Walhalla railway line

Walhalla
Excursion train crossing Thomson River (Victoria) ca 1910
Overview
Status	Tourist railway
Locale	Gippsland
Termini	Moe Walhalla
Stations	11
Service
Type	Mixed passenger/goods service
History
Commenced	1904
Opened	1908 [1] : 18  [2] 3 May 1910 [3]
Completed	1910
Closed	25 June 1954
Reopened	April 1994
Technical
Line length	26.5 miles (42.6 km)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	2 ft 6 in (762 mm)
Route map Legend Gippsland line 0 mi 0 ch 0 km Moe George Street Bell Street Della Torre Road (Moore Street diverted west, since re-straightened) Sale Road Latrobe River Tanjil River 45-foot (14 m) steel girder plus 28 timber spans Moe-Walhalla Road 3 mi 37 ch 5.57 km Gooding Moondarra Reservoir Road built after railway closed 8 mi 65 ch 14.18 km temporary station site (approximate site) crossing marked on construction plans, not on 1927 gradient chart 9 mi 50 ch 15.49 km temporary ballast siding (approximate site) Tyers River 45-foot (14 m) steel girder plus 7 timber spans 10 mi 7 ch 16.23 km Tyers River 10 mi 30 ch 16.7 km Gould Browns Road, former Moe-Walhalla Road former Tanjil Road 14 mi 64 ch 23.82 km Moondarra roadway alternates either side of former railway alignment Watson Creek 16 mi 31 ch 26.37 km Watson former alignment of Upper Moondarra Road 17 mi 3 ch 27.42 km Collins Siding also branched off to Tyers Valley Tramway Moe-Rawson Road Mathiesons Road 18 mi 31 ch 29.59 km Erica Jacob's Creek 10-span timber trestle Nelson Creek 19 mi 71 ch 32.01 km Fullwood Siding previously Knott's Siding 20 mi 2 ch 32.23 km O'Shea and Bennett's Siding Tyers-Walhalla Road 20 mi 62 ch 33.43 km Murie Cooper's Creek 21 mi 79 ch 35.39 km Platina Walhalla Road approximate location where rail trail takes former alignment Thompson depot (Walhalla Goldfields Rly) former location of log across line 23 mi 62 ch 38.26 km Thomson railway station Erica-Thompson rail trail & Old Depot Road Thomson River triple-span steel girder bridge between 3 and 4 timber spans Mormontown track 24 mi 22 ch 39.07 km Winter Platform* 24 mi 66 ch 39.95 km Cascade Bridge Halt* Happy Creek loop 25 mi 23 ch 40.7 km Happy Creek railway station* Happy Creek water-wheel mentioned by Trainor [4] : 32  Walhalla Road Little Joe Creek Walhalla station headshunt 25 mi 79 ch 41.82 km Walhalla Happy Go Lucky Road Main Road & Stringers Creek 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) Asterisks (*) indicate stations and stopping places built during the reconstruction of the Walhalla Tourist railway This diagram: view talk edit

The Walhalla railway line was a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway located in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. The line ran from Moe to the former gold-mining town and popular tourist destination of Walhalla. ^{[5] : 106–113}

Construction began in 1904, though the project progressed slowly and the line was not completed until 1910. ^{[5] : 105–106} It was the last of the four narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways to be opened due to the difficult mountainous terrain to be contended with. The railway was expected to be a boon for the town, which was in a state of economic and population decline due to gold mining operations becoming increasingly uneconomical, with the largest gold mining company closing in 1915. ^{[6] : 23} However, the arrival of the railway did not save the town. The line closed in sections from 1944 to 1954. ^{[5] : 120}

History

Walhalla railway station, c.1910

Before the railway

The region of Tanjil County in Central Gippsland was a significant metals mining district in the mid 1860s, with significant gold mines and Victoria's first copper mine opening in 1865. ^{[5] : 101} The Gippsland forests were generally considered impassable, so extracted ores would be loaded into bullock wagons and taken to Port Albert or Sale then shipped to Melbourne, ^{[5] : 102} while boilers, crushing equipment and all sorts of other heavy mining equipment had to be brought back along 60 miles (97 km) or more of dirt tracks, by teams of up to 20 animals. ^{[1] : 6} By the 1870s about 100 gold mining enterprises had been registered, and the Long Tunnel Mine and its rival the Long Tunnel Extended Mine were registering gold yields of up to 10 oz/long ton (280 g/t). ^{[1] : 6} In total, the mines of Walhalla extracted 54 long tons (55 t) of gold. ^{[7] : 11}

The town of Walhalla had grown to 1,500 residents by 1870 ^{[1] : 10} and 2,500 residents by 1886, by which time there were two daily passengers trains from Melbourne to Sale connecting with Walhalla via horse-drawn mail coaches at Moe and Traralgon three days per week each; travel between the railway and Walhalla by either route would take a full day. ^{[5] : 102} The local Member of Parliament, Albert Harris, first proposed a railway to Walhalla in 1888. ^{[1] : 16}

By 1890 the coach service had increased to daily service from each of Moe and Traralgon, driving speculation for a railway connection. In 1887 a range of surveys were conducted, looking at linking Walhalla to the existing Gippsland railway with a branch line from various places; these surveys produced routes between 25 and 32 miles (40 and 51 km), at a cost in the range of £14,647 to £15,955 per mile. The 1890 Railway Construction Bill authorised a line from Moe to Moondarra, though this wasn't built. Another survey in 1895 looked at a possible 2 ft (610 mm) gauge line. ^{[5] : 102–103} In 1896 the Parliamentary Standing Committee reported that the population of Walhalla was 3,396, including 2,616 in the town itself. ^{[1] : 16} The coach to Walhalla conveyed 10,221 passengers in 1898-99, ^{[7] : 12} with three return trips per day. ^{[1] : 16}

In early 1900 a new proposal was made for a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge line with a cost estimate of £4,213 per mile, down from £6,240 per mile for a broad gauge line along a similar route; some of the savings came from lighter rails. This route would have required provision of a tunnel about four miles before arriving at Walhalla. ^{[5] : 103} The cost estimates did not account for land resumption, nor rolling stock, but the estimates were £14,000 for the former and two locomotives, two combined passenger-brake vans, sixty open wagons, one louvre van and one livestock van, to supply a daily mixed train with extra local goods trains on an as-required basis. ^{[5] : 105} Any railway to Walhalla was known to be dependent on the town and its associated mines, because most of the mountainous terrain was not suitable for agricultural production, and a lot of the timber in the region had already been stripped to make way for the mines. ^{[5] : 103–105} At the time, the Long Tunnel Mine on its own was consuming 18,000 long tons (18,000 t) of firewood. ^{[7] : 17–18} An outside consideration was to build a railway from Leongatha through Morwell to Walhalla, with the goal of providing a direct connection from coal mines to supplement the timber supplies. ^{[7] : 22–23}

The first construction bill

The line was recommended for construction on 19 April 1900, with a funding limit of £4,000 per mile; ^{[5] : 105} the Minister moved a motion to refer the Moe-Walhalla line to the Parliamentary Select Committee on 21 August, though the Member for Brighton expressed concern about the line's projected non-profitability. ^{[7] : 23} Authorisation came on 12 October 1900 for a total cost of £151,800, ^{[1] : 18} based on an average daily wage cost of labourer of £0/7/0. ^{[7] : 24–26} By this stage Walhalla had grown to 3,500 residents in 800 houses, and facilities included three churches, two banks and eight local stores, six hotels and a number of other facilities. ^{[5] : 105}

A prerequisite for the railway construction in the Act was that the Moe-Walhalla Railway Trust provided more than £2,000 to the State, which would be used as compensation for landowners whose fields would be acquired as part of the new alignment. The money had been deposited in 1902, but no progress was made until the Railway Officers visited the region in early February 1903. The delay, according to the newly appointed then elected Premier Irvine, was blamed on a lack of funds in the State Treasury. ^{[7] : 27} After Irvine was succeeded by Thomas Bent, the latter visited Moe on 21 April 1904 and assured townspeople that the railway would be built shortly. There was also speculation that a local Reverend spoke to Bent about finding employment for local residents, or that the project had been prioritised due to an upcoming election. ^{[7] : 28} Construction of the railway began on 18 May 1904, ^{[1] : 18} and in July the Railways put out tenders for 25,000 sleepers and 152 messmate bridge piles. ^{[7] : 28–29} The line reached the Tyers River by Easter 1905. ^{[5] : 105} To assist in construction efforts, one of the Baldwin ^NA Class locomotives was borrowed from the Wangaratta to Whitfield railway and based at Moe from February 1905; it was still present in May 1905. ^{[8] [a]} According to Bent, the funding available (£30,000) had been entirely spent and no more would be forthcoming until at least June 1905. ^{[7] : 29}

Tyers River to Thomson

In July 1906 Bent authorised 30 men and the use of old rails to continue construction, to a maximum limit of £10,000}, which was thought to be enough for earthworks to Moondarra and rails to be laid nearly as far. ^{[7] : 29} By the end of 1907 £45,000 had been spent; Bent reported that a further £57,000 was required to complete the line, and both the Engineer in Chief and the Chief Commissioner of Railways had recommended truncating the line with a terminus for only £3,000 instead of continuing further. Local Member Harris replied that such a terminus would be of no value to the community. ^{[7] : 31–32} To resolve the funding limitations additional taxes were authorised at the end of 1907, for £0/10/0 per acre on Crown and other lands, plus £442 per year over the next 20 years from private property. ^{[7] : 32}

The first official passenger train to use the line ran on 26 March 1908, ^[b] running from Moe to Upper Moondarra (later Erica), from which the passengers (including Premier Bent and the Minister for Mines) had to continue to Walhalla town by road, as guests of the Long Tunnel company. ^{[7] : 31–32} The consist included returned locomotive 1A hauling one wagon (20^NQR) and one carriage (an ^NB^B with end platforms). ^{[5] : 105–106  [7] : 33, 35}}}

From June 1908 trains carried passengers and goods from Moe to a temporary terminus just short of the Thompson River, ^{[1] : 18} where a short run-around loop was provided. Trains ran once per week, the rest of the time reserved for construction. However, the first train from Thomson arrived late at Moe and missed the connection to the Melbourne train, because the engine had been fitted with an experimental speed recorder which needed to be tested. ^{[7] : 37}

Reaching Walhalla

The third Bill for the line was the Mpe-Walhalla Railway Completion Bill, which was put to Parliament in October 1908. This required the Moe-Walhalla Railway Construction Trust to provide a further £1,500 in two installments by 1 June 1909, though with a caveat that properties valued at £15 or less would not be charged further rates. ^{[7] : 34–35} By the end of March 1909 the trestle bridge across Jacobs Creek was complete with rails expected shortly thereafter, and ballasting had progressed to Murie station by 4 June. Two more bridges were under construction beyond there, and in the meantime goods were accepted at "Murie's Corner". But as winter approached the weather made it harder to progress construction, and flooding in June washed away one of the tramway bridges across the Thomson River. ^{[7] : 36}

A second weekly service was provided shortly thereafter, and in September two new composite first and second class passenger carriages (3 and 4 ^NAB^AB) and one guards van (^ND^D) were despatched from Newport Workshops. ^{[7] : 38} By mid October the line was complete as far as "the long bridge through the gorge at Gilbert's second water wheel." ^{[7] : 38} Rails reached Walhalla on 14 February 1910 and the first construction train was worked into the yard by engine 1A. A month later, on 15 March 1910, the first Mixed train from Moe arrived, ^{[1] : 20} hauled by newly built engine 9A. ^[8] The first train into Walhalla arrived on 15 March 1910 (as Fiddian (1982) points out, the Ides of March), being greeted by over 200 residents. ^{[7] : 39}

The line officially opened on 3 May 1910 with a special train from Melbourne at 7:28 am carrying dignitaries, connecting at Moe to the narrow gauge train. ^{[7] : 39} This service was hauled by locomotive 9A and arrived at Walhalla at 1 pm, then departed at 3:30 pm. ^{[5] : 105–106} Speeches at the event included reference to tourism, "if the mines failed". ^{[5] : 105–106}

When the line opened it served Gooding, Tyers River, Gould, Pearson, Watson, Harris (formerly Upper Moondarra), Murie, Thompson and Walhalla, with a total cost of £104,115; this was £11,754 below the estimate, ^{[5] : 105–106} although the cost of construction through Stringers Gorge ended up being as high as £6,260 per 1 mile (1.6 kilometres). ^{[1] : 20} Between 6 June 1908 and 3 May 1910, the sum traffic amounted to over 3,000 long tons (3,000 t; 3,400 short tons) of goods ^{[5] : 105–106} earning £930 in revenue, plus £802/16/6 in passenger ticket sales. ^{[7] : 42}

Even as the line's construction approached Walhalla the gold mines had started to shut down, and the last one in the region closed at the end of 1915. ^{[6] : 23} A common epithet was that the line had been built to help remove the town. ^[10] As the mines closed the population moved on to mining coal in Wonthaggi, Victoria or gold in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia; by 1920 after the Great War, the population of Walhalla had dwindled to only 250 people. ^{[1] : 13} In practice the vast majority of the traffic on the line was timber, mostly from local sawmills with occasional log traffic.

