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Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Beech Forest Railway Station: Laurie McCabe in charge, 1920s
Laurie McCabe was in charge of Beech Forest Station until October 1929. When the timber industry went into decline because of poor markets and the crippling effects of the 1929 strike, and when road haulage signalled the beginning of a new transport era it was the beginning of the end. As a result staffing levels were severely cut over the period 1927/29 with the two station masters at Beech Forest and Gellibrand replaced by caretakers in October 1929. The line was then supervised by travelling station masters of whom Laurie McCabe was one of two.B/W. Laurie McCabe in charge of Beech Forest Railway Station in the 1920s, pictured on track one just down from the station buildings. Note the slight snow covering on the tracks.beech forest; railways; laurie mccabe; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, R.L. Forster, Train leaving the balloon reversing loop at Beech Forest, 1950
B/W. "G" class locomotive and goods carriages crossing from No.1 road to No.2 road after leaving the balloon reversing loop at Beech Forest station. In the background are stacks of timber awaiting collection, and further in the background, the edges of the tennis courts.beech forest; railways; reversing loop; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Ferguson: Passengers waiting at Station, c.1914
Ferguson proved to be a busy station with timber and potatoes being loaded. This meant men, and for many of them, their wives and offspring who lived with them. The passenger shelters in this case are occupied by two women awaiting a train.B/W. Two female passengers outside the waiting shelter at Ferguson station awaiting collection. Note that the shelter does not have a picket fence and gate which were installed much later.ferguson: railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Norman Houghton, Colac: Transfer Shed, 1974
B/W, 122mm x 226mm. Transfer Shed and livestock wagon.colac; railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Ray Jude, Weeaproinah Passenger Shelter, 1962, 3 March 1962
B/W. The Weeaproinah passenger shelter with boy looking out, 3 March 1962. The remains of a picket fence and gate across the entrance to the shelter with an aged corrugated shed and failing overhead name plate...weeaproinah; railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Knox Collection, Last train from Weeaproinah, 1962, 27 June 1962
The last goods train ran from Beech Forest and Weeaproinah on Wednesday, 27th June 1962, laden with NQR wagons full of timber and a guard's van. The crew was driver Clarrie Kenyan and fireman John Spence.B/W. 195mm x 267mm. Locomotive G42 bearing the inscription " 27th June 1962, Last train from Weeaproinah" traverses the point, the crew, driver Clarrie Kenyan and fireman John Spence looking at the camera.colac; beech forest; weeaproinah; railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Weeaproinah: Tom Woosnan on a trolley, c.1941
B/W. 281mm x 177mm. Tom Woosnan on a trolley at Weeaproinah in about 1941.weeaproinah; railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Crowes: Locomotive G41 derailed, 1941
A massive tree stump at the end of the Crowes yard served as a buffer stop for trains. In 1941 it was put to use when locomotive G41 spectacularly collided with it. On a particularly foggy night the driver became disoriented, passing unawares through Crowes station and smashing into the stump. The Garrett came to an ungainly halt, and it was three days before the work gang had the stranded locomotive re-railed. It became known locally as 'Over the Black Stump'.B/W. Locomotive G41 derailed at Crowes in 1941. A man stands where the engine is articulated.crowes; railways; locomotive g41; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Langford, Weston, Gellibrand after closure, 1964, 26 April 1964
Colour. After closure of the railway line, Gellibrand looking towards Beech Forest on 26 April 1964. The station buildings and water tank are still standing as well as clear impressions left by the tracks. Telephone lines are marked. A person is near the water tank.gellibrand; railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Les Ogden, Out of Crowes, 1961
On 8 March 1962, after the line from Crowes to Weeaproinah was shut down. Beginning at Crowes, groups of gangers started removing the tracks, loading them into NQR open wagons pushed by locomotive G42.B/W. Four empty NQR open wagons with a group of gangers tearing up the lines.crowes; beech forest; weeaproinah; railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Brucker, Crowes after the 1919 fires, 1919
The 1919 bushfire was the worst the area suffered. The fire struck on Saturday afternoon on the 15th February. It destroyed the station at Lavers Hill and Crowes, departmental residences at Lavers Hill and Weeaproinah, the overhead bridges at Beech Forest and Wimba, and damaged the track at various points along the line so that two locomotives became temporarily marooned at Beech Forest.. By the following Tuesday a daily fire relief train had begun operation. By the following Sunday a special train loaded with army tents travelled through to Lavers Hill and deposited most of its consignment there because little remained of this sizeable settlement. An outsider would have had difficulty in picking the place. The letters of the Lavers Hill station nameboard had been burnt although the metal letters survived, and one of the local wags had rearranged them to read "LIARS HELL". By the 1920s water trains were being used to help fight fires, a simple NQR open wagon loaded with the standard 1500 litre square iron water tank.B/W. Crowes station sign, the remains of a chimney, galvanised iron sheet and a water tank, and two men gazing at the camera. Note in the background the clear felling of the timber.crowes; lavers hill; beech forest; weeaproinah; wimba; railways; bushfire; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Bob Wilson, Wyelangta: tramway rails in roadway, 1964, 26 April 1964
