General News
20 January, 2023
The track from Inglewood to Bendigo
SUMMER READINGBY KEN ARNOLDIT WAS originally planned to construct the Sandhurst-Inglewood railway line, leaving the southern end of the Sandhurst station via a curved line that would run roughly along what is now Myrtle and Don Street. However...
SUMMER READING
BY KEN ARNOLD
IT WAS originally planned to construct the Sandhurst-Inglewood railway line, leaving the southern end of the Sandhurst station via a curved line that would run roughly along what is now Myrtle and Don Street.
However somebody must have realised that the train would not have been able to get up enough momentum to climb the hill hence the current day route was adapted which heads northwards under Mitchell Street, crossing Williamson and Mundy Streets before passing over McIvor Road before diverting from the Main Murray River (now Echuca) line near Lake Weeroona.
The line then crosses Napier street, Weeroona avenue, over the Bendigo Creek, Thunder Street, Prouses and Holdsworth Roads, Nelson Street before passing under both Eaglehawk Road and Church Street then over Victoria Street before reaching the Eaglehawk station.
The line then goes under Caldwells Road, over Hopkins Avenue before diverting from the Piangil line near Sailors Gully. The line then crossed Williams Road, Schumakers Lane, over Myers Creek, Hermitage Road, Fletchers Creek, Calder Highway, Bullock Creek and the Calder Alternate highway on to the Marong station.
The line next crosses Landry Lane, Yorkshire Road, Dry Creek and Houliston Road into the Leichardt station, then over Bell’s Road and Spring Creek to the Derby station.
It next passes over the Calder Highway, Collins and Hamilton roads into the Bridgewater on Loddon station.
The next section crosses Lyndhurst street where there was a spur line into the Waterwheel Flour Mill.
On over the long wooden bridge over the Loddon River and the weir that was created by the Loddon United Water Trust, Bridgewater-Serpentine road, Morses’s lane, past a siding that was used for the races and the North Western Agricultural Society shows, over the Bulabul Creek and Inglewood-Serpentine road, past the junction of the Inglewood-Dunolly line on into the Inglewood station, a distance of 41km.
The last passenger train ran in 1978.
Owing to the flooding of the Bulabul Creek the railway line between that creek and Bridgewater was washed out. To date the damage has not been repaired.
The construction of this line was not without controversy as the Borough of Eaglehawk had requested a bridge be built over the railway line at Jobs Gully but they wwa told that if this was to be the line would not pass through Eaglehawk.
Thomas Doran was awarded the contract to construct the 28 miles, 74 chains and 24 links of railway, his quote being £78,813/0/0, authorised by D Gillies in late 1874.
As a result Doran had the Phoenix Foundry, of Ballarat, build a locomotive in late 1875. The following contracts were also let for work along the line - Ainsworth Harrison, construction of wooden cottages on Sandhurst to Inglewood railway line £2592/3/3 January 19, 1876; Wm. McGibbon, erection of goods shed at Bridgewater, £1340/10/8, April 26 1876; Charles Walker, erection of goods shed at Inglewood, £1338/7/2, April 26, 1876; Isaac Summerland, erect station at Eaglehawk, £2549/14/6, June 1876; Isaac Summerland, erect station at Bridgewater, £2635/11/2, June 1876; Isaac Summerland, erect station at Inglewood, £2508/7/3, June 1876; Isaac Summerland, erect goods shed at Eaglehawk, £953/17/2, July 20, 1876; Wright & Edwards, manufacture points and crossing for the Sandhurst - Inglewood line, £200/14/3, July 20, 1876.
The earthworks had been completed to within one mile of the Bridgewater station by July 1876.
The locomotive was pulling 15 truck loads of ballast on the Leichardt to Derby section of the line when Thomas Dowling, a stoker on the engine, stepped down onto the side step so as to lean over to pour some oil on the tender boxes that were getting.
Dowling continued to hold on but as he was looking towards the rear of the slow moving engine he did not notice that the posts had been put in place for the platform at the Derby station. As a result his head was dashed upon the post he falling off and being run over by a truck. His mutilated body was removed to the nearby Royal Mail Hotel in August 1876. Around that time Doran was still complaining that the specifications for the timber required to build the bridges was being changed which made it difficult to source. Although he was continually having trouble getting rails or sleepers the government eventually fined him £2000 for not completing the contract on time, this later being over turned.
The Eaglehawk to Inglewood railway line was opened on November 17, 1876, the cost being around £79,000, at which time the children from the Inglewood, Kingower and Kangderaar, schools, friendly societies, Sandhurst Volunteer Fire Brigade and Volunteer Horse Troop marched through Inglewood.
Three acres 38 perches of land was set aside for the Leichardt station on June 21, 1880 whilst some of the other contracts awarded along this line were - M. Kerr & Co., supplying and erecting poles for a line of electric telegraph between Eaglehawk and Inglewood, £433/10/0 September 6, 1876; Isaac Summerfield, brick residence at Sandhurst, £1996/0/2, August 15, 1877; C. Miller, contract to extend goods platform at Inglewood, £138/19/6, April 14, 1888; T. Sly erection of a shed at Inglewood, £480/5/4, February 27, 1889; F. Sly, junior, erection of coal stage, £68/6/0 - February 20, 1889; W. E. Brown erection of footbridge, £140/2/3 - May 1, 1889.
At that time a verandah on the station building was badly wanted.
In 1892 three passenger trains per day left from Sandhurst, at 11.30am, 4.50pm and 9.05pm, it terminating at Glenalbyn, some eight miles past Inglewood..
The return train from Glenalbyn stopped at Inglewood at 9.40am, 12.30pm and 4.50pm, on the following day.
A spur line was constructed from the Bridgewater station into the flour mill on the Loddon River. This mill, driven by a water wheel, was established by George Horace Hayes, ex-Carisbrook, and J. M. Pratt in 1875, it being capable of producing about 30 tons of flour a week.
The Eaglehawk Leader reports that a narrow escape from a collision and a smash occurred on on the Sandhurst and Inglewood line it was reported in March 1876. A house was being removed on wheels, and when crossing the railway at the junction of Victoria Street, one of the wheels broke, leaving the house on the line.
Soon after the engine, with some trucks attached, came along at full speed, but fortunately the driver noticed that something was wrong and slackened speed, puling up close to the house.
Some young rascals were in the practice of throwing stones at the train, from the Caldwell’s Road, Eaglehawk, bridge in March 1877.
The mail bag was first left at the Leichardt station on March 7, 1877.
New Year’s day 1879 saw the Derby to Leichardt area very busy as a new Corbett stripper, cleaner, winnower and reaper was being demonstrated on the Twigg farm. A good programme of sports was organised whilst a van would run back and forth to the railway line.
John Hay Dollar, aged nearly 49, the station master at Leichardt, was crushed between the buffers whilst coupling trucks at 4.40pm on August 5, 1883. He died whilst being taken to the Sandhurst hospital.