South Gippsland railway line, Victoria
Encyclopedia
The South Gippsland railway line opened in 1892, branching from the Gippsland line at Dandenong, and extending to Port Albert. Much of it (the section up to Leongatha) remained in use until July 1993 (the track as far as Leongatha is still intact), however only a small portion is in use today, as the suburban Cranbourne line.
In addition to the Cranbourne line, the section from Nyora to Leongatha is used by the South Gippsland Tourist Railway
, and Leongatha to Foster has been converted to the Great Southern Rail Trail
.
opened a line from Princes Bridge railway station to Punt Road
(Richmond) and South Yarra in 1859 and extended to Dandenong in 1879. The South Gippsland railway line (also known as the Great Southern Railway) was opened from Dandenong to Cranbourne in 1888 and extended to Koo Wee Rup
, Nyora
and Loch
in 1890, Korumburra
and Leongatha
in 1891 and Welshpool
, Alberton
and Port Albert
in 1892. The section from Alberton to Port Albert was closed in the 1940s. A branch line was built from Alberton to Yarram
and Woodside
in 1921.
The line was well known for its sharp curves and spectacular scenery, and was also one of the last lines to offer a 'Mixed Passenger and Goods' service in Victoria
. The section from Yarram to Woodside was closed in the early 1970s, with the section from Barry Beach Junction and Welshpool to Yarram closed in 1987 when the mixed goods service closed. From this point until about 1992, the track beyond Agnes received minimal usage, although a short branch leading from Agnes
to Barry Beach was used extensively for goods traffic to serve the oil
platforms in Bass Strait
.
The Barry Beach service ceased in 1992 and with it all usage of the train line beyond Leongatha. This section of track was then dismantled in 1994, requiring the strengthening of the large Tarwin bridge near Meeniyan, next to the South Gippsland Highway, to allow the track machine onto the track to do the dismantling. On Saturday 24 July 1993 the last V/Line
passenger train ran to Leongatha. P class diesel locomotive P18
hauled the passenger train from Melbourne to Leongatha and back with a FSH 4 carriage set. The section from Nyora to Leongatha was transferred to the South Gippsland Railway
in 1994 and trains have not operated beyond Cranbourne
since January 1998.
The mountainous Strzelecki branch line was built from Koo Wee Rup
to Strzelecki which opened in 1922. This line was closed in stages throughout the 1930s, '40s and '50s.
The Wonthaggi branch line was built from Nyora
to Wonthaggi
opening in 1910 to serve the State Coal Mine, a small extension to the line was opened in 1917. The Wonthaggi line was closed in 1978.
The Outtrim branch line was built from Korumburra
to the coal mine at Outtrim
in two stages, the initial stage to Jumbunna
was opening in 1894 with the final stage to Outtrim opening in 1896, The line was closed in two stages the first from Jumbunna to Outtrim on 4 September 1951 and then from Jumbunna to Korumburra on 1 October 1953.
hauling MTH carriages. To fill the gap local trains were introduced on a three month trial from Dandenong to Lang Lang, being withdrawn on 3 October 1981 due to insufficient patronage. Services to Leongatha were restored on 9 December 1984 but were again withdrawn on 24 July 1993.
The line became unused beyond Cranbourne with the withdrawal of freight services from Koala siding in January 1998. The exception was a tourist operation which would become known as South Gippsland Railway
which commenced operation between Nyora and Leongatha. In 1995 the section between Dandenong and Cranbourne was electrified and a station added at Merinda Park, as part of a $27 million Federal Government funded project.
The Barry Beach freight service ceased in 1992 and with it all usage of the train line beyond Leongatha. V/Line passenger services ceased to Leongatha on 24 July 1993 with last train to Melbourne. By the mid 1990s only T
, Y
and P class diesel locomotives were used on the line from this time due to their low axle loads, with a 15 km/h speed limit applying to parts of the track. This continued until the January 16, 1998, when the Koala Siding (near Nyora) to Spotswood sand train ceased operation. It took a normal train 2 hours and 20 minutes to travel from Spencer Street Station
to Leongatha, with the current bus service completing the journey in a similar time.
