The Mansfield railway line is a closed branch railway line situated in the Hume region of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. Constructed by the

Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...

, it branches from the Seymour line at station, and runs east from the town of to . The line was primarily built to provide a general goods and passenger service to townships in the area.

History

The line was opened in 6 stages from November 1883 to October 1891, and closed in November 1978. The first stage of the line was opened from to in 1883, being extended in stages from 1889 though , , and to reach in 1891. A short 7 kilometre long branch was also opened from Cathkin to in 1890, being extended another 7 kilometres to in 1909. The line was a result of a decade of local lobbying, and provided improved access for agricultural products from the region to

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 ...

markets. The line was quite scenic and included a 200 m tunnel near Cheviot and a viaduct over an arm of the

Lake Eildon The Eildon Dam or Eildon Weir, a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with a controlled spillway across the Goulburn River, is located between the regional towns of and within Lake Eildon National Park, in the Alpine region of Victoria, Aus ...

reservoir in , which was rebuilt in 1955 as part of the enlarging of the reservoir. The last regular passenger service operated to Mansfield on 28 May 1977 by 280hp Walker railmotor 91 RM. It was replaced by a bus service via , but was rerouted via after road upgrades were carried out. By this point the track had deteriorated beyond Yea, and after March 1977 the majority of services beyond this point were buses. The line was closed on 8 November 1978 along with the branch line to Alexandra. The line was quickly dismantled following closure, preventing any chance of tourist services from operating along the line despite some interest being shown. Many bridges along the line were also removed with only the uprights remaining. The line has since been reopened as a 134 kilometre bike trail, the Great Victorian Rail Trail. The trail was funded by the Federal Government and local councils.

Stations

References

External links

Photographs of stations along the Mansfield line

Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail
{{Victorian Railway Lines, branch Closed regional railway lines in Victoria (Australia) 5 ft 3 in gauge railways in Australia Railway lines opened in 1883 Railway lines closed in 1978 1883 establishments in Australia 1978 disestablishments in Australia Transport in Hume (region)