Serviceton | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Elizabeth Street, Serviceton |
Coordinates | 36°22′33″S140°59′09″E / 36.3758°S 140.9857°E |
Owned by | VicTrack |
Operated by | V/Line |
Line(s) | Western standard gauge Adelaide-Wolseley |
Distance | 461.70 kilometres from Southern Cross |
Platforms | 1 |
Tracks | 1 |
Construction | |
Structure type | Ground |
Other information | |
Status | Closed |
History | |
Opened | 1889 |
Closed | 1986 |
Serviceton railway station is located on the Western standard gauge line in Victoria, Australia, in the small town of Serviceton, 461 kilometres (286 miles) by rail from Melbourne. Opened in 1889, and closed in 1986, today it is leased to West Wimmera Shire Council for community group use.
The Adelaide-Wolseley line was extended from Bordertown in South Australia on 19 January 1887 coinciding with the opening of the line from Dimboola in Victoria. [1]
The Premier of South Australia, John Downer, wrote to his Victorian equivalent, James Service, suggesting that the new border railway town and station be named Downer after him. Service wrote back and said that as it was in Victoria, it would be named Serviceton after himself, although at the time of construction the land was claimed by both colonies.
As Serviceton was the border station and train crews could only operate within their own state, crews and locomotives were changed between the South Australian Railways and Victorian Railways. A customs house/railway station was commissioned in 1887 with costs shared between the two colonies. The complex of 15 main rooms, including a large refreshment room, was completed in 1889. [2]
With federation, customs roles finished in January 1901 although trains would continue to changes locomotives until the 1980s.
On 7 September 1951, the westbound Overland service collided with its eastbound equivalent at the station, killing one person and destroying four A2 class locomotives. [3] [4] [5]
In 1970, the station was listed by the National Trust of Victoria for its part in the border dispute. [6] Victorian Railways DRC railcar services from Horsham to Serviceton ceased in December 1978. [7] [8] The refreshment rooms closed in 1981 and the station closed in 1986. [9]
It ceased to be a crew changeover and train passing location in March 1984 after a new crossing loop opened at Dimboola. [10] In 2011, the station building was restored by VicTrack and leased to West Wimmera Shire Council for community group use. [11] Since then it has housed a display of local and railway memorabilia. [12]
The Overland previously called at Serviceton on its journey between Adelaide and Melbourne, but no longer stops there.
American singer Tom Waits included the closure of the station in his song 'Town with no cheer', in his 1983 album Swordfishtrombones . [13]
Dimboola is a town in the Shire of Hindmarsh in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia, 334 kilometres north-west of Melbourne.
The Overland is an Australian passenger train service between the state capitals of Melbourne and Adelaide, a distance of 828 km (515 mi). It first ran in 1887 as the Adelaide Express, known by South Australians as the Melbourne Express. It was given its current name in 1936. Now operated by private company Journey Beyond, the train undertakes two return trips a week. Originally an overnight train that stopped at large intermediate stations, it now operates during the day, stopping less frequently.
The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations. Most of the lines operated by the Victorian Railways were of 5 ft 3 in. However, the railways also operated up to five 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge lines between 1898 and 1962, and a 4 ft 8+1⁄2 instandard gauge line between Albury and Melbourne from 1961.
The South Gippsland railway line is a partially closed railway line in Victoria, Australia. It was first opened in 1892, branching from the Orbost line at Dandenong, and extending to Port Albert. Much of it remained open until December 1994. Today, only the section between Dandenong and Cranbourne remains open for use. The section of the line from Nyora to Leongatha was used by the South Gippsland Tourist Railway until it ceased operations in 2016. The section from Nyora to Welshpool, with extension trail to Port Welshpool and a portion of the former line at Koo Wee Rup, have been converted into the Great Southern Rail Trail.
Serviceton is a town in rural western Victoria, Australia. It is near the Victorian–South Australian border, 437 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. Named after James Service, who was Premier of Victoria in 1880 and from 1883 to 1886, it was established when the inter-colonial railway line between Adelaide and Melbourne was completed in 1887. The railway station served as the change-over point for train crews and locomotives of the Victorian Railways and South Australian Railways since neither could operate in the other colony.
Camperdown railway station is located on the Warrnambool line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Camperdown, and opened on 2 July 1883.
The Serviceton railway line is part of the Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor. It serves the west of Victoria, linking the state capital of Melbourne to the cities of Ballarat and Ararat. It once extended to the disputed South Australian border as part of the Melbourne–Adelaide railway. The former broad-gauge track was replaced in 1995 by the 1435 mm Western standard gauge line.
Seymour railway station is located on the North East line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Seymour, and opened on 20 November 1872. The station is the terminus for V/Line's Seymour line services.
Beaufort railway station is located on the Serviceton line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Beaufort, and it opened on 11 August 1874.
Ararat railway station is located on the Serviceton and Western standard gauge lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Ararat, and opened on 7 April 1875.
Horsham railway station is located on the Western standard gauge line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the city of Horsham, and it opened on 5 February 1879.
Dimboola railway station is located on the Western standard gauge line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Dimboola, and opened on 1 July 1882.
Nhill railway station is located on the Western standard gauge line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Nhill, and it opened on 19 January 1887.
The Western standard gauge railway line is a standard-gauge railway line in western Victoria, Australia. Completed in 1995, it forms part of the Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor and serves as the principal interstate rail link between Victoria and the western states. The line replaced a number of former broad gauge routes which were gauge converted, and today sees both intrastate and interstate freight traffic, as well as the twice weekly The Overland passenger service. Major towns on the route include Geelong, Ararat, Horsham and Dimboola.
Stawell railway station is located on the Western standard gauge line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Stawell, and it opened on 14 April 1876.
The New Deal for Country Passengers was a timetable introduced on 4 October 1981 in Victoria, Australia which revolutionised the provision of country passenger railway services. Thirty-five little-used passenger stations were closed, rolling stock utilisation was improved, and new rolling stock introduced. The timetable and associated service changes resulted in an average patronage growth of 8.7% per year, from 3 million in 1981 to 5.6 million passengers in 1990/91.
The Portland railway line is a railway line in south-western Victoria, Australia. It runs from the main Western standard gauge line at Maroona through Hamilton to the port town of Portland.
Murtoa is a disused railway station on the Serviceton railway line. Although the station is no longer used as a passenger stop, it is however still an important location for Pacific National as it is where the Hopetoun line junctioned off of the mainline.
The Yaapeet railway line is a standard-gauge railway line branching off of the Serviceton railway line. The line was opened in stages beginning from Dimboola to Jeparit on June 19, 1894 and reaching Yaapeet on June 25, 1914.
Media related to Serviceton railway station at Wikimedia Commons