Report by Australian Railways Historical Society in response to a request for information on the Heidelberg to Eltham railway extension by Peter SimmenauerCD-Rom in plastic caseARHS Archive: Eltham Requestrailways, hurstbridge rail line

Roads will be thrown into chaos when a chunk of the Hurstbridge train line is closed for six weeks for track upgrades and the level crossing removal at Rosanna station.News article 1 page, black text and colour image .level crossing removal project, hurstbridge train line closure, rosanna station, hurstbridge rail line

Relates to the disagreement between advocates of the original surveyed route and the proposed "deviation" for the Heidelberg to Eltham railway extension, 1900.6 p. transcripts of newspaper reports from the Age 21/05/1900 and Mercury and Weekly Courier 13/07/1900 regarding discussions on the route to be taken by the Heidelberg to Eltham railway extensionrailways, hurstbridge rail line

The mammoth rail bridge has been installed across Lower Plenty Road in Rosanna by Level Crossing Removal Authority contractors.News article 1 page, black text and colour image .level crossing removal project, rail bridge, lower plenty road rosanna, rosanna station, hurstbridge rail line

The bustling Hurstbridge train line will be duplicated between Greensborough and Eltham if the Opposition wins this year's state election.News article 1 page, black text and colour image .opposition funding promise, greensborough to eltham rail line, hurstbridge rail line

Lower Plenty Road is now open and drivers can travel along the road without being stopped by boom gates at Rosanna Station.News article 1 page, black text and colour image .level crossing removal project, lower plenty road rosanna, rosanna station, hurstbridge rail line

More car parking space, lighting and CCTV will be installed at Montmorency train station, courtesy of the State Government.News article 1 page, black text.montmorency station, montmorency station carpark, hurstbridge rail line

Banyule Council is fed-up with the state's peak roads body for ignoring requests to track how far cars drive to park at its train stations.News article 1 page, black text and colour image .car parking at stations, hurstbridge rail line, banyule city council

Frustrated commuters face another week boarding replacement buses after a last-minute delay to the re-opening of the Hurstbridge line was announced.News article 1 page, black text.level crossing removal project, rosanna station, hurstbridge rail line

A tree collapsed across the platform of Montmorency station and onto a train on Tuesday night last week, forcing the Hurstbridge line to come to a standstill for up to three hours.News article 1 page, black text, colour image.montmorency station, tree collapse, hurstbridge rail line

A petition signed by almost 200 people demanding the removal of paid parking meters in Binns Street Montmorency has been submitted to Banyule Council.News article 1 page, black text.montmorency, parking meters, binns street montmorency, hurstbridge rail line, banyule city council

Premier Daniel Andrews flanked by Eltham state Labor MP Vicki Ward and Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan, last week announced Labor would duplicate 3km of track between Greensborough and Montmorency plus 1.5km between Diamond Creek and Wattle Glen. In this article local MPs Colin Brooks and Vicki Ward are shown standing on Greensborough Station.News article 1 page, black text and colour image .hurstbridge rail line, greensborough, montmorency, daniel andrews, vicki ward, colin brooks

Account of the extension and electrification of the Eltham to Hurstbridge railway line. Article is in two parts: Part 1: Steam days 1912-1925, published in Diamond Creek News, Autumn 2012; Part 2: Electrification 1926-2012, published in Nillumbik Custodian, v. 8, Issue 2, June 20123 pages, printed both sides. Text and illus. (some col.).eltham, hurstbridge, railways, hurstbridge rail line

Receipts for rates payable to the Heidelberg and Eltham Railway Construction Trust, 1916. Owners are Benjamin Partington and William Partington.Copy of receiptswilliam james partington, benjamin partington, heidelberg and eltham railway construction trust, hurstbridge rail line

Banyule City Council comments on the North East Link and Hurstbridge Railway Line projects. This newsletter is to keep the community informed of developments and opportunities for consultation. Includes a sketch map of Watsonia from Grimshaw Street to Lower Plenty Road.4 page leaflet, colour text and images.north east link, hurstbridge rail line, banyule city council, watsonia

A severe storm with damaging hail, rain and flooding impacted Melbourne on 25 December 2011 with particular damage to Eltham and Hurstbridge areas. The storm caused destablisation of parts of the Hurstbridge railway line. Wild day's trail of destruction, by Reid sexton, The Age, Tuesday, December 21, 2011, p4 Storm toll sparks rail safety fear, Reid Saxton, The Age, Tuesday, December 21, 2011, p52 newspaper articlesstorm, floods, flooding, christmas day, hurstbridge railway line

