Harden

Harden, and the surrounding areas, were one of the more important locations on the main south. Once engines were changed here, serviced, trains made up, and passenger services started and finished. There was a ten road loco shed, two large signal boxes, and an impressive island platform station with docks for railmotors. Part of the importance was some miles south at Demondrille, a secondary route to Sydney via Cowra joined, as well as further branches of that line. Much traffic flowed this way due to the easier grades than the Blue Mountain line. Originally called Murrumburrah on opening in 1877, Harden was named in 1880, after Murrumburrah had its own beautiful brick station built for the town of that name only a few miles south of Harden. Like so many other places there remains no trace of it today.

Cunningar, a short distance northwards, had two island platforms for the up and down loops off the main, fully signaled and attended around the clock. Today, the site is bare of this station that acted as an overflow for the bustling traffic of Harden yard. Harden itself is bereft of life, the large two story station unattended and empty, the north and south signal boxes still stand and are being progressively smashed, and wrecked, by bored locals, and most of the yard removed. Where once the railway was the lifeblood of the town, it is now a silent tomb that contributes virtually nothing to the area.