B/W. Tramway rails in the roadway near Wyelangta, 26 April 1964.wyelangta; tramway; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Langford, Weston, Crowes yard looking towards the end of the line, 26 April 1964
Colour. On 26 April 1964, the site of Crowes yard looking towards the end of the line after the tracks have been removed. A car standing beside a man are shown left centre.crowes; railway; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Brucker, Pile Siding: horse-drawn timber tram, c.1920
Pile Siding was opened in December 1915 because of the Pettit Brothers sawmill and pile extraction operation. The siding was a spur with points facing Beech Forest with a timber tramway feeding the siding. During 1916/17 Pettit's sent away 5,000 tonnes of timber before moving to another site, after which loading dropped to insignificant proportions. Pettit's again occupied the site from 1924 and traffic rose to major levels again.B/W. A six horse-drawn timber tram at Pile Siding station in c.1920. Two timber workers are seated at the centre. Stacks of timber are awaiting collection. Note the bare tree trunks in the background. pile siding; weeaproinah; railways; tramways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, R.K. Whitehead, G42 between Beech Forest and Ferguson, 1960, July 1960
By July 1960 for the Beech Forest railway outwards traffic was down to 12,730 tonnes per year, and from Ferguson under 1,000 tonnes per year. One wagon was all that was needed in July to reach Beech Forest The line kilometre proportion of $26,320 was sufficient in itself to justify the withdrawal of the rail service, without the fact that reconditioning the two Garratt locomotives and rendering serviceable the ancient wagons would make the costs prohibitive. As a result the whole line closed in June 1962.Colour. 144mm x 279mm. G42 locomotive with Weeaproinah goods in a loaded NQR wagon and NC guard's van, between Beech Forest and Ferguson in July 1960.ferguson: beech forest; railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Knox Collection, Sale of the Ditchley Park Estate, Beech Forest, 1908
Commercial realities and bushfires caused the Beech Forest community to re-establish itself around the railway station, away from Gardner Hill. This caused John W. Gardner to subdivide his land on the north side of the railway station. One subdivision was created near the Ditchley railway station on the old racecourse site, and another of 25 allotments forming what became Southorn Street. There were very few takers for these lots nor any buyers for the Ditchley subdivision.Photocopy. 260mm x 159mm. An advertisement for the sale of the Ditchley Park Estate, Beech Forest. Under instructions from Mr. J.W. Gardner Dalgety & Co. Ltd. will sell the subdivision of the Ditchley Park Estate on Tuesday, March 30, 1909, at 2 o'clock. A map of Beech Forest township and the Ditchley Park Estate is attached, as are the terms of sale and a description of the area.. beech forest; ditchley park; land sale; advertisment; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Victorian Railways, Beech Forest Railway Station, 1926
Until 1925 Beech Forest saw three trains or six train movements each day, from 6.50,am until 3.05 pm, and the railway personnel reflected this movement. A Station Master, porter, goods clerk, train crew, engine cleaner and track gang were employed. While economic activity slowed a little bit after this it still remained vigorous for another three years. However, the frequency of goods trains started to decrease from 1926 when the small NA class locomotives were partly replaced by a Garratt engine that had greater hauling power. Three regular train services continued to run each day, two of these being NA drawn and the other a Garratt train.B/W. Beech Forest Railway Station, a group of two men and a single man standing outside. On No.2 Road an NA locomotive, the single man watching. On No.3 Road a line of NQR open wagons.beech forest; railways; loco na; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Gellibrand Ballast Siding, c.1920
During construction of the railway in 1901 a ballast siding was originally opened 4.5 km south of Barongarook but the ballast proved inferior and a new ballast siding was opened 4 km south of Gellibrand to provide material for track construction. A spur siding, with points facing Beech Forest and a capacity for six trucks, was cut into the side of a slope. Above this was erected a loading bin and chute. This stone was of durable quality so the siding continued in commission after 1902 for periodic track re-ballasting. By the mid-1920s Victoria Railways found it more economic to use ballast from elsewhere so the siding was closed by 1925 and the rails lifted.B/W. Gellibrand Ballast Siding loading ballast down the slope, with five workmen watching at the base.gellibrand; ballast; railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Albert Denning, Colac track gang near Kawarren, c.1950