The South Gippsland Tourist Railway at Korrumburra loaned out K 190 during the summer of 1995-1996, repainted the engine and tender a more noticeable green. She was once again returned for service with the S.G.T.R during the summer of 1996-1997.
services were operated along the line in the mid 1980s to late 1990s, because the line was near closure. The last railfan steam special to run beyond Leongatha was on 13 November 1988, when steam locomotives D3.639
and K153
ran to Foster. The train ran to Foster due to there being a turntable for usable condition. The line between Foster and Barry Beach had minimal usage and the line beyond Welshpool to Yarram was closed and not in usable condition and Toora was the only other main settlement beyond Foster that a steamer could have run to. There were a few diesel
hauled heritage tours and special trains that ran beyond Leongatha around the late 1980s to early 1990s.
K153 ran the last steam train to Yarram on 26 October 1987. It also hauled a trip a month earlier to Welshpool on 6 September 1987. There were numerous steam hauled tours to Leongatha in the early 1990s. In 1993 there were two notable trips to Leongatha that were steam hauled. The first one was on 5 March, which was to be a K triple header to Korumburra and Leongatha. One of the locomotives scheduled to haul this train, K190, broke down that morning, so locomotives K153 and K183 made hard work of hauling the long consist of wooden carriages. On 25 July 1993, the apparent last steam train to South Gippsland, ran with K190 and K183 hauling a long consist of wooden carriages. The train ran shuttles between Korumburra and Leongatha.
After the withdrawal of passenger services to Leongatha, a few more steam hauled trips were organised before the remainder of the line became booked out between Cranbourne and Nyora. In April 1994, K190 & K183 again ran a tour to Leongatha, but with a much smaller consist this time. J515
ran to Leongatha on 14 October 1995, which was organised by the Seymour Heritage Railway & ARHS. It was the first time for seven year that a J ran on South Gippsland line. D3.639 and K183 ran to Korumburra and Leongatha on 25 September 1997, which was the last Steamrail train to ever traverse the line. During this time D3.639 was on loan to SGTR
The last steam train on the mainline before closure of the line was steam locomotive K190
operated by Steamrail Victoria
. It returned in April 1998 after it was leased to the South Gippsland Tourist Railway (SGTR) in December 1996. SGTR had loaned the loco during the summer of 1995-1996. The locomotive again returned for the summer of 1996-1997. K190 returned on December 7, 1996, when Steamrail ran a tour to Korumburra and Leongatha. Diesel loco T345 was sent down to SGR as well. K183 double headed with K190 to Nyora with T345 dead attached. K190 & T345 were detached at Nyora and then K183 ran solo to Korumburra and Leongatha. K190 followed with the SGR air conditioned cars before running a shuttle to Leongatha. T342, T345 and DERM 55 ran a rare Saturday tourist rail service K183 the Steamrail train back to Melbourne while K190 stayed down at SGTR for the summer.
in 1998. The section between Foster and Yarram is planned to be a future extension of the trail.
The branch line from Nyora to Wonthaggi was closed in 1978 and later dismantled, now forming the Bass Coast Rail Trail
. A significant section of the former Wonthaggi Line has been leased or sold to farmers, while other sections have been cut away to widen highways and main roads in the coastal South Gippsland region.
The section from Dandenong to Cranbourne was electrified in 1995 and is now part of the suburban rail network as the Cranbourne Line. The first level crossing on the closed section of the line, the South Gippsland Highway crossing in Cranbourne has since been paved over. The Victorian Transport Plan
of 2009 has stated that the Cranbourne line will be extended 2 kilometres to a new station at Cranbourne East by 2015. The new Cranbourne East station will be built near Renyard Street and the Casey Complex.
The line from Nyora to Leongatha is now used by the South Gippsland Tourist Railway
. However some bridges have been repaired between Leongatha and Korumburra which has allowed the South Gippsland Tourist Railway to restore its services on this section of the track after it was prevented from using it due to the declining condition of the bridges.
The remaining section of track from Cranbourne to Nyora is disused but mostly still intact. Two metres of track was pulled up at Koo Wee Rup to put toilets at the bus and coach stop. The Wonthaggi desalination plant pipeline has also made it necessary to remove three more sections of the line. The first section is about 100 metres on the down side of Monomeith Road where about 50 metres of track have been removed. The second is about 5% m on the up side of Caldermeade Road where about thirty metres of track have been removed and the third, is about halfway between Caldermeade and Lang Lang stations. At this time the track from Cranbourne East to Nyora has not yet been lifted to be converted into the proposed rail trail.