Route

General description

The 1927 grades chart ^[11] indicates the line was fully fenced in the dropper style, and provided with combined railway and postal wires along the west side of the line to Gould, though Trainor notes these wires ran the whole length of the line, typically no more than 10 ft (3.0 m) above ground level. ^{[12] : 25} Maintenance of the line was divided among four crews; one each at Moe, Gould and Erica, each with three staff members, a tricycle and two hand-operated trolleys, and the Walhalla gang with three staff members, two tricycles, one hand-operated trolley, and two motorised trolleys. Each of the four gangs was responsible for about 7 mi (11.27 km) of track including sidings. Ganger tool sheds were present at each of the four depots; two departmental residences at Gould and four at Erica. For train operations there were cattle loading facilities at Moondarra and Erica, and water supplies gravity-fed at Walhalla but pumped by oil to Gould and Erica (the latter with two water columns). Walhalla was also listed as having a coal stage, engine shed, and a 6 t (6.6 short tons) crane. ^{[11] [13]}

The line was laid using recycled rails, with a mix of 60 lb/yd (30 kg/m), 66 lb/yd (33 kg/m) and 75 lb/yd (37 kg/m) steel and/or iron rails. Sleepers were hardwood, with a mix of 5 feet 6 inches by 10 inches by 5 inches (1.68 m × 0.25 m × 0.13 m) and 5 feet 6.0 inches by 9.0 inches by 4.5 inches (1.676 m × 0.229 m × 0.114 m) sizes, at 9 or 10 sleepers per 22 ft 6 in (6.86 m) length of rail. Ballast was gravel, to a depth of 4 in (0.10 m). ^[11]

The maximum track speed was 20 mph (32 km/h) from Moe to Tyers River, then 15 mph (24 km/h) to about half a mile beyond Knott's Siding (later Fullwood Siding), and finally 10 mph (16 km/h) from there to Walhalla. Speed limit signs were provided on both sides of the track, in both directions, at each of these transitions. Furthermore, trains had to stop twice on the Up trip and once on the Down trip, at 89 mi (143 km), 94.75 mi (152.49 km) and 100.25 mi (161.34 km), to apply the handbrakes on every single vehicle to prevent a runaway on the following downhill slope. The train would then have to stop again at the end of the downhill section to release those brakes. ^{[5] : 117}

Moe Station

Main article: Moe railway station, Victoria

The narrow gauge facilities at Moe started immediately west of what is now the westernmost Narracan Drive bridge over the railway, previously part of the Princes Highway. The eastern limit of narrow gauge track was in the engine shed, at 80 mi 28.29 chains (129.317 km) from Melbourne. ^[14] The present-day Moe Skate Park carpark area, adjacent to the bridge. was formerly the locomotive depot shared by broad and narrow gauge locomotives with a dual-gauge, 53 ft (16.2 m) ^[15] turntable, two shed roads (one of each gauge) provided in 1909 ^{[16] : 31} and a coal stage, then a run-around loop for narrow-gauge trains and a stub siding with a ramp for inter-gauge transfers. Then, facing west, a siding diverted to the left to serve the rear of the broad gauge goods shed, and continuing beyond to a livestock race with narrow gauge on the north and broad gauge on the south. ^[17]

The yard at Moe grew over time; the Victorian Railways' Line Diagram for the narrow gauge portion of Moe yard shows revisions in 1922, 1923, 1924, 1933, 1942, 1945 and 1949. ^[14] By the time interlocking was provided in 1913, broad gauge tracks 2 and 3 were extended at the east end to serve the coal stage and locomotive depot, and via a back-shunt, the narrow gauge transfer ramp respectively. ^{[16] : 31–32} A passenger shelter for narrow gauge passengers was provided in 1915. ^{[7] : 45}

In 1924 the Up home Signal from Walhalla, worked by lever 3 ^{[16] : 32} in the original Moe signal box, was moved 100 yd (91 m) yards further out, and by 1927 an additional stub siding from the turntable, an elevated inspection track and another stub siding from the goods shed road had been provided. ^[18] On 15 September 1927 changes to the broad gauge signalling at Moe required that the Up Walhalla home signal be swapped from signal box lever 3 to lever 5. ^{[16] : 33}

In early 1930 the turntable was upgraded to 70 ft (21.3 m). ^[15] The new turntable, like the old, was fitted with four rails in a gauntlet track arrangement. By 1931 the yard had been further expanded, with a second loop siding track on the north side of the trestle connecting to the new stub track from the turntable with an intermediate crossover passing behind the inspection trestle; these changes would have been a precursor to the service on the line changing from starting and ending at Walhalla, to starting and ending at Moe. ^{[19] : 46} In 1932 a new siding branched from the goods shed and stock race siding, curving parallel to the Walhalla line over George Street to serve Christensen's butter factory and Saxton's sawmill, both situated between the modern-day George Street and Albert Street. ^{[15] [5] : 108} In 1935 the loco depot gained a third siding, this one south of the shed with four rails again in a gauntlet form. ^{[5] : 108} In April 1946 the narrow gauge yard was extended further west, parallel to a new broad gauge siding as far as a point opposite the modern-day Lloyd Street and Kingsford Street intersection, ^[20] at 79 mi 63.22 chains (128.410 km) from Melbourne. ^[14] These sidings were provided with a 10 t (11 short tons) capacity gantry crane, to ease transfer of timber traffic from the Walhalla line to broad gauge wagons. ^{[19] : 48}

In August 1953 the Home signal from the narrow gauge line was disconnected from the Moe station interlocking and instead worked by a lever provided on the goods shed platform, to free up that lever for the then-under-construction Yallourn broad gauge branch line. After the Walhalla line closed the signal remained in place, not being abolished until September 1956 ^{[15] [19] : 50–51}

Moe to Tyers River

The Walhalla line diverged from Moe station yard between the locomotive facilities and the goods shed, with a tight curve from westbound to a north-north-east bearing. It crossed what is now George Street (with a level crossing and cattle guards provided in 1915) ^[15] then ran between what are now Market and Clifton Streets. The track continued east of the present-day Saxton Drive and west of Austin Avenue to exit the town, then with bridges over the LaTrobe and Tanjil Rivers. The first of these was crossed with a long timber bridge, and the latter with a 45 ft (13.7 m) steel girder span over the river and 28 timber trestle spans to clear the floodplains. After this bridge the line entered a short cutting, which was spanned by Walhalla Road on a bridge, before continuing to the nameboard of Gooding (83 mi 48.44 chains (134.550 km) from Melbourne), ^[21] where it crossed the road again. ^{[5] : 108} This segment of line was relatively flat, except for a short 1:30 grade uphill towards Walhalla between the two River bridges. ^[11] Gooding station was only notable for being the lowest elevation of all stations and halts along the line. ^[22] Fiddian (1982) claims Gooding had a raised platform, though this is not corroborated elsewhere. ^{[7] : 47}

After Gooding the line started about three miles of gradual incline, followed by a much steeper section of 1-in-30 up and downhill for five miles towards Gould. ^[11] Neither Speed Limit 20 Plus or the 1927 grades chart for the line flag any specific points of interest between Gooding and the next passenger halt signboard of Tyers River, only noting five intermediate bridges. The last of these was over the Tyers River and featured a 45 ft (13.7 m) steel girder span span plus seven timber trestle spans. The line then arrived at the second signboard-only station, the short-lived Tyers River, at 90 mi 19 chains (145.2 km). This station closed in 1916. ^{[5] : 109} Russell notes that the Tyers River passenger halt was a mere 0.5 miles (885 m) from the next station, Gould, explaining why it closed so early. ^[23]

However, according to Russell, the section between Gooding and Tyers River featured two intermediate sites. These were an unnamed temporary station site at 8 mi 65 chains (14.2 km) from Moe, or approximately 88 mi 77 chains (143.2 km) from Melbourne, placing it about a mile from the crest of the 1 in 30 uphill slope; ^[11] and a stub siding branching from the line at 9 mi 50 chains (15.5 km) from Moe (89 mi 62 chains (144.5 km)), terminating at a stub 9 mi 62 chains (15.7 km). Both sites were used while the railway was under construction from around Easter 1905; construction branch trains worked by engine 1A ^[8] would have had to run from Moe to the temporary station site, run around their trains, and push wagons the remaining mile or so to the stub siding; and this may explain references to a siding at the lower chainage or a station at the higher chainage. This was the end of the line during construction of the Tyers River bridge and the 18 month period where no funds were available to continue the line further north. The station was in use until at least April 1906, and featured the mainline plus two loop tracks on the south-east side; it was also considered for retention as a siding dedicated to the Australian Paper Manufacturer company, but that did not eventuate. The siding likely closed around 1913 or 1914, with the rails recycled as part of the expanded yard at Gould, the next station along the line. ^{[24] [25]} It is at least plausible that the temporary station could have been provided at the listed chainage, as the construction plans for the route show a straight section of track between 8 mi 62.4 chains (14.13 km) and 8 mi 73.72 chains (14.358 km) from Moe with a level crossing that does not appear on the 1927 grades chart. ^{[26] : 6}

Gould, Moondarra and Watson

Gould was opened with the line as a stopping place, probably only with a nameboard. ^{[5] : 109} The town had been a prominent rest point for trips to and from Walhalla, and in 1905 William Gould built his hotel, the Cecil Inn, nearby. ^{[1] : 57} That had been around the time the railway construction paused at Tyers River; and the hotel was famed for "generous portions of sirloin". ^{[7] : 48}. On 1 August 1910 the station was opened for light goods in addition to passengers, but at the time it did not have any sidings. On 8 June 1914 ^[c] an Annett Lock (perhaps two) was provided with the key being attached to the train staff for the Moe - Harris (later Erica) section, indicating provision of a loop siding ^[15] on the east side of the line for timber traffic delivered from a local tramway. The loop was 506 ft (154 m) or 18 trucks long, plus a very short stub siding at the up end, ^[d] and the station was upgraded to include a passenger shelter, a goods shelter and staff accommodation. ^{[5] : 109} Russell notes that the rails for the loop were recycled from the stub siding used during the line's construction, ^[23] and refers to an article in Light Railways No.102 (October 1988) by McCarthy. ^[28] The loop siding was converted to staff locks (worked by a key milled as the end of the Train Staff) on 27 September 1920. Between the weeks ending Tuesdays ^[e] 15 February 1921 and 21 April 1931, Gould was permitted to open as an intermediate special block post. Trainor noted that, at least in 1927, there had been a small tea stall provided at the station, opened when trains passed through and operated by the owner of a mixed business "on the road near the local hotel". ^{[12] : 26}

By 18 March 1954 the dual water tanks and "mallee shed" were still present but the tea stall had long since been removed. ^{[29] : 3} A house was present at the far Down end of the station, thought to be the Departmental Residence (DR) ^[f] of the station caretaker, formerly occupied by Gould's station master. ^{[29] : 9} The up end of the yard had a large "SPEED LIMIT 20 MILES PER HOUR" sign for Up trains, notably on the left side of the track which on the narrow gauge was the fireman's side; and the photograph shows that the up end of the loop track was effectively a catch point, not a siding extension. ^{[29] : 4} Watson station was the site of another Mallee Shed. ^{[29] : 11} No evidence of the former Brown's tramway was visible alongside the loop siding, contrasting against a photo in "Rails to Old Walhalla" dated circa 1924. ^{[1] : 35}

