Gallery of images for this section.
The line branched off the Sandhurst-Echuca line just north of the branch to Eaglehawk at the northern end of what is now a parallel, loop siding. It traversed what had been the Axedale Squatter's Run, some forty years earlier, for nearly half of the distance to Heathcote.
The contract commenced at the railway fence in Cutting 1 (now overgrown), running through old alluvial workings and ballast reserve, entered Bank 1 on the level, passed 2 diverted watercourses, crossed over a gully via a 7 x 11' openings (23.48m total) bridge, straightened, continued past a dynamite reserve, entered a 1 in 50 up grade, passed a diverted drain, entered Cutting 2, passed a gold mining excavation, exited to a short surface forming, entered a 100C radius right curve, leveled, entered Bank 2, and crossed a small watercourse culvert.
The line then crossed the Sandhurst Municipal Boundary at an unnamed road (Murphy Street) PCR Crossing, a 1½ Chain Road with 13'6" gates. The road is shown to have been diverted from its current day alignment and raised 5.05' which seems an extraordinary amount. This was also the Sandhurst Municipal Boundary. The line continued and crossed a watercourse via a 5 x 7' openings bridge (10.67m total, where Murphy Street now exists), entered a 100C radius right curve into a low Cutting 3, with a 1 in 50 grade.
The line is now in property in the name of James Downes, and is the general area of the future Carr Fowler Siding.
Carr Fowler Siding detail and history.
The line continued, crossed an Occupation Crossing with gates at 0M 54C, entered a surface formation, and crossed a culvert. it then entered a shallow Cutting 4, cut a fence and crossed an unnamed (not named on today's Google Maps) and closed 1 Chain Road at 0M 64C, (MP 100) ran through Bank 3, crossed a water race culvert at 0M 72C, a nearby abandoned water race and a water race with an 18" cast iron syphon at 0M 73C. It then passed through Cutting 5, entered a 1 in 50 down grade, crossed another water race, named Clough's, near 0M 78C, entered Bank 4 and reached the 1M point.
Continuing in Bank 4, the line straightened, crossed a culvert, then a hole, passed to the left of the named Grassy Flat Hotel (immediately before present day McGoldrick Court), crossed an Allotment Line, another old diverted water race, an old shaft, levelled, crossed another old water race and yet another old shaft, entered a 1 in 50 up grade, and crossed the water race, water channel reserve and creek via the 6 x 15' openings (27.44m total) Grassy Flat bridge.
The line then crossed an unnamed and diverted 1½ Chain Road (McDowall's Road which aligned with present day Hesling Court at the time), entered Cutting 6, and crossed a culvert, followed by an unnamed (the diverted McDowall's Road) PCR Crossing with 13'6" gates, raised 2.62'. Next came an Allotment Line, the line continued up the grade, crossed another Allotment Line, a culvert, another Allotment Line, entered Cutting 7 on the level (present day Mayfair Park entrance), and commenced a 1 in 50 down grade.
The line passed an old hole, crossed an unnamed and closed 1½ Chain Road (was aligned with the end of present day Matchett Drive), entered Bank 5, passed a diverted watercourse, crossed a culvert, levelled, and crossed an unnamed watercourse via a 5 x 7' openings (10.67m total bridge. It then entered into Cutting 8, and reached the future site of the previously mentioned Freezer Company, VIMA, Canada Packers Siding which served much later Mayfair Park.
VIMA Siding detail and history.
Continuing on the level in Cutting 8, the line reached an unnamed (present day Pratt's Park Road) PCR Crossing with 13'6" gates, lowered 0.3' at 1M 68C. It then entered a low Bank 6, crossed a culvert, ran through shallow Cutting 9, to Bank 7, and crossed another culvert before coming to the 2M point near what is the Rifle Butts Platform.
Rifle Butts Platform.
Having exited Bank 7, the line commenced a slight up grade, entered Cutting 10, Bank 8, entered a 100C radius right curve, crossed a culvert, entered Cutting 11, steepened, straightened, entered a surface forming, entered Cutting 12, levelled, and commenced a 1 in 50 down grade in Cutting 13. It then cut through a fence, crossed an unnamed One Chain Road (Markovitch Lane) and PCR Crossing with 13'6" gates, raised 0.14', entered Bank 9, and crossed an unnamed watercourse via a 3 x 7' openings (6.4m) bridge.
Rangelea Siding detail and history.
The line entered Cutting 14, crossed 2 tracks, entered Bank 10, entered a 40C radius left curve, crossed a culvert, entered Cutting 15, crossed a culvert, the Parish Boundary, an unnamed Cross Roads (Atlas Road, but without the north road that once joined it) PCR Crossing with 13'6" gates, straightened, ran through a surface forming and entered Bank 11, reaching the 3M point.
After Bank 11, the line continued on a down grade, entered a surface forming, entered Cutting 16, cut a fence, ran through Cutting 17, levelled, entered Bank 12, and arrived at the named McIvor Road, where it cut a fence, and crossed the Parish Boundary. It crossed the PCR Crossing with 18'6" gates, raised 2.81', crossed named Splitter's Creek via a 5 x 11' openings (16.77m) bridge, entered a 30C radius left curve, cut a fence, crossed a culvert, entered Cutting 18 and a slight down grade, cut a fence, crossed a sandstone bar, crossed an Occupation Crossing with gates, entered Bank 13, crossed a watercourse named Branch of Splitter's Creek via a 5 x 11' openings (16.77m total) bridge and straightened.
The line exited Bank 13 to a surface forming, cut a fence and crossed an unnamed and closed road (Cashen's Road), crossed a culvert (MP 97) and Occupation Crossing with gates, entered Cutting 19, cut a fence, entered Bank 14, on the level and reached the 4M point at a drain crossed by a 4 x 7' openings (8.54m total) bridge.
Cutting 20 is entered, the line crossed an Occupation Crossing with gates, and, at approximately 2C after entering the cutting, it enters the Strathfieldsaye Station Ground.
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