Much of the operational and safeworking
infrastructure remains in place in this section, including signalling equipment, level crossings, and easements not having been otherwise leased or sold. Station platforms are also in place, but mostly without station buildings, such as Lang Lang, Koo-Wee-Rup, and Tooradin. Parts of the track have warped due to erosion or movement of the supporting groundwork and displacement of sleepers, these are especially evident near Lang Lang, Tooradin and north of Koo-Wee-Rup. Other potential problems include questions on safety of certain bridges and culverts along the route.
Prior to the 1999 Victorian election, the state Labor Party made a promise to return passenger services to Leongatha. In 2008 a report commissioned by the Victorian Department of Transport found the cost of returning passenger services to Leongatha to be unjustifiably high, at an estimated $72 million, and that only 20 per cent of respondents surveyed about their transport needs considered restoring train services to be the main priority. Instead $14.7 million will be spent on road coach service upgrades.
The former Minister for Public Transport Lynne Kosky
has stated that the State Government is providing funding for development of a rail trail
between Cranbourne East
and Nyora
to support tourism in South Gippsland. Such a move may result in the track being lifted, thus ending any hope that the line may reopen in the future. However it still could be possible for the line to reopen in the future even the new rail trail does go ahead between Cranbourne East and Nyora due to reports of a proposed new route for the South Gippsland line if it ever reopens. A proposal is to relocate the tracks of the South Gippsland line prior to Koo-Wee-Rup. The proposed new location of the line would branch off from Pakenham instead of sharing the line between Dandenong and Cranbourne, locate around Pakenham-Koo-Wee- Rup Road then join the existing tracks at Koo-Wee-Rup. This would mean the track could be dismantled between Cranbourne East and Koo-Wee-Rup via Clyde, Tooradin and Dalmore for a new rail trail but not from Koo-Wee-Rup to Nyora unless it locates alongside the actual rail tracks. Another proposal is to have the line branched off from Drouin and diverting through Poowong and joining the existing tracks at Nyora. This would mean that the tracks could be dismantled between Koo-Wee-Rup and Nyora to allow a rail trail to be constructed all the way from Cranbourne East.
In addition to the Cranbourne line, the section from Nyora to Leongatha is used by the South Gippsland Tourist Railway
South Gippsland Railway
The South Gippsland Railway is a tourist railway located in south Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It controls a section of the former South Gippsland line between Nyora and Leongatha, operating services from Leongatha to Nyora via Korumburra taking around 65 minutes, trains operate on sundays,...
, and Leongatha to Foster has been converted to the Great Southern Rail Trail
Great Southern Rail Trail
The Great Southern Rail Trail is a Rail trail from Leongatha to Foster in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. The trail is 49 km long and travels through open farmland, before passing through the Hoddle range to Foster. , there is a 3 km section between Koonwarra and Meeniyan where...
.
History
The Melbourne and Suburban Railway CompanyMelbourne and Suburban Railway Company
The Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. The company opened a line from Princes Bridge railway station in Melbourne, Australia to Punt Road and South Yarra in 1859, Prahran in 1859 and Windsor in 1860, connecting with the St Kilda and Brighton...
opened a line from Princes Bridge railway station to Punt Road
Richmond railway station, Melbourne
Richmond is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Richmond. It is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zone 1.-Facilities:...
(Richmond) and South Yarra in 1859 and extended to Dandenong in 1879. The South Gippsland railway line (also known as the Great Southern Railway) was opened from Dandenong to Cranbourne in 1888 and extended to Koo Wee Rup
Koo Wee Rup, Victoria
Koo Wee Rup is a town in Victoria, Australia, 63 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Cardinia...
, Nyora
Nyora, Victoria
Nyora is a town in south Gippsland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Nyora had a population of 545.The Post Office opened around September 1890 replacing an office at nearby Lang Lang East open since 1885....
and Loch
Loch, Victoria
Loch is a town in the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia which was established in 1876. The town was named in honour of the Governor of Victoria, Henry Loch....
in 1890, Korumburra
Korumburra, Victoria
Korumburra is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. It is located on the South Gippsland Highway, kilometres south-east of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland Shire local government area....
and Leongatha
Leongatha, Victoria
Leongatha is a town in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne. The town is the commercial, religious, educational and civic centre of the region. At the 2006 census, Leongatha had a population of 4,504.The Murray...
in 1891 and Welshpool
Welshpool, Victoria
Welshpool is a town in the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Welshpool had a population of 147.-Notes and references:...
