Location: Melbourne, Australia
Serviceton is an interesting place to visit but I was not aware there was ever a NG service to the location.
Discussion for Serviceton Railway Station
VIC, AU - Serviceton Railway Station
bevans
Site Admin
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Serviceton is an interesting place to visit but I was not aware there was ever a NG service to the location.
Discussion for Serviceton Railway Station
allan
Chief Commissioner
The 3'6" line was the Eastern limit of the SAR South-East system.
bevans
Site Admin
Location: Melbourne, Australia
The 3'6" line was the Eastern limit of the SAR South-East system.
Thanks Allan and this was into the platform? Do you remember the years in which it operated please?
justapassenger
Minister for Railways
The narrow gauge went to Wolseley, not Serviceton.
don_dunstan
Dr Beeching
Location: Adelaide proud
The narrow gauge went to Wolseley, not Serviceton.I had the same thought too - narrow gauge from Mount Gambier and Narracorte terminated at Wolseley until the 1950's when it was converted to broad gauge.
allan
Chief Commissioner
I didn't remember because I never knew!The 3'6" line was the Eastern limit of the SAR South-East system.
Thanks Allan and this was into the platform? Do you remember the years in which it operated please?
According to WH Callaghan ("The Overland Railway"), the 3'6" track was laid as the station was built (1885), without passenger access to the station, and was taken up in 1898, the Privy Council, by then, having decided that Serviceton was in Victoria.
duttonbay
Minister for Railways
According to WH Callaghan ("The Overland Railway"), the 3'6" track was laid as the station was built (1885), without passenger access to the station, and was taken up in 1898, the Privy Council, by then, having decided that Serviceton was in Victoria.Mixed gauge existed from Wolseley to both Bordertown and Serviceton. The former was the original break-of-gauge station for traffic to the South East, while the latter was presumably so any traffic offering to destinations on the Mt Gambier line wouldn't require transshipping. Unsuprisingly there was little demand for NG at Serviceton. The NG at Bordertown hung around until 1914 or thereabouts.
bevans
Site Admin
Location: Melbourne, Australia
bevans
Site Admin
Location: Melbourne, Australia
And following on:
don_dunstan
Dr Beeching
Location: Adelaide proud
Very surprising, I had a vague recollection about the narrow-to-broad gauge trans-shipment and passenger-change point being in Bordertown but I didn't know that it also extended the other way to Serviceton.According to WH Callaghan ("The Overland Railway"), the 3'6" track was laid as the station was built (1885), without passenger access to the station, and was taken up in 1898, the Privy Council, by then, having decided that Serviceton was in Victoria.Mixed gauge existed from Wolseley to both Bordertown and Serviceton. The former was the original break-of-gauge station for traffic to the South East, while the latter was presumably so any traffic offering to destinations on the Mt Gambier line wouldn't require transshipping. Unsuprisingly there was little demand for NG at Serviceton. The NG at Bordertown hung around until 1914 or thereabouts.
Lad_Porter
Chief Commissioner
Location: Yarra Glen
Shades of another era .....
C2
Junior Train Controller
Been their in 87 I Think anyway the guided tour I did in 2000 was showing me around the grounds explaining where turntable and yards and the A2 stack was. But what I lked was sometimes the basement was a temporary gaol for convicts moved between the two counties. I think again the survey mob stuffed up in 3 ways or where vic/Sa border hits NSW. Never knew narrow gauge came to Serviceton. The whole country should of been 3'6 the high speed width.
Lad_Porter
Chief Commissioner
Location: Yarra Glen
I was told that the basement was also sometimes used as a morgue.
bevans
Site Admin
Location: Melbourne, Australia
I was told that the basement was also sometimes used as a morgue.
Entrance to the basement was/is via the rear (or is it front) of the station. Non rail side.
david harvey
Chief Train Controller
Location: Bairnsdale Wharf
#Very surprising, I had a vague recollection about the narrow-to-broad gauge trans-shipment and passenger-change point being in Bordertown but I didn't know that it also extended the other way to Serviceton.According to WH Callaghan ("The Overland Railway"), the 3'6" track was laid as the station was built (1885), without passenger access to the station, and was taken up in 1898, the Privy Council, by then, having decided that Serviceton was in Victoria.Mixed gauge existed from Wolseley to both Bordertown and Serviceton. The former was the original break-of-gauge station for traffic to the South East, while the latter was presumably so any traffic offering to destinations on the Mt Gambier line wouldn't require transshipping. Unsuprisingly there was little demand for NG at Serviceton. The NG at Bordertown hung around until 1914 or thereabouts.
