The Bright railway line was a railway line in Victoria, Australia constructed by the Victorian Railways as a branch from the previously constructed Yackandandah line to Beechworth, with the Bright line branching at Everton. The line followed the Ovens Valley opening as far as Myrtleford on 17 December 1883 being extended to Bright on 17 October 1890.[1][2][3]

Bright railway line
Benalla-Bright rail ticket from 1978
Overview
Statusconverted to Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail
OwnerV/Line
Termini
Continues fromYackandandah line
Stations11
Service
Operator(s)V/Line
History
OpenedBowser-Myrtleford: 17 December 1883
Myrtleford-Bright: 17 October 1890
ClosedMyrtleford-Bright: 30 November 1983
Bowser-Myrtleford: 13 April 1987
Technical
Line length75.8 kilometres
Track gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Route map

North East line

Bowser
Londrigan
Tarrawingee
Everton
Brookfield
Bowman
Gapsted
Myrtleford
Ovens
Eurobin
Porepunkah
Bright

The line carried a variety of traffic, including many tourists to Mount Buffalo, where the Victorian Railways operated the Mount Buffalo Chalet. The line closed in on 30 November 1983 between Bright and Myrtleford, and back to the junction with the North East line at Bowser on 13 April 1987, the Yackandandah line from Everton having closed in December 1976.[1][2][3][4]

Newsrail notes that a contract had existed between the Victorian Railways and the Australian Paper Mill factory at Ovens; and that although this contract had expired in December 1973, an occasional wagon of pulp was still being moved, with two wagon-loads sighted on 16 January and another three on 8 February.[5]

In the 1990s the line became part of the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail.[6] Bright station is maintained as a museum.[2][7]

References

edit

Larsen, Wal (1983). The Ovens Valley Railway. Bright: self published. ISBN 09 596751 0 8.

  1. ^ a b Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 – 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 28. ISBN 0 909650 49 7.
  2. ^ a b c Bright Railway 1890 to 1983 Bright Pictorial Heritage
  3. ^ a b Bright Line Vicsig
  4. ^ Yackandandah Line Vicsig
  5. ^ D.G. (April 1974). "STILL MOVING ON". Newsrail. Vol. 2, no. 04. Vic: ARHS Victoria Division. p. 95. ISSN 0310-7477. OCLC 19676396.
  6. ^ Bright Rail Trail Tourisminternet
  7. ^ Home Bright Museum