General News
18 January, 2023
Trains that lost money
SUMMER READINGBy KEN ARNOLDBY 1891 the time tables for connecting trains were a problem whilst most of the stations were doing little or no business and the Dunolly-Inglewood line was soon being run at a loss. Originally there were six trains per day...
SUMMER READING
By KEN ARNOLD
BY 1891 the time tables for connecting trains were a problem whilst most of the stations were doing little or no business and the Dunolly-Inglewood line was soon being run at a loss.
Originally there were six trains per day but this had been reduced to four in 1891 and to two by November 1901, they again being reduced to three trains a week, owing to a strike, in June 1903.
By the 1960s there was only one freight steam train a week, it coming out from Maryborough, making a return journey on a Monday. Eventually this service ceased.
It was also during the 1960s that two diesel trains began to haul a rake of waggons loaded with wheat from the north down to the bulk terminal at Dunolly, there often being six trains a day.
Although the Dunolly-Inglewood line is relatively flat the small hill to the south of the Llanelly station would pose a problem on the odd frosty morning. As the train could not get traction it would roll back through the station on towards Arnold for about a mile. It was here that the rake of trucks would be split in half they being pulled into the Llanelly siding before the train would go back and get the rest, these being pulled through to Tarnagulla and dumped in readiness for the train to return to Llanelly to pick up the rest of the trucks.
At that time the stationmaster’s house was still at Tarnagulla, it being the half- way mark of the line.
There has been the occasional derailment on the line. The line is now solely a grain line.
In recent years almost 28,000 sleepers have been replaced between Inglewood and Dunolly.
Today, the only remaining station buildings are those at Dunolly and Inglewood.
The mullock heap of the former Pains-wick station platform can be found just north of Gemma track, which runs off the Dunolly-Rheola road.
The Laurie station site can be found in Evans lane, off either the Wimmera highway or the Dunolly-Rheola road, just towards Dunolly from the railway crossing.
The Tarnagulla station occupied most of the land from Lytton Street down to the cemetery.
The Llanelly station site is very evident owing to the silos, the old weighbridge still being in place.
The Arnold railway station site is on the eastern corner of the Bridgewater-Dunolly and the Arnold-Newbridge roads. The weighbridge was just off the road at the intersection.
The Bul-a-Bul station site can be found just south of the railway crossing in Sloans Road.
The stations and staff themselves also have interesting histories.
The Dunolly station was opened October 6, 1874 but prior to the opening of the Ballarat-Maryborough railway line on February 2, 1875 all trains to Dunolly branched off at Castlemaine they passing through Campbells Creek, Yapeen, Guildford, Strangways, Newstead, Joyces Creek, Moolort, Newstead on into Maryborough then out to Simpson, Havelock, Bet Bet onto Dunolly
The Dunolly station was closed on October 4, 1981, the last Vinelander train from Mildura passing through on September 12, 1993.
There is the story of William Williams, a guard on the train that was used to haul ballast from the pits at Llanelly. He signalled to the driver to leave Tarnagulla for the pits around 10am. The driver had gone about 400 yards when he noticed that Williams jumped. It is not known if Williams fell between the trucks or through the traps in the bottom of a truck. On returning the driver found Williams dead, his head being badly mangled, his two feet cut off at the ankles and body parts scattered over a distance of 30 yards on June 22, 1888.
In April 1893, robbers visited a blacksmiths shop in Tarnagulla, taking a sledge hammer and a cold chisel before proceeding to the railway station where they tried to force the door however, failing they next tried the ticket window where access was gained.
As they were unsuccessful in opening the safe they took a breechloading double barrel gun, a revolver, a silver lever watch and a pair of boots, they paying little or no attention to the various commercial travellers sample bags.
At that time the stationmaster resided in the gate house some six chains distance this being at Lytton Street.
Scarcity of trucks for the despatch of wood and other commodities was a concern in June 1903.
On January 3, 1908 the station was again robbed when the thieves used a 30-pound punch bar to prise open the door before removing the safe and placing it on trolley which they took down to the railway crossing at the cemetery. It was here that the safe was blown apart, their “reward” being £2/10/0, whilst the trolley was strewn around the area.
In July 1909, 32 trucks of sleepers were sent from Tarnagulla to Ouyen. The average price per sleeper was reported as 3/6.
Local woodcutter John Pallot was crushed between two empty trucks on September 22, 1909.
Whilst the shop keepers in Commercial Road reported that business was the quietest they had known the station was still busy, it receiving about sixteen wheat waggons per day whilst large amounts of bagged grain was being despatched in January 1914.
At that time the Llanelly station was very quiet whilst the Arnold station was sending out ten truck loads of wheat per day.
The Tarnagulla station was often a scene of celebration when soldiers from World War One returned home, one being Private Chas. Baker, of Waanyarra, who had lost a leg.
This station was the largest along the line it having several advertising hoardings.
Some of stationmasters included Middleton, replaced by W. J. Lyndon in November 1892, followed by Harrick, G Holyoak, left for Bullarto after three years - April 3, 1897, T. W. Rice, ex Bacchus Marsh, then W. H. Oates who left for Tallangatta in early June 1905, then J Dunstan who left for Bannockburn on November 29, 1907, D. E. Doyle who left for Meeniyan in August 1912, Cole, Westaway, F Moore, after two years transfered to Garvoc December 1916, Bennett and J. Bradford, February 1923 - November 1927 when transfered to Sydenham. At that time the station was reduced in status, a woman being placed in charge.
Today it is hard to recognise what was once a thriving station with a house.
The Llanelly station originally had two small buildings on the west side and a siding line.
An old lady named O’Keefe was skittled by the 8 o’clock train at Llanelly in January 1895. while in 1910 108 passengers boarded the train at Llanelly, 78 truck loads of firewood were despatched from Llanelly in May 1911.
Mrs Burrows was in charge of Llanelly station for 25 years until she left in December 1915.
At that time the Llanelly station came under the control of the Tarnagulla stationmaster.
The Llanelly station was downgraded to a grain terminal in 1951. It was around this time that a long low grain shed was erected.
The current day tall silos were erected around 1961 whilst the lower silo is a more recent addition.