In the book called “Line Clear 100 years of Train working Adelaide to Serviceton 1986 “by the eminent Adelaide doctor and celebrated author Mr Reece Jennings, there is a drawing of Serviceton yard from information supplied by the late renowned rail historian Jack McClean. The picture has been draw by Robert Sampson (ARHS SA) and shows Serviceton compete with dual gauge (narrow & broad) entering at the western end of the yard in 1890. The narrow gauge railway was opened between Kingston and Naracoorte in 1876 and extended to Wolseley in 1883. I cannot find a date yet when the narrow gauge was extended to Serviceton. The board gauge railway was opened from Bordertown to the Victorian Border 1st Jan 1885 and extended to Serviceton in May 1886 .when the colony’s decided where the border should be, but that’s another PR forum )The third rail between Serviceton and Wolseley was removed in 1898 as duttonbay has already stated . The line from Wolseley to Mount Gambier was fully widened to the broad gauge by the 21st of July 1953 . The Victorian Interlocking register shows no mention of narrow gauge working at Serviceton circa 1890. The Victorian Railways Weekly Notice Extracts shows no mention of narrow gauge working at Serviceton circa 1890 . The plot thicken's.
duttonbay
Minister for Railways
as allan said earlier,
It was mixed gauge when opened.
According to WH Callaghan ("The Overland Railway"), the 3'6" track was laid as the station was built (1885), without passenger access to the station, and was taken up in 1898
It was mixed gauge when opened.
Valvegear
Oliver Bullied, CME
Location: Richmond Vic
It's enough to make one wonder whether narrow gauge actually got any work at Serviceton, or whether track was laid and never used.
bevans
Site Admin
Location: Melbourne, Australia
as allan said earlier,According to WH Callaghan ("The Overland Railway"), the 3'6" track was laid as the station was built (1885), without passenger access to the station, and was taken up in 1898
It was mixed gauge when opened.
To where?
allan
Chief Commissioner
To Wolseley (SA) and beyond...as allan said earlier,According to WH Callaghan ("The Overland Railway"), the 3'6" track was laid as the station was built (1885), without passenger access to the station, and was taken up in 1898
It was mixed gauge when opened.
To where?
Had a look at a 1890 SAR WTT today - and found no reference to any narrow gauge service to Serviceton.
duttonbay
Minister for Railways
The mixed gauge went past Wolseley to Bordertown. But that's an interesting comment allan. Unfortunately, like far too many "enthusiast" books,"The Overland Railway" has no references, so we have no idea where Callaghan got his information. There is a station diagram of Serviceton at 1894, showing the mixed and narrow gauge lines there, and presumably that was obtained from somewhere? Reece Jennings' "Line Clear" also has a diagram showing the mixed and narrow gauge at Serviceton, which is annotated "Original drawing by the Victorian Railways 1890, supplied by J. MacLean." Perhaps by 1890 the narrow gauge had been closed, but was not lifted until 1898?To Wolseley (SA) and beyond...as allan said earlier,According to WH Callaghan ("The Overland Railway"), the 3'6" track was laid as the station was built (1885), without passenger access to the station, and was taken up in 1898
It was mixed gauge when opened.
To where?
Had a look at a 1890 SAR WTT today - and found no reference to any narrow gauge service to Serviceton.
kitchgp
Chief Commissioner
(Tying up the loose ends.) From the National Railway Museum website:
Serviceton (Read the notes and Historic Note on page 42. North is at the bottom.)
http://nrm.org.au/assets/pdfdocs/collections/multi-gauge-muddle.pdf#page=45
No NG platform road. Perhaps you could rail a wagon load (eg wheat) to Kingston SE without transshipment.
The full document:
http://nrm.org.au/assets/pdfdocs/collections/multi-gauge-muddle.pdf#page=1
BG – red
NG – blue
SG – black
DG (BG & NG) – purple
DG (BG & SG) – orange
DG (NG & SG) – green
Triple-Gauge – pink
Serviceton (Read the notes and Historic Note on page 42. North is at the bottom.)
http://nrm.org.au/assets/pdfdocs/collections/multi-gauge-muddle.pdf#page=45
No NG platform road. Perhaps you could rail a wagon load (eg wheat) to Kingston SE without transshipment.
