Bellarine Railway

Bellarine Railway
Line details
Opened	1879
Closed	1976
Reopened	1979
Fate	Active
Length	16 km (10 mi)
Stations	Drysdale to Queenscliff
Tracks	1
Rail transport in Victoria
Closed railways

The Bellarine Railway, formerly known as the Bellarine Peninsula Railway, is a volunteer-operated steam-driven tourist railway located in Victoria, Australia. It operates on a 16 km section of a formerly disused branch line on the Bellarine Peninsula between the coastal town of Queenscliff and Drysdale, near Geelong.

History as a working railway

Looking west along the Bellarine Peninsula Railway to Queenscliff Station; at right is the Bellarine Rail Trail

The original line was commissioned in September 1878, and opened on 21 May 1879. It connected Queenscliff with South Geelong station, the terminus of the Geelong line, and the junction of the Warrnambool line. It was acknowledged at the time that although passenger traffic alone might not justify a railway line, military traffic from both the port and Fort Queenscliff—a key defence installation—would warrant its construction. It initially carried passenger, goods and military traffic, and continued to do so for several decades.

In the first months of operation, the carried only one service per day, but at its peak, in January 1885, four trains per day ran in each direction, enabling the line to be used by commuters. However, this was decreased to three not long after, and was cut back to two trains a day in 1910. Traffic on the line continued to fall over the next twenty years, and in 1931, passenger services were dropped completely—apart from the occasional Sunday excursion train. Goods services continued to run, although they were cut to back at first to twice-weekly, and then weekly operation.

The line saw a revival during World War II, carrying mines from the Swan Island military base, but returned to pre-war levels afterwards. After the war, services became less frequent, with passenger services dropped altogether, apart from occasional special trains, and with goods services cut back to one a fortnight. The line was closed on 6 November 1976.

Preservation and re-opening as a tourist railway

In 1968, when the Queenscliff line was still officially open, the Fyansford Cement Works Railway near Geelong was closed. They donated all their steam rolling stock to preservation groups, and Australian Railway Historical Society's Geelong division, which was still in its infancy, received two engines. While Drysdale station was looked upon as a preferred site, this proved difficult to arrange, and a temporary site at the Belmont Common was used.

The Geelong division of the ARHS registered itself as the Geelong Steam Preservation Society in 1970 and an attempt was made to construct and operate a small tourist railway, the Belmont Common Railway, on the Common. However, the site faced ongoing problems due to adjacent developments and its location on a flood plain, and by 1976, it was apparent that continuing on the Belmont Common site would be unfeasible. When it became clear that Victorian Railways intended closing the Queenscliff line, the GSPS stepped in, and when the line was closed permanently in 1976, they began shifting operations to Queenscliff station.

Tasmanian DP class railcar approaching Drysdale station

During 1976 and 1977, the Society engaged in fundraising efforts and began regauging a short section of track around Queenscliff station, in order to enable their rolling stock to operate on the line. With the help of some government funding, they succeeded in operating their first services - from Queenscliff to Lakers Siding, in May 1979, and to Drysdale not long after.

Current operations

Train with "Thomas" face travelling westwards through Swan Bay saltmarsh

The railway currently operates services between Queenscliff and Drysdale, along the southern shoreline of Swan Bay and through grazing land, with an intermediate stop at Lakers Siding, every Sunday of the year and several days a week during school holidays.

The Bellarine Railway is the home of the "Blues Train", featuring live music, most Saturday evenings from October to May. The remainder of the line between Drysdale and South Geelong has fallen into disuse, and the GSPS has not attempted to extend their operations back to Leopold or South Geelong.

The sections of the former route from Drysdale to South Geelong, along with a walking track adjacent to the Queenscliff-Drysdale line, now form the Bellarine Rail Trail, accessible to cyclists and walkers.

The railway features a working collection of locomotives from all four state government-run 3'6" gauge railway bodies in Australia; Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland; as well as from a number of Australian industrial railways. In late 2011, the railway was in negotiations to relocate the last remaining Australian Standard Garratt to the Bellarine Railway, from its current location as a static display at the Victorian State Railway Museum in Newport.

Locomotives

Steam

Number	Image	Year built	Builder	Status	Notes
6		1903	Hudswell Clarke & Co., Leeds, England	In workshops	Originally used as a shunter at the copper smelter in Wallaroo, South Australia. Later used by Australian Portland Cement (APC) on the Fyansford Cement Works Railway in Fyansford near Geelong until 1966.
PB15 454		1909	Walkers Ltd., Maryborough, Queensland	Out of service	Queensland PB15 class locomotive, used by Queensland Railways until 1969. Hauled tourist trains at the Bellarine Railway for some time, but is currently awaiting overhaul before a return to service.
4		1916	Vulcan Iron Works, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA	In workshops	Used by APC on the Fyansford Cement Works Railway in Fyansford near Geelong until 1966.
5		1916	Vulcan Iron Works, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA	Stored dismantled	Used by APC on the Fyansford Cement Works Railway in Fyansford near Geelong until 1966.
T251		1917	Walkers Ltd., Maryborough, QLD	In workshops	Used by South Australian Railways until 1970. Purchased by GSPS and was in traffic on the Bellarine Peninsula Railway until 1991, when it was withdrawn due to deteriorating mechanical condition. Returned to service on the BR on April 11, 2009.
Klondyke		1927	Perry Engineering Co., Adelaide, SA	Operational	In use at Pioneer Sugar Mill in Ayr, Queensland until 1966.
S547		1947	WAGR Workshops, Midland, WA	Stored dismantled	Used by Western Australian Government Railways until 1971. Acquired by Bellarine Railway in 1980 for possible eventual restoration.
M6		1951	Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd., UK	Stored dismantled	Tasmanian M Class locomotive, used by Tasmanian Government Railways until 1971. Hauled tourist trains at the Bellarine Railway for some time, but is currently awaiting overhaul before a return to service.
V1209		1955	Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd., UK	Stored	Western Australian V class locomotive, used by Western Australian Government Railways until 1971. Brought to Victoria in 1982 by the Bellarine Railway and restored to traffic. Currently stored pending repairs.
11		1926	Perry Engineering Co., Adelaide, SA	Under restoration	Originally used by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission of Victoria in construction of the Hume Weir. Later used by APC on the Fyansford Cement Works Railway until 1966. Was on display at the Puffing Billy Railway's museum at Menzies Creek until June 2010, when it was relocated to the Bellarine Railway for eventual restoration.
2		1938	Beyer Peacock, Manchester, England	Stored	Garratt locomotive used by APC on the Fyansford Cement Works Railway in Fyansford near Geelong until 1966. Was on display at the Puffing Billy Railway's museum at Menzies Creek for some time before relocation to the Bellarine Railway for eventual restoration.
Pozieres		1918	Andrew Barclay Sons & Co., Kilmarnock, Scotland	Operational	Previously used by Broken Hill Associated Smelters, Port Pirie, South Australia. Was on display at the Puffing Billy Railway's museum at Menzies Creek until June 2010, when it was relocated to the Bellarine Railway. Restored to steam in 2011.

Queenscliff line stations

Queenscliff railway line

Legend Main line to Melbourne South Geelong Main line to Warnambool Geelong Showgrounds Siding Closed pre 1900 Cheethams Siding Closed 1978 Moolap Leopold Closed 23 January 1961 Kensington Station Closed 30 July 1881 Curlewis Closed 23 January 1961 Scarborough Station Closed 30 January 1914 Drysdale Mannerim Closed 23 January 1961 Marcus Closed 6 February 1961 Lakers Siding Closed 6 November 1976 Queenscliff

Gallery

• 

  Drysdale Station Platform

• 

  Goods Wagons at Drysdale Station

• 

  TGR X class diesel electric locomotive as used in Tasmania, the first mainline diesel-electric locomotive purchased by an Australian government railway system

• 

  V class diesel shunting locomotive as used in Tasmania

See also

• Bellarine Rail Trail
• Tourist and Heritage Railways Act

References

• Kenny, Paul; & Kenny, Kathleen (2010 (4th edn)). Trains,Troops & Tourists - The South Geelong Queenscliff Railway. Drysdale. ISBN 0646-43782-8. 

External links

• Bellarine Railway
• The Blues Train
• Bellarine Railway photos
• Using the Bellarine Peninsula Railway as part of a weekend adventure