Hamilton railway station, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Hamilton is a railway station located on the Ararat - Portland railway in the town of Hamilton, Victoria
, Australia
. Today the station is now used only for through trains, the large station building is now used only to serve bus passengers although the disused platform remains in reasonable condition.
The first two branch lines left the main line at Coleraine Junction, located a short distance south of Hamilton station itself.
By 1934 the station had a main platform facing the main line, opposite a crossing loop, and a dock platform
at each end of the main platform. The goods yard had six roads opposite the platform, servicing a goods shed and stock yards. At the down end of the platform was a number of additional sidings, along with a turntable. A signal box
and auxiliary frame
controlled the signals in the area. By 1958 the yard had been expanded to 10 roads with a larger goods shed, a weighbridge also being provided.
Rationalisation of the station begun in 1967 where the signal box was removed; the branch lines to Coleraine and Koroit were closed in 1977, the branch to Balmoral following suit in 1979. The last passenger train between Ararat and Portland was on 12 September 1981, operated by a DRC railcar
.
In 1987 a large number of sidings were removed including the carriage docks, in 1988 all signals were removed leaving a minimum of sidings in the yard. The line from Maroona to Portland was closed for conversion from broad to standard gauge
in March 1995, being reopened to traffic two months later. Today the station has a platform facing the main line, with two goods sidings opposite the platform.
In March 2010 the State Government announced a $3.97 million grant for the construction of a rail loading facility alongside the Iluka Resources
mineral sand separation plant (some distance south of the railway station) for the transport of heavy mineral concentrate
extracted from the Iluka mine site at Ouyen
and transported via the standard gauge Murtoa - Hopetoun railway. The facility may also be used by the existing El Zorro
service carrying containerised processed mineral sands from Portland
to Melbourne.
A Victorian Railways K class
steam locomotive is plinthed in a nearby park: it is made up of K177's frames and coupled wheels, K174's pony truck and boiler, and K159's tender.
Hamilton, Victoria
Hamilton is a city in western Victoria, Australia. It is located at the intersection of the Glenelg Highway and the Henty Highway...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Today the station is now used only for through trains, the large station building is now used only to serve bus passengers although the disused platform remains in reasonable condition.
History
The railway to Hamilton opened in October 1877, in December that year the line was extended south to the final terminus of Portland. Hamilton became a major railway station with extensive freight facilities and was the junction for several branch lines:- To ColeraineColeraine, VictoriaColeraine is a town in Victoria, Australia on the Glenelg Highway, west of the state capital, Melbourne and north-west of Hamilton in the Shire of Southern Grampians local government area. It was named after the town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland...
opened in 1888. - To PenshurstPenshurst, VictoriaPenshurst is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is in the Shire of Southern Grampians local government area and is located at the foot of Mount Rouse, an extinct volcano. At the 2006 census, Penshurst had a population of 461...
and KoroitKoroit, VictoriaKoroit is a small rural town in western Victoria, Australia a few kilometres north of the Princes Highway, north-west of Warrnambool and west of Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Moyne local government area located amidst rolling green pastures on the North rim of Tower Hill. At the 2006 census,...
in 1890. - To CavendishCavendish, VictoriaCavendish is a township in the Shire of Southern Grampians in the Western District of Victoria, Australia on the Wannon River. At the 2006 census, Cavendish and the surrounding area had a population of 454....
in 1915, extended to BalmoralBalmoral, VictoriaBalmoral is a township in the Shire of Southern Grampians in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Balmoral and the surrounding area had a population of 542....
in 1920.
The first two branch lines left the main line at Coleraine Junction, located a short distance south of Hamilton station itself.
By 1934 the station had a main platform facing the main line, opposite a crossing loop, and a dock platform
Bay platform
Bay platform is a railway-related term commonly used in the UK and Australia to describe a dead-end platform at a railway station that has through lines...
at each end of the main platform. The goods yard had six roads opposite the platform, servicing a goods shed and stock yards. At the down end of the platform was a number of additional sidings, along with a turntable. A signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
and auxiliary frame
Lever frame
Mechanical railway signalling installations rely on lever frames for their operation to interlock the signals and points to allow the safe operation of trains in the area the signals control...
controlled the signals in the area. By 1958 the yard had been expanded to 10 roads with a larger goods shed, a weighbridge also being provided.
Rationalisation of the station begun in 1967 where the signal box was removed; the branch lines to Coleraine and Koroit were closed in 1977, the branch to Balmoral following suit in 1979. The last passenger train between Ararat and Portland was on 12 September 1981, operated by a DRC railcar
DRC railcar
The DRC was a class of railmotor operated by the Victorian Railways on the country rail network Victoria, Australia. The cars were built by Tulloch Limited in New South Wales and featured stainless steel construction, air-conditioning, and a diesel hydraulic transmission.-History:The first...
.
In 1987 a large number of sidings were removed including the carriage docks, in 1988 all signals were removed leaving a minimum of sidings in the yard. The line from Maroona to Portland was closed for conversion from broad to standard gauge
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
in March 1995, being reopened to traffic two months later. Today the station has a platform facing the main line, with two goods sidings opposite the platform.
In March 2010 the State Government announced a $3.97 million grant for the construction of a rail loading facility alongside the Iluka Resources
Iluka Resources
Iluka Resources is a mining company involved in the mining and processing of titanium based and zircon products. The company mines heavy mineral sands and separates the concentrate into its individual mineral constituents rutile, ilmenite, leucoxene and zircon...
mineral sand separation plant (some distance south of the railway station) for the transport of heavy mineral concentrate
Heavy mineral sands ore deposits
Heavy mineral sands are a class of ore deposit which is an important source of zirconium, titanium, thorium, tungsten, rare earth elements, the industrial minerals diamond, sapphire, garnet, and occasionally precious metals or gemstones....
extracted from the Iluka mine site at Ouyen
Ouyen, Victoria
Ouyen is a town in Victoria, Australia, located in the Rural City of Mildura at the junction of the Calder Highway and Mallee Highway, south of Mildura and north-west of Melbourne. At the 2006 census the town had a population of 1,061.-History:...
and transported via the standard gauge Murtoa - Hopetoun railway. The facility may also be used by the existing El Zorro
El Zorro (railway)
El Zorro is a railway operator based in Victoria, Australia. It is a private company that was founded in 1999, based in Spotswood, and named by director Ray Evans who has a taste for things Spanish. . The company has three shareholders: director Ray Evans, business manager Geoff Tighe, and Lisa...
service carrying containerised processed mineral sands from Portland
Portland, Victoria
The city of Portland is the oldest European settlement in what is now the state of Victoria, Australia. It is the main urban centre of the Shire of Glenelg. It is located on Portland Bay.-History:...
to Melbourne.
A Victorian Railways K class
Victorian Railways K class
The K class was a branch line steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1922 to 1979. Although its design was entirely conventional and its specifications unremarkable, the K class was in practice a remarkably versatile and dependable locomotive...
steam locomotive is plinthed in a nearby park: it is made up of K177's frames and coupled wheels, K174's pony truck and boiler, and K159's tender.