It utilises an innovative system of submersible track with patented steel sleepers and retains buildings of considerable architectural and technical interest at its terminus in Normanton.

[3] In 1867, William Landsborough investigated the Norman River area to select a port site to serve the pastoral stations south of the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Phillips later supervised the construction of the Normanton to Croydon Railway, and retained an interest in the area, serving as Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Carpentaria in the 1890s.

This was a difficult stretch for carriers and a rail link would have been valuable to pastoral stations in the area and was planned to serve the Cloncurry Copper Mine.

At that time, it was intended to eventually link the new line from Normanton with the Great Northern Railway at Charters Towers to provide access to the port of Townsville.

[3][4][5] However in November 1885, a major gold strike was reported at Belmore pastoral station, 145 kilometres (90 mi) east of Normanton and by the end of 1886, the population of the Croydon field was 2,000, rising to 6,000 in the following year.

The country was flat but difficult for conventional railway tracks due to flooding, lack of suitable timber for sleepers and termite attack.

In 1884 Phillips patented a system for taking railways across such country which utilised special U-section steel sleepers laid directly on the ground.

During floods the line could be submerged without washing out the ballast and embankments normally used, so that it could quickly be put back into service when the waters subsided.

This system was particularly suited to the Gulf country and was specified for the Normanton to Croydon line with Phillips engaged to supervise the construction.

[3] Some problems were encountered with constructing the line because of the difficulty of maintaining a constant and adequate supply of Phillips sleepers.

[3] The construction method involved clearing a three-metre wide band ahead of the rail which was stumped, ploughed, harrowed, rolled and lightly ballasted.

At the other end of the line, Croydon had more modest goods and locomotive sheds and a station with a roofed section over 2 tracks.

In 1895, a railway water reserve was proclaimed on the flooded Bird-in-the-Bush shaft on True Blue Hill at Croydon.

That at Glenore Crossing number 3 reused fishbelly plate girders from the original 1876 Albert Bridge in Brisbane as main spans.

During the late 1890s, special trains were run for picnics at most of the water holes along the line, particularly the Blackbull lagoon and weekend excursions from Normanton to Croydon or Golden Gate.

By the early 1900s, its output had dropped considerably and after World War I when widespread mining diminished, it was obvious that the field would not recover.

This was largely because the Phillips system worked well and the track could be put back into use almost immediately after flooding, whereas roads stayed impassable for much longer.

The station building is rectangular in plan with offices on either side of a central passage and is constructed of corrugated iron lining a timber frame set on a slab.

[3] The station complex at Blackbull comprises a skillion roofed 1966 shelter shed which, although relatively modern, utilises the timber frame and corrugated iron cladding typical of buildings on this line.

A mid twentieth century house recently moved to the site, modern shade structure and toilet block make up the facilities.

[3] Because of the isolated nature of the line, redundant rolling stock tended to be discarded at Normanton station rather than scrapped.

[4][9] Normanton to Croydon Railway Line was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.

The Normanton to Croydon railway illustrates the way in which the rail system in Queensland developed as a series of isolated lines which connected ports to inland resources.

In a flat and open landscape, its scale, form and materials make the terminus a striking and important component of the townscape of Normanton.