The Great Northern Railway was opened to West Maitland on July 22, 1858, and the High Street Station was available for passenger use on October 25.
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Now came the task of extending the line inland.
Questions began to be asked about when the extension toward Singleton would begin and Mr Robertson, the Hon Secretary for Lands and Works, replied that 271/2 miles (44.5 kilometres) was to be constructed.
There was a requirement for a pause of 40 days for notice of objections by proprietors of land through which the line would pass.
On November 6, 1858, plans for the extension were exhibited for inspection at the West Maitland Court House.
The line of the railway was to go through the lands of the following proprietors: Messrs Otto Baldwin, Joseph Ede Pearce, James Gould, Messrs Owen and Beckett, James Weston, the Very Rev Dean Lynch, Mrs E Pilcher, Mrs Jane Foss, Messrs Bourn Russell, Rutherford, Dowers and Winder.
Since William Wright's contract had not been extended, a series of small contracts were let for the extension.
By April 21, 1859, the line's workings had advanced as far as the Stony Creek bridge (Farley), and the fencing for the railway had reached Lochinvar.
A number of obstacles had been overcome: a cutting through sandstone, bridges over low swampy ground and a bed of whinstone (a hard, dark coloured rock) at Welshmans Hill.
Blasting powder, at up to a quarter of a ton per week, was used to break it up.
By May 21, 1859, the line had been completed beyond Dagworth Road (Regent Street) and by July 5 work had begun at the Lochinvar end of the line.
Mr Willcox, the agent for Sir Morton Peto, started construction operations near Lochinvar.
On August 16, 1859, notice was given that the second part of the railway, extending from Lochinvar to Black Creek was to commence, a distance of 9 miles and 10 chains (about 14.7km).
By November 29, 1859, the whole of the line had been cleared as far as New Frengh, a distance of about 6 miles (9.6 kilometres) from the intended terminus in Singleton.
Large workshops for the railway and an office for Mr Ballard, Superintendent of the Works, had been erected at Belford.
It seems that many of the navvies on the railway were local farm workers.
An article in the Maitland Mercury of January 10, 1860 states that work had slowed on the railway extension as the labourers left the works to go reaping, but with the harvest now being drawn to a close, the reapers had already begun to become navvies again.
Chinese labourers were introduced by contractor, Joseph Martindale, in January, 1860.
At Stony Creek, a timber station building had been erected and a stationmaster's residence was soon to be built.
A siding had been constructed to receive produce from the farms along Wollombi Road. At Lochinvar, a more substantial brick station was under construction.
The railway to Lochinvar was opened for public traffic to Lochinvar on Monday, July 2, 1860.
A considerable number of the inhabitants of Lochinvar assembled at the terminus to witness the arrival of the first train.