The station closed with the line on 25 June 1954, and the staff locks were removed with the siding by 7 June 1955. ^[15] The whole of the town of Gould was sold in 1960 and residents forced to move out, as works began on the Moondarra Dam project. ^{[1] : 57} Some parts of the town and old station site were still visible in 2011. ^{[1] : 58}

Moondarra station opening 1910

Moondarra station had opened as Pearson with the line but was renamed by 12 September the same year. The original name was for William Pearson Senior and Junior were prominent local politicians and horse racing enthusiasts; the replacement name was drawn from the local indigenous language and translated to "plenty of rain or thunder". ^{[7] : 50} This station had a passenger shelter, a loop siding 474 ft (144 m) or 17 trucks long ^[31] provided with a cattle race. By 12 December 1910 the station was provided with Annett locks for its siding, with the key attached to the train staff for the section. These were converted to Staff Locks on 27 September 1920. ^[15] In early 1937 the station was redefined with the loop siding and mainline track swapped, ^[15] to allow trucks to be stabled on the Mount Erica side of the track for loading. These would be left in the siding as required, then loaded via a timber tramway running west from the station with a steep (1 in 6) decline from the station site to the Tyers River. At the foot of the hill there had been a sawmill, itself fed by a horse-powered tramway approximately 5 mi (8 km) long that extracted logs from the southern region of the Baw Baw Range. ^{[5] : 109} When the tramway closed in early 1946 the mainline and loop reverted to their original definitions, with the staff locks and associated equipment restored to prior configuration. ^{[15] [32] [g]}

The cleared site of Moondarra station is now used as a council depot, but parts of the rail alignment have been converted to road or walking tracks. ^{[1] : 58}

After Moondarra there was a downhill slope of 1 in 41 crossing over another bridge, then a level section to the next station, a shelter called Watson adjacent to another level crossing with Upper Moondarra Road ^{[5] : 109  [26] : 8} (now Moe-Rawson Road). The station, named for local settler Samuel Watson, ^{[7] : 51} was initially only for passengers, but light goods could be waybilled to and from the site from 27 March 1911. ^[15] The station was described as having a "landing" rather than a platform. ^[33] The road crossed to the west side of the line here, following the edge of the mountain for about half a mile while the railway took a slightly longer approach to manage the local gradient before the two came together on the approach to Collin's Siding.

Collin's Siding and Erica

Collin's Siding

Collin's Siding was slightly beyond where Upper Moondarra Road (now Moe-Rawson Road) met the alignment of the railway. At this point the railway took over the road's original alignment while the road was pushed west into the cliffside for a length of a little under a mile, as both ascended. ^[26] The siding opened on 3 June 1918 to collect timber from Mr. H Collins's sawmill on Hotel Creek, with a connecting wooden-railed tramway between the two that featured gradients as steep as 1 in 7 and required five horses to shift logs weighing 3.5 long tons (3.6 t; 3.9 short tons). ^{[5] : 109} The siding was originally worked by Annett Locks with the key attached to the Train Staff, though this was converted to Staff Locks with the rest of the line on 27 September 1920. ^[15]

In early 1926 the siding was transferred to C. Ingram, though it kept its original name, ^[15] and the alignment of the timber tramway was partially recycled for the steel-railed Tyers Valley Tramway which opened in September 1927. ^{[5] : 109–110} This tramway had been built to replace the extensive network which had been destroyed in the bushfires of February 1926, and used similar construction quality to those of the Walhalla line, though curve radii were significantly tighter and more sleepers were used to reduce the necessary quantity of ballast. ^[34]

The new tramway was connected to the Victorian Railways network by a crossover at the down end, ^[35] but it had its own yard parallel to the Walhalla line's siding built 15 to 18 in (381 to 457 mm) above the rail height of the Walhalla line. ^[36] The loading of the tramway had previously been run to Erica and transhipped to the Victorian Railways' network there, and the opening of the tramway directly led to a reduction in staff at that station as its administrative requirements dropped. ^{[12] : 23–24} In 1928 the loop was extended by 610 ft (186 m) in a "forward" direction, though it is not clear whether that was towards Moe or towards Walhalla. At this time an additional intermediate crossover was provided between the mainline and loop track (facing points for down Walhalla trains), and the stub siding at the north end of the railway siding was extended a further 330 ft (101 m) parallel to the tramway then connected across to that system. ^[35] The siding was closed with the line on 25 June 1954, and all equipment removed by 7 June 1955. ^[15]

The Tramway delivered loads of up to 73 LT (74 t) of sawn timber, twice per day, to Collin's Siding with their Climax locomotive ^[34]

Property boundaries south of Erica, Victoria, as at January 2026

After Collin's Siding the roadway briefly crossed back to the east side of the railway via another level crossing, then joined to what is now Mathiesons Road at the northern corner of Moondarra Cemetery. This linking road no longer exists and the main road (in grey and marked TUZ2 on the map at right) has been diverted to the former railway alignment, but the property boundaries south of Erica town show the former roadway running along the north side of Moondarra Cemetery (pale yellow, marked PUZ5).

Erica

The next station, Erica, opened while the line was under construction first as Upper Moondarra, though by 15 June 1908 it became simply Moondarra. Entering the station from the south required passing under a road bridge, then the station featured a three-track arrangement with passenger facilities. It also originally included a locomotive shed siding, branching east from the mainline at the down end of the yard; by the time the line opened a fourth siding was provided with a connection only at the down end. ^[37] When the line opened officially the station was renamed Harris after the local Member of Parliament for Walhalla. ^[38] , who had been instrumental in having the line constructed. Local residents objected to the renaming on the grounds that it would affect produce sales, but as Pearson station had since claimed the name Moondarra, Harris had to be renamed to somethng else. ^{[7] : 51–52} On 1 September 1914 it was renamed Erica after the nearby mountain. ^{[5] : 111} It is not clear how long the locomotive shed remained in place, though when the line opened all trains ran the full length from Walhalla to Moe and return, ^{[5] : 115} so it was likely only used during construction.^{[ citation needed ]} On opening the mainline featured a passenger station building, a cattle race, a track maintenance shed, and a water tank at each end, while the opposite side of the yard was home to the goods shed. ^{[5] : 111}

By 12 December 1910 the points at each end of the station were converted to Annett Locks, with the key being attached to the Moe-Walhalla train staff. In February 1912 increasing traffic on the line necessitated capacity for more than one train at any given time, so the section Moe - Walhalla was split into Moe - Harris and Harris - Walhalla, the former section being converted to a No.1 Pattern Lock Staff. ^{[16] : 31} Arriving Home signals were provided at Harris in March 1913 to protect trains shunting within yard limits, and the signals were interlocked such that they could only be put to Proceed if the track was set for the mainline on the arriving side. Additional sidings were provided in March 1914, ^[h] and the station was upgraded from 'No-one in charge" status, with train crews handling paperwork, to a dedicated Caretaker. The station was renamed to Erica in September that year. ^[15]

In November 1912 the station was noted for hosting a refreshment room where passengers could have a cup of tea and a sandwich. ^{[7] : 61}

On 26 June 1916 the station was disestablished as a Train Staff and Ticket station, with the line reverting to Moe-Walhalla as a single section, using a No.3 Pattern Lock Staff. ^{[16] : 32} The turnouts each end from the mainline reverted to Annett locks in lieu of plunger locks, though the station was still capable of "switching in" as an Intermediate Special Block Post if needed; this would permit a second train to follow a first one after that had passed Erica in either direction, but it would not permit trains in opposing directions. The station Caretaker was withdrawn in December the same year. ^[15]

Traffic picked up again in 1920, with the Train Staff and Ticket arrangements reinstated on 17 May 1920; a Stationmaster was provided less than a month later. As with the rest of the line the Annett-locked points were converted to Staff Locks in September 1920, though the train staff sections remained Moe - Erica ^[i] and Erica - Walhalla. ^[15] As a further reflection of increased traffic the section Moe - Erica was subdivided from 15 February 1921, with Gould made able to open as an Intermediate Special Block Post allowing trains to follow closer together at that end of the line. ^[15] The stationmaster remained in place for a few years, but in 1927 the line's dedicated Travelling Station Master was withdrawn and those responsibilities were transferred to the Erica Station Master in lieu. ^{[12] : 24} In April 1931 that, too was withdrawn, and Erica was handed back to a Caretaker; ^[15] this was probably a direct result of the Tyers Valley tramway connecting at Collin's Siding, as timber traffic shifted to loading there instead of at Erica.

The 1927 diagram for Erica clearly shows only three tracks, so the engine shed siding and the construction siding had definitely been removed by this point. ^[11]

The station yard was substantially increased in size in 1941 when the Forests Commission of Victoria had a spur line provided for a new sawmill. This facility had previously been stationed at Nayook railway station on the Noojee railway line. ^{[1] : 79} This track split from the yard at the Up end of No.3 Road, with a dedicated loop and stub siding adjacent to Erica's main yard then a gate to the Forest Commission's land; the siding had a total length of about half a mile, including a short loop siding to bypass the sawmill structure. Victorian Railways' locomotives were not permitted to shunt in the Mill sidings, with a separate dedicated locomotive provided by that industry in lieu. ^[39] At this time the middle road of Erica's main yard only had a derail facility at the Down end; No.3 road with the goods shed was 425 ft (130 m) or 15 trucks clear. Assuming typical spacing between parallel tracks and therefore normal limits for truck placement at the ends of sidings (with about 60 ft (18 m) from the toe of turnout to the "fouling point" where applicable), the Forest Mill's stub siding would have been about 422 ft (129 m) or 15 trucks clear, and their loop siding about 483 ft (147 m) or 17 trucks clear, while the sawmill loading area would have been about 165 ft (50 m) or 6 trucks clear. ^[39] From the sawmill another tramway ran due north from Erica for about 25 miles (40 km). The tramway was built to a gauge of 3 ft (914 mm), and was built between 1938 and 1941, operating until 1950. This tramway supplied timber to the Erica sawmill, which provided sawn timber for residential construction and bridge timbers to the Country Roads Board and local councils, nearly all of which was railed to a seasoning plant at Newport, Victoria. The mill was destroyed in fire in September 1953, but by the time it was rebuilt in June 1954 the railway was on its last days. ^{[7] : 80–81}

The Tyers Valley tramway from Collin's Siding last operated in early August 1949, and in November 1950 their Climax locomotive was steamed from Tyers Junction to the siding, then driven to the sawmill sidings of Erica yard on 14 December 1950. ^{[34] [40]}

On 14 October 1952 the railway beyond Erica to Platina was closed (Platina to Walhalla having been closed almost a decade earlier), followed by the whole line on 25 June 1954. All remaining facilities were removed by June 1955. ^[15] Even after the line closed, the sawmill sidings around Erica remained in use and were being shunted as late as 1963 by a diesel locomotive, while the Tyers Valley tramway's Climax locomotive sat derelict nearby. ^{[5] : 111}

The former road bridge over the railway at the up end appears to have been filled in underneath to make room for road realignments, but it would likely have been around the present-day intersection between Mathiesons Road, Moe-Walhalla Road and School Road. The site of Erica station is now zoned as parkland, and occupied by an athletics field and a caravan park. The Walhalla Goldfields Railway intends to eventually extend their line from along the rail trail from Thomson back to Erica, ^{[5] : 160} and establish the site as their primary workshop. ^[41]

Erica to Platina

After departing Erica the line towards Walhalla was peppered with assorted sidings, gradually transitioning from logging to mining as the primary industry. ^[42] From the station there was a roughly 1.5 mi (2 km) stretch where the railway dipped down to a bridge over Jacobs Creek (with a 10-span curved trestle bridge on a curve of 5 chains (101 m) radius), then climbed back up to almost the same height by the 100-mile post. ^[11]

Fullwood's Siding

The first siding would eventually be named Fullwood's Siding, but it had a number of steps to proceed through before reaching that stage. Initially it had opened as the Wood Siding for Long Tunnel Mine on 12 December 1910, ^[15] then renamed the Long Tunnel Mining Company's Siding in 1911. In this form it was available only for outwards goods loads and was not to be worked by Mixed trains. The Victorian Railways were required to provide six trucks for loading at any given time, and the Company was responsible for shunting and swapping loaded and empty trucks. ^{[5] : 111} Timber collected from here was used in mining activities, either as fuel or to shore up tunnels. ^[43]

