ROLL 69. Heywood – Mt Gambier Line, 10th
January 1969.
All photos © Les Brown. Not to be used
for Publication.
Scanned Negatives
69-1. T335. Lyons?
69-2. T335. Lyons?
69-3. Dartmoor.
69-4. T335 & T388. Dartmoor.
Trains crossed here.
69-5. T335 & T388. Dartmoor
69-6. Approaching Mt. Gambier.
69-7. Mt. Gambier.
69-8. 838. Mt Gambier. After the train arrived,
the Victorian Railways T-class locomotive went on to the locomotive depot. The
South Australian Railways locomotive then did all the shunting. This picture
was taken from the Signal Box.
69-9. Mt Gambier. That night’s 9:00pm passenger train
to Adelaide was shunted into the platform shortly after the Victorian train
arrived.
69-10. 905. Mt. Gambier.
It was a busy station. This train arrived not long after the passenger train to
Adelaide had docked.
69-11. Mt. Gambier. This is the passenger part of the
train to Adelaide. It was actually a mixed-train as quite a few more freight
vans were added on before it left at 9:00 PM.. Pulled
by 905, it shunted at most stations along the way. I got off at Wolseley and
took the Overland overnight express from Adelaide back to Melbourne at around
1:00 am. This train had sleeping accommodation and was due to arrive in
Adelaide at 7:30 am. Not exactly the fastest train in Australia.
All passenger train services ended on 31st December 1990 and the
line from Wolseley was closed on 12th April 1995. The line from the
Victorian junction at Heywood closed on 11th April 1995.
The Mount Gambier line was not deemed worth of conversion by the Keating Labor government’s “One Nation” infrastructure development
plan despite getting one freight train per day from Melbourne.
The stream of logging trucks, from around Mount Gambier to
Portland, require the roads to be constantly repaired. If the rail line
still existed it would have dramatically reduced this cost burden to Shire
ratepayers and State taxpayers as well as improved the lives of the people
living in the area.
69-12. Bluebird 251. Mt. Gambier.
The 8:00 am. ex. Adelaide, arriving at Mt Gambier. It
was tabled to arrive at 4:40 pm.
69-13. Bluebird 251. Mt. Gambier. It was sent in to the back-platform road.
Too see what it looks like exactly fifty years later click or tap on the photo.
69-14. 838. Mt. Gambier.
After the train from Adelaide arrived, the Shunters
could now place the wagons from the South Australian Railways freight train
that arrived previously.
69-15. Mt. Gambier.
69-16. 905. Mt. Gambier.
Arriving at Mt. Gambier Loco.
69-17. 956. Mt. Gambier Loco.
69-18. T335. Mt. Gambier Loco.
69-19. T335 & 956. Mt. Gambier Loco.
69-20. Bluebird 251 and Trailer 100. Mt. Gambier Loco.
69-21. Bluebird 251, Trailer 100 and
905. Mt. Gambier Loco.
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