Australian Railway Historical Society
Victorian Division Inc. A0033223H
Tour No. 402

ST KILDA to WINDSOR LOOP LINE
1859 - 1865

Notes compiled and provided by Peter Carwardine of ARHS to accompany walking tours conducted for SKHS in 2002 and 2003.

The Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company constructed the first railway line in Melbourne (in fact in Australia) from Melbourne (Flinders Street station) to Sandridge (now Port Melbourne). The Act was passed on January 20, 1853 and the railway was opened on 12/9/1854.

In the 1850's the St. Kilda and Brighton areas were isolated but rapidly growing and they both had piers. It seemed that they would be profitable places to run a railway from Melbourne. During the 1850's various syndicates applied for permission to construct a railway from Melbourne to Brighton, but due to disagreements as to the route, failed to obtain permission.

A Bill of 14th March, 1856 was "To authorise the Melbourne & Hobson's Bay Railway Company to make a Branch Railway from their present Railway to St. Kilda and Brighton, and to amend their Act of Incorporation, and to extend the powers therein contained, and for other purposes.'

Conditions were that the line to St. Kilda must be open within 12 months of the Act and the extension to Brighton must be open within three years. There was a provision:

"If any company shall hereafter be incorporated for making Railway communication from the Saint Kilda Terminus of the said Branch line of Railway to Brighton The said Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company shall (subject to the provision hereinafter contained) allow such other Railway Company to use the Railway from Melbourne to St. Kilda and the Station Works and conveniences thereof for the forwarding and transmission upon or over the same of any Passenger Goods Merchandize or other traffic which may be conveyed upon and from such other Railway or any part thereof upon terms and arrangements in reference to the Rates Tolls and charges or other consideration to be taken charged or paid for in respect of such user and also with reference to the collection levying division and apportionment of such Rates Tolls and charges and generally upon such Terms Conditions and Stipulations as the said Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company and such other Railway Company may from time to time mutually agree upon...."

The Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company planned the St. Kilda station to be at the northwest corner of St. Kilda Junction and the extension to Brighton to swing around towards the beach and go via Elwood.

The railway line from Melbourne (Flinders Street) to St. Kilda with the station opposite Grey Street, was opened on 13/5/1857 by The Melbourne & Hobson's Bay Railway Company, this being the second railway line in Victoria.

In June 1857 The St. Kilda and Brighton Railway Company announced a scheme to build a line from St. Kilda station to Brighton at a cost of £125,000. Construction of the line was authorised by an Act on 24/11/1857, and the company given permission to run their trains on the lines of the Hobson's Bay and The Melbourne and Suburban Railway Companies. The Act specified the path of the railway, size of bridges and other works (the St. Kilda Road bridge was specified to have a central opening of 66 feet).

By this time St. Kilda had developed so rapidly that without costly property resumption, there was no path for a line southward from St. Kilda station. Therefore the line went north from St. Kilda station, then swung eastwards and headed for Chapel Street, then curved southwards. 5400 £25 shares were issued and after much difficulty in obtaining the necessary subscriptions from shareholders, a contract for building the railway was given to William Randle in August 1858. Kilda and Brighton Co. line at Chapel Street was 7 feet lower than specified.

Lack of financial support compelled the company, on three occasions during 1859, to raise mortgages aggregating £52,600 for construction purposes. Thus rejuvenated, work was completed, and a special train carrying about 40 people made a trial trip from Melbourne via St. Kilda to Brighton, on 3/12/1859.

A 'sumptuous cold collation' was partaken at Brighton Beach, but two weeks later, Mr. Randle, the contractor, entertained 300 workmen at Elsternwick with a banquet and sports meeting, when a drayload of ale and porter was consumed.

From the St. Kilda station of the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company, the line was carried on a wooden viaduct 400 yards long over the swamp, then across St. Kilda Road on a timber bridge 102 feet in length, 15 feet wide and 14½ feet clearance and slewed across St. Kilda Road at an angle of 63º and was located about 15 chains on the Melbourne side of the St. Kilda Road and Fitzroy Street junction. Another bridge crossed Punt Road and in order to save the cost of building a high embankment, the road was excavated to a depth of 6½ feet under the bridge which was 66 feet long.

The line then headed towards Chapel Street on a viaduct of blue gum timber with stone abutments and cost £50 a lineal yard. The line crossed Union Street on the level near where St. David St ran south and Hotham Street ran north (these two streets were later joined after the railway line was removed, and re-named Upton Road). The level crossing of Union Street was where Stewart Street meets it. After the level crossing at Union Street, the railway ran through a deep cutting, 31 feet at its deepest point (south of Windsor station) for a mile.

This portion of the railway between St. Kilda and Chapel Street station, Windsor, was known as the 'loop', being 1 mile and 26 chains long. It is reported to have cost nearly £50,000. There were ten more bridges along the line between Chapel Street station (re-named Windsor 1/1/1867) and Brighton Beach station. Double headed 75 lb. rails laid in cast iron chairs, secured with oak keys and treenails, were used entirely on the line which was single track overall.

