The following is a brief history of Maldon’s rail history provided by the Victorian Goldfields Railway.
The railway reached Castlemaine in the form of the main Melbourne – Bendigo Line in October, 1862. This long, classically engineered railway tapped the booming goldfields at Bendigo and Castlemaine and ushered in a new era of transport to the goldfields and towns of Central Victoria.
The Bendigo line was soon extended to reach the Murray River at Echuca, and Maryborough was the destination of a cross-country line from Castlemaine.
As work progressed on the Maryborough line, the citizens of Maldon started to press for their own railway. By the time the Castlemaine-Maryborough line opened (July 1874) they were petitioning their parliamentarians with demands for railway connection to further open up land in their district.
In 1876 a preliminary survey was undertaken for a railway from Castlemaine to Maldon and on to Newbridge. In 1881, Parliament authorized a number of new lines including a 10 mile (16 kilometre) branch from Maldon Junction (about 1 km from Castlemaine on the Maryborough line) to Maldon.
In August, 1882 the contract was let for the construction of the Maldon line to A. Nicholls and Co. The country was described as difficult for a railway. Heavy earthworks were necessary and two major bridges required. Built to ‘light-line’ construction, the line included grades of 1 in 40, sharp curves and rail of 60 lb./yard. The line opened for traffic on 16th June, 1884. 1891 saw the opening of a 10 mile (16 km) extension of the line to Shelbourne.
Train Services
Two mixed (goods & passengers) trains five days a week were provided with the opening of the line, this was soon increased to three return trips per day. With the opening of the extension, one mixed train per day served Shelbourne. 1924 saw the introduction of an AEC rail motor which provided four trips per day Monday to Friday, with the mixed running through to Shelbourne three days per week. Declining population from the late 1920′s reduced the demand for rail services, which were cut back as the years passed. The AEC rail motor and all passenger services were withdrawn during the Second World War (1941) through wartime fuel shortages. A weekly goods train through to Shelbourne coped with the traffic until the line closed.
Closure
Bushfire damage to several bridges in 1969 resulted in official closure of the Maldon – Shelbourne Extension in 1970. With the closing of the Shelbourne extension little reason remained for keeping the Castlemaine – Maldon line open. The Maldon line officially closed in December 1976. Several steam-hauled enthusiast specials were the last trains to venture through the weeds to Maldon.
READ MORE
The Maldon Museum welcomes the appointment of Louise Honman as the public consultant of the Mount Alexander Shire Council’s Heritage Advisory Service. Citing a wealth of credentials, Louise is a registered architect with over twenty years experience specialising in heritage and conservation projects. She has extensive experience in heritage assessment, preparation of conservation management plans, principles of building conservation, architectural design and heritage advisory roles within local government.
