Windsor railway station, Melbourne
Encyclopedia
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
.
Platform 2:
line, which was built in 1859 and operated by the St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company
. The Company also built the loop branch line
connecting the Brighton line to then operating Melbourne to St Kilda line, which was opened in 1857.
Trains from Melbourne travelled to the St Kilda terminus, and then "backed out" onto the branch line to Windsor. The loop line was constructed on wooden trestles across the swampy grounds now known as the Albert Park Lake
, and had a raised embankment with a bridge http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/library/praimage/09/9303.jpg over St Kilda Road
. The first train on this loop line was on 3 December 1859, and opened to the public ten days later. There were no trains after 7pm 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 South Yarra 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.
experienced financial difficulties and was bought by the Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company
in 1862. The track, bridge and trestles between St Kilda Station and Punt Road
were dismantled; however, a siding from Windsor to Hoddle Street remained. Due to the track alignments there were now two level crossings within 100 metres 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".
that indicated the line ahead was clear. When the signal was given, the driver found he could not release the brake on the locomotive due to a ruptured steam pipe. An express train from Melbourne was scheduled 10 minutes behind the passenger train, and due to a curve in the track and high embankments had no way of knowing the train ahead was stranded. Cooper (1924) reported that the noise of the impact could be heard throughout Prahran, and that in a short time over 10,000 people were gathered at the site.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, 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...
. It serves the Sandringham railway line and is located in the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Windsor
Windsor, Victoria
Windsor 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, Windsor had a population of 6394....
. The station is near the intersection of Chapel Street and Dandenong Road, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
.
Platforms and services
Platform 1:- Sandringham line - all stations services to Flinders Street
Platform 2:
- Sandringham line - all stations services to Sandringham
| Route | Destination | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Tram 5 Melbourne tram route 5 Tram route 5 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from the University of Melbourne north of the city centre to Malvern East in the eastern suburbs. The destination is, however, displayed as Malvern, although the route technically ends within Malvern East... |
Melbourne University University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria... |
Malvern Malvern East, Victoria Malvern East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington... |
| Tram 64 Melbourne tram route 64 Tram route 64 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from the University of Melbourne in the city centre to East Brighton in the southern suburbs. It runs through the suburbs of Melbourne, Windsor, Caulfield, and Brighton East... |
Melbourne University | East Brighton Brighton East, Victoria Brighton East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Brighton East had a population of 15,167.... |
| Tram 78 Melbourne tram route 78 Tram route 78 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The route starts at the Victoria St terminus , then runs along Church St, Richmond, crossing Bridge Rd and Swan St . It continues over the Yarra River along Chapel St, crossing Toorak Rd at stop 49... |
North Richmond Richmond, Victoria Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra... |
Balaclava Balaclava, Victoria Balaclava is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. It is situated in the south-east of the city in the St Kilda East area and is bounded by Inkerman Street to the north, Chapel Street to the west, Hotham Street to the east and Oak Grove and Los Angeles Court to the south. In terms of its... |
| Tram 79 Melbourne tram route 79 Tram route 79 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from North Richmond to St Kilda Beach through the suburbs of South Yarra, Prahran, Windsor, Balaclava, and St, Kilda. Like most tram routes in Melbourne, it is entirely within Metcard ticketing Zone 1... |
North Richmond | St Kilda St Kilda, Victoria St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip... |
Link to St Kilda
The station was the terminus for trains on the Brighton BeachBrighton Beach railway station, Melbourne
Brighton Beach is a railway station outside Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Brighton on the Sandringham railway line. Brighton Beach is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zones 1+2 overlap.- Facilities :...
line, which was built in 1859 and operated by the St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company
St 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....
. The Company also built the loop branch line
St Kilda - Windsor railway line, Melbourne
The St Kilda-Windsor railway line was a short-lived section of railway that linked the isolated Windsor to Brighton section of railway to the city...
connecting the Brighton line to then operating Melbourne to St Kilda line, which was opened in 1857.
Trains from Melbourne travelled to the St Kilda terminus, and then "backed out" onto the branch line to Windsor. The loop line was constructed on wooden trestles across the swampy grounds 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 with a bridge http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/library/praimage/09/9303.jpg 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....
. The first train on this loop line was on 3 December 1859, and opened to the public ten days later. There were no trains after 7pm 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 South Yarra 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.
Sidings
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....
experienced financial difficulties and was bought by the Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company
Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company
The Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. The company opened a line from Princes Bridge railway station in Melbourne, Australia to Punt Road and South Yarra in 1859, Prahran in 1859 and Windsor in 1860, connecting with the St Kilda and Brighton...
in 1862. The track, bridge and trestles between St Kilda Station and Punt Road
Hoddle Highway
Hoddle Highway is an urban highway in Melbourne linking CityLink and the Eastern Freeway, allotted metropolitan route . The name "Hoddle Highway" is almost completely unknown to most drivers - who refer instead to its constituent parts: Hoddle Street and Punt Road.It starts at the Eastern Freeway...
were dismantled; however, a siding from Windsor to Hoddle Street remained. Due to the track alignments there were now two level crossings within 100 metres 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
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".
1887 accident
On the evening of 11 May 1887, an express train crashed into the rear of a passenger train between Prahran Station and Windsor Station. Four people were killed and over 100 severely injured. The locomotive of the passenger train stopped to await a semaphore signalRailway semaphore signal
One of the earliest forms of fixed railway signal is the semaphore. These signals display their different indications to train drivers by changing the angle of inclination of a pivoted 'arm'. Semaphore signals were patented in the early 1840s by Joseph James Stevens, and soon became the most...
that indicated the line ahead was clear. When the signal was given, the driver found he could not release the brake on the locomotive due to a ruptured steam pipe. An express train from Melbourne was scheduled 10 minutes behind the passenger train, and due to a curve in the track and high embankments had no way of knowing the train ahead was stranded. Cooper (1924) reported that the noise of the impact could be heard throughout Prahran, and that in a short time over 10,000 people were gathered at the site.