Public traffic commenced on Monday, December 19, 1859, with trains every half hour. No rolling stock having been procured by the St. Kilda and Brighton Co., the line was operated by the Hobson's Bay Company at the outset and trains were run by that company between Melbourne and Brighton under an agreement between the Brighton and the Hobson's Bay Cos. The latter paid an annual subsidy for the privilege of operating the St. Kilda - Brighton section, but at the close of 1860 the agreement was dissolved. The St. Kilda and Brighton Railway Co. then purchased the engines 'Melbourne' and 'Sandridge', together with six carriages, from the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Co., and began working the line under its own management, but continuing to run through to Melbourne over the Hobson's Bay St. Kilda branch.

Also on 24/11/1857 another Act of Parliament authorised The Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company to construct a line from Melbourne (Princes Bridge station) to Chapel Street station via Richmond and South Yarra. The Act specified that the line was to be double tracked. This line was supposed to reach Chapel Street first, however it did not get there until 22/12/1860.

As construction neared Chapel Street it was discovered that the St. Kilda and Brighton Co. line at Chapel Street was 7 feet lower than specified in the Act. The Suburban Co. took the Brighton Co. to court. At the hearing in the Equity Court, the case against the Brighton Co. was dismissed.

On Sunday, 10/2/1861 the 6 PM down Brighton train from Melbourne derailed at Union Street when the Gatekeeper failed to open the gates. There were no casualties.

A new type of 1st class saloon carriage, designed and built by William Williams at Melbourne, was tested on the Brighton line on 22/3/1862. It was 42 feet long, mounted on two 4 wheel bogies, longitudinal seats, with a central row, had a capacity of 105 to 110 persons. Mirrors suspended outside the car reflected everything passing by to the occupants. The Melbourne Railway Co. on 31/3/1862 purchased the Melbourne and Suburban Railway Co.

Commencing from 1/5/1862, an agreement between the Brighton and the Melbourne Railway Cos. was arranged whereby the latter took over the working of the Brighton line for a period of five years. The engines and rolling stock of the two systems were pooled, and the trains ran through from Princes Bridge to Brighton Beach, eliminating travel over the Hobson's Bay branch to St. Kilda, and the 'loop' to Windsor.

Because of a collision between two trains (running opposite directions on the single track) a quarter of a mile on the Melbourne side of Elsternwick on 22/5/1862, the agreement was suspended, and the Brighton service reverted to the Hobson's Bay route until October, 1862, when the Melbourne Co. again assumed management, continuing until the dissolution of the St. Kilda and Brighton Railway Co., in 1865. The St. Kilda to Windsor 'loop', unused from 1862, was removed in 1867.

The financial affairs of the St. Kilda and Brighton Railway had been an embarrassment to its executive from the very beginning of the company and, despite the succession of operating managements, the line never paid. By 1863, mortgages totaled £120,000 and creditors vainly sought reimbursement. On June 13, a creditor's agent took possession of the railway and a petition was made to the Supreme Court of Victoria for a compulsory sequestration. The court gave a judgment that an incorporated railway company could not be put to insolvency proceedings, and the line continued to accumulate debts.

Subsequently, in February 1865, the company agreed to sell the undertaking, and disposal was approved by Parliament on June 15, 1865. Four weeks later the line was submitted to public auction, but no bids were received. In accordance with the terms of the sale act, the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay United Railway Co. purchased the railway for £99,500, and assumed control on 1/9/1865.

An Act of 1865 gave the Railway Co. 18 months to either put the loop line back to working order and use it or dismantle it. If abandoned, the St. Kilda section would revert to Crown Land, and the Prahran section that was owned by the railway would be theirs to do what they liked with. As the 'loop' portion of the Brighton line, connecting St. Kilda and Windsor, had been disused since October, 1862, when the Melbourne Railway Co. took over the working of the St. Kilda - Brighton system, the United Co. in 1866, decided to dismantle the section from Punt Road to St. Kilda. By August 1867, demolition was completed, including the removal of the two bridges and the viaduct in St. Kilda Park. The portion from Chapel Street to Punt Road (sometimes called Hoddle St.) was kept as it was used to deliver blue metal to a crusher located at Punt Road which was owned by Enoch Chambers, who also owned quarries, a foundry and machine shop.

Prahran Council had long wanted to join St Davids and Hotham Streets which lay on opposite sides of the line near the Union St. level crossing. A letter was sent to the Railway Co. saying that they were going to make a crossing over the line. The Railway Co. replied that it would have to be according to their specifications. The Council that they would do it their way. Early one morning a party of council workmen arrived at the site to tear up the rails. A group of railway employees then appeared and a mild confrontation ensured before they separated and went their ways.

On the 15th of April, 1869, an application in the Equity Court, on behalf of the Melbourne & Hobson's Bay United Railway Company for an injunction to restrain Prahran Borough Council from tearing up the railway line across Union Street, Windsor (part of the loop line). Mr Justice Molesworth held that the Company were not entitled to use one portion of the line, having given up the remainder. He therefore refused the injunction.

