Railway trivia
Yesterday’s ride up the rail trail to Beechworth prompted me to think about the engineering achievement it was to build that line.
My enquiries uncovered that Ballarat contractors Fishburn and Morton undertook the excavation works.
They had to build 33 bridges and 45 culverts for the 16km section through granite hills.
Previous research had recommended the Fairlie railway system, which was specially adapted to hilly country. Apparently this is a form of articulation for steam locomotives where a double-ended boiler sits on two powered units (with cylinders on the outer ends) that are free to move.
The economics of building a railway to Beechworth weren’t too good, especially after the Sydney line had previously been routed through Wangaratta instead of Beechworth.
It helped that the local Member of Parliament, GB Kerferd, became Victorian Premier and Attorney-General!
The first locomotive pulled into Beechworth on September 29, 1876, carrying the Governor Sir George Bowen. Two trains a day travelled the route, which closed in 1977.
The last train to Porepunkah and Bright was in 1987.
These articles might be of interest:
Tags: History, porepunkah, Victoria
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