Spring Vale Cemetery railway line
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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 metro ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
, branched from the now Pakenham Line 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 ...
, 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 Railways in Melbourne, 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 ...
*
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 herita ...


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 {{Melbourne-rail-stub