On the 2nd of September 1869 before Mr Justice Williams in the Supreme Court an appeal against the decision of Mr Justice Molesworth was heard. The previous decision was confirmed and the railway lost the case. The Railway Co. then made an application to be heard by the Privy Council, however the case was rejected. The siding was then terminated south of Union St and was finally removed about 1980.

In 1882 Prahran Council wrote to the Victoria Railways (who, by then were the owners of the railway land where the loop had been in Prahran) asking them to remove a culvert at Union and Hotham Streets. On 20/8/1883 20 dray loads of filling were removed from the embankment east of Punt Road.

The St. Kilda and Brighton Railway Company existed from 24/11/1857 to 31/8/1865. Direct connection via South Yarra 1/5/1862. The Melbourne and Hobson's Bay and The Melbourne Railway Cos. amalgamated to become The Melbourne and Hobson's Bay United Railway Company 30/6/1865. The Hobson's Bay United Railway Co. purchased the St. Kilda and Brighton Railway Company railway and assumed control on 1/9/1865. The Melbourne and Hobson's Bay United Railway Company was sold to the Victorian Railways on 1/7/1878.

'Melbourne' & 'Sandridge' engines, builders numbers 954 & 955, were built by Robert Stephenson & Co., Newcastle-on Tyne in 1854. They were 2-4-0WT arrangement with 12" x 20" cylinders, 4' 7½" driving wheels and were purchased from The Melbourne & Hobson's Bay Railway Co. 1/2/1861. Sold to Melbourne Railway Co. 1/5/1862. (WT = Well Tank)

1896 MMBW maps show the railway reserve running from Punt Road to Windsor Station, still vacant. Gladstone Street only has houses along the north side.

Returns for week ending 9/2/1860 for St. Kilda & Brighton Railway Co.

Passengers 3,742
Parcels etc
Total

£ 181/9/2
£ 1/8/6
£ 183/7/8

Returns for week ending 28/2/1861.

Passengers 4,520
Parcels etc
Total

£ 170/4/11
£ 1/4/4½
£ 171/9/3½

Trains were every half hour:

Melbourne to Brighton: 8.30 AM to 7.30 PM
Brighton to Melbourne; 8.25 AM to 7.25 PM

Travelling Time:

Melbourne (Flinders St) to St. Kilda 11 minutes.
St. Kilda to Chapel Street ('loop') 5 minutes
Melbourne to Brighton (via St., Kilda) 33 minutes

Conversions

12 pennies (12d) = 1 shilling (s). 20 s = one pound (£1).
Written as £/s/d. £1 = $2.

12 inches (in. or ") = 1 foot (ft or '). 3 ' = 1 yard (yd).
22yd = 1 chain (ch or chn). 80 ch = 1 mile.

1 mile = 1.609 kilometres. 1 foot = 30.48 centimetres.

1 pound weight (lb) = 0.453 kilograms.

Information Sources

Newspapers: The Argus, The Prahran Telegraph.

Maps: Cox 1866 16 chains to the inch, MMBW 1896 40ft to the inch, Melway 2001 Map 2P 1:10,000..

Books: Victorian Railways to '62, Leo J. Harrigan, Victorian Railways 1962; Victorian Railways Rolling Stock, 1904 Book, Victorian Model Railway Society; Discovering Prahran, Area 2 (Windsor), Betty Malone, Prahran Historical & Arts Society; History of Prahran, Cooper: History of St. Kilda, Cooper.

Institutions etc: State Library of Victoria, Latrobe Library; SLV, Map Library; SLV, Picture Library; Public Records Office; Australian Railway Historical Society, Victorian Division, archives; Prahran Historial Society, archives.

People: Ian Barkla, Des Jowett, Michael Guiney, David Tuck.

Walking Tour: Note the south end of the verandah at St. Kilda Station giving clearance for locomotives on the traverser. The line went in a semi-circle leaving the station and heading north, then along Hockey Drive and Ross Gregory Drive to reach Queens Road north of Union Street. It cut through the block, crossed St. Kilda Road and passed just on the south side of the preserved Valve House (not there at the time of the railway). It cut through the block, crossed Punt Road and went along the south side of Gladstone St where the row of houses are. Gladstone St. did not exist at the time of the railway.

Note the shape of Gladstone Park behind the high-rise flats. It crossed Upton Road (formerly Hotham Street) just north of Union Street. Note the triangular block of land on the north east corner of the intersection of Union St. and Upton Rd., the railway ran on the north side of this block Also note the different width of Upton Road, north and south of Union Street. The railway then made a level crossing, with gates, at an angle across Union St. near where where Stewart St. meets it. It then went through Windsor Siding Park, note the curved wall of the warehouse on the north side of the park. Near the rail lines north of the up Windsor platform there is the base of a stanchion that was cut off when the siding was removed