Following cessation of mining activities the siding was transferred to a Mr G. W. Knott as of 1 September 1913, and renamed Knott's Siding about four months later. ^[j] From 20 April 1914 the site of the siding was made available for passenger traffic, due to the closure of the nearby Murie station, and operated under "No one in charge" conditions so passengers had to flag down trains and purchase tickets from the Guard or Travelling Station Master. ^[15]

In September 1920 the siding points were converted from an Annett Lock to a Staff Lock. Shortly thereafter, the siding was sold again to Mr E. Fullwood, and the former Knott's Siding then acted largely as a headshunt for the trailing Fullwood siding. This was formalised in May 1922 when vehicles were no longer permitted to stable in Knott's Siding. Fullwood's Siding remained in use until August 1941, and both sidings were then dismantled. ^[15]

Knott's Siding was 201 ft (61 m) or 7 trucks long; when it was converted to a headshunt the Fullwood siding was only 120 ft (37 m) or 4 trucks long. ^[44]

O'Shea's Siding

After Fullwood's Siding was a deep cutting, then a loop siding was provided on the north side of the line, initially with about 140 ft (43 m) or 5 trucks of space available. This had been provided in April 1921 as Ezard's Siding, and the loop was extended by 60 ft (18 m) (2 trucks) in 1924. In 1925 a stub siding was extended from the down end of the loop, initially as the Lime Company Siding but quickly renamed as the White Rock Lime Company Pty Ltd Siding. This only had capacity of 62 ft (19 m) or 2 trucks. The loop siding was flanked on the north side by a timber tramway network that extended through Rawson and Amor as far as modern day Baw Baw National Park and Caringal, and on the south side by a separate tramway serving a mine near Coopers Creek. ^[42] The White Rock Lime siding was abolished in May 1939, shortly after provision of a replacement siding at Platina. Ezard's Siding remained as a loop until closure and abolition in June 1941. ^{[15] [45] [46]}

The cutting between Knott's Siding and O'Shea's Siding was used as a local rubbish tip in the 1970s, and has been partially filled in. ^{[1] : 58}

Murie

Murie station opened with the line to serve the Long Tunnel Company's mining activities. It had a short, dead-end siding accessed from the Up end of the station. The mining company didn't last very long after that, and so the station was closed to passenger traffic on 1 July 1912. It did, however, remain open for timber traffic, lasting in this way until final closure on 20 April 1914, and this is probably when the siding was removed. ^{[15] [47]}

Russell hypothesised that the name was derived from a family-owned sawmill in the area, circa 1880s. ^[47] More recent research by Victoria's Forestry Heritage indicates a consistent presence of sawmills operated by Murie from 1889 to 1915 across five different sites, though only the mill in operation 1908 to 1912 was adjacent to Murie station. Before 1908 there had been two mills on a tramway that connected to the then-future site of Knott's siding and one mill near the point where the railway would eventually cross Coopers Creek; and after 1912 the operation moved to the north side of the railway and connected via a tramway to Erica station. This latter mill was sold to O'Shea & Bennett in 1915 and continued operation until 1919. ^[42]

Between Murie and Platina there was a famous double horse-shoe bend, as the railway tried to extend length and smooth out gradients. The terrain and alignment here was such that, with a bit of imagination, people claimed that the driver and guard of a train could either shake hands or spit at each other ^{[7] : 53} (though of course the track was never closer to itself than 4 chains (80 m)).

Platina

The next location on the line started as Copper Mine Siding in July 1910, being made available to passengers on 19 December the same year. ^[15] The site was about 10 ch (200 m) south of the Murie sawmill that had been in operation from 1904 to 1908. ^{[42] [26] : 10} 19 January 1911 saw an additional siding provided for Evans Brothers, and this siding was also made available to the Gippsland Copper and Platinum Company. The Copper Mine Siding was renamed Platina on 9 February 1911, and made open to general goods traffic from 26 August 1912. ^[15] The new name was derived from the metal platinum being mined nearby. ^{[1] : 34} The sidings in the area were converted from Annett to Staff Locks with the rest of the line on 27 September 1920. A third siding was opened in April 1939, for the White Rock Lime Company Pty Ltd. This siding faced down trains with the turnout at the up end of the passenger shelter, and remained in use until August 1948. ^{[15] [48] [k]} A tramway extended from the Evans Siding south-east parallel to Coopers Creek Road, towards the point where Coopers Creek met the Thompson River, a distance of about 1.2 kilometres. ^[42]

The sidings at Platina were not allowed to be worked by Mixed trains; instead trucks had to be placed at Harris (later Erica), and worked to and from Platina by a separate dedicated goods train. ^{[5] : 111} This may have been due to complexities of shunting on a steep gradient, which would have required excessive time allowances and created the risk of parking a loaded passenger train on the steep hill. However, the reference to special trains to and from Harris/Erica may indicate a second locomotive being based there, which would fit with the locomotive shed that had originally been provided there and removed by 1927, as noted above.

NC van Platina derailment towards Thomson River after 14 September 1915

On 14 September 1915 a special Walhalla to Moe train was to shunt at Platina around 8:30 a.m. Regulations required that the guard apply wheel chocks (wooden blocks behind the wheel, over the railhead) as a secondary safety measure in addition to handbrakes, to prevent wagons escaping downhill towards Thompson. Those chocks were not applied, and an NC van with four passengers and ^NQR truck loaded with heavy machinery started rolling downhill. About a mile down the line, on the second curve, the ^NQR derailed and the jerk of that motion forced the van from the rails, launching it over the side of an embankment. It continued downhill for over 200 feet (61 m), eventually slamming into a tree stump that prevented the whole of the van plunging into the Thompson River (though part of the damaged roof did continue). The van's resting place was only 2 feet (0.61 m) from the edge of a cliff side, between 50 and 100 feet (15 and 30 m) above the water level of the River, resulting in minor injuries to the four passengers. After several failed attempts the van was disassembled and winched back to the rails in pieces, before being railed to Moe three weeks later for repair. ^{[1] : 38–39  [7] : 66–67}

Track gangers were known to occasionally, illegally, permit locals to run trolleys between Platina and O'Shea's Siding to collect second-grade timber for use on the tramways. ^{[7] : 82}

The line beyond Platina was closed on 1 April 1944, ^[15] and from that point on trains generally terminated at Erica unless specifically required to travel further. Platina was officially the end of the line for this period, but it did not have a run-around loop so trains arriving would have to be broken up and shunted manually, ^[49] making use of the 1 in 40 downhill slope towards Walhalla. ^[11] For example, the locomotive and trucks could pull forward into the White Rock Siding, then the guard's van could be rolled forward to the end of the line. The locomotive would then push the wagons back uphill and their handbrakes would be applied for the engine to detach and run forward into the siding again, the wagons rolled downhill to the van, and finally the locomotive could be reattached to the Up end.

The Evans Bros, siding was dismantled by 15 January 1946. The White Rock Lime siding was renamed the Colonial Sugar Refining Company siding on 3 August 1948, and the line beyond Erica closed on 14 October 1952. The infrastructure was recorded as dismantled by 29 September 1953. ^[15]

The White Rock siding had been 182 ft (55 m) or 6 trucks long. Similar to the siding at Fullwood, the Evans siding had a crossover from the mainline in the centre, with stubs either end. The total siding length was 361 ft (110 m) or 13 trucks long, but in practice only one wagon could have been placed at the up end and perhaps six at the down end, leaving room for an engine and the turnout in the middle. Speed Limit 20 Plus shows an additional siding branching from the Evans Brothers siding in parallel to the main line but only accessible via the up end siding as a headshunt; this is not reflected on other diagrams. ^{[5] : 107}

The down end of Platina was marked by a tight (2 ch (40 m) radius), almost 180 degree curve which, after 1927, ^[11] also passed under the Coopers Creek Road bridge over the railway. ^[49] The line then ran generally northbound towards Thomson station, though with an enclave halfway along which added about half a mile of track distance while following the Thomson river to keep grades to the manageable range of 1 in 30 to 1 in 35. The section also passed over two small creeks that fed into the Thomson River.

Thompson and Walhalla

The line reached a local low point at Thomson station, with the elevation of only 717 ft (219 m) being only slightly higher than Gould (607 ft (185 m) and much lower than Erica at 1,321 ft (403 m).

Thomson

Mixed train at Thomson, bridge over Thomson River under construction (note intermediate support structures).

Thomson station shortly after opening, with train to Walhalla (note station signboard in the middle of the photo, and the cleared site where the run-around loop and shelter had previously been placed).

During construction Thomson had been a temporary terminus for the line, pending delivery and completion of the bridge over the Thomson River. ^[50] Early photos of the line show a short run-around loop and shelter in the approach to the bridge while it was under construction, and later with the loop and shelter removed but its worksite yet to be cleared.

At Thomson the railway met a timber tramway, heading north up an 1,880 feet (0.57 km) incline worked by steam winch, then a section of 62 chains (1.2 km) worked by horses. The timber tramway was operational from 1906 to 1910 for the Long Tunnel Gold Mining Company, and transported timber from the Thomson River up the hill then into the Mining Company's network of lines which had been operating from 1885, along the west bank of Stringers Gorge and on both sides of the Thomson River. ^{[6] : 42} It network had a gauge of 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) and used iron rails for the incline, while other parts of the system were a mix of iron rails and wooden rails with iron strapping. ^{[6] : 43, 58–63}

When the line opened Thomson was "just another nameboard" ^{[12] : 31} and clearing for passengers, ^[51] though it was the terminating and interchange point for a number of timber tramways that served mines in the mountains between the Thomson River and Walhalla town and station. ^[42] However, at some point before June 1927 a large tree on a cutting wall above the station had burned through its stump and fallen across the railway, spearing into the ground on the far side of the line, ^{[5] : 112} creating rather spectacular photographs with engines posed under the trunk. ^{[12] : 32}

Immediately after Thomson station the line swung around another 2 ch (40 m) radius curve, then struck out across the Thomson River on a tall bridge. This featured three timber spans, followed by three steel girders on four concrete piers, and another four timber spans on the far side. Upstream of the bridge was the point where Stringers Creek merged with the Thomson River, then a timber truss road bridge. ^{[5] : 112–113} The central steel bridge span had been recycled from a road bridge over the Murray River at Tocumwal (NSW). ^[52]

Thomson station closed on 1 April 1944, with the line from Platina to Walhalla. ^[15]

Stringers Gorge and preservation-era landmarks

After passing over the Thomson River bridge, the line ran uphill at gradients mostly around the 1 in 32 to 1 in 35 range. This difficult terrain was almost entirely tight curves following the eastern bank of Stringers Creek, and cuttings had to be made into the cliff-face as deep as 20 feet (6 m) into solid stone. Other parts of the line had the track as much as 400 to 500 feet (120 to 150 m) above the water. ^{[7] : 54}

When the Walhalla Goldfields Railway began reconstruction of the line they started with a depot on the Up side of the former Thomson station, and gradually extended the railway towards Walhalla with intermediate temporary stations. The first was Winter Platform, in service from June 1995 to June 1996; it closed when the line was extended to Cascade Bridge Halt. ^[53] This second temporary terminus was in service from 7 September 1996 ^[54] until 28 March 1997. The preserved line reached Happy Creek on 1 April 1997 where the preserved line terminated pending reconstruction of the plethora of bridges between there and Walhalla proper in 2002. ^[55] This last location included a short run-around loop slightly on the up side of the actual station shelter. ^[l] Around this site, Happy Creek (the waterway) passed under the railway on a trestle bridge, to merge with Stringers Creek. ^[26]

The final mile from Happy Creek to Walhalla station remained on the steep uphill gradient. ^[11] The first half was otherwise uneventful, but the second half saw the line carried over six trestle bridges in close proximity where the valley narrowed. The first two allowed the creek to cross under the railway briefly, passing a former water wheel mentioned by Trainor, ^{[12] : 32} followed by another two bridges which anchored the railway to the cliff face rather than actually passing directly over anything. Finally, there was a second site where Stringers Creek passed under the railway and back again, though this time it was met by Little Joe Creek approaching from the east. ^[11]

Walhalla

Walhalla station opened on 3 May 1910, though it was probably occupied the day before in preparation when it was allocated a station number "728H" (the eighth station on the line, which overall had identity 728), and the code "WLR". ^[15] The station was situated at the southern tip of the town in a narrow cutting, at an elevation of 1,021 ft (311 m) above sea level, ^{[5] : 113} coincidentally about the same height as Gembrook railway station. ^{[7] : 54}

The first construction train had arrived on 14 February 1910, the first Mixed train on 15 March 1910 and a celebratory official train on 3 May 1910, though the yard was still barren and clearly a construction site. The station building had to be constructed over Stringers Gorge, and so was not completed until June 1913. ^{[1] : 20} In the meantime administration of the line was carried out in guard's vans.

