New South Wales Numeral Cancels

There are probably plenty of other programs that could be used to produce the images but I use Powerpoint because it is a known quantity, readily available and easy enough to use as a medium for pasting, rotating, resizing, overlaying and changing the transparency of images.

Each of the 'snips' saved were only about 40 KB, so using seven of them then reducing the width slightly on the gifmaker site easily comes in under the 300KB Stamp Community limit.

This one looks temptingly like it is 1160, listed as Ballast Siding (Number Not Recorded) in the 2017 second edition of Hugh Freeman's book 'The Numeral Cancellations of new South Wales'.

Using https://www.postmark-reveal.com/:

Hugh Freeman gives the location as 20km from Nyngan and provides a closing date of 1887.

Hopson and Tobin (1991) are less sure, assigning Ballast Siding numeral 1159 with a question mark [1159 ?] located 7km from Narromine and closing in 1883.
From Trove:


The diamond jubilee stamp that bears the numeral cancellation was issued in 1897, unfortunately 10 years after 'Ballast Siding' apparently closed.

1100 Canoblas is a possibility, closing in 1913.

I haven't yet found any other information on the Ballast Siding post office.

Seems strange to have a Post Office just named Ballast Siding,
One would think there would be a name to identify it.
eg: Sandy Flat Ballast Siding

Also name changes Narramine to Narromine, Nyngen to Nyngan

A post office at a Ballast siding? one wonders what the area was supporting, in terms of population.

Unsure if I am reading this correctly
Ballast siding only 3 miles from Narromine
(t) suffix ?

Perhaps the Post Office at Ballast siding, existed before the
growth of Narramine ?
(Changed to Narromine 1886)

Similar evidence of a train station, being first, just a passing loop and siding
(20Km from Narramine)
TRANGIE

Railway station built , Male toilet, forget about the ladies
https://www.facebook.com/NSWHRSI/po...72974721671/

It's not an 1160 Ballast Siding. The 2d RR stamp was issued 10 years after that PO closed.

NB: The allocations for 1159 & 1160 were switched between the 1st & 2nd editions of High's book. Monkey is now rated 5R so I'd say somebody found a proving cover.

The third digit stands a little proud above the 2nd and 4th digit. I'd say it's a poorly inked 1150 of Walcha Road.

Rod222, thank you for all of that information, it will be interesting to see what else can be researched and pieced together about this area.

Bobby De La Rue, I noted the problem of closure before issue of the 2d stamp in my first post:



With respect to the closure date, it looks like it should be 1883 as per Hopson and Tobin, i.e. 14 years before the issue of the 2d Diamond Jubilee (Record Reign) stamp.

As Bobby De La Rue mentioned, Monkey and Ballast Siding were swapped between the first and second editions of Freeman's book but it appears they neglected to swap the dates and locations. The entry in the first edition agrees with the information in Hopson and Tobin i.e. Closed 1883 and 7km from Narromine:


It was certainly close to Narromine.
From Australian Handbook, 1885:

Located on Google Maps:


I wonder if anybody can locate the source used by Hopson and Tobin for this closing date?

At this point I am not convinced that the canceller was only used for 5 months in 1883.

The 1884 Newcastle city and country almanac & directory shows mail deliveries to Ballast Siding at 6.30pm:


As for the suggestion that it might be 1150 of Walcha Road, the aspect ratio of the frame around the numerals does not match 1150. 1150 has an aspect ratio (width to height) of close to 2.0 while the cancel under investigation is closer to 1.7 as per others in the 1160's such as 1162 and 1164.

In addition to the aspect ratio, the curve of the top of the 6 is quite obvious and the sloping upright of the 5 is not present, rather a more vertical upright as per the 6 of 1164.


It's also strange that the post office would close five months after opening and a couple of months after a new school was announced for the area:


It's interesting, as Rod222 mentioned, that the village of Narromine was gazetted in 1883, having had a post office established in 1882 after the arrival of the railway.


From http://www.mrl.nsw.gov.au/LocalHeri...ine-timeline:
1882: William O'Neill was in charge of the first official Post Office. The Railway from Dubbo to Nevertire was formally opened on October 10, 1882. The Railway Station (the oldest government building in Narromine) was constructed.

1883 The village of Narromine was laid out in 1883. The first school was opened, Mr H. Townsend was headmaster.

1884 The first auction for town allotments was held in Dubbo.

1885 The village of Narromine was proclaimed.

1889 A police station was apparently first established at Narromine with one constable.

Was Ballast Siding consumed by Narromine?

Is there an official document that shows exactly when Ballast Siding post office was closed?

Was the numeral 1160 canceller used somewhere else after Ballast Siding?

I'll try and find out more about the interesting history of these settlements.

The papers for Ballast Siding Post Office have been digitised and are available to view at the National Archives website. The papers confirm the closing date of 12 July 1883. It looks as though it was a navvie camp, which were only open for brief periods. qv numerals 760, 784 & 1788 for three other examples.

The railway station at Narromine was opened on 1 May 1883.

As I said two weeks ago, "I think we've long established that these numerals can be deceiving."

Thanks for that Bobby De La Rue.

The archive papers make interesting reading. Stamps and Cash etc. were returned. I wonder whether the 1160 canceller was with them.

Here is the link to the papers:
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/Sea...spx?B=433150

Amos Brothers were the contractors who had set up camp at Ballast Siding - about 200 workers with a total population of around 400.

The Railways employee attending the station became the postmaster when an office was established at Ballast Siding.

On June 28th, 1883, a letter from the Railways Commissioner confirmed the appointment of the new 'Porter-in-Charge', Thomas Edwards.

Twelve days later, the railways manager at Redfern writes that the 'office' (Railways?) at Ballast Siding was to be removed to Carey's Siding, on the opposite side of Narramine:


Then correspondence suggesting closure of the Ballast Siding Post Office and a sketch showing the nearby 'offices':


Amos Bros petitioned for mail bags to be exchanged at the now unattended Ballast Siding platform.

Correspondence in reply suggests that Ballast Siding might become a receiving Office:
Ultimately they settled for using the Narramine post office instead.

Did Carey's Siding with its new 'office' ever serve as a post office? There doesn't seem to be any record of it.



This 1884 train timetable shows Carey's Siding between Narramine and Trangie:


Google Maps show "Ceres Siding Road" at that location:

Absorbing thread, and meaty Philately.. love it!
Bravo all, amazing to see it mostly solved.

I became interested when reading "Taupulin tent, Rule book, Lamp and tin of oil"
That has to be the most basic of post offices.
Surprised to read 400 fettlers and families.

PS: I wrote to the author at Facebook, regarding Ballast Siding but the correspondence interchgange is horrid with facebook.

Thanks for the link FDS
You may download the entire Ballast Siding in one hit
Just click the last icon to the right hand side.

Absorbing the imagined hardships, our country folk endured
in the above journey, brings to mind what it was once, to be "Australian"

To be "True Blue"

Thanks for posting that classic, Rod222.
A rousing song that reminds us of our great Aussie spirit and the character of those who came before us.

I do prefer the original version without the orchestral accompaniment - a little more in keeping with the 'tie it up with wire' sentiment:

x-f01OcUKy8

Somehow I've managed to lose the answer to this question I asked, so I'll ask again. What town was cancel 27 on New South Wales stamps?
Sorry about the tapiocafication of my brain.

Numeral 27 was originally allocated to Huskisson, then reallocated to Rockley.

Answered more fully here:

http://goscf.com/t/82819&whichpage=1#760842