RAILWAYS OF NORTH-EAST VICTORIA
(www.northeastvictoria.online)
WANGARATTA - BEECHWORTH - YACKANDANDAH
For many years, Beechworth was the major town of the North-east, but gradually gave up this position to Wangaratta once it had been decided to build the Melbourne - Sydney Railway down on the flood plain, rather than across the hill country where Beechworth is located.
A proposal for a rail line to Beechworth was first mooted at the time of the Gold Rush, with tenders being called for in 1874. The plan was for the line to split off from the main Melbourne - Sydney Line at Bowser (just north of Wangaratta) and then across the Reedy Creek Floodplain, and up the Ovens Valley to Everton.
From Everton, the task became harder, as Beechworth stands on a plateau overlooking the Ovens Valley, and there would be some serious engineering works to be tackled.
There were about 500 men employed on the project, who went on to build 30+ bridges, and excavate 40+ cuttings. The longest cutting was about a kilometre long, and this structure is still intact.
The Wangaratta - Everton - Beechworth Line was finally was opened in 1876, with the extension to Wooragee and Yackandandah being opened in 1891. This gave a total length of about 37km, with some steep grades along the way.
As usual with railway tracks in Victoria’s hill country, this route had its fair share of trestle bridges, one of the most impressive being over Commissioners Creek, just west of Yackandandah.
In the railway days, the steep grades created operational problems for the train drivers, not only getting up the slope, but taking precautions to make sure that the brakes were working prior to committing to the descent.
Declining freight and passenger loads saw the Beechworth - Yackandandah section of this line close in 1954, and the service from Everton to Beechworth itself was withdrawn in 1987.
The station structure at Beechworth still exists, as does the one at Everton - a welcome rest stop for riders on the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail. The steep grades from Everton to Beechworth are still evident today, and provide much interest for modern day users of this Rail Trail route.
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