The arrival home signal was on the far end of the last Stringers Creek bridge, and after the bridge was a stub siding nominally provided as run-away protection given the steep slope down back to Thomson. This siding followed the northern bank of Little Joe Creek for 188 ft (57 m) from the blades of the turnout. By 1927 the end of the siding had become a dumping ground for a local butcher to dispose of unsold tallow. ^{[12] : 34}

From here there was a short section of shunting space adjacent to the engine shed and locomotive ash pit, then the mainline became the second of four tracks through the station yard. To the left when facing north there were a pair of crossovers, then the site of the station building (which had to be built after the line opened, on a bridge over Stringers Creek); ^[59] on the right there were two loop siding tracks, one for stabling and one for goods loading and unloading. All four tracks converged to the north end headshunt. ^[60]

Walhalla was the only station on the line to have a dedicated passenger platform, measuring 2.72 ch (55 m) long. ^[60] A crane was provided in the goods yard with 4 LT (4.1 t) capacity. ^{[5] : 114} No.4 road, with the crane and goods shed, had about 240 ft (73 m) or room for about 8 trucks, after No.3 road and its connections had been removed. ^[60] The yard itself was not flat, which made shunting a risky proposition. ^{[12] : 34}

A travelling stationmaster was allocated to the line from 26 February 1912. ^[15] Track number three, between the mainline and the goods shed, was removed sometime prior to the 1920s, ^{[5] : 114} and the original 45 ft (14 m) engine shed was extended to 70 ft (21 m) in 1927, ^{[7] : 72} after the Garratt engine was introduced. ^{[1] : 31}

The station was altered to no-one in charge status from 13 April 1931 ^[15] with the station building dismantled and moved to Hartwell railway station, Melbourne in the late 1930s. ^{[5] : 114} The line closed on 1 April 1944, and the engine shed and down arrival Home signal was abolished by 3 July 1945. ^{[15] [5] : 114–115} The rails were mostly left in place from then until the line was dismantled in the mid to late 1950s. ^{[5] : 115}

In the preservation era the Walhalla Goldfields Railway returned to Walhalla in 2002, with a new yard layout situated slightly east of the original and with tighter curves to fit the available space. This caused an issue when Puffing Billy locomotive 7A visited the line in 2011, as it was unable to traverse some of the points at the down (north) end of the yard and this required complex shunting for the few days while the engine was present. The former run-away track had been slightly straightened at the far end and had a shed built over it. A new station building reminiscent of the original was built on the site of the former approach road to the goods shed when the line reopened, and a crew lunch room was added in 2021 using a portable building provided by the Daylesford Spa Country Railway from Bullarto railway station on their line. ^[59]

Fleet

Engines and rolling stock would have been rotated on an as-required basis, largely to accommodate maintenance requirements that could not be handled on site. The locomotives were originally classed "A", and referred to as, for example, "1A (narrow gauge)", ^{[9] : 1} though later documents ^[61] used the class "^NA" to distinguish them from various classes of broad gauge "A" class engines. Similarly, the passenger and goods rolling stock had been delivered with identifying codes equivalent to the broad gauge system, e.g. the open wagons were classed "QR", but by the time the Walhalla line opened these were in the process of being reclassed, e.g. ^NQR. Similarly, the passenger and van stock codes were simplified e.g. from ^NB^B to simply ^NB.

Further information: Victorian Railways narrow gauge passenger carriages and guards vans and Victorian Railways narrow-gauge freight vehicles

Locomotives

Nearly all of the Victorian Railways' narrow gauge locomotives worked on the Moe - Walhalla line at some point, with the exception of engine 2A (captive to the Wangaratta - Whitfield line) and Garratt locomotive G41 (captive to the Colac - Crowes). ^[8]

Baldwin-built engine 1A was transferred from Wangaratta to Moe around February 1905 to help with the construction effort, staying until May the same year before moving on to Colac. It returned in November 1907, and stayed on the line (barring occasional maintenance at Newport Workshops) for over half a decade, including working the first train to Upper Moondarra in 1908. ^{[5] : 121} It was joined by Vauclain compound locomotive 4A from May 1909 to January 1910, then newly-built 9A through November 1911 (including working the first train into Walhalla), ^{[8] [5] : 120} 7A to July 1912, 6A to September 1914, then 10A. ^[8]

1A left the line to return to Colac in December 1914, being replaced by 3A and in September 1915 a third engine, 5A, joined the line ^[8] following complaints of insufficient capacity. ^{[7] : 63} 10A then left around April 1916, although records are unclear as to its location through April 1917. At that point engine 9A returned, then 3A left in October 1917 leaving only 5A and 9A. In March 1918 the latter was replaced by 13A, and in September 1920 5A was exchanged for returning 3A. 13A left in February 1921, so 5A was the only engine allocated until 14A arrived in September the same year. 10A returned in May 1922, for a brief period of three engines online until 3A left in June, while 14A was swapped for 13A in February 1923. ^[8]

April 1924 saw 10A swapped out for 15A, then January 1926 brought in 12A, and May 1926 saw 10A returning. At this point the line had four engines allocated. Garratt locomotive G42 was delivered in the middle of 1926, at which point 13A departed for Wangaratta. 12A left shortly thereafter for Upper Ferntree Gully. 8A arrived in January 1927 followed by 5A, the latter swapped for 6A in August the same year. 7A briefly visited in June 1928, for a brief period of six NA engines plus the Garratt, the in October 1928 6A left and was replaced by 9A. ^[8]

3A left in November 1929 followed by 8A in January 1930 and 15A in April, leaving only the Garratt, 9A and 10A through September 1930 when 6A returned. In May 1932 14A replaced departing 9A, and in December 1932 6A was transferred to Newport Workshops, returning by May 1933. 14A left for the last time in November 1934. Both 5A and 15A came to Moe in January 1935, though the former had returned to Colac by April. Similarly 16A had a brief stint at Moe from November 1935 as its last duty in service, before returning to Newport Workshops for scrapping. 6A left the line in May 1936, but November saw both 7A and 8A return, for about one and two months respectively. ^[8]

9A returned from rebuild at Newport Workshops in May 1937, and (with the exception of another trip for maintenance in 1939) stayed with the line until it was withdrawn and scrapped in late 1953, being replaced by 7A through November 1954. 15A stayed at Moe through October 1937, then was replaced by 17A (on its first allocation to the line), and 12A operated on the line between March 1938 and March 1943, then being replaced by 5A through to March 1949. In June 1941 11A made a brief appearance, 17A left in April 1950 for scrapping, and was replaced by 12A. Both 12A and the Garratt were withdrawn in August 1954, the former being stored at Newport Workshops for fifteen years before being restored in preservation, and the latter having a brief stint sharing duties with classmate G41 at Colac before being withdrawn and stored. Both these engines are now preserved at the Puffing Billy Railway. ^[8]

Overall, and discounting time in maintenance, G42 spent nearly its entire career with the Victorian Railways on the Moe - Walhalla line, followed by 9A and 10A at about half each, 17A at about 40%, 1A at over 30% (including the time before the line officially opened), 12A, 13A and 15A a quarter each, 3A, 5A, 6A and 14A around 10-15% each, and 4A, 7A, 8A, 11A and 16A barely any time at all. ^[8]

7A returned to the Walhalla line for a few days in May 2010, both as itself and wearing plates of 9A for various celebrations relating to the line's opening a century prior. ^[62]

Carriages, Trucks and Vans

Combined passenger and guard's van 2BD with N prefix added. Passengers entered from the B platform through a door at the right end of this carriage. Later reclassed 2NBC.

Louvre van 1 U ; later reclassed 1NU. Van 1NH was about the same size, but with smooth sides and two sets of louvred doors per side.

Narrow gauge open wagon 3 QR. Later reclassed 3NQ. These vehicles sometimes ran as flat wagons with sides and/or ends removed.

Cattle wagon 2 M ; later reclassed 2NM.

By the time the line officially opened it has already seen trains in service for a few years, and these used an assortment of passenger and goods stock from the narrow gauge fleet, including wagon 20^NQR and at least one ^NB^B carriage. In September 1909 these were joined by composite compartment First and Second class carriages 3 and 4 ^NAB^AB, ^{[5] : 121}; guard's van 1^ND^D entered service on the same day, so it too was likely for the Walhalla line. ^{[63] [64]} The photo at the top of this article shows locomotive 1A hauling three unidentified ^NQR trucks configured for passenger traffic, followed by carriage 4^NAB and (based on the height difference) van 4^NBC. ^[65] 1910 also saw van 7NBC enter service on the Walhalla line. ^{[5] : 24}

First class passenger accommodation was abolished on the Walhalla line on 9 July 1923, with fares adjusted accordingly. ^{[5] : 121} 4NAB had been altered to second class accommodation in mid-1917 as 24NB, and in August 1923 it was followed by 1, 2 and 3NAB to 25, 26 and 27NB. Notably, 1 and 2NAB were converted at Upper Ferntree Gully, while 3NAB was converted at Moe; ^[63] this makes it likely that the cars essentially kept their original allocations through that point, and that the 1917 conversion of 4NAB to 24NB was made to reflect demand on the Moe - Walhalla line.

In June 1910 van 1^NPH entered service on the line, with a six-ton compartment for goods and four-ton compartment for explosive powder transport to mines, though it was reconfigured to entirely normal goods capacity shortly thereafter. ^{[5] : 31–32} Many of the NQR trucks allocated to the Walhalla line had their centre doors removed and replaced with a timber panels flanking an iron door, and with raised sides and a canvas roof, though none of those modified and reclassed to NBH passenger stock were ever transferred from the Gembrook line. Some such trucks, including Nos 114 and 140, were modified with an alternate handbrake arrangement to allow them to be used as trailing brake vans during particularly heavy passenger traffic seasons. ^{[5] : 28}

Around 1914-1915, in addition to the third engine being allocated to the line, ten more trucks were provided following complaints of insufficient capacity. ^{[7] : 63} Details as to which trucks these were is unclear, since the last ^NQR trucks had entered service in early 1914. ^[66]

In 1940 the line fleet comprised 5, ^[m] 10, 14 and 27NB, 3NBC, 1NC, 6 and 13NU, 14NM, and a total of 77x NQR trucks including some available for passenger transport. ^{[5] : 122}

At the line's closure the fleet was reduced to 7NBC, 1NC, 6NU, 14NM, and 45x NQ trucks; including NQ no.192 fitted with a 2,000 imp gal (9,100 L) gallon water tank, and the first and last NQ wagons nos 1 and 218. ^{[5] : 122} 7NBC operated on the last train from Erica to Moe in 1954, ^{[5] : 26} and 1NC was withdrawn from Moe in 1955. ^{[5] : 27}

Operations

Safeworking

As noted above, the line was always worked by the Train Staff and Ticket safeworking system. This was initially as one block Moe to Walhalla, later divided into two as Moe - Harris/Erica and Harris/Erica - Walhalla. In the inter-war period Erica was downgraded to an Intermediate Special Block Post, allowing following trains but not trains in opposite directions by telephoning the prior station to advise when the first train had passed. Later, Erica was restored as a Train Staff and Ticket station, and Gould was introduced as an Block Post in its own right between 1921 and 1931. Even as the line progressively closed from the north end, the Train Staff at Erica remained engraved with the section to "Walhalla". ^{[5] : 115}

The various intermediate sidings were originally controlled by Annett Locks, with the Key attached to the Train Staff. In September 1920 these locks were replaced with Staff Locks, so the Train Staff itself became the key. ^{[5] : 115}

In 1927 the rules were altered such that the mail motors were permitted to operate without the Train Staff or Ticket, so long as the train running behind the mail service was held for at least fifteen minutes and issued a "Notice of Train Ahead" so that the driver could keep a good lookout. ^{[5] : 116} This would be done at the ends of the line, and again at Erica.