View is looking northwest from the hillside just north of Allendale Road. The long rectangular house in the upper left is No. 22 Challenger Street, Diamond Creek, right at the sharp turn into Price Court. On the track in the straight section heading northwest are two small bridges where the track crosses the Diamond Creek, each fitted with derailment guard rails to prevent severe derailments should a train come off the tracks whilst crossing the culverts. Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparency471m, allendale road, challenger street, derailment guard rail, diamond creek, hurstbridge line, price court, red rattler, red rattler single carriage, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparency471m, allendale road, derailment guard rail, diamond creek, hurstbridge line, railway bridge, red rattler, red rattler single carriage, single motor carriage, tait train

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparencyallendale road, derailment guard rail, diamond creek, hurstbridge line, railway bridge

Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparency471m, allendale road, derailment guard rail, diamond creek, hurstbridge line, railway bridge, red rattler, red rattler single carriage, single motor carriage, tait train

The derailment guard rail is intended to prevent severe derailment and to keep errant trains in line with track when going over culverts or similar should they become derailed.Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparency471m, allendale road, derailment guard rail, diamond creek, hurstbridge line, railway bridge, red rattler, red rattler single carriage, single motor carriage, tait train

The device pictured is intended to prevent severe derailment and to keep errant trains in line with track when going over culverts or similar should they become derailedDigital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparencyallendale road, derailment guard rail, diamond creek, railway bridge

The device pictured is intended to prevent severe derailment and to keep errant trains in line with track when going over culverts or similar should they become derailedDigital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparencyallendale road, derailment guard rail, diamond creek, railway bridge

The device pictured is intended to prevent severe derailment and to keep errant trains in line with track when going over culverts or similar should they become derailedDigital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparencyallendale road, derailment guard rail, diamond creek, railway bridge

The device pictured is intended to prevent severe derailment and to keep errant trains in line with track when going over culverts or similar should they become derailedDigital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Ilford FP4 black and white transparencyallendale road, derailment guard rail, diamond creek, railway bridge

The first steam train to Hurstbridge was probably this one which carried equipment for the construction of the rail line and railway station. The formal opening of the train extension from Eltham to Hurstbridge railway station took place on June 25, 1912. The area was known as Allwood and was offically proclaimed as Hurstbridge in 1924. This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book, "Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital imagesepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, diamond creek, hurstbridge, wattle glen, allwood, steam train, construction, railroad

Walter Withers was a significant Australian landscape artist and a member of the Heidelberg School of Australian Impressionists. In 1903 Withers bought 'Southernwood', a house on 2½ acres (1 ha) at Eltham, to which he added a studio. Because of ill health, he lived during the week at his studio in Oxford Chambers, Melbourne, and on weekends and holidays with his family at Eltham until his death in 1914. The Eltham rail bridge is a unique and valuable historic relic of an earlier steam locomotive transport era in the Diamond Creek Valley and has long formed an important part of a magnificent Eltham landscape. When built in 1902 it was close to the terminus point of the Heidelberg-Eltham rail extension, on the route of the proposed Diamond Valley Railway that was then planned to continue much further up the valley towards Kinglake. This bridge is situated in attractive river-valley parkland amidst the tall and spreading manna gums and candlebarks of the Diamond Creek Valley. The Alistair Knox Park river-valley landscape, of which the timber trestle bridge is an important visual component, has been classified by the National Trust. Large manna gum and candlebark trees adorn the adjacent creek banks, and historic Shillinglaw Cottage is also part of this much-prized Eltham landscape. Eltham is home to a historic wooden railway trestle bridge. Mainly of timber-pier and timber-beam construction, but varied by a few longer steel-joists spans on timber piers at the main stream channel, this substantial bridge has almost two hundred metres of timber deck. Built in 1902, it is the only railway bridge of predominantly timber construction that is still in regular use as an integral part of Melbourne's metropolitan electric railway network and one of extremely few timber rail bridges in the State that still carry trains. Apart from its important continuing social function as a carrier of rail transport for the Hurstbridge line, this impressive bridge and its beautiful parkland environs contribute much to the character of Eltham township and that town's special reputation as an historic centre of environmental and conservation concerns. This section of the Diamond Creek Valley was the subject of a Walter Withers painting in the earliest years of the twentieth century and has strong historic links with our Heidelberg School of painters. Watercolour painting on paper of Eltham's Trestle Bridge in the middle of the day. A small section of the wooden bridge is located to the left of the painting. The focus is predominately on the wattle, manna gum and candlebark trees that is to the right of the bridge. The golden hues typically represent the australian sunlight and landscape. "W.W" in gothic script on the lower right side of the painting. Not dated. withers, eltham, trestle bridge, railway, watercolour

