Chillagoe Railway &amp; Mining Co.
After a number of proposals had been made for the route of a railway to the Etheridge field, construction of the Etheridge Railway finally commenced in 1906 from Almaden to Mount Surprise on the Mareeba to Chillagoe line. The railway was opened to Mount Surprise in May 1908, and through to Einasleigh on 8 February 1909, a total of 101 miles. The final 41 miles from Einasleigh to Forsayth were not opened until 5 February 1911, construction having proceeded slowly due to union unrest and uncertainty within the mining industry generally.
Enfield Town branch line
Work on the 3 mile 7 chain single line branch commenced in 1848 under the direction of contractor Thomas Earle (contractor). At Enfield the line terminated at a crossroads in central Enfield. This line branched off the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) line at Angel Road railway station which was then named Edmonton. After the branch opened on 1 March 1849 the original station was renamed Water lane and the new intermediate station on the branch was named Edmonton. The ECR at that point ran between London Shoreditch (Bishopsgate) and Bishops Stortford although plans were afoot to extend northwards to Cambridge.