Landslips

Running through such mountainous terrain, landslides, rockfalls and trees falling over the line were significant risks on the section between Erica and Walhalla so it became common practice to run an early morning ganger trolley to inspect the line before the first train was permitted to run each day. ^{[1] : 34}

The first recorded landlsip was on 12 June 1911, which blocked the line near Harris (later Erica) and required temporarily running the service with two trains, each terminating adjacent to the blocked line for passengers and mail to transfer. A week later the line between Thomson and Walhalla was blocked, and passengers were frustrated enough to walk the remaining distance ("a few hundreds yards") to Walhalla; the train that day arrived at Walhalla five hours late. ^{[7] : 59}

In 1913 a series of landslips at the Up side of the station, opposite the arrival Home signal, forced the line to be diverted. The first slip was over the night of 5-6 November ^[67] and prevented the morning Walhalla train from passing Harris, so a special train was organised from the Moe end to connect from the 7:52 a.m. train from Melbourne and passengers and mail were swapped between the two train sets either side of the landslip, where the rails were suspended in mid-air with sleepers attached. ^[68] The passengers of the train from Walhalla did not arrive in Melbourne until 10:30 p.m. that day, ^[69] and goods traffic on the line was suspended pending repairs. Crews working on the line expected to have it back in order by the following evening, ^[70] but full service did not resume until 10 November. ^[71] This was reported as the fourth time the land had subsided at the Up side of the station. ^[72] Another landslip happened only thee days later, ^[73] with the immediate solution of mail being conveyed by the track maintenance crew's rail motorcycle; ^[74] passengers had to wait for a replacement train from Moe as per the previous week. ^[75] The line had been fine when inspected at 6 a.m. that day, so there hadn't been enough time to prepare the second engine and train for the relief connection. This time, the gap under the line was described as about 0.5 chains (10 metres) long, 12 feet (3.7 metres) deep and 15 feet (4.6 metres) wide, and requiring 500 cubic yards (380 cubic metres) to fill. Three trucks of filling had been poured in by 15 November but this had all been washed out by further subsidence the following day, and another 13 trucks were unloaded into the site; even that proved insufficient, and by 19 November another slip was deemed likely only 30 feet (9.1 metres) away. ^[76] These predictions were prudent, with the line covered over by a slip on 25 November. This, too, was cleared, ^[77] but shortly thereafter the line was permanently diverted to the south around the site for a length of just over 10 chains (200 metres). ^{[26] : 9} The station's Down arrival Home signal was left in place following the diversion and thus was a significant distance away from the running line it applied to. This deviation was visible when looking west from the road bridge at the station, ^{[29] : 27} and the result of the deviation is visible in a photo dated circa 1915, in "Rails to old Walhalla" (2015) ^{[1] : 26}

Services

When the line opened, goods loads to most stations were accepted so long as they were "not requiring crane power or shed accommodation". Goods loads for the station were collected at Melbourne Yard No.30 door of "A" shed, by 9:30am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and had to weigh less than 2 long tons (2.0 t; 2.2 short tons) ^[15]

The opening service was a mixed train departing Walhalla on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 6:40am, meeting the morning train to Melbourne. The return train left Moe at 11:50am the same day, having connected from the outbound Melbourne train. Mail traffic remained with the road coach hauliers because that contract had not yet expired. ^{[5] : 116}

Between November 1911 and May 1912, 38,000 sleepers had been collected along the line for export around the state. ^{[7] : 60} By mid-1912 Walhalla residents were beginning to question whether the town had been better off with the former daily coach service, than the thrice-weekly mixed train service, and calls were made for passenger accommodation on the off-days when the mail trolleys operated. ^{[7] : 61}

By May 1916 the schedule had changed to return trips on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays instead, still with a 6:40am train from Walhalla (arriving Moe 9:25am) but the return trip left Moe at Noon for a 3pm return. This schedule also applied on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays using a motorised rail tricycle to convey mail along the route. Additionally, there was provision in the schedule for an "if required" goods train from Walhalla at 8:30am and from Moe at 2:30pm, with three hours allowed in each direction. ^{[5] : 116} Under the rules of Train Staff and Ticket, this goods train would not have been permitted to depart Walhalla or Moe until the previous mail tricycle trip had passed Erica (and later Gould).

In May 1913 there was a Mixed train from Walhalla on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, returning later the same day, with a mail tricycle service on Wednesdays and Fridays from Moe to Walhalla early in the morning, and return late at night. This schedule also had provision for dedicated goods trains on Wednesdays and Fridays, scheduled to avoid conflicts with the mail service. ^[16]

Patronage

Fiddian (1982) provides the following outwards passenger numbers for the line, by financial year: ^{[7] : 65}

Station	1911-12	1914-15	1927-28
Gooding	71	72	5
Gould	409	705	1186
Moondarra	593	672	484
Erica	1506	1590	3809
Knott's Siding	409	190	386
Platina	767	411	571
Thomson	406	15	43
Walhalla	8629	4600	1892
Total	12,424	8255	8376

He also notes that in 1911-12, Walhalla had received 12,399 LT (12,598 t), while Harris (later Erica) generated 10,581 LT (10,751 t); by 1927-1928 the highest outwards freight loadings were recorded at Knott's (Fullwood) Siding, O'Shea and Bennett's Siding, and Platina; ^{[7] : 65} although it is worth noting the latter figure may not represent the peak of the Tyers Valley tramway interchange loading.

Introduction of the Garratt

The memoirs of Douglas Trainor include a period where he worked as a Guard on the Walhalla line, joining thre others, from June to December 1927, and briefly again in 1930. He noted that the Guard's van had been divided into two compartments, segregating the goods compartment from a travelling booking office stocked with tickets, stationary, parcels stamps and associated equipment, as well as a portable telephone that could be connected to the wires running the length of the line in case of emergency. The role of the Guard was to list the wagon loads for each train and report any late running, as well as being responsible for the general safety of the train and its passengers. This latter role included the application of a specified number of hand brakes whenever the locomotive was detached for shunting, to avoid the risk of a run-away. ^{[12] : 23–45}

When the Garratt was introduced to the line in 1926, the maximum capacity of each train was increased significantly. On Trainor's first day the train was hauled by Garratt locomotive G42. ^{[12] : 25} The train was supposed to run from Walhalla to Moe four days per week, departing 6:40am to meet the 9:50am train to Melbourne, then leave Moe at midday to return to Walhalla at 3:40pm, ^{[12] : 25, 41  [n]} but Trainor said that the timetable had not been sufficiently altered when the Garratt was introduced, and the resulting increase in wagon loads and shunting requirements left the train crew with very little spare time for paperwork. ^{[12] : 41}

By mid 1927 traffic on the line was mostly sawn timber, with single wagons delivered empty to three or four sidings along the line each trip and collected on the return, plus a wagon-load of limestone at White Rock Lime Siding. Plenty of timber traffic had previously been collected from Erica, but this had recently been shifted to Collins Siding and its connection to the tramway. ^{[12] : 28}

Few passengers travelled on the line on a regular basis. ^{[12] : 26} Some people purchased special Excursion tickets from late Spring through early Autumn, which included one-way rail travel from Moe to Walhalla, then a hike across to Warburton railway station and a train for the end of the trip. ^{[12] : 37} Parcels from various businesses in Walhalla were delivered along the line at random locations, not just stations, and collected after the fact. ^{[12] : 39}. However, the line became quite busy during the Christmas season, with maximum-length trains ("about 12 trucks") temporarily converted for passenger accommodation. ^{[12] : 30, 45}

Through the 1920s the Victorian Railways made attempts to market the Walhalla line as a tourist attraction. In the first year of operations 13,000 passengers were carried (the sum of tourist and regular passengers), but this had fallen to 11,000 by 1925 and 2,500 in 1939. ^{[1] : 42} The Mixed trains to Walhalla were supplemented by Erica goods trips, loading potatoes at Gould and Moondarra and timber at Erica and Collins' Siding. Occasionally the load would be too great for the locomotive to handle, so a truck of timber deemed less urgent would be detached and replaced with a load of potatoes. ^{[1] : 42}

1930s service

A circular issued in 1931 saw the entire line's operations flipped around. The Walhalla locomotive and crew were relocated to Moe on a permanent basis, with trains now originating and terminating there instead of running to and from Walhalla. The Mixed train was made to run Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, returning later the same day, with the postal service to a similar timetable on Mondays and Thursdays. There was no service on Tuesday or Friday, and all the conditional schedules were deleted. ^{[19] : 46} On Thursday 8 September 1932 additional trains were required, operating as the 10:35am from Moe and 2:35pm from Walhalla. To accommodate this, the Postal Motor driver had to be specially instructed to follow no earlier than a proscribed time interval. ^[78] In November 1932 a Mixed train was added to the Monday schedule as far as Erica, connecting with a postal motor there. ^{[19] : 46}

In 1933 the Monday train turned around at Erica, while the Wednesday and Saturday services continued to Walhalla arriving at 2:40pm and departing 3:10pm, passing Erica at 4:25pm and arriving back at Moe at 6:15pm. A postal motor operated on Thursdays and connected with the Erica mixed train on Mondays. ^{[5] : 116}

September 1933 saw the visit of the Railway Commissioners, including Harold Winthrop Clapp, to the line. On that visit a local resident who had been cutting telegraph poles for export to Melbourne, and he explained to Clapp that because the poles were so long they had to be loaded in pairs across three trucks rather than into singles, making the cost of transit 50% higher than he felt fair. Clapp responded, "This is something that hasn't been thought of in drafting railway regulations because we have so few narrow gauge lines. Now we know, we'll look at the matter." Thereafter, the regulations changed and clients were no longer charged for use of spacer trucks between long loads. ^{[7] : 77}

By 1935 services had increased again. The Monday Mixed and Wednesday Goods services ran to Erica meeting a mail service, while the Tuesday and Friday trains ran to Walhalla one day and returned the next morning. There was also a Saturday return service. In May 1936 the Goods train was moved to Thursdays, with a mail service running the full length of the line on Wednesdays in lieu, and the timetable had an optional goods train scheduled, if required, from Moe to the O'Shea and Bennett's Siding. In 1939 the Thursday Walhalla Goods service was trimmed back to Platina and connected with a mail tricycle there, but an extra early-morning conditional train was added to the schedule on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and one in the afternoon on Wednesday. Additinoally, there was provision for the Monday and Sunday Mixed trains to be extended from Erica as far as the O'Shea and Bennett's Siding. ^{[19] : 46–47}

Double-headed trains

Double-headed narrow gauge trains had been theoretically possible from 1926, when the delivery of the Garratt engines forced a fleetwide conversion to stronger automatic M.C.B. couplers in lieu of chopper couplers. A trial was run in 1937 on the Walhalla line with the steel cowcatchers temporarily removed for clearance between the engines; this test included checking the ability of the locomotive compressors to correctly operate the Westinghouse air brake systems. ^{[79] : 185} When this trial was deemed successful double-heading was permitted as a rule, though initially restricted to engines 9A, 12A and 17A until the other engines were modified. ^{[5] : 119} Engine 9A was noted as having an extended air reservoir shortly thereafter. ^{[80] : 15}

Section	NA Locomotives (single) [5] : 116		NA Locomotives (double, from 1937) [5] : 119		Garratt G42 (from 1926) [5] : 116
	Mixed	Goods	Mixed	Goods	Mixed	Goods
Moe-Erica	10 trucks / 60 tons	14 trucks / 80 tons	15 trucks / 100 tons	22 trucks / 160 tons	18 trucks / 180 tons or 22 trucks / 140 tons	24 trucks / 140 tons
Erica-Walhalla	10 trucks / 60 tons	12 trucks / 80 tons	15 trucks / 100 tons	22 trucks / 160 tons	12 trucks / 180 tons	24 trucks / 140 tons
Walhalla-Erica	10 trucks / 55 tons	12 trucks / 70 tons	15 trucks / 100 tons	22 trucks / 140 tons	12 trucks / 180 tons	24 trucks / 180 tons
Erica-Moe	10 trucks / 110 tons	16 trucks / 110 tons	15 trucks / 220 tons	22 trucks / 220 tons	18 trucks / 240 tons	24 trucks / 240 tons

