River Wharf railway station was a railway station on the Main North railway line, serving the wharves located on Long Island, New South Wales. It was a short-lived station, only serving main line passengers between 1887 and 1889 as the temporary terminus of the line until the opening of the first Hawkesbury River railway bridge, although continued to serve occasional traffic until 1920.
History River Wharf station was opened on 15 August 1887, and was the terminus for passenger services from Sydney, with a paddle steamer The General Gordon transferring passengers to provide a connection between the two isolated portions of the Main North line.
This service originally transported passengers from River Wharf to , until the Woy Woy Tunnel opened in January 1888 from where passengers were transported to a dead end siding at Mullet Creek.Mullet Creek Railway, The Past Present, accessed 7 November 2024
It ceased to be used for passenger services on 1 May 1889 with the opening of the first Hawkesbury River railway bridge,THE HAWKESBURY RAILWAY BRIDGE The Gundagai Times and Tumut, Adelong and Murrumbidgee District Advertiser (NSW: 1868-1931). Trove, National Library of Australia. 7 May 1889. p.3, accessed 7 November 2024 it was referred to as Long Island railway siding and continued to be used for wharf traffic until 1920, when a new wharf near was built.Long Island, NSWrail.net, accessed 6 November 2024 The new wharf provided more efficient service, as the approach to the older River Wharf station and wharf had been in need of improvement for nearly thirty years, leading to the complete closure of River Wharf.ACCESS TO LONG ISLAND RAILWAY STATION The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW: 1842-1954). Trove, National Library of Australia. 15 January 1892. p.7, accessed 7 November 2024
Description The station consisted of two brick passenger side platforms about 80 metres in length, with substantial station buildings and amenities, connecting to a wharf for The General Gordon. General passenger traffic made use of only one of the station's platforms, with the other platform generally handling goods services as no loading bank existed. There were two railway tracks through the station, extending past the platforms to a siding.HOMEBUSH TO WARATAH RAILWAY The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW: 1883-1930). Trove, National Library of Australia. 6 April 1887. p.3, accessed 6 November 2024 All platform buildings are no longer extant, but one platform remains.Disused River Wharf Railway Station, Long Island Hornsby Shire Recollects. Hornsby Shire Council, accessed 7 November 2024
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