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ozbob13

10 Sep, 18 tweets, 9 min read

Good Morning Beech Forest!
29.75 mile (47.6 km) narrow gauge line (2' 6" gauge) from Colac to Beech Forest. Opened on 1 March 1902, extended 14.11 miles (22.6 km) to Crowes on 20 November 1911.

Beech Forest had a reversing loop around a tennis court.
Layout 1949.
victorianrailways.net/signaling/comp…
Line to Crowes bottom line of the two lines left.
Colac line on top.

Colac layout updated 1944
victorianrailways.net/signaling/comp…
No dual gauge turntable at Colac (Moe and Wangaratta both had one). Use was made of the loop at Beech Forest to reverse locos to even wear. NG bottom of diagram.

@Library_Vic

Beech Forest station Vic. viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE1533… via @Library_Vic c. 1906

@Library_Vic

Beech Forest terminus viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE1533… via @Library_Vic c. 1906

@Library_Vic

An S curve on the Beech Forest line viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE1543… via @Library_Vic c. 1906

1928 Beech Forest - Crowes timetable
victorianrailways.net/timetables/192…

Beech Forest 1915
victoriancollections.net.au/items/5293cbe5…

Beech Forest in the snow.
c. 1908
victoriancollections.net.au/items/533f7c20…

Beech Forest in heavy snow in 1908, locomotive 7A, four NQ filled wagons, an NM livestock wagon, and an NBDBD combined passenger-brakevan.
victoriancollections.net.au/items/53534788…
7A built Newport May 1905 and is now at Puffing Billy Belgrave.

Beech Forest Delta Crossover at West End
Weston Langford 15 January 1958
westonlangford.com/images/photo/1…

Beech Forest Up Goods G 42
Weston Langford 9 August 1961
westonlangford.com/images/photo/1…
The line to the right was the Crowes line. Closed from Weeaproinah to Crowes December 1954.

G42 shunting in the Beech Forest railway yard on 5 June 1957
victoriancollections.net.au/items/54239c08…

The line closed 1962. In the final years there were a number of special excursion trains.

G42 with the sign " Australian Railway, Last Train to Beech Forest, 30-6-62, Historical Society" about to depart Colac for Beech Forest for the last time.
victoriancollections.net.au/items/533cf84c…

An aerial view of Beech Forest showing the balloon loop at the end of the station yard (enclosing the two tennis courts) 1965
victoriancollections.net.au/items/5423a089…

The line now forms the Old Beechy Rail Trail
colacotway.vic.gov.au/Parks-Recreati…

Film: G42 at Beech Forest filmed by A. Hill
a silent movie donated to the PBPS Archive Film
Scenes at Colac and goods train workings to and from Beech Forest.

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More from @ozbob13

ozbob13

@ozbob13

12 Sep

Good Morning Bolangum!
The Bolangum branch opened in stages:
Lubeck - Rupanyup1887
Rupanyup - Marnoo 1909
Marnoo - Bolangum 1927
Closed Lubeck - Bolangum 1983
Wheat was the main produce transported on the line.
vrhistory.com/VRMaps/Vic1930…

1928 timetable for Marnoo and Bolangum.
victorianrailways.net/timetables/192…

The junction for the line was Lubeck.
Lubeck was on the Serviceton line.
Lubeck layout 1924.
victorianrailways.net/signaling/comp…

Read 14 tweets

ozbob13

@ozbob13

12 Sep

The Navarre branch line was in the Wimmera region of the Victoria and was connected to Ben Nevis on the Avoca line.
Opened in 1914, closed in 1954. Agricultural produce and timber were the main goods.

The Ararat Advertiser Thu 14 May 1914 Page 2
CROWLANDS TO NAVARRE RAILWAY
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti…

In 1928 passenger services were daily except Saturdays.
victorianrailways.net/timetables/192…

Read 14 tweets

ozbob13

@ozbob13

11 Sep

G'day Wensleydale (Victoria)!
Moriac to Wensleydale VR branch line opened 1890 closed 1948. Line used to transport firewood, gravel and brown coal, passenger services non existent after 1910 or so. During WW2 passenger trains to support Army at Gherang.
vrhistory.com/VRMaps/Vic1930…

A turntable was located at Wensleydale.
This branch line was built with more hope than reason. Attempts were made to close it from early 1900s till final closure.
victorianrailways.net/grades/wensley…

Wensleydale, Victoria. A Roll of Honour for men in the district who enlisted for WWI. Their photographs are included.
AWM
awm.gov.au/collection/C38…
It is possible the Wensleydale station is the photograph at the bottom of the Roll.

Read 13 tweets

ozbob13

@ozbob13

9 Sep

Good Morning Red Hill!
Red Hill line branched off from the Stony Point line at Bittern.
Opened 2 December 1921 closed 29 June 1953.

Line profile
victorianrailways.net/grades/redhill…

The Argus Sat 3 Dec 1921 Page 28
BITTERN-RED HILL LINE.
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti…
Details of the formal opening of the line. Full article at link.

Read 13 tweets

ozbob13

@ozbob13

8 Sep

G'day Briagolong !
Briagolong branch line ran from Maffra to Briagolong.
Opened 1889 closed 1952. Goods mainly timber and agricultural produce including milk trains twice a day to Maffra.
vrhistory.com/VRMaps/Vic1930…

Track profile Maffra to Briagolong and track layouts.
victorianrailways.net/grades/briagal…

1928 timetable
victorianrailways.net/timetables/192…
Passenger services Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays Maffra <> Briagolong. I expect it would have been possible to travel in the guard vans of goods trains on an opportunity basis as well.

Read 16 tweets

ozbob13

@ozbob13

6 Sep

Patchewollock line
Sections opened:
1886 Murtoa - Warracknabeal
1893 Warracknabeal - Beulah
1894 Beulah - Hopetoun
1925 Hopetoun - Patchewollock (closed 1986)
Murtoa - Hopetoun converted to standard gauge 1995

1930 VR network
vrhistory.com/VRMaps/Vic1930…