These numbers would be reported by the guard of the train to the driver in the form "10 for 60", so the driver would know what to expect and how to best utilise the locomotive, as well as where the train would need to be parked to facilitate shunting at each intermediate stop. The number of trucks included any passenger carriages and the guard's van. Trains were permitted 148 minutes from Moe to Walhalla and 167 minutes on from Walhalla to Moe (147 and 152 minutes respectively for the Garratt). These times included the five minutes in each direction at Gould and Erica to top up water. ^{[5] : 117}

Back to Walhalla specials

A special excursion train operated on 31 January 1938 for the Australia Day holiday, hauling perhaps the longest and most crowded passenger train in the line's history, ^{[80] : 10} with over 800 passengers. ^{[1] : 42} The excursion was organised by Walhalla local Charles Lee. ^{[7] : 82} The load included three compartment NB passenger cars, twelve NQR trucks converted for temporary passenger accommodation, and one NBC van for a total of 175 tons; well above the load limit for double-headed NA locomotives and rapidly approaching the theoretical limit for three engines. ^{[80] : 10} The train was operated by 9A (leading) and 17A, and was long enough that before departure the leading engine was parked just short of the George Street level crossing at Moe. ^{[80] : 10} Several goods trains previously had been double-headed to Erica, but this was the first time two engines worked together as far as Walhalla. ^{[5] : 119} At the time the Garratt locomotive had been sent to Newport Workshops for maintenance, and so was unavailable to work the special train. ^{[80] : 15} Lewis recounts that the train was significantly overcrowded (photos show about ten passengers sitting on the roofs of various cars), but that the was no other solution because the line only had one more NB and NC carriage, and these were required for the regular train later the same day. ^{[80] : 9–10}

On arrival at Gould engine 17A was topped up with water first, then the train was rolled back slightly downhill to refill 9A's tanks. ^{[80] : 11–16} During the time the regular mail trolley service from Whitfield was held in the Loop track. ^{[1] : 42} The train spent fifteen minutes at Gould and had a few false starts to make departure 18 minutes late, and another ten were spent at Erica. The train paused briefly at White Rock Lime Siding ^[o] and had to stop at Thomson to allow some passengers to disembark; the train had been coming down the slope and reportedly stopped with the lead engine on the bridge. Final arrival at Walhalla was 65 minutes behind schedule, at 1:35pm. This late arrival caused the following regular passenger train (15A, with one compartment NB and one NC) to wait at Erica, and so that service didn't reach Walhalla until 3:50pm (over an hour late). A further consequence of the late running was insufficient time for the regular train to return with its engine, so locomotive 17A was substituted on the normal train and 15A left for the return special, still with its cowcatchers attached. ^{[80] : 11–16}

The special train left Walhalla at 5:32pm with 15A leading and 9A trailing, hauling the re-marshalled consist of the 12 NQ trucks (one with the something like "Fourth Class Air Conditioned" car scratched into the paintwork), three NB carriages and NBC van. The train arrived back at Moe at 8:25pm, 38 minutes late, and connected with a special broad gauge passenger train departing at 8:50pm to return to Melbourne. ^{[80] : 16–19}

The final "Back to Walhalla" special operated on 27 January 1941. ^{[5] : 119}

Tramway transfers

Occasionally, various tramways in the region would request use of the Walhalla line to transfer their locomotives between various, otherwise disconnected parts of their networks.

In October 1939 one such engine was transferred from Moondarra to Knott's Siding. This was achieved by having the regular No.1 Mixed train operate from Moe to Erica on a Staff Ticket and carrying a Master Key, thus allowing the Train Staff to be transported (by the same train) as far as Moondarra, where it was met by the engine crew who had been driven to Moondarra by car. On arrival of the Mixed train at Erica its Guard took responsibility for the signalling, sending a message back to Moondarra confirming the line was available for the locomotive to move forward. The locomotive was to wait at Erica for No.4 Up Mixed and No.8 Up Postal Motor, then proceed to Knott's Siding carrying the Train Staff for the Erica - Walhalla section. On arrival, the tramway company was to provide a car for conveying the extra train crew back to Moe, and the Train Staff to Erica. ^{[81] : 56  [78] : 36}

Another such instance was in February 1944, when the Forest Commission's Fordson Tractor engine was transferred from Erica to Collins' Siding. For this move, after No.17 Mixed arrived at Erica the Train Staff was taken by a railway employee who accompanied the Tractor back to Collins' Siding, after which the employee and Train Staff were returned to Erica to resume normal operation. About a month later the process was reversed. When the process was repeated in 1950, the qualified railway employee was specified as the Block and Signal Inspector, and the local Ganger had to check the track after the Commission's tractor engine had passed over to make sure no damage had occurred. ^[78]

In 1938 Walhalla's station building was disassembled and transferred to Hartwell railway station. ^{[1] : 43}

Services during World War II

By 1939 the regular schedule had been altered again, to:

• A mixed train from Moe to Erica and return on Mondays and Saturdays, meeting a parcels tricycle at Erica which completed the run to Walhalla while the Erica train shunted;
• A Mixed train that from Moe to Walhalla on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, returning from Walhalla on Wednesday and Saturday mornings respectively;
• A Goods train from Moe to Platina and back on Thursdays, meeting a parcels tricycle that ran Erica to Walhalla and return; and
• A Parcels trolley to fill in the gaps, running from Moe to Walhalla and return on Wednesday afternoon, though this service could run later if additional goods trains were operating, to provide connections between Erica and the O'Shea and Bennett's Siding. ^{[5] : 119}

This service required one train based at Moe (running to Erica on Monday, Walhalla Tuesday-Wednesday, Platina Thursday, Walhalla one-way on Friday, then Walhalla-Moe-Erica-Moe on Saturday), plus a postal tricycle from Moe for the Wednesday return trip, and another at Erica for the Monday, Wednesday and Thursday return trips to Walhalla. ^{[19] : 47} Trains that stayed overnight at Walhalla were rest jobs for crews, who would work the train in both directions and sleep in a small shelter on the Walhalla platform overnight. The line was also at constant risk of rockfalls, landslips and landslides. ^{[1] : 48} Like some of the other narrow gauge lines by this stage, stops enroute were made by community request rather than any official timetable. An example given in Rails to Old Walhalla (2011) was that the Moe butcher owned a farm about two miles from Moondarra that faced onto the railway; he had cut a hole in the fence and cattle was loaded and unloaded there, instead of at the station. ^{[1] : 48}

During the war the timetable was vastly simplified, reduced to a three-weekly Mixed as far as Erica with only the Wednesday train extended to Walhalla, returning on the Thursday. The Monday and Friday Mixed trains could be extended to Platina if required, and conditional goods trains were permitted on Tuesday and Saturday from Moe to Platina as well. ^{[19] : 47}

The NA class locomotives had small fireboxes that required high calorific content fuel, e.g. that from Maitland, New South Wales. But during the war shortages had driven the Victorian Railways to import lower-quality coal from India. A double-headed train from Moe to Erica was to use this coal as a trial, so the engine crews cleared out the Maitland coal and filled up the bunkers with the so-called "Gandhi Poop". The train left Moe on time, but ran out of steam two miles away at the 1 in 30 slope following the Latrobe River bridge, and neither engine could build up sufficient steam without needing the injectors on (lowering the temperature of the boiler) or having to clear the ash and clinker from the firebox grates, during which time any steam built up would be lost. The train ended up having to set back to Moe, swap the coal for the better quality Maitland supply and try the trip again, with the whole ordeal taking fifteen hours for the 37 miles (60 kilometres) round trip. ^{[1] : 48–49} Another time engine G42 slipped badly just outside Platina and bent a coupling rod, rendering the engine completely disabled. The crew ended up having to drop the fire on the track and walk back to Erica to get a taxi home, while fitters rescued the engine the following day. ^{[1] : 49}

The Federal Government invested in bridge repairs on the line during the second world war, because its isolated location in hilly terrain with extensive abandoned mines was judged a good place to store weapons, munitions and documentation. ^{[1] : 43, 59}

The last train from Walhalla was hauled by G42 on 31 March 1944, ^{[1] : 43} and the line between Platina and Walhalla was closed the following day. The only immediate impact was the Wednesday Mixed being trimmed back to Erica with an optional extension to Platina if required, essentially matching the Monday and Friday schedules. ^{[19] : 47}

Post-war

Although Moe was provided with a gantry crane in 1946 for goods transfer between the gauges, not much changed for the branch line traffic. The service was a Monday Mixed from Moe to Erica just before midday, and a Wednesday and Friday Goods service leaving slightly earlier. Each of these trains ran to Erica and returned the same afternoon, with an option to extend the goods trains to Platina. The Mixed train was donwgraded to a "Car Goods" service from 1 September 1950, meaning passengers if any were expected to ride in the guard's van; and separate passenger accommodation was entirely withdrawn on 12 January 1951. The Wednesday and Friday Goods trains were cancelled in October 1952 and replaced with a single Thursday Goods, which continued to operate to Erica with optional extension to Platina for a few weeks until the Erica to Platina line was closed. ^{[19] : 51}

Across both gauges and the Walhalla, Yallourn, Thorpdale and Gippsland lines, Moe station had 19 drivers, 19 firemen, two coalers and two engine cleaners rostered in 1952. Most of the coal available at the time was from Wonthaggi State Mine, which didn't work for the NA class engines so a small supply of Maitland coal was maintained. The narrow gauge engines would be prepared by the depot crew, then the rostered driver and fireman would take over shortly before departure. Traffic at the time was mostly briquette deliveries outbound, timber from Erica and potatoes from Erica, Moondarra and Gould inbound, plus a truck of lime from Platina. There was no timber loading from Collins Siding by this point. ^{[1] : 51}

In 1952 the total tonnage conveyed by the line, in both directions, was only 9,409 long tons (9,560 t). ^{[1] : 43}

The service then remained on the twice-weekly schedule until the line closed completely in the middle of 1954. ^{[19] : 51}

Example trip, March 1954

One of the last trains on the line, the Erica Mixed of 18 March 1954 worked by engine G42, was photographed extensively by Ted Downs. ^[29] On this trip, the consist from Moe was the engine, louvre van 6NU, an unidentified, tarped NQ open truck, and guard's van 7NBC. The train left Moe with the photographer and "two or three" other passengers. ^{[29] : 2} The train made good time to the water tanks at Gould. ^{[29] : 3}

On arrival at Erica the twq trucks were detached to be unloaded by local residents. ^{[29] : 13} The NQ placed beyond Down of the goods shed on No.3 track while the NU was coupled to a set of five other NQ wagons already present at the up end of the same track, with the consignments collected directly from the van by local road trucks. ^{[29] : 14, 26} Van 7NBC was left opposite the station building. ^{[29] : 12} Station facilities were the main building, a standard Victorian Railways portable timber structure with a verandah and fireplace, and two galvanised iron toilet facilities; the Mens' being a distance away from the station building while the Ladies' was attached to the main structure. A water tower was present at each end of the station. ^{[29] : 22, 24} The Men's toilet had an advertisement board for "Pure Velvet Soap" below the station nameboard and elevation board. ^{[29] : 24}

The line beyond Erica was clear of weeds only far enough to enable shunting of the yard, and the arrival Home signal from Platina and Walhalla had been left at proceed, with the operating lever adjacent to the Men's toilet. ^{[29] : 22  [p]} The derailment protection at the down end of the yard was connected by point rodding to the lever of the mainline turnout, with both No.2 and No.3 tracks derails worked synchronously. ^{[29] : 21}

Erica had two Departmental Residences in place at this time, ^{[29] : 13, 21} and at the down end of the station a collection of discarded and abandoned timber tramway equipment including bogies, winches, a TACL rail tractor and the Climax Locomotive of the Tyers Valley tramway. ^{[29] : 16–17} A second T.A.C.L. was still in use at the Erica sawmill, shunting about ten discarded former Victorian Railways NQ wagons between the three sidings; some of these were singles, others worked in pairs with the facing sets of truck ends removed. ^{[29] : 19, 23} Notably, while the rails in the sawmill area "appear[s] to be of V.R. origin", one of the turnouts was worked by a point lever apparently imported from the North East Dundas Tramway line in Tasmania. That line's last regular service was in 1929, and it had used the world's first Garratt locomotives. ^{[29] : 20}

