 This connection to the Richmond Vale Railway provided an alternative connection to the Main North line at Hexham and was used as an alternate route to move the coal from the various Cessnock area collieries (including those not owned by JABAS) when the South Maitland lines were flooded at East Greta Junction during the 1949-1952 & 1955 floods.During these floods RVR & SMR locomotives worked trains over both networks, with the SMR locos being serviced at the JABAS loco shed at Pelaw Main Colliery.During some of these floods when the SMR loco fleet was trapped at East Greta, locomotives were also hired from the New South Wales Government Railways.