates buses in lieu of the former rail service. Six services are provided under contract by
Berrima Buslines from Bowral and seven from Picton on weekdays only with stops at: •
Picton station • Barbour Road,
Thirlmere • West Parade,
Couridjah • West Parade,
Buxton • Wilson Drive,
Balmoral • Wilson Drive,
Hill Top • Wilson Drive & Church Avenue,
Colo Vale •
Mittagong station •
Bowral station ==Gallery==