The full document:
http://nrm.org.au/assets/pdfdocs/collections/multi-gauge-muddle.pdf#page=1
BG – red
NG – blue
SG – black
DG (BG & NG) – purple
DG (BG & SG) – orange
DG (NG & SG) – green
Triple-Gauge – pink
allan
Chief Commissioner
"The Overland Railway" is a bit more than an enthusiast book - it is a comprehensive history, but, without references, it is "grey" history. It is a starting point, and gives us a framework to work within. I found a copy of an ancient WTT, but that only lists scheduled services. David Harvey has accessed the Victorian Interlocking register, and the Victorian Railways Weekly Notice Extracts. Sooner or later we'll find other surviving documents that will allow us to fill out the story of the early history of this very large station sited in a sparsely populated region.Had a look at a 1890 SAR WTT today - and found no reference to any narrow gauge service to Serviceton.Unfortunately, like far too many "enthusiast" books,"The Overland Railway" has no references, so we have no idea where Callaghan got his information.
david harvey
Chief Train Controller
Location: Bairnsdale Wharf
(Tying up the loose ends.) From the National Railway Museum website:Excellent link provided by the NRM that covers more information that one can retain in one sitting. Just to clarify . The Inter locking register that I have starts off at Serviceton at 15-5-1890 when a 40 lever apparatus was constructed THIS WAS SERVICETON A BOX and lasted till 1984. There is no mention of Serviceton B Box or its being abolished which is strange . Next entry is in 1914 .Makes me think there is bits missing as abolishing a signal box is a big event ,it should be here if it was there at all !. Victorian Railways Weekly Notice Extracts. first entry for serviceton is on the 24-6-1898 weekly notice No50 of 1898, states that the Train staff and ticket will be abolished and electric staff will be provided to Kaniva. Victorian Railways Weekly Notice Extracts entry for Wolseley S.A Weekly nNotice Number 53 of 1953 states that the line from Wolseley to Mount Gambier has been converted to 5' 3" gauge
Serviceton (Read the notes and Historic Note on page 42. North is at the bottom.)
http://nrm.org.au/assets/pdfdocs/collections/multi-gauge-muddle.pdf#page=45
No NG platform road. Perhaps you could rail a wagon load (eg wheat) to Kingston SE without transshipment.
The full document:
http://nrm.org.au/assets/pdfdocs/collections/multi-gauge-muddle.pdf#page=1
BG – red
NG – blue
SG – black
DG (BG & NG) – purple
DG (BG & SG) – orange
DG (NG & SG) – green
Triple-Gauge – pink
duttonbay
Minister for Railways
Just to clarify . The Inter locking register that I have starts off at Serviceton at 15-5-1890 when a 40 lever apparatus was constructed THIS WAS SERVICETON A BOX and lasted till 1984. There is no mention of Serviceton B Box or its being abolished which is strange . Next entry is in 1914 .Makes me think there is bits missing as abolishing a signal box is a big event ,it should be here if it was there at all !. Victorian Railways Weekly Notice Extracts. first entry for serviceton is on the 24-6-1898 weekly notice No50 of 1898, states that the Train staff and ticket will be abolished and electric staff will be provided to Kaniva. Victorian Railways Weekly Notice Extracts entry for Wolseley S.A Weekly nNotice Number 53 of 1953 states that the line from Wolseley to Mount Gambier has been converted to 5' 3" gauge]
Somersault, the publication of the Signalling Record Society of Victoria records, in an article titled "VICTORIAN SIGNAL Box CONTRACTS 1886 - 1901" states that the contracts for Serviceton East & West boxes (!) were gazetted on 22.04.1887 and the boxes opened on 15/05/1890. But sadly, a signalling history of Serviceton isn't in the PDFs I have (27 volumes to 2004), and I am not going to read through 15 years of paper to find one.
don_dunstan
Dr Beeching
Location: Adelaide proud
Any chance VicTrack could rent the building out as a restoration project for an entrepreneurial person to make it into an Air B'N'B? Seems to be successful strategy to help preserve other important railway stations like Hamley Bridge and Riverton (SA).
Subscribers: bevans, C2, david harvey
Quick Reply
We've disabled Quick Reply for this thread as it was last updated more than six months ago.