Shelbourne railway line
The Shelbourne line was a continuation of the branch line from Castlemaine to Maldon.[1] Due to the facing junction of the Shelbourne extension, when services to Shelbourne reached Maldon, the locomotive had to change ends in order to run from there to Shelbourne.
| Shelbourne | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Closed |
| Former connections | Maldon line |
| Stations | 2 |
| Service | |
| Type | Branch |
| History | |
| Opened | 24 March 1891 |
| Closed | 8 January 1969 as wooden bridges were destroyed by bushfire |
| Technical | |
| Number of tracks | 1 |
History
The line from Maldon to Shelbourne was opened on 24 March 1891.[2] The line was originally planned to extend about 8 miles (13 km) beyond Shelbourne to Laanecoorie, but work on that section was suspended in 1890. Almost 2 miles (3 km) of earthworks and two trestle bridges had been built before construction was abandoned.[3]
The one intermediate station on the line was known as Bradford until sometime between 1912 and 1928, when its name was altered to Pollard. In late 1936, a proposal to close the Castlemaine-Maldon-Shelbourne line was met with protests.[4] Consequently the line was not closed, but services were modified such that some rolling stock was allocated to the Echuca line.
Closure
A bushfire on 8 January 1969 destroyed a number of the wooden trestle bridges between Maldon and Shelbourne, which were deemed uneconomical to rebuild, forcing the closure of the line.[5]
References
- VICSIG - Infrastructure http://www.vicsig.net/infrastructure/line/Shelbourne
- Harrigan, Leo J. (1962). Victorian Railways to ‘62. Melbourne: Victorian Railways Public Relations and Betterment Board. p. 283.
- "Report on the Question of the Laanecoorie District Connecting Railway" (PDF). Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- "Maldon-Shelbourne Railway". The Argus. 7 November 1936. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- Brown, Les. "ROLL 38. A.R.H.S. Excursion to Shelbourne, 20th January 1968". Retrieved 6 February 2014.