Set of 19 drawings showing the development of the Melbourne tramway system between 1885 and 1921. Based on MMTB drawing "Tramway Map of Melbourne & Suburbs" P4609, 18 sheets showing year by year development of the cable and electric tram system, printed on off white paper. Mr. McComb had intended it would appear to do further work - with some 20 sheets printed on brown card paper but not used (.19 - same drawing) Each sheet has the year in red at the bottom right hand corner of the sheet. .1 - 1885 - with the Richmond line and main rail lines coloured in showing a catchment area. .2 - 1886 - shows the new cable line in Collins St and has a note that no suburban line constructed in 1886 .3 - 1887 - Bourke and northern lines and Brighton Beach to Sandringham and Hawthorn to Kew .4 - 1888 - Swanston St, Domain Road, Chapel and inner circle and towards Hurstbridge.\ .5 - 1889 - Rathdown St and Toorak Road .6 - 1890 - South and Port Melbourne, North Melbourne and Northcote. Rail lines - Ashburton and parts of the outer circle to Oakleigh. .7 - 1891 - St Kilda Esplanade and northern section of the outer circle. .8 - 1906 - NMETL .9 - 1910 - PMTT - High St and Wattletree Road .10 - 1911 - PMTT Dandenong Road .11 - 1913 - Glenferrie Road, Cotham Road, Balaclava and Glenhuntly Road .12 - 1914 - small extension in High St .13 - 1915 - Malvern Road and High St Kew .14 - 1916 - HTT and MBCTT lines and Whitehorse Road .15 - 1917 - Burke Road .16 - 1918 - Burke Road north of Camberwell station .17 - 1920 - FNPTT - St Georges Road and Plenty Road .18 - 1921 - Footscray lines .19 - base drawing only. Does not show the VR tramlines. See Reg Item 2154 for associated notes.See individual sheets.trams, tramways, times, cable trams, railways, tramways, melbourne, maps

Covered under National Trust of Australia (Victoria) State Significance and Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p103 The Eltham railway trestle bridge is the only one of its kind still regularly used in Melbourne’s metropolitan railway network. Opened in 1902, it is also one of Victoria’s very few timber rail bridges that still carries trains.1 The bridge is part of the railway line extension from Heidelberg - extended to Hurstbridge in 1912. This extension resulted in one of the greatest social changes experienced in Eltham Shire, as it considerably lessened its isolation attracting tourists, artists and suburban commuters particularly after World War Two.2 The bridge has been classified by the National Trust as historically, scientifically, aesthetically and socially significant at state level. But this has not always been recognised, and in 1977, locals fought to save it from destruction. The Victorian Railways proposed to replace the bridge with an earth embankment and large culverts to avoid maintenance problems and fire. This was rejected by the Eltham Council who protested that the bridge helped maintain the area’s rural character, historic link and beauty, as well as avoiding possible serious flooding on the flood plain if a culvert was blocked. The bridge stands as part of a National Trust classified landscape which includes the Alistair Knox Park, named after the local conservationist and architect who helped to make Eltham famous for its mud-brick houses. The landscape includes tall and spreading manna gums and candlebarks, and the historic Shillinglaw Cottage. Artist Walter Withers, one of the Heidelberg School of painters, painted the bridge early in the 20th century. The 38 span single-track railway bridge over creek and road has 34 timber-beam spans and four steel-joist spans, supported by four-pile timber piers and timber abutments. It has almost 200m of timber deck. All of the timbers have been replaced over the years, but the only change to the bridge’s character was the addition of pylons and wiring for electric trains in 1923. A petition for a railway to the shire was first made in 1883. A large deputation of local citizens to the Commissioner of Railways proposed a route passing through Alphington to midway between Greensborough and Eltham up the Diamond Creek valley towards Queenstown and Kinglake. As a result the Princes Bridge-Heidelberg Railway was opened in 1888. From 1888 locals demanded a railway extension. Kangaroo Ground farmers in particular, led by Shire Councillor and Member for Evelyn, Ewen Cameron, said it would assist local farmers and orchardists send their produce to the Melbourne market. In 1890, before the severe economic Depression, an extension of the line to Hurst’s Bridge (now Hurstbridge) was included in a new Railways Bill. The parliamentary delegations were regaled with a banquet at Hurst’s barn and entertained by the Diamond Creek Brass Band, but the extension was abandoned when the Depression struck in 1892-1893. The extension of the railway to Eltham, completed in 1902, was one of the few built in those hard times. That is why the Eltham timber-trestle railway bridge is a rare example of a broad-gauge rail bridge constructed between 1893 and 1910. At the opening, despite persistent drizzle, 300 children waving flags and banners were among the large crowd welcoming the first train, carrying official dignitaries, to Eltham. It had taken 24 years to bring the railway to Eltham. From then Eltham became a popular destination for outings. Mr Orford of Eltham recalled that after the railway came to Eltham ‘the craze for picnics on weekends and holidays began…. During the wattle season, wattle trains came to Eltham frequently. The visitors roamed the creek pulling great armfuls of wattle blossom to take back with them to Melbourne’.3 In 1926 the railway line was electrified as part of the metropolitan rail network. But the Victorian Railways decided not to complete the formerly planned Diamond Valley Railway to Queenstown (now St Andrews) and Kinglake.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, eltham railway trestle bridge, eltham trestle bridge