such was the pressure brought to bear, the Government later undertook to construct the line and compensated the company for the use of its plans and specifications. A contract was let to Joseph Martindale in May 1862, for the principal works of the construction of the line, at a cost of £8,846.10.1, from a junction with the Great Northern line at Pitnacree Road level crossing, East Maitland, for a distance of 2m. 52c. The public was incensed, considering they were tricked, as this meant that the railway would not extend beyond Queen's Wharf and thus completely failed to give the desired connection between the Northern line and the steamer wharves. The excuses given were that to carry the line to a high-level site in Morpeth would be too expensive and that the Australasian Steam Navigation Company refused to permit a rail connection to pass through its land to its rival, the Hunter River New Steam Navigation Company. A spur line was, however, to be taken to the waterfront at Queen's Wharf for the loading of coal into small colliers. Construction commences The first sod was turned on 18 June 1862 and the work was proceeded with. Benjamin Ventors took over Martindale's cancelled contract to provide and lay the permanent way and ballast and the section was finally opened for traffic on 2 May 1864. It was opened when the New South Wales Railways had only three short lines, i.e. Sydney to Penrith, Granville to Picton and Newcastle to Singleton. The arrangements at Morpeth Junction on the Northern line were decidedly primitive, being merely a single connection facing North for the junction, with an engine run-round on the branch, so situated that branch engines had to foul the main line when reversing. Two narrow 250feet timber platforms served the main and branch lines in the form of a "V", with a small booking office and store, lamp and waiting rooms, placed in the apex. There were no intermediate platforms or sidings and the terminus had a 212 feet brick platform on the Up side with a low iron building, being situated some 12 chains before reaching the site of Queen's Wharf platform of later years. There was a run-round loop, 450 feet in length, and a dead-end dock siding at the terminal end. The brickwork of the dock is still visible near the large quarry, from which the stone for the