, Alberton
Alberton, Victoria
Alberton is a small town in Victoria, Australia. It is located along the South Gippsland Highway, 6 kilometres south of Yarram and 216 kilometres east of Melbourne. Albert River passes through the town. At the 2006 census, Alberton had a population of 162....
and Port Albert
Port Albert, Victoria
Port Albert is a coastal town in Victoria, Australia, on the coast of Corner Inlet on the Yarram - Port Albert Road, kilometres south-east of Morwell, kilometres south-east of Melbourne, in the Shire of Wellington. At the 2006 census, Port Albert had a population of 248.Port Albert was one of the...
in 1892. The section from Alberton to Port Albert was closed in the 1940s. A branch line was built from Alberton to Yarram
Yarram, Victoria
Yarram , is an isolated town in Victoria, Australia, in the Shire of Wellington, located in the southeast of Gippsland. The term 'Yarraam Yarraam' is thought to be an aboriginal phrase meaning 'plenty of water,' however it is not known which language group the name is taken from...
and Woodside
Woodside, Victoria
Woodside is a village in Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Woodside and the surrounding area had a population of 267. Near Woodside there is the tallest construction of the southern hemisphere, the aerial mast of the VLF Transmitter Woodside...
in 1921.
The line was well known for its sharp curves and spectacular scenery, and was also one of the last lines to offer a 'Mixed Passenger and Goods' service in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. The section from Yarram to Woodside was closed in the early 1970s, with the section from Barry Beach Junction and Welshpool to Yarram closed in 1987 when the mixed goods service closed. From this point until about 1992, the track beyond Agnes received minimal usage, although a short branch leading from Agnes
Agnes
-People:*Agnes , a female given name *Agnes of Assisi*Agnes of Gandersheim, Abbess of Gandersheim and Quedlinburg*Agnes of Poitou, Regent of the Holy Roman Empire*Agnes of Tristain, fictional character...
to Barry Beach was used extensively for goods traffic to serve the oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
platforms in Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
.
The Barry Beach service ceased in 1992 and with it all usage of the train line beyond Leongatha. This section of track was then dismantled in 1994, requiring the strengthening of the large Tarwin bridge near Meeniyan, next to the South Gippsland Highway, to allow the track machine onto the track to do the dismantling. On Saturday 24 July 1993 the last V/Line
V/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
passenger train ran to Leongatha. P class diesel locomotive P18
V/Line P class
The V/Line P class diesel electric locomotive were rebuilt from early model 'flat top' T class locomotives in the 1980s by Clyde Engineering...
hauled the passenger train from Melbourne to Leongatha and back with a FSH 4 carriage set. The section from Nyora to Leongatha was transferred to the South Gippsland Railway
South Gippsland Railway
The South Gippsland Railway is a tourist railway located in south Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It controls a section of the former South Gippsland line between Nyora and Leongatha, operating services from Leongatha to Nyora via Korumburra taking around 65 minutes, trains operate on sundays,...
in 1994 and trains have not operated beyond Cranbourne
Cranbourne
- Places :*Cranborne, Dorset*Cranborne Chase, Dorset*Cranbourne, Berkshire*Cranbourne Chase, Berkshire*Cranbourne Lodge, a royal lodge, within Cranbourne Chase*Cranbourne, Hampshire*Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia**Cranbourne railway line...
since January 1998.
Branch lines
A 5 km-long narrow-gauge horse-drawn tramway was built from Welshpool to Welshpool Jetty in 1905. It was closed in 1941.The mountainous Strzelecki branch line was built from Koo Wee Rup
Koo Wee Rup, Victoria
Koo Wee Rup is a town in Victoria, Australia, 63 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Cardinia...
to Strzelecki which opened in 1922. This line was closed in stages throughout the 1930s, '40s and '50s.
The Wonthaggi branch line was built from Nyora
Nyora, Victoria
Nyora is a town in south Gippsland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Nyora had a population of 545.The Post Office opened around September 1890 replacing an office at nearby Lang Lang East open since 1885....
to Wonthaggi
Wonthaggi, Victoria
Wonthaggi is a town located south east of Melbourne via the South Gippsland and Bass Highways, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia...
opening in 1910 to serve the State Coal Mine, a small extension to the line was opened in 1917. The Wonthaggi line was closed in 1978.
