Those grain lines...

Somebody · The Peanut Gallery Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 304

Can any Victorian experts answer me when those grain lines in the north of the state - Piangil, Robinvale, Kulwin, etc:

- lost their passenger service? I would be guessing 1970s/1980s
- last had any tour from one of the heritage groups go there?
- and which ones still have frequent movements (for the moment!), or what ones are seasonal only

Thanks in advance.

ninthnotch · Site Admin Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 2340

There's a fuckload of them:

Off the top of my head working west to east:

Dimboola-Yaapeet gets fuck-all grain these days, there was a bit running with 81's off all things in the 2004 season, aside from that I think there's former NGMA blacks stored somewhere. Last pass was in the 1970's with DERMs to Rainbow, last tour was I think 1995, one went there in SG days. A78 did a tour there I think in 1992 with the RTA.

Dimmy's one of the locations to get El Zorroed from a big AWB bulk loader, so irregular GM-T386-GM36 should run there

Murtoa-Hopetoun is the same, although reports from that other site indicates that a G and XR fucked off up there from Portland tonight, first time in ages. Hopetoun had DERMs as well until the 1970's/80's, 1982 New Deal fucked it off. From there to Patchewollock was a mixed service until the early 1950's.

Here's a picture in 1975 of Murtoa in the 'good old days'.

Mildura and Yelta still see shit in the form of 9140, or until the 5th of February, lost the Vinelander in 1992, prior to that had a DRC to Donald in the 1970's and a Walker to Woomeland prior. There was a local AEC service from Red Cliffs-Yelta in the 1920's. Birchip has a big fuckoff AWB loader and loop, again El Zorro should run shit there irregularly.

Kulwin is fucked beyond Charlton and Sea Lake with an AWB loader on both lines, it's 'services suspended' beyond Sea Lake, with that shit running via Inglewood-Dunolly. Pretty sure the line's also Clayton's closed betwixt Eaglehawk and Inglewood. Sea Lake had regular DERMs till the 1970's and probably mixed beyond when mixeds ran but fucked if I know when the last tour was run, think early this decade.

The Robinvale line - does the Boort still run these days? If so, a sorta regular service runs there to collect peas, but I'd say it's fucked now. Fucked if I know how far the track's open to. DERMs went as far as Ultima, buggered if I know anything else like Robinvales, think they ran all the way in the 1960's. Last tour was the Steamrail Wycheproof tour last year or the year before.

Marybugger-Ararat is definitely baulked at both ends, hasn't seen shit since some SG transfers of grain at Dunolly, saw G519 there on a SG grainy in 2003. Dunno about passes, think it mighta been a 102 or some such shit. Last tour was an R707 in 1994, rode on the bastard.

The line beyond Swan Hill - probably the same as the rest, sees fuck-all grainys now. It I am pretty sure had a 102 to Piangil, a postal motor went to Yungera, then Kooloonong. Think the last tour was a Steamrail one in I think 2003, notable for GM36 coming to it's rescue (and they must have been shitted off to see Seymour's clapped out GM coming to it's rescue, think also S306 had an oopsie that day too on that track)

The Deniliquin lines also would be fucked, no more bagged rice on VLEXs coming off 9084 but still sends some shit out from Echuca via Toolamba and Seymour. Pretty sure the Moulamein line is baulked at Barnes, last tour that way was a SRV trip on Queens Birthday 2002, and SRHC shuttles to the site of Moira siding the next year, think the last Moulamein tour was late 1990's SRV overnight. It had DERMs again until the late 1970's as well as the line to Toolamba going in I think 1981.

Tocumwal still sees some shit in the form of 9351/9352 frieghts, sees again sod-all grain. Last pass to Toc was 1982, last to Cobram 1992. Last tour was an SRV one in 2004? with three T's.

Oaklands might see some grain in the future with El Zorro/AWB, and apparently has been worked on a fair bit recently. Yarrawonga passes survived until 1981, 56RM was spruced up for it, but the locals much preferred buses. Last tour was I think 2001. From Yarrawonga there was a pass for a grand total of three months.
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Bwana · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:19 am Post subject:

ninthnotch · Site Admin Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 2340

Somebody · The Peanut Gallery Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 304

Thanks for that 'notch, answered everything I wanted to know.

Now only if there was some more interesting tours more regularily. Not to boring places like Geelong which still have locomotive hauled V/Line's anyway.

Bwana · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:23 am Post subject:

Yeah thanks notch. I wasn't aware anything was SG'ed except the interstate route.
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Somebody · The Peanut Gallery Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 304

Bringing back this thread..