In 1955 staff numbers were reduced to an absolute minimum with one track gang at Beech Forest and one at Colac, one of whose members resided at Gellibrand. No new sleepers were issued to the track gangs after 1955/56, cut down ones being used instead. Albert Denning, the son of a Gellibrand selector, worked at Driver's planing mill and Hitt's Lardner mill before joining Victorian Railways in 1928 as an engine cleaner at Beech Forest and Crowes, the last one in both places. He later became a track repairer at Gellibrand and worked with this and the Colac track gang until 1962. Bill Jamieson was a track repairer on the Colac-Gellibrand gang from the 1950s until 1962, and witnessed the official policy of minimum maintenance in the last years of the line.B/W. 201mm x 254mm. In c.1950, the Colac track gang near Kawarren, featuring, from left to right, Bill Jamieson, Albert Denning, and Don Loury on an NKS motor trolley..colac; kawarren; railways; track gangs; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Beech Forest: NA locomotive taking coal, c.1955
To a dead end spur at Beech Forest station a locomotive depot was provided with a coal stage, ash pit and water tank as part of the original facilities of the station. Coal was transported from Colac by rail and hand-shovelled up onto the stage from an NQ truck positioned alongside. Twin water columns on the stage ends enabled two NA class or both ends of a Garratt locomotive to take water simultaneously. Beneath the trestle was the ash pit.B/W. 200mm x 271mm. An NA locomotive on trestles taking coal at Beech Forest. A child watches.beech forest; railways; coal stage; na locomotive; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Knox Collection, Beech Forest: timber stacks, 1906
Beech Forest was the principal despatch centre for split timber and mining laths in 1906, most of which was carried to the railway yards by bullock wagons, or a horse-hauled wooden tramline along the Olangolah Road to the east of the town. At the yards it awaited trans-shipment by rail.B/w. 190mm x 265mm. Timber stacked in the Beech Forest railway yard. Four roads passing. A goods shed in the background. beech forest; railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Birnam Station, c.1926
After a nearby mill closed down the Cashin family, who lived south of the mill site, requested Victorian Railways to keep the siding open for passenger use, which it did, but changed the name to Birnam in 1926. In 1927 it was moved south a little distance, closer to the houses it served. From left to right, awaiting the train, are the people it served, Tom Cashin, Ted Cashin, Arthur Cashin, the child Eva Facey, Jim Cashin, Sarah Cashin, the second child, Doris Hansen, Beatrice Hansen (nee Cashin), Bert Hansen, Jim Facey and Percy Facey. It was regularly patronised until 1939 after which it saw little use.B/W. 195mm x 250mm. At Birnam Station in c.1926, seven men, one with covered axe, three women and two children, awaiting the train.birnam; railways; tom cashin; ted cashin; arthur cashin; eva facey; jim cashin; sarah cashin; doris hansen; beatrice hansen; bert hansen; jim facey; percy facey; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Derailment at Beech Forest, c.1950
B/W. In c.1950 in Beech Forest an NQR wagon load of wood is derailed while changing tracks behind an NA-class locomotive. People are watching. On the left are NQR wagons.beech forest; railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Knox Collection, Pettit's Siding: A loader, teamster and their six-horse load, c.1920
Originally known as Smith's Siding, in November 1914 the siding was renamed "Pettits" following the sale of a nearby mill to the north. The sawn timber was initially carted out by bullock wagon but the mud and slush caused such difficulties that Pettits caused a thirty chain incline to be built from the mill to a tramway. The tramway connected the mill to the railway until 1924. An annual average of 2,450 tonnes of timber was despatched from the siding. No provision was made for passenger traffic. After ten years Pettit Brothers had cut out the area and moved on, abandoning the siding which was put out of commission on 23 September 1924. However, local residents, not wishing to suffer the loss of railway facilities, managed to have the siding reopened in February 1925 for goods and passengers. It was lightly patronised until all traffic ceased in 1936. B/W. Sam Knox, timber loader and tallyman, and George Pritchard, a teamster, resting at Pettit's Siding after delivering a six-horse-drawn load of timber to the Siding. Stacks of wood awaiting transport by rail are in the background.pettits siding; wyelangta; railways; smith's siding; sam knox; george pritchard; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, R. Preston, Kawarren: Down goods with G42 shunting, 1955, 14 December 1955