The Outtrim branch line was built from Korumburra
Korumburra, Victoria
Korumburra is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. It is located on the South Gippsland Highway, kilometres south-east of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland Shire local government area....
to the coal mine at Outtrim
Outtrim, Victoria
Outtrim is a locality in Victoria, Australia. It is located south of Korumburra off the Korumburra to Wonthaggi Road and is southeast of Melbourne.-History:...
in two stages, the initial stage to Jumbunna
Jumbunna, Victoria
Jumbunna is a town in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. The name is taken from the eastern Kulin language of the Bunnerong tribe and means "a place to meet and talk"....
was opening in 1894 with the final stage to Outtrim opening in 1896, The line was closed in two stages the first from Jumbunna to Outtrim on 4 September 1951 and then from Jumbunna to Korumburra on 1 October 1953.
Services
Passenger services operated on the line since opening. Services from Melbourne to Leongatha and Yarram were withdrawn on 6 June 1981, with replacement buses starting three days later. The Yarram train was a loco hauled mixed train, while the Leongatha train was a DRC railcarDRC railcar
The DRC was a class of railmotor operated by the Victorian Railways on the country rail network Victoria, Australia. The cars were built by Tulloch Limited in New South Wales and featured stainless steel construction, air-conditioning, and a diesel hydraulic transmission.-History:The first...
hauling MTH carriages. To fill the gap local trains were introduced on a three month trial from Dandenong to Lang Lang, being withdrawn on 3 October 1981 due to insufficient patronage. Services to Leongatha were restored on 9 December 1984 but were again withdrawn on 24 July 1993.
The line became unused beyond Cranbourne with the withdrawal of freight services from Koala siding in January 1998. The exception was a tourist operation which would become known as South Gippsland Railway
South Gippsland Railway
The South Gippsland Railway is a tourist railway located in south Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It controls a section of the former South Gippsland line between Nyora and Leongatha, operating services from Leongatha to Nyora via Korumburra taking around 65 minutes, trains operate on sundays,...
which commenced operation between Nyora and Leongatha. In 1995 the section between Dandenong and Cranbourne was electrified and a station added at Merinda Park, as part of a $27 million Federal Government funded project.
The Barry Beach freight service ceased in 1992 and with it all usage of the train line beyond Leongatha. V/Line passenger services ceased to Leongatha on 24 July 1993 with last train to Melbourne. By the mid 1990s only T
Victorian Railways T class (diesel)
The Victorian Railways T class diesel electric locomotive are a small branch line and shunting unit built by Clyde Engineering . They were the most numerous class of diesel locomotives in the state....
, Y
Victorian Railways Y class (diesel)
The Victorian Railways Y class diesel electric locomotive is a small branch line and shunting unit built by Clyde Engineering . Three separate orders were delivered...
and P class diesel locomotives were used on the line from this time due to their low axle loads, with a 15 km/h speed limit applying to parts of the track. This continued until the January 16, 1998, when the Koala Siding (near Nyora) to Spotswood sand train ceased operation. It took a normal train 2 hours and 20 minutes to travel from Spencer Street Station
Southern Cross Station
Southern Cross is a major railway station and transport hub in Melbourne Docklands, Victoria, Australia. It is located on Spencer Street between Collins and La Trobe Streets at the western edge of the central business district...
to Leongatha, with the current bus service completing the journey in a similar time.
The South Gippsland Tourist Railway at Korrumburra loaned out K 190 during the summer of 1995-1996, repainted the engine and tender a more noticeable green. She was once again returned for service with the S.G.T.R during the summer of 1996-1997.
Steamrail, railfan enthusiasts trains
A number of special railway enthusiastRailfan
A railfan or rail buff , railway enthusiast or railway buff , or trainspotter , is a person interested in a recreational capacity in rail transport...
services were operated along the line in the mid 1980s to late 1990s, because the line was near closure. The last railfan steam special to run beyond Leongatha was on 13 November 1988, when steam locomotives D3.639
Victorian Railways Dd class
The Dd class was a passenger and mixed traffic steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1902 to 1974...
and K153
Victorian Railways K class
The K class was a branch line steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1922 to 1979. Although its design was entirely conventional and its specifications unremarkable, the K class was in practice a remarkably versatile and dependable locomotive...
ran to Foster. The train ran to Foster due to there being a turntable for usable condition. The line between Foster and Barry Beach had minimal usage and the line beyond Welshpool to Yarram was closed and not in usable condition and Toora was the only other main settlement beyond Foster that a steamer could have run to. There were a few diesel
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
hauled heritage tours and special trains that ran beyond Leongatha around the late 1980s to early 1990s.