Is there any record for the longest time between trains operating on a line that is still 'open'? I know in the UK a line must have a minimum of one train a day to be considered open - even some of Australia's suburban lines could be considered 'closed' due to that!

Would Kulwin be a contender for a line with the longest time between movements? According to Dicksig it's currently booked out of use down of Sea Lake due to 'sand slides' (what the heck does that mean?) since early 2008, but I don't think a train has been there for a while before. Anybody know when a train last visited this place?

Image from http://www.vicrailstations.com/Kulwin/Kulwin/Kulwin.html

ninthnotch · Site Admin Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 2340

Sand slides is a stupid name for sand drifting over the line.

Longest time between trains operating on a line - at least in Victoria it would have had to have been Maryborough-Ararat closed between 1958 and 1966.

It probably also holds the record - along with Maryborough-Castlemaine - for longest gap between services while opened.
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pawanoro · Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 52

ninthnotch · Site Admin Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 2340

Realised that Fawkner-Somerton and Ararat-Marybugger and Outer Circle (Camberwell-Ashburton and possibly Camberwell-East Kew) doesn't count as Somebody asked about lines that were still open (if suspended), and all three were formally closed.
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pawanoro · Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 52

Some of the VR lines into NSW may count for that, some of them had no trains for years but were not formally closed because in NSW that required an Act of Parliament. I guess they would have needed to run a train at the end though for that to work.

Perhaps Ballarat - Ararat and Sale - Bairnsdale may qualify, were they officially closed?

It looks like Cranbourne - Nyora is out of the running (perhaps a short suburban extension), but maybe one day we will see trains back to South Morang, or even Whittlesea, which is getting on for 50 years closed.

PS. Fixed the quoting in the post above

ninthnotch · Site Admin Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 2340

That would be right: I recall reading about Murrabit-Stony Crossing not being closed for some 20+ years in NSW despite a 1964 closure and despite a lack of track whatsoever, isn't Moulamein-Balranald described somewhere as 'services suspended'?

In answer to your question, Ararat-Ballarat North and Sale-Bairnsdale (along with surprisingly Springhurst-Wahgunyah, and not so surprisingly Strathmerton-Cobram and Heywood-Mt. Gambier are listed by VicTrack as minimum maintenance, which is what I suspect is purely a cost-saving measure (signals switched off, track not patrolled often, if at all etc)

Actually-Ararat-Ballarat from 1995-1999-2003 (one train ran to dump VLCX wagons on it, one train ran to pick them up in 1998-99 and the rust removal trains in 2003 might be a contender.

Cranbourne - Nyora won't be, but (officially) Koala Siding-Nyora might be, when was the last sand train? 1998? The last pass was 1992, and aside from the 1995 fodder trains, I can;t think of anything. (I have heard tell of drivers sneaking down to Nyora for a spin after line closure)

Wonder if Mt Gambier if it is ever regauged and reopened like they keep talking about will if it goes to Heywood be the record?

On long time between closures, though you'd also add
Redesdale Jn-Redesdale (closure S circ issued 1935-1936, rescinded, closed in 1954, last train was a few days post closure)
Moriac-Wensleydale (last trains - without having read a copy of The Saddle Line - were probably troop trains to Layard in 1941-42, line closed 1948)
as being a long gap.
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drwaddles · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 11:30 pm Post subject:

Somebody · The Peanut Gallery Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 304

I've read somewhere before that the Ararat is just "Victoria's longest siding" and that only one train at a time is on it - so he could be right about it having signals switched off.

I don't think that there is ever more than one train at a time in the Sale-Bairnsdale section - yeah, I know that there'll usually be the log train sitting in the siding while the VLP pass goes past, but there's nowhere to pass is there?

Still would love to find out when some the still-open grain lines last had trains! Smile

ninthnotch · Site Admin Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 2340

Only reason it's like that is there's no crossing loops of any sort on the whole SG track (I think - but I'm not sure - that Marybourough has one DG line, No. 1 road)

I read somewhere it's now booked out of service and baulked on the immediate down side of Ararat. I don't think it was worked under siding conditions

Many locations I think are like that if they're worked under Train Order conditions - Benalla-Oaklands also comes to mind, as well as north of Shepparton and north of Carwarp; essentially 9141 retains the Train Order and tootles back and forward around Mildura.

As you said, a train can be stabled and "locked away" off the main line which kind of counts as a crossing location, the Bairnsdale tour by SRHC did that to allow the following pass to proceed from Sale.
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