Showing 9 items matching beech forest; railways; opening;
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Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Victorian Railways, Beech Forest: Opening Day, 1902, 26 February 1902
... beech forest; railways; opening;... on the Beech Forest line. beech forest; railways; opening; Victorian ...B/W. On 26 February 1902, on opening day, six men face the camera, including the Governor of Victoria. Other men and a dog at varying distances circulate around three passenger carriages on the Beech Forest line.beech forest; railways; opening; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Book, Puffing Billy Preservation Society, G42: Puffing Billy's Big Brother, 1981
Victoria's narrow gauge railways were from Wangaratta to Whitfield (covering 30.5 miles/49 km) opening in 1899, Colac to Beech Forest (29 miles/46.7 km) opening in 1902 with an addition to Crowes (14.1 miles/22.7 km) opening in 1910, Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook (18.2 miles/29.3 km) opening in 1900, and Moe to Walhalla (26 miles/41.3 km) opening in 1910. From the outset these narrow gauge lines proved very uneconomical in operation and were plagued with continuing financial losses. The lines most difficult to work were those carrying the most business, and in particular the trains from Colac and Moe with their 1 in 30 grades and countless curves precluded having engines with large coupled driving wheels operating. Having examined the possible use of articulated locomotives to reduce operating costs on the narrow gauge lines the Victorian Railways decided upon the Beyer-Garratt type of locomotive in 1925 and an order was placed in England for two engines of the 2-6-0 plus 0-6-2 wheel arrangements. These arrived in April 1926. Assembly of the new Garratts was duly completed and steaming trials carried out at Newport, Victoria, the engines being classed as "G" and given the running numbers "41" and "42". G41 was taken to Colac where, on 5 June 1926, it was put to work on the Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes line. G42 soon followed and duly began work on the equally steep and tortuous but shorter Moe-Walhalla line. Following the closure of the Moe line in 1955 G42 was refurbished and went to Colac. G41 was overhauled, but not as thoroughly as G42, at then returned to Colac where both Garratts shared regular work on the line until its closure in 1962. From 1978 G42 continues its operation on the Upper Ferntree Gully-Gembrook line as part of the Puffing Billy Preservation Society.G42: Puffing Billy's Big Brother. Pictorial history of a Beyer-Garratt in Victoria, Australia. Phil A'Vard, Larry James, Ron Peach (concept). Puffing Billy Preservation Society; Belgrave (Vic); 1980. 64 p.; illus; map. Soft cover. ISBN 0 9598392 7 5victorian railways; narrow gauge; moe; walhalla; colac; beech forest; crowes; upper ferntree gully; gembrook; beyer-garratt; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Book, Merimbula Easiprint, The Otways that I knew, 1993
Condensing 100 years of Otway history the author tries to give an insight into the thoughts and ways of the settlers in opening the western Otway Ranges. It gives some indication of the mental pressure, hand-in-hand with the physical stress, as a settler cleared the land and made a living for his family. It covers how the rail link brought in the timber mills and their workers which made timber the main industry of that era, and covers the changes that took place in the 1930s as the mills closed down and the district raised crops, dairying and grazing.The Otways that I knew. Ronald Charles 'Corker' Brown. 1st ed. Corker Brown; np; 1993. 216 p.; illus; maps. Soft cover. ISBN 0 646 16798 7otway ranges; corker brown; otway lighthouse; aborigines; beech forest; farming; grazing; crops; railways; roads; timber; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Crowes Station, 1912
Locomotive 8A, two freight cars, a passenger car and a guard's van leave Crowes Station for Beech Forest. Crowes Station consists of a two-layered station building, a goods shed and a toilet at a three-line terminus.Crowes Station soon after opening in 1912 with Locomotive 8A about to depart for Beech Forest and Colac.crowes; station; railway; locomotive; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Timetable, Victorian Railways, Amendment to Opening of Extension, Beech Forest to Crowes, 16 June 1911
The circular, S.2628/11, opening the extension of the railway line from Beech Forest to Crowes in June, 1911, is amended by S.2779/11 of 1911. The DOWN train runs from Colac to Beech Forest on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, departing at 3.00pm and arriving at 6.45pm. The UP train departs Crowes daily at 12.45pm arriving at Beech Forest at 2.15pm, and Colac at 6.26pm, stopping where necessary at Tulloh and Ditchley to pick up or set down passengers.B/W, photograph. Originally dated 16 June 1911, S. 2628/11, Opening of Extension, Beech Forest to Crowes, is amended by a further circular, S.2779/11. The DOWN train leaves Colac on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; the UP train leaves Crowes daily.colac; beech forest; crowes; timetable; railways; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Knox Collection, Opening banquet, Colac-Beech Forest railway line, 1902, 27 February 1902
