Mornington Railway Line, Melbourne
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The Mornington railway line, in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Australia, was a rural railway branching off from the
Stony Point railway line The Stony Point line is a commuter railway line in the outer metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the only diesel service on the metropolitan network and, at , is the tenth-longest line ...
at Baxter. The line had a life of 92 years, opening in 1889, and closing in 1981.


History


Early history

In 1881, a line branching from the
Gippsland railway line The Gippsland railway line (formerly known as the Orbost railway line) is a railway line serving the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland regions of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It runs east from the state capital Melbourne through Warr ...
at Caulfield was opened to
Mordialloc Mordialloc ( ) is a beachside suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Mordialloc recorded a population of 8,886 at the ...
. It was extended to Frankston in 1882 and Baxter in 1888. From there branches were constructed to
Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...
and Mornington. The Baxter to Mornington line was officially opened on 10 September 1889. In 1922, the Frankston line was electrified in two stages: first to Mordialloc in June and thence to Frankston by August. When opened, the Mornington line had two stations: the terminus at Mornington and an intermediate station Moorooduc. In 1925, there was local agitation to extend electrification from
Frankston railway station Frankston railway station is a commuter railway station and the terminus of the Frankston line and diesel-hauled services on the Stony Point line, all part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the south-eastern suburb of Frankston, ...
to Mornington, which was rejected as being unprofitable Between 1920 and 1930, Rail Motor Stopping Place (RMSP) 16 was situated at the level crossing over the
Nepean Highway Nepean Highway is a major highway in Victoria, running south from St Kilda Junction in inner-southern Melbourne to Portsea, tracing close to the eastern shore of Port Phillip for the majority of its length. It is the primary road route from ...
(known as the Point Nepean Road at the time) in Mornington, but had been closed by 1940. Between 1930 and 1940, Mornington Racecourse station was opened on the Melbourne side of RMSP 16, approximately halfway to Moorooduc. Between 1960 and 1970, Mornington Racecourse was renamed to Tanti Park and, between 1970 and 1980, RMSP 16 was reopened, consisting of two small passenger platforms, one on each side of the Nepean Highway. The Nepean Highway level crossing was fitted with flashing light signals in 1939, replacing the previous wig wag signal. Periodic agitation for the electrification of both the Mornington and Stony Point lines continued throughout the 1930s, and the post war period, often associated with a counter proposal for a more direct second line to be constructed between Frankston and Mornington via Mount Eliza. In 1948, the Victorian Parliamentary Public Works Committee held an inquiry into the electrification of the Mornington line, and there was local advocacy for the extension of the line to
Dromana Dromana ( ) is a seaside suburb on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Dromana recorded a populati ...
.


Closure

The passenger service was cancelled during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, being reinstated between Frankston and Mornington in September 1966. There were a number of proposals to end the passenger service in the late 1970s. In 1978, people protested against repairs along the line and a replacement bus service was established. The diesel-electric railmotor used on the line was replaced with a
Walker railmotor The family of Walker railmotors were a type of diesel railcar operated by the Victorian Railways in Australia. After World War II, the Victorian Railways undertook a major rebuilding program known as Operation Phoenix. One of the first tasks ...
RM22 in November that year. On 10 December 1978, RM22 left Mornington at 7:20pm and returned to Melbourne. However, the transport minister acceded to local demand, and a rail service, using RM55, was reinstated on 9 April 1979, running the passenger service for more than two years. On 29 February 1979, a special race train was introduced, hauled by T388. That was to be the last special train allowed to operate along the line by VicRail. 300 protesters prevented the train from departing, forcing it to remain in Mornington until the following afternoon. In the wake of the Lonie Report in 1981, VicRail prepared to abandon many passenger services and close many stations, including the Mornington line. The last summer Sunday service to Mornington ran on 19 April 1981. On 16 March, the Association of Railway Enthusiasts (ARE) ran a steam tour to Mornington and Stony Point, hauled by K190, which was the last steam train to travel to the original Mornington railway station terminus. On 20 May, RM55 ran the last rail service to Mornington, driven by Brian Higgins. The train departed from Mornington at 1:23 pm that day, but suffered engine problems, requiring the use of a replacement bus service. RM55 was taken to Melbourne after arriving at Frankston. On 6 June 1981, a railway enthusiast group ran a special service from
Crib Point Crib Point is a town on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Crib Point recorded a population ...
to HMAS Cerberus, Mornington and Stony Point, using RM59. On 12 June 1981 a Hastings Primary School train ran a return trip from Hastings to Mornington. This was the last train to run between Baxter and the original Mornington station site. Three days later, the Mornington line was officially declared out of service and a new bus timetable was established. The line remained disused until 1989 when the termite infested Mornington station building was abruptly demolished. The line between Nepean Highway and Mornington was removed in 1991 and, in 1999, the infrastructure at Mornington station was demolished, with a shopping centre being erected on the site.


Re-opening

The rest of the line lay idle until 1984 when the Mornington Railway Preservation Society was formed with the long-term ambition of restoring a tourist railway service along the line. They restored a
Victorian Railways K class The K class is a branch line steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways in Australia from 1922 to 1979. Although its design was entirely conventional and its specifications unremarkable, the K class was in practice a remarkably versatile a ...
steam locomotive and, in 1991, leased the line between Baxter and Nepean Highway. In 1997, their
rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...
was transferred to the current base at Moorooduc, with tourist trains operating along the line between Moorooduc and Mornington.


References

{{Victorian Railway Lines, branch Closed Melbourne railway lines 5 ft 3 in gauge railways in Australia Railway lines opened in 1889 1889 establishments in Australia