Demondrille

Demondrille was one of those classic junctions located in an empty location, a practice much loved by the English. Originally named Demondrille Junction, the junction part of the title was dropped in 1940. It’s reason for existence was not only being where a major secondary route to Sydney branched off via Cowra, and Blayney, but also an important loco servicing point on the main south. To this end a dive was built at the northern end of the yard, and a huge elevated coal stage, where engines rolled in, had a massive pile of coal disgorged into their tenders, and off again, with a minimum of delay. Two signal boxes were provided, the north, still standing was the far larger of the two, as it controlled the junctions itself, and the south box, at ground level, for the exit back to the main line. This  box is long demolished, however the foundations remain visible today. Two island platforms also stood for passenger transfers, only the Cowra line platform remains. The rest of the yard has returned to the fields, with pieces of the infrastructure showing here and there, as well as the abandoned north box, and the silent and overgrown engine dive. Some other photos of interest can be found here over at NSWRail.net .