The Kerang–Koondrook Tramway was an Australian private railway of 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) broad gauge, running from Kerang station, on the state-owned Victorian Railways Piangil railway line, to the Murray River town of Koondrook, with intermediate stations at Yeoburn, Hinksons, Teal Point and Gannawarra.
| Kerang-Koondrook Tramway | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Closed |
| Former connections | Bendigo-Swan Hill line |
| Stations | 4 |
| Service | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| Operator(s) | Shire of Swan Hill 1889-1898 Shire of Kerang 1898-1952 Victorian Railways 1952-1976 |
| History | |
| Opened | 19 July 1889 |
| Closed | 3 March 1981 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 13.94 mi (22.43 km) |
| Track gauge | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) |
Construction of the 13.94 mi (22.43 km)-long line was initiated by the Shire of Swan Hill in 1887,[1] under the terms of the Tramways in Country Districts Act 1886, which allowed local governments in country areas to construct tramways, with financial assistance from the Victorian government, to a limit of £2,000 a mile.[2][3] The tramway was opened in July 1889.[4][5] On 31 December 1898, the area of the Shire of Swan Hill centred on Kerang became the Shire of Kerang.[6] By 1920, the tramway's construction had cost £39,229.[7]
In 1929, a four-wheel vertical boilered locomotive was imported to work the tramway, manufactured by the Sentinel Waggon Works in Shrewsbury. It was withdrawn in 1941 and scrapped in 1952. There is a description of a journey on the railway in 1938 in an article in the March 1971 edition of the Bulletin, published by the Australian Railway Historical Society.[5]
On 1 February 1952, ownership of the tramway was transferred to the Victorian Railways. In its later years, passenger services on the line were run by a 102hp Walker railmotor, paid for by the Victorian Education Department, to convey school children. The service was withdrawn on 16 December 1976. A railfan farewell special on the line, with a train hauled by T356, ran on 20 November 1977.[8] The line was officially closed on 3 March 1981.[9]
References edit
- ^ "The Koondrook Tramway". The Argus. 4 November 1887. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ^ "Tramways in Country Districts Act" (PDF). Australasian Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ "Tramways in Country Districts". The Argus. 3 September 1887. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ^ "Opening of the Kerang and Koondrook Tramway". The Kerang Times. 23 July 1889. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ a b Bakewell, Guy, A Broad Gauge Tramway, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, March 1971, pp. 49-55
- ^ "Kerang Shire". Victorian Places. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ "Year Book Australia, 1921". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ "T356 crosses Pyramid Creek, Kerang". Railpage. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ Newsrail, Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division), March 1990, Vol. 18, No. 3
External links edit
- "Koondrook Tram Complex". On My Doorstep. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- Images from the Koondrook Railway
- Image: Koondrook railway station[permanent dead link]
- Image: Replica locomotive along with QR open wagon, L-class sheep wagon and a ZL-class guards van[permanent dead link]