Originally known as Loves River it became Kawarren station on 16 June 1902. It consisted of a loop siding and combined office and passenger shelter. Goods loading was sawn timber (brought in on four tramways operating between 1905 and 1939), firewood, charcoal and limestone. In 1920 the limestone company built a store shed and a covered loading area at the terminus to assist operations. The company also requested the siding to be extended by three metres, which Victorian Railways did in the same year. This gave the loop a capacity of 21 trucks. Around 2,000 tonnes per year of limestone traffic kept the station busy until trade ceased in 1957. A postal motor started in October 1938, Kawarren being a point where the postal motor and trains were permitted to cross.B/W. G42 with a Down goods train at Kawarren on 14 December 1955. On No.2 Road empty NQR wagons proceeding to get filled at a covered lime loading operation. A three workmen are checking aspects of the train while a group appear to be clustered at the guard's van around an NKS motor trolley.kawarren; railways; limestone; timber; charcoal; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Beech Forest Railway Station, 1910
By 1910 revenue from the Beech Forest railway was $15,500, working expenditure $12,000, with a net loss (including interest charges) of about $4,000. This and the following year were the lowest net losses ever experienced. Passenger journeys rose steadily, outwards goods traffic rose to a record 12,959 tons (in 1911), and inwards goods traffic was a record 3,359 tons.. The railway station possessed a goods shed, stock race and yards, engine shed, coal stage, crew cabins, a refreshment room, and a four-roomed station building, with the station staff to match. Beech Forest was the principal despatch centre at this stage for split timber. Bill Devitt laid a timber tramway to the Beech Forest railway station to cart the palings for on-shipment..B/W. 177mm x 271mm. A general view from the eastern end of Beech Forest station in 1910. Note the Goods Shed, three tracks with No.3 Road having a NU louvre van and loaded NQR wagons, timber stacks to the left, and Devitt's Tramway with unloaded trolleys at the lower left. To the right, crew cabins with shops and houses in the background.beech forest; railways; timber; tramway; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Peter Ralph, G42 with "Bye Bye Beechie" special train, 24 March 1962
On 24 March 1962 the special train marking the closure of the Colac-Beech forest railway line was again put on by the Australian Railway Historical Society, this time called the "Bye-Bye Beechie". It had G42 as the locomotive, eight NBH excursion carriages with NC guard's vans at either end, pulling a crowd of keen passengers. Special excursion trains until mid-1962.Colour. G42 locomotive inscribed "Australian Railway Historical Society, Bye-Bye Beechie, 24-3-62", an NC guard's van, eight NBH excursion carriages and another NC guard's van on No.2 Road at Beech Forest Railway Station, with dismounted passengers all around. On No.4 Road a number of loaded or semi-loaded NQR wagons and an NUU louvre van, with a truck, a car, and a van at the end of the row. A parked red truck in the foreground is next to a timber stack.beech forest: railways; "bye bye beechie";, beech forest: railways; "bye bye beechie"; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Laver's Hill General Store, c.1945
Lavers Hill General Store, or more usually, Hampshire's Store, was owned initially for two years by Hampshire and Hutley, and then for 17 years by Mr and Mrs P. Hampshire (senior) who serviced the area including during the Depression. On their retirement their son, Percy, went into partnership with Leo Brauer for four years, and then ran it with his wife, Nea, for a further eight years until the store burnt down. The Store was a placed where the community congregated. It was a place where people met or waited for the train or the Cream Bus or the Mail Bus. Inside it was a place where you could buy groceries, fruit and vegetables, footwear, petrol, and so on. It was a place where children could buy a big stick of licorice for a halfpenny or 3d. worth of broken biscuits. Blackwood Gully Tea Rooms now stands in its place. B/W. Laver's Hill General Store, c.1945, with petrol bowser and sedan outside, and the level crossing to the right and the level crossing sign midfield.lavers hill; general store; railways; petrol bowser; hampshire; hutley; leo brauer; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Beech Forest: line to Crowes, 1912
B/W. Lead-in to Beech Forest Railway Station in 1912, with line to Crowes on the left and the line from Colac on the right. Note Gardner Street crossing the Crowes line, the Beech Forest Public Hall to its left, a house further down, and the Catholic Church to the right.beech forest; railways;, beech forest; railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Gwen Armistead, Gellibrand: War Service Homes Commission Saw Mill, 1920
Four examples of saw mills placed in station yards were seen on the Beech Forest line of which one was the War Service Homes Commission weatherboard planning mill at Gellibrand. It operated between 1920 until 1923 for both inwards and outwards cartage of timber. As an alternative to Colac Reginald Driver, the WSHC operator, chose Gellibrand in September, 1920 as the site for a mill fitted with the latest double-bladed planning machine. The rough cut boards were sent by train from Driver's mills at Ferguson, Wyelangta and Macknott, off loaded at Gellibrand, and later reloaded for the trip to Colac.B/W. War Service Homes Commission Saw Mill at Gellibrand station in 1920. Six men loading palings onto a NQR wagon.gellibrand; war service homes commission; planing mill; railways;, gellibrand; war service homes commission; planing mill; railways;