At the Up end of Erica the stock race structure was immediately adjacent to the toe of the Up end turnout, so livestock wagons would have been loaded and unloaded on the mainline. Like the Down end, the mainline turnout point lever also worked the derail in No.2 road, though the Up end of No.3 road had a timber, manually-worked scotch block. ^{[29] : 26}

The return train from Erica was the locomotive, newly-emptied 6NU, untarped truck 166NQ collected from Erica and van 6NBC. At Gould a crate was loaded into the NQ. ^{[29] : 28–29, 31} On arrival at Moe G42 was stabled adjacent to broad gauge N493 in the locomotive shed, while 7A was parallel outside and 12A was stabled in the yard. ^{[29] : 32–33} The parallel broad gauge siding near the turntable was host to the early, timber-bodied rail tractor 1RT, and workmens sleeper 50X, ^{[29] : 34} so any load transfer between the two gauges must have happened at the transfer sidings and gantry crane at the opposite end of the station. Narrow gauge wagons 1NQ and 85NQ were present in the yard on the maintenance trestle, ^{[29] : 35} accompanied by a handful of other NQ wagons and an NC van. ^{[29] : 36} There was also another NQ stabled at the west end of the yard near the goods shed, fitted with a 2,000 imp gal (9,100 L) water tank, ^{[29] : 37} and one final wagon in the transfer sidings. ^{[29] : 38}

Closure and legacy

The Walhalla line, like the other narrow gauge routes, was never profitable. In the period 1918 to 1929 it made £150,650 in revenue, but still generated a £76,600 loss. ^{[5] : 116} 1929 was the line's best-performing year, with the loss reduced to only £3,424. ^{[5] : 116}

Early traffic on the line included residents of Walhalla moving out, sometimes taking their disassembled houses with them. Some of those houses were later rebuilt in Moe, and were still extant as of 1954. ^{[1] : 48}

Trains ceased operating between Platina and Walhalla on 1 April 1944; ^{[1] : 43  [82]} from that date the regular tri-weekly Mixed train ran to Erica, or Platina if required. Later this service was reduced to Mondays only, though it changed to Fridays only in January 1951. At this time the train was reclassed as a regular Goods train, though an NBC van with passenger accommodation was available for travel. In 1952 the Erica-Platina section was closed, and the whole of the line on 25 June 1954. ^{[5] : 120}

The last train to Erica was worked by driver Con Mangan and fireman Jim Rae, with engine 7A on 25 June 1954. It was supposed to be worked the previous day by G42, but the engine couldn't function because coal had been put on the lighting-up fire too early and suffocated it. For the final train 7A was decorated with a banner, ferns, flags and chalk, and made the return trip with some difficulty due to things like the sanders not functioning correctly. The train was met at Erica by a small crowd, then returned to Moe well after dark. Finally, on 29 June 7A was lit up again for driver Con Mangan and fireman Frank Ritchie to run to Gould with van 7NBC and collect six NQ wagons from the siding there. The engines and rolling stock sat at Moe for some time after closure before being removed; in October 1954 G42 was taken to Newport Workshops (the engine units on transfer wagon 129Q, the boiler unit loaded on a QB or QBF well wagon), and engine 7A arrived at Upper Ferntree Gully in to work trains for the newly established Puffing Billy Preservation Society. ^{[1] : 52–55}

On 9 September 1954 six NQ wagons, nos 94, 100, 102, 153, 169 and 208, were sold from Moe station to the Forests Commission. ^[66] Coincidentally, the quantity of six wagons matches the number taken from Gould to Moe. ^{[1] : 52–55}

After the line closed, lyrebirds in the forest were noted in continuing to imitate the locomotive whistles with a ghostly reverberation. ^{[1] : 56}

Occasionally from 1956 to 1958, locals would ride home-made trolleys along the remaining track, but this practice ceased when after track dismantling started in 1958. Removal of track and buildings was completed by 1963, and since then changes to Moe yard (including electrification, and later de-electrification) have obliterated nearly all evidence of the former interchange facilities; as of 2011 a single gate post was still in situ at the former George Street level crossing, and the "telltale line of back fences" indicate where the line used to pass through. ^{[1] : 58} Just north of town the rail formation has been converted to an access road for a sewage plant. Parts of the land have been sold privately, including the area where remains of the Latrobe River bridge sit, but the Tanjil River bridge is still somewhat intact, as is the road bridge over the line on the approach to Gooding. The area of the Tyers River bridge was flooded by rising waters in Moondarra Dam and Reservoir (completed in 1961) ^{[7] : 48}, though some parts are visible in low water conditions. ^{[1] : 56–57}

The Thomson River Railway Bridge is listed on the Register of the National Estate. It had been scheduled for demolition as a military exercise in the 1950s but this was prevented by "indignant railway enthusiasts", ^[1] and was still intact (though with gaps in the deck) in 1992,^: 58 and in the preservation era trains operate over it again.

Reconstruction

Main article: Walhalla Goldfields Railway

In recognition of the outstanding tourist potential of the railway, a number of attempts were made to reopen the line for tourist traffic, but none were successful until the early 1990s. The Walhalla Railway Taskforce was formed in 1991, becoming the Walhalla Goldfields Railway, Inc., in 1993. By this time the roadbed was a totally overgrown jungle of blackberries and heavy scrub, with numerous sections of the trackbed having collapsed and all being derelict except one of the bridges. Restoration began with the establishment of Thomson Station and its accompanying yard on the site of an original station. The railway commenced operations in April 1994, within the Thomson Station yard. Gradually the line extended, first over the nationally heritage-classified Thomson River Bridge ^[83] in October 1994, pushing up the Stringers Creek Gorge to Happy Creek. This became the terminus for the line until the six bridges in the last kilometre into the Walhalla Station yard were completed, this section of line opening on 15 March 2002. The operating line is 2.5 mi (4.0 km) in length.

The new Walhalla station building is a replica of the original, though on the opposite side of the yard because the road alignment has taken over its former site. ^{[1] : 58}

Notes

1. After leaving Moe, engine 1A was at Newport Workshops from 27 December 1905 to 27 January 1906, ^[9] then proceeded to the Gembrook railway line. ^[8]
2. Fiddian (1982) says 25 March 1908. ^{[7] : 32}
3. Speed Limit 20 Plus says February 1916. ^{[5] : 109}
4. This stub siding was likely too short to hold any rolling stock, so it may have simply been a turnout acting as a catch point. ^[27]
5. Victorian Railways' weekly notices were published on Tuesdays.
6. Departmental Residences were houses owned by the Victorian Railways and allocated to railway employees. As of the early 1960s, these were provided without floor coverings but with blinds for all windows. Station Masters were allocated an annual supply of 6 LT (6.1 t) of firewood, plus either 150 kWh of electricity or 32 imp gal (150 L) of kerosene. The houses were referred to as rent-free, but an annual charge was deducted from the staff members' yearly salary and the rent valuation was included in tax returns. ^{[30] : 109}
7. The Moondarra station line diagram shows derail blocks on both the loop and mainline tracks at the Up end, but the date of the document revision is not legible. ^[31]
8. Medlin and Russell suggest that the siding had been in place since construction in 1908. ^[37]
9. (No.1 Pattern Lock Staff) ^{[16] : 32}
10. Russell notes that there was also a Knott's Siding on the Beech Forest narrow gauge line, renamed Ferguson during construction, and therefore the Walhalla line siding was referred to as "G. W. Knott's Siding" to avoid confusion. Adding to the confusion, a second siding on the Beech Forest line, Kincaid, was acquired by a G. W. Knott in 1924. ^[43]
11. Russell's diagram for Platina has the names of the sidings reversed relative to the Victorian Railways' diagram.
12. Enthusiast site Vicsig says Cascade Halt opened 13 October 1997 and closed 26 October 1998; ^[56] and Happy Creek Loop ^[57] and Halt opened 27 March 1998, ^[58] but these statements are not referenced. A photo is also available at the latter source showing a small galvanised iron passenger shelter at Happy Creek Halt in 2007, though it is not clear whether or not the station was still in use at that time.
13. Saloon-style NB cars were rare on the Walhalla line; though one does appear in an undated photograph of a mixed train approaching Walhalla Station, as the fifth vehicle of a six-carriage train, ^{[12] : 33} and another at Walhalla circa 1920s. ^{[1] : 36}
14. 3:15pm in 1926. ^{[12] : 41}
15. The original at O'Shea's Siding, not the later site at Platina.
16. This signal would have detected the arrival points' position, so with the main station lever reverse the signal would show proceed when the mainline track was set, or stop when the points at the Down end were reversed.

See also

• Narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways

References

1. Anchen, Nick (2011). Rails to Old Walhalla. Sierra. ISBN   978-0-9807640-1-7.
2. "MR. BENT AT WALHALLA. EXPERIENCES ON THE WAY". The Argus . No. 19, 249. Victoria, Australia. 28 March 1908. p. 18 – via National Library of Australia.
3. "WALHALLA RAILWAY". The Argus . No. 19, 900. Victoria, Australia. 3 May 1910. p. 4 – via National Library of Australia.
4. Douglas Trainor (2000). John E. Thompson (ed.). Travels with Trainor. John E. Thompson. ISBN   0-646-38919-X.
5. Puffing Billy Preservation Society (2017). Speed Limit 20 Plus. Puffing Billy Preservation Society. ISBN   978-0-9579792-8-4.
6. Jenkins, Terry; Jenkins, Brenda (1998). Firewood Tramways of the Walhalla Mines. Yarra Junction, Victoria: T. & B.J. Publications. ISBN   978-0-9579792-8-4.
7. Marc Fiddian (1981). The Iron Road to Walhalla. Pakenham Gazette. ISBN   0-9596316-2-3.
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10. "The Moe to Walhalla Narrow Gauge Railway". Victorian Government Narrow Gauge Railways. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
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12. Douglas Trainor (2000). John E. Thompson (ed.). Travels with Trainor. John E. Thompson. ISBN   0-646-38919-X.
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18. Victorian Railways (n.d.). Warragul to Kilmany (Gradient and Track Diagram). Bau, M. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
19. Waugh, Andrew, ed. (May 2006). "Moe" (PDF). Somersault. 29 (3). Signal Record Society of Victoria: 45–56. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
20. https://www.openrailwaymap.org/
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22. "Gooding". Victorian Government Narrow Gauge Railways. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
23. "Tyers River". Victorian Government Narrow Gauge Railways. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
24. "Temporary Station Site". Victorian Government Narrow Gauge Railways. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
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28. "Gould". Victorian Government Narrow Gauge Railways. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
29. John E. Thompson (2001). A day in the life of G42. Puffing Billy Preservation Society. ISBN   0-9579792-0-7.
30. Thomas E Yates (2004). What a Journey: Life in the Victorian Railways 1948-1987. Australian Railway Historical Society. ISBN   0-85849-045-5.
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34. "The Tyers Valley Tramway". Victorian Government Narrow Gauge Railways. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
35. "Collins Siding". Victorian Government Narrow Gauge Railways. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
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38. "Albert Harris". Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
39. Victorian Railways (n.d.). Line Diagram – Erica 23-63 (Line Diagram). Bau, M. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
40. Williams, D (4 August 2024). "The FCV's Erica Tramline". Victoria's Forestry Heritage. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
41. "Walhalla Goldfields Railway History". Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
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43. "Knott's Siding". Victorian Government Narrow Gauge Railways. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
44. Victorian Railways (n.d.). Line Diagram – Fullwood 23-64 (Line Diagram). Bau, M. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
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55. "Happy Creek". Victorian Government Narrow Gauge Railways. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
56. "Cascade Halt". Vicsig. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
57. "Happy Creek Loop". Vicsig. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
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61. John E Thompson (2018). Wangaratta Working Woes. Seagull Press, Tyabb, Victoria.
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83. "THOMSON RIVER, WALHALLA and RAWSON, BAW BAW SHIRE". Victorian Heritage Database. Victorian Government.

External links

• Walhalla Goldfields Railway (official site)

See also

• Narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways
• Walhalla Goldfields Railway
• List of closed regional railway stations in Victoria
• List of closed regional railway lines in Victoria
• Transportation in Australia
• Tyers Valley Tramway

37°59′36″S146°21′57″E / 37.99333°S 146.36583°E / -37.99333; 146.36583