The Spring Vale Cemetery
railway line
Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...
, in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, branched from the now
Pakenham Line
The Pakenham line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's longest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melb ...
at
Springvale railway station
Springvale railway station is located on the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Springvale, and it opened on 1 September 1880 as Spring Vale. It was renamed Springvale on 29 ...
, for a short journey to the
Spring Vale Cemetery. The terminus was a railway station of the same name.
History
The Spring Vale Cemetery branch line and associated station were opened on 1 March 1904 following completion of construction in December 1902. The line was used to transport corpses, funeral cortèges and visitors to the Necropolis. Special
hearse vans were constructed to transport the coffins and wreaths. The line was electrified in December 1922. Mortuary services ceased in 1943 and the visitor's service was suspended from 10 December 1950,
following the end of the statewide 55-day coal strike. Formal closure was only a book date, being 19 December 1951.
Current status
Throughout the first few months of 1951, the line was dismantled back to the western boundary of the
Sandown Park Racecourse
Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse racing ...
, and eventually back to the station side of Sandown Road. By the 1970s, the visible remains of the branch line included a short stub of the line, known as "Siding B", and an electrical sub-station near where the branch junctioned, as well as a short section of the alignment between Sandown Road and the racecourse boundary. A stanchion base could be seen at the end of the Downard Lawn in the Necropolis.
By 2010, the remaining track, overhead power lines and supporting stanchions had been removed, along with other sidings east of Springvale station. The electrical sub-station building remains, along with the rail reservation up to Sandown Park Racecourse, although it is now crossed by Sandown Road.
A commemorative plaque has been placed at the site of the former Cemetery platform.
Station histories
See also
*
List of closed Melbourne railway stations
A number of railway lines and stations which formed part of the greater Melbourne railway network have been closed over time, either in part or in full. The decision to close a railway station has historically been made by the department respon ...
*
List of Melbourne railway stations
This is a list of the 222 suburban railway stations currently operating in Melbourne, Victoria. The Melbourne railway network consists of 17 railway lines, as well as the central City Loop. There are also a further 19 stations on three heritage ...
References
External links
Signal diagram of the station in 1942
Closed Melbourne railway lines
5 ft 3 in gauge railways in Australia
Railway lines opened in 1904
Railway lines closed in 1951
1904 establishments in Australia
1951 disestablishments in Australia
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