This history is provided so that as time goes on readers of my blog can refer back to it to place things in some context.
A Brief History and
Description of the
Corinella and Blackwood
Forest Tramway Company
and its lines.
This history is
written as if by an observer in 1926. Footnotes relate to how things were
historically or geographically in real life, or how I aim to represent it in my
model layout. My objective was to have a
railway that firstly represented Victorian narrow gauge practice, as well as
reflecting the light railway movement that existed across the British Empire at
the end of the 19th Century, and secondly had sufficient traffic to
be operationally interesting, operations being my primary interest in model
railways. In that regard looking at prototypes it was obvious that it would
have to be a railway with around 100 route miles, and also I wanted a “system”,
so a railway with one or more branches. Lastly I hope to have “designed” a
railway that seems that it is feasible, and as part of that was welded to a
time and place, in this case West Gippsland in the mid 1920’s.
Chapter
1. A Brief History
2. A Description of the Line
3. Services
4. Liveries
5. Locomotives
A brief history
In 1882 a horse tramway was built between Corinella on
Western Port Bay and a sawmill at Blackwood Forest in the nearby Bass Hills[1].
The sawmill[2]
increased its production during the boom years of the 1880’s and the owners
decided to upgrade it to steel rails and obtain a small locomotive. Advice was
sort from the management of the Long Tunnel Mine at Walhalla, and the gauge of
their tramway, 2’6”, was adopted. Much had been made of the American type of
locomotive, as being suitable for the rough conditions of pioneer railways in
Australia, so an example was ordered from the well established firm of Baldwin.
By Order of Council, the tramway was granted permission to carry goods and
passengers at a rate 30% higher than that charged by the Victorian Railways for
the same mileage[3].
The tiny 4-4-0 proved barely adequate to cope with the
output of the sawmill and the small amount of traffic provided by nearby
sawmillers and settlers. When in 1888 the proprietors of the tramway decided to
float it on the stock exchange, and extend it towards the coalfields around Mt
Misery, additional locomotives were sort. The English firm of John Fowler was
contracted to provide two small 0-6-2 locomotives, using the unusual Joys valve
gear. The locomotives were numbered 2 and 3, the 4-4-0 being numbered 1. At the
same time the tramway adopted the township of Kongwak as its headquarters,
building its works there.
The planned coal traffic never eventuated; the Victorian
Railways having built a line south from Korumburra to Outtrim, the line towards
Mt Misery was rarely used, most trains terminating in Kongwak, which had grown
to become a regional centre. A tragic accident occurred in 1890 when the boiler
of number 3 exploded, killing the fireman. An identical replacement was
obtained, but numbered 4. With the downturn following the depression of 1892
the three locomotives were more than capable of handling the traffic on offer.
The Victorian Coal Company had been trying to get its mines
at Cape Patterson operational for a number of years. In 1896 the VCC Managing
Director Nathanial Levi journeyed to the United Kingdom to raise capital for
the company[4].
While there Levi attended the demonstration of Barsi Light Railway equipment by
Everard Calthrop and the Leeds Forge Company at Newlay. Having obtained the
capital required to fund the VCC mines, Levi returns to Australia. Looking for
an outlet for the mines he notes the C&BFT with its tramway and jetty on
Westernport Bay. He invests in the C+BFT allowing it to build a branch from
Archies Creek to the mines at Cape Patterson. Recognising that the tramway will
need more and larger locomotives to handle the increase in traffic, Levi
contracts Calthrop, who produces a 2-6-4T design based on his Barsi designs,
three examples (numbered 5 to 7) of which are built by Kitsons. With that the
C&BFT enters the coal hauling business.
The C+BFT enters a period of prosperity. On the back of
the coal business the company sponsors the construction of a beet sugar mill at
Glen Alvie[5].
A start is made on extending a line from Kongwak towards Tarwin Lower to open
this country up to beet production. The increase in traffic leads to the
purchase of two new locomotives in 1909. Given the length of the tramway, a
decision was made to return to tender locomotives, and two 2-6-2 types (numbered
8 and 9) were obtained from Baldwin, based on a design they had built for a 2’
gauge railway in Maine.
In 1911 the Victorian government, fed up with its railways
being held hostage by coal unions in New South Wales, decides to build a
railway to the Powlett coalfields. Recognising the new line will both compete
with and cross the C&BFT, the Government builds a line from Kongwak through
Tarwin Lower to Walkerville. This is to both compensate the C&BFT and
placate a vocal local Member of Parliament. At Walkerville the C&BFT gains
a new customer in the form of the lime kilns[6].
On the deficit side the C&BFT loses the business of the VCC, other than to
on-line industries such as the beet sugar mill and the lime kilns, and of
course for the tramways own use. To operate the new railway the Victorian
Railways are to loan the tramway three nA class 2-6-2T locomotives, and
sufficient rolling stock. The C&BFT also pick up the contractors loco, a
small 0-4-2T (numbered 10) that the tramway subsequently use to shunt the
Kongwak yard.
As the First World War progresses BHP moves to consolidate
and modernise the Australian steel