K153 ran the last steam train to Yarram on 26 October 1987. It also hauled a trip a month earlier to Welshpool on 6 September 1987. There were numerous steam hauled tours to Leongatha in the early 1990s. In 1993 there were two notable trips to Leongatha that were steam hauled. The first one was on 5 March, which was to be a K triple header to Korumburra and Leongatha. One of the locomotives scheduled to haul this train, K190, broke down that morning, so locomotives K153 and K183 made hard work of hauling the long consist of wooden carriages. On 25 July 1993, the apparent last steam train to South Gippsland, ran with K190 and K183 hauling a long consist of wooden carriages. The train ran shuttles between Korumburra and Leongatha.
After the withdrawal of passenger services to Leongatha, a few more steam hauled trips were organised before the remainder of the line became booked out between Cranbourne and Nyora. In April 1994, K190 & K183 again ran a tour to Leongatha, but with a much smaller consist this time. J515
Victorian Railways J class
The J class was a branch line steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1954 to 1972. A development of the successful Victorian Railways K class 2-8-0, it was the last new class of steam locomotive introduced on the VR...
ran to Leongatha on 14 October 1995, which was organised by the Seymour Heritage Railway & ARHS. It was the first time for seven year that a J ran on South Gippsland line. D3.639 and K183 ran to Korumburra and Leongatha on 25 September 1997, which was the last Steamrail train to ever traverse the line. During this time D3.639 was on loan to SGTR
The last steam train on the mainline before closure of the line was steam locomotive K190
Victorian Railways K class
The K class was a branch line steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1922 to 1979. Although its design was entirely conventional and its specifications unremarkable, the K class was in practice a remarkably versatile and dependable locomotive...
operated by Steamrail Victoria
Steamrail Victoria
Steamrail Victoria is a not-for-profit volunteer group established in 1965 to the restore and operate historic locomotives and rolling stock used on the railways in Victoria, Australia. The main depot of the group is at the Newport Railway Workshops in suburban Melbourne...
. It returned in April 1998 after it was leased to the South Gippsland Tourist Railway (SGTR) in December 1996. SGTR had loaned the loco during the summer of 1995-1996. The locomotive again returned for the summer of 1996-1997. K190 returned on December 7, 1996, when Steamrail ran a tour to Korumburra and Leongatha. Diesel loco T345 was sent down to SGR as well. K183 double headed with K190 to Nyora with T345 dead attached. K190 & T345 were detached at Nyora and then K183 ran solo to Korumburra and Leongatha. K190 followed with the SGR air conditioned cars before running a shuttle to Leongatha. T342, T345 and DERM 55 ran a rare Saturday tourist rail service K183 the Steamrail train back to Melbourne while K190 stayed down at SGTR for the summer.
Current status
The track beyond Leongatha to Yarram and the Barry Beach branch line was dismantled in 1994, but removal of other infrastructure along the line such as level crossing signals took place around mid to late 1992, soon after the last train ran to Barry Beach. The section between Leongatha - Foster was turned into the Great Southern Rail TrailGreat Southern Rail Trail
The Great Southern Rail Trail is a Rail trail from Leongatha to Foster in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. The trail is 49 km long and travels through open farmland, before passing through the Hoddle range to Foster. , there is a 3 km section between Koonwarra and Meeniyan where...
in 1998. The section between Foster and Yarram is planned to be a future extension of the trail.
The branch line from Nyora to Wonthaggi was closed in 1978 and later dismantled, now forming the Bass Coast Rail Trail
Bass Coast Rail Trail
The Bass Coast Rail Trail is a Rail trail located in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.The trail has been constructed along a section of the former Wonthaggi line. The trail starts at the former Anderson Station and finishes shortly after the former Wonthaggi Station...
. A significant section of the former Wonthaggi Line has been leased or sold to farmers, while other sections have been cut away to widen highways and main roads in the coastal South Gippsland region.
The section from Dandenong to Cranbourne was electrified in 1995 and is now part of the suburban rail network as the Cranbourne Line. The first level crossing on the closed section of the line, the South Gippsland Highway crossing in Cranbourne has since been paved over. The Victorian Transport Plan
Victorian Transport Plan
The Victorian Transport Plan is a now defunct transport planning framework for the state of Victoria, Australia announced on Monday 9 December 2008 by then Premier of Victoria, John Brumby...
of 2009 has stated that the Cranbourne line will be extended 2 kilometres to a new station at Cranbourne East by 2015. The new Cranbourne East station will be built near Renyard Street and the Casey Complex.