... Opening banquet, Colac-Beech Forest railway line, 1902.... Forest great-ocean-road Photograph Opening banquet, Colac-Beech ...While the first train arrived at Beech Forest on 17 February, 1902, as a special train for a race meeting at Beech Forest Turf Club, two special trains ran for the official opening of the railway by the State Governor, Sir George Sydenham Clarke, KCMG, R.E., F.R.S., that took place on 27 February, 1902. After seeing round the area the guests attended a celebration of the opening at a banquet at Beech Forest. The menu included four impressive courses, coffee and cognac, and included a number of toasts - The King, the Governor, the Minister and the Parliament of the State, Success to the Beech Forest Railway, the Colac Shire Council and the Railway Trust, and the Railway Department, a total of 19 people speaking. The official guests then returned to Colac.B/W. Opening banquet for the Colac-Beech Forest railway line in 1902. The State Governor, Sir George Sydenham Clarke, KCMG, the Premier of Victoria, Hon. A.J. Peacock, MLA, and a number of other important people seated at the top table, with other guests seated to the left and right.beech forest; railways; banquet; colac; -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Banquet, Opening of Colac-Beech Forest Railway, 1902, 26 Feb 1902
... Banquet, Opening of Colac-Beech Forest Railway, 1902...The official opening of the Colac-Beech Forest railway took...-Beech Forest Railway on Wednesday, 26th February, 1902, at Beech... at the opening of the Colac-Beech Forest Railway on Wednesday, 26th ...The official opening of the Colac-Beech Forest railway took place on Wednesday, 26th February, 1902. On a typical Beech Forest wet day the train halted at the bottom of Gardner Hill for the opening party led by the State Governor, Sir George Sydenham Clarke, to walk up to the Ditchley Park Hotel for the official banquet in the adjoining hall. The menu of four courses plus coffee was assembed by the caterer, Chas. D. Straker. The toast list was led as usual by a toast to the King, followed by 18 toasts concluded by the Acting Commissioner of Railways.B/W. The menu and toast list at the opening of the Colac-Beech Forest Railway on Wednesday, 26th February, 1902, at Beech Forest. 128mm x 264mm actual -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Book, Norman Houghton, Rail Centre Colac, 2014
Colac was the centre of a spidery rail network over which were carted anything and everything by Victorian Railways, the common carrier throughout the area. The main line through the region was the 35 km rail route from Birregurra (and thence to Geelong) though Colac to Pirron Yallock (and thence to Warrnambool and Port Fairy) from March, 1877, to July, 1883. The first branch line ran from Irrewarra to Beeac in 1889, which then extended in stages to Cressy and on the Ballarat. The second branch line was the 31 km long Birregurra to Forrest in 1891. The cost of building railways into mountainous terrain meant the third branch line was a narrow-gauge 2 foot 6 inch line, first of all to Beech Forest in 1902, and then to Crowes in 1911, for a total of 71 km. The final rail connection was the 16 km branch from Colac to Alvie to facilitate the transport of onions, opening in 1923. Each line had its own character and peculiarities derived from its foundation, geography and economic base. As a general rule, the loadings on the branch lines had greater output tonnage than inwards, the reverse of the main line. The lines traversed agricultural and timber areas where inputs like seed, grass, fertiliser and labour were minor, compared with the output, timber, wool, cream, butter, cheese fruit, potatoes, onion, grain and livestock.Rail Centre Colac. Rail stations in the Colac Otway Shire, 1877 to 2014. Norman Houghton. 1st ed. Norman Houghton; Geelong (Vic); 2014. vi, 262 p.; illus., maps, index. Soft cover.colac; cressy; forrest; beech forest; crowes -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Photograph, Lavers Hill: Train and repair gang, 1913
... For two years after the opening of the Colac-Beech Forest... of the Colac-Beech Forest railway line trains were preceded by a ganger ...For two years after the opening of the Colac-Beech Forest railway line trains were preceded by a ganger on a trolley to ensure no landslips or wash-a-ways created a danger to the trains. Afterwards the trains continued on their own. The line was built as cheaply as possible, "a mere skeleton of a railway" as one Victorian Railways spokesperson commented. With earthworks specified to the bare minimum landslips in the cuttings and wash-a-ways in sloping areas were always a problem, particularly in the early years before the works had time to settle. The line to Crowes was built to open in 1911 and a wash-a-way between Lavers Hill and Crowes was only to be expected. B/W. 8A locomotive, with driver and fireman, and a mounted repair gang attending a wash-a-way just past Lavers Hill in 1913.183mm x 260mm print.