St Kilda - Windsor railway line, Melbourne
Encyclopedia
The St Kilda-Windsor railway line was a short-lived section of railway that linked the isolated Windsor
to Brighton (Bay Street) section of railway to the city. The branch line fell into disuse when an alternative route was built between Windsor
and Richmond
stations.
, who built the loop branch line connecting the Brighton line to the now defunct St Kilda line to connect the isolated line to the city. Trains from the city travelled south to St Kilda terminus, and then "backed out" onto the line to Windsor. The loop line was constructed on wooden trestles across the swamp now known as the Albert Park Lake
, and had a raised embankment
with a bridge over St Kilda Road
.
A possible reason for the construction of the loop line connecting through to St Kilda was the difficulty experienced by contractors in constructing a rail crossing over the Yarra River
at Cremorne
, known in the early 19th century as "Forrest Hill". Although today the area is noted for the imposing Melbourne High School to the east of the railway embankment and exclusive houses of South Yarra
to the west, in the mid-19th century the railway bisected a vast swamp. Cooper (1924; p. 181) reports that when the rail embankment was first being constructed it subsided, burying ballast trucks in the swamp. The cost of recovering the trucks was deemed to be uneconomic, so a second embankment was constructed over them.
A short time after the loop line was constructed a competing connection was built between Windsor and Richmond stations, the first train arriving at Windsor directly from Melbourne on 24 November 1860. The loop line to St Kilda soon fell into disuse, and track duplication, a condition of the original crown lease, was never completed.
The St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company experienced financial difficulties and was bought by the Melbourne and Suburban Railway company in 1862, no doubt exacerbated by the direct link to Melbourne through Prahran and Windsor. The track, bridge and trestles between St Kilda Station and Punt Road were dismantled probably less than five years after original construction; however, a siding from Windsor to Hoddle Street remained. Due to the track alignments there were now two level crossings within 100 metres (328.1 ft) on Union Street, as the siding continued to be used for shunting trains from the Brighton line, and to carry screenings from the Richmond quarries to a commercial depot on Punt Road (then known as Hoddle Street).
Perversely, it was due to local annoyance at the siding level crossing
near the station, that trains won the legal right-of-way
at road-rail intersections in Victoria. Indignant at the delays to horse-drawn traffic caused by trains, and in particular the perpetually closed and unmanned crossing of the siding, one morning in 1869, local councillors from Prahran
marched to the level crossing in question with a group of workers who then began to rip up the tracks on the siding. The matter was later brought to court on 17 April 1869, although the railways won the right-of-way
case, the siding was not reconstructed.
No evidence of the bridge over St Kilda Road or embankments remain, although the alignment of the loop can be traced by the residual parkland and in some cases, oddly shaped property boundaries. A small park to the west of Windsor Station is called "Windsor Siding".
Windsor railway station, Melbourne
Windsor is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It serves the Sandringham railway line and is located in the suburb of Windsor. The station is near the intersection of Chapel Street and Dandenong Road, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.-Platforms and services:Platform...
to Brighton (Bay Street) section of railway to the city. The branch line fell into disuse when an alternative route was built between Windsor
Windsor railway station, Melbourne
Windsor is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It serves the Sandringham railway line and is located in the suburb of Windsor. The station is near the intersection of Chapel Street and Dandenong Road, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.-Platforms and services:Platform...
and Richmond
Richmond railway station, Melbourne
Richmond is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Richmond. It is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zone 1.-Facilities:...
stations.
Reasoning
Windsor Station was originally called "Chapel Street Station", and was the terminus for northbound trains from the Brighton Beach line. It was run by the St Kilda and Brighton Railway CompanySt Kilda and Brighton Railway Company
The St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. The company opened a line from St Kilda in Melbourne, Australia to Bay Street in 1859 and Beach in 1861....
, who built the loop branch line connecting the Brighton line to the now defunct St Kilda line to connect the isolated line to the city. Trains from the city travelled south to St Kilda terminus, and then "backed out" onto the line to Windsor. The loop line was constructed on wooden trestles across the swamp now known as the Albert Park Lake
Albert Park and Lake
Albert Park and Albert Park Lake are situated in the City of Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of the Melbourne CBD....
, and had a raised embankment
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
with a bridge over St Kilda Road
St Kilda Road, Melbourne
St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the locality of Melbourne which has the postcode of 3004 and along with Swanston Street forms a major spine of the city....
.
A possible reason for the construction of the loop line connecting through to St Kilda was the difficulty experienced by contractors in constructing a rail crossing over the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
at Cremorne
Cremorne, Victoria
Cremorne is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
, known in the early 19th century as "Forrest Hill". Although today the area is noted for the imposing Melbourne High School to the east of the railway embankment and exclusive houses of South Yarra
South Yarra, Victoria
South Yarra is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Stonnington and Melbourne...
to the west, in the mid-19th century the railway bisected a vast swamp. Cooper (1924; p. 181) reports that when the rail embankment was first being constructed it subsided, burying ballast trucks in the swamp. The cost of recovering the trucks was deemed to be uneconomic, so a second embankment was constructed over them.
Operation
The first train on the loop line from St Kilda was on 3 December 1859, and opened to the public ten days later. There were no trains after 7 pm on the branch line; patrons simply walked to their homes in Prahran from St Kilda station in Fitzroy Street.A short time after the loop line was constructed a competing connection was built between Windsor and Richmond stations, the first train arriving at Windsor directly from Melbourne on 24 November 1860. The loop line to St Kilda soon fell into disuse, and track duplication, a condition of the original crown lease, was never completed.
Demise
Perversely, it was due to local annoyance at the siding level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
near the station, that trains won the legal right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
at road-rail intersections in Victoria. Indignant at the delays to horse-drawn traffic caused by trains, and in particular the perpetually closed and unmanned crossing of the siding, one morning in 1869, local councillors from Prahran
Prahran, Victoria
Prahran , also known colloquially as "Pran", is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Prahran had a population of 10,651. It is a part of Melbourne with...
marched to the level crossing in question with a group of workers who then began to rip up the tracks on the siding. The matter was later brought to court on 17 April 1869, although the railways won the right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
case, the siding was not reconstructed.
No evidence of the bridge over St Kilda Road or embankments remain, although the alignment of the loop can be traced by the residual parkland and in some cases, oddly shaped property boundaries. A small park to the west of Windsor Station is called "Windsor Siding".