Historical information

The Garratts were approaching 35 years of age and needed constant repairs to keep them in service, the other rolling stock was between 45 and 60 years old, the track was generally in poor condition, and the amount of traffic offering was only a faction of that carried previously and came from one station, Beech Forest. A further sign of decay was in the transfer of goods between the gauges. Where eight or nine men had worked full-time transferring between gauges only one man was seen by 1960, with several other men hired on the basis of '$2 a truck', assuming they could be found. In 1961 VR announced its intention to close the line which it did on 30 June 1962.

Physical description

Colour. On 9 August 1961 a G42 locomotive and goods train departing for Colac with the coal stage on the left, the saw mill and Gangers Shed on the right, and houses in the right background..