The line from Nyora to Leongatha is now used by the South Gippsland Tourist Railway
South Gippsland Railway
The South Gippsland Railway is a tourist railway located in south Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It controls a section of the former South Gippsland line between Nyora and Leongatha, operating services from Leongatha to Nyora via Korumburra taking around 65 minutes, trains operate on sundays,...
. However some bridges have been repaired between Leongatha and Korumburra which has allowed the South Gippsland Tourist Railway to restore its services on this section of the track after it was prevented from using it due to the declining condition of the bridges.
The remaining section of track from Cranbourne to Nyora is disused but mostly still intact. Two metres of track was pulled up at Koo Wee Rup to put toilets at the bus and coach stop. The Wonthaggi desalination plant pipeline has also made it necessary to remove three more sections of the line. The first section is about 100 metres on the down side of Monomeith Road where about 50 metres of track have been removed. The second is about 5% m on the up side of Caldermeade Road where about thirty metres of track have been removed and the third, is about halfway between Caldermeade and Lang Lang stations. At this time the track from Cranbourne East to Nyora has not yet been lifted to be converted into the proposed rail trail.
Much of the operational and safeworking
Safeworking
Signalling block systems enable the safe and efficient operation of railways, so as to avoid collisions between trains. Block systems are used to control trains between stations and yards, and not normally within them. Any block system is defined by its associated physical equipment and by the...
infrastructure remains in place in this section, including signalling equipment, level crossings, and easements not having been otherwise leased or sold. Station platforms are also in place, but mostly without station buildings, such as Lang Lang, Koo-Wee-Rup, and Tooradin. Parts of the track have warped due to erosion or movement of the supporting groundwork and displacement of sleepers, these are especially evident near Lang Lang, Tooradin and north of Koo-Wee-Rup. Other potential problems include questions on safety of certain bridges and culverts along the route.
Prior to the 1999 Victorian election, the state Labor Party made a promise to return passenger services to Leongatha. In 2008 a report commissioned by the Victorian Department of Transport found the cost of returning passenger services to Leongatha to be unjustifiably high, at an estimated $72 million, and that only 20 per cent of respondents surveyed about their transport needs considered restoring train services to be the main priority. Instead $14.7 million will be spent on road coach service upgrades.
The former Minister for Public Transport Lynne Kosky
Lynne Kosky
Lynne Janice Kosky is a former Australian politician and senior minister in the Parliament of Victoria. She represented the electoral district of Altona in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Australian Labor Party from 1996 to 2010...
has stated that the State Government is providing funding for development of a rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
between Cranbourne East
Cranbourne East, Victoria
Cranbourne East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 44 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey. At the 2006 Census, Cranbourne East had a population of 3600.-Facilities:...
and Nyora
Nyora, Victoria
Nyora is a town in south Gippsland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Nyora had a population of 545.The Post Office opened around September 1890 replacing an office at nearby Lang Lang East open since 1885....
to support tourism in South Gippsland. Such a move may result in the track being lifted, thus ending any hope that the line may reopen in the future. However it still could be possible for the line to reopen in the future even the new rail trail does go ahead between Cranbourne East and Nyora due to reports of a proposed new route for the South Gippsland line if it ever reopens. A proposal is to relocate the tracks of the South Gippsland line prior to Koo-Wee-Rup. The proposed new location of the line would branch off from Pakenham instead of sharing the line between Dandenong and Cranbourne, locate around Pakenham-Koo-Wee- Rup Road then join the existing tracks at Koo-Wee-Rup. This would mean the track could be dismantled between Cranbourne East and Koo-Wee-Rup via Clyde, Tooradin and Dalmore for a new rail trail but not from Koo-Wee-Rup to Nyora unless it locates alongside the actual rail tracks. Another proposal is to have the line branched off from Drouin and diverting through Poowong and joining the existing tracks at Nyora. This would mean that the tracks could be dismantled between Koo-Wee-Rup and Nyora to allow a rail trail to be constructed all the way from Cranbourne East.
External links
- Statistics and detailed schematic map at the vicsig enthusiast website
- Photos: Between Cranbourne and Clyde stations