The grand opening of the Great Northern Railway from Newcastle to East Maitland on 30 March, 1857 had been declared a public holiday for Maitland and Newcastle residents.
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Several gentlemen of West Maitland arranged to finish the holiday with a friendly dinner. That evening, about 25 of them sat at a table at Mr Fulford's Rose Inn and enjoyed a most satisfactory repast complete with many toasts.
After the opening, work on the extension to West Maitland stalled. People and businesses began to become frustrated and a Maitland Mercury article of May 5, 1857, said: "This neglect is the more inexcusable". Meanwhile, shipping to Newcastle was still discharging 'railway iron' for the GNR.
A notice appeared in The Mercury of July 9 calling for tenders for the construction of two miles and sixty-seven chains of railway line between East and West Maitland.
The contractor for the extension was Mr Mark Faviel and the first turf was turned on September 14 at East Maitland. Progress was slow. Preparations for the bridge over Melbourne St (Morpeth Road) started in mid-November and by early January, 1858 it was only half completed. Dissatisfaction at the pace of progress was vented in newspapers.
The closing of Abbott Street, cutting off Louth Park, caused concern among residents. A public meeting to discuss this was held at the Waterloo Hotel on January 23, 1858. The railway commissioners held firm and the truncation remained. On March 22, Mr Bell, the engineer, and Mr Wright of Newcastle marked out the ground for the West Maitland station at the Elgin Street crossing.
In early May, the mouth of Wallis Creek was closed and a new cutting to the river made to facilitate the alignment of the railway. Heavy rain saw the creek rise and the restriction at the new Wallis Creek bridge caused farmland inundation on the upstream side of the railway.
During the night of May 11, the pent-up waters rushing under the bridge eroded the bed, deepening the cut. A petition of land owners from Louth Park, Dagworth, Ravensfield and Fishery Creek was sent to the commissioners requesting the creek bed be lowered to its previous depth to save them from ruin. The cutting was subsequently made three feet deeper.
By the end of June, ballasting of the line finished beyond High Stree crossing and by July 13 West Maitland Railway Station and goods shed were complete. By June 26, 1858, the line was almost finished. Preparations were in hand for a general holiday and celebration for the opening. The date selected was July 22 and the Governor was of invited to perform it. This resulted in Maitland's grandest party.