Spring Vale Cemetery railway line

The Spring Vale Cemetery railway line, in Melbourne, Australia, branched from the now Pakenham Line at Springvale railway station, for a short 1.87 km (1.16 mi) journey to the Spring Vale Cemetery. The terminus was a railway station of the same name.

Spring Vale Cemetery
Tait train at Spring Vale Cemetery station
Overview
StatusDismantled line
OwnerVictorian Railways (VR) (1904–1951)
LocaleMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Termini
Continues fromCranbourne & Pakenham lines
Connecting linesCranbourne & Pakenham lines
Stations
  • 1 current station
  • 1 former station
Service
TypeFormer Melbourne suburban service
Operator(s)Victorian Railways (VR) (1904–1951)
History
Opened7 February 1904 (1904-02-07)
Electrified11 December 1922 (1922-12-11)
Closed19 December 1951 (1951-12-19)
Technical
Line length2.650 km (1.647 mi)
Number of tracksDouble track
Track gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Maximum incline1 in 50 (2%)
Route map
km
Up arrow
Cranbourne & Pakenham lines
to Flinders Street
23.3
 Springvale
Springvale railway station#Transport links
Left arrow
Cranbourne & Pakenham lines
to Dandenong
23.9
Dandenong Road (Princes Highway)
25.2
 Cemetery
(demolished)

History

The Spring Vale Cemetery branch line and associated station were opened on 1 March 1904 following completion of construction in December 1902.[1] The line was used to transport corpses, funeral cortèges and visitors to the Necropolis. Special hearse vans were constructed to transport the coffins and wreaths. The line was electrified in December 1922. Mortuary services ceased in 1943 and the visitor's service was suspended from 10 December 1950,[2] following the end of the statewide 55-day coal strike. Formal closure was only a book date, being 19 December 1951.

Current status

Throughout the first few months of 1951, the line was dismantled back to the western boundary of the Sandown Park Racecourse, and eventually back to the station side of Sandown Road. By the 1970s, the visible remains of the branch line included a short stub of the line, known as "Siding B", and an electrical sub-station near where the branch junctioned, as well as a short section of the alignment between Sandown Road and the racecourse boundary. A stanchion base could be seen at the end of the Downard Lawn in the Necropolis.

By 2010, the remaining track, overhead power lines and supporting stanchions had been removed, along with other sidings east of Springvale station. The electrical sub-station building remains, along with the rail reservation up to Sandown Park Racecourse, although it is now crossed by Sandown Road.

A commemorative plaque has been placed at the site of the former Cemetery platform.

Station histories
Station Opened[3] Closed[3] Age Notes[3]
Springvale1 September 1880 || || data-sort-value=52,283 | 143 years
  • Formerly Spring Vale
Cemetery7 February 1904 || 19 December 1951 || data-sort-value=17,482 | 47 years
  • Also known as Necropolis or Spring Vale Cemetery

See also

References
  1. "SPRING VALE CEMETERY MORTUARY TRAINS TO RUN FROM 1st MARCH". The Age. 12 November 1903. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  2. "Spring Vale Cemetery Line Closed". The Dandenong Journal. 13 December 1950. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  3. Anderson, Rick (2010). Stopping All Stations. Clunes, Victoria: Full Parallel Productions. ISBN 978-0646543635. OCLC 671303814.

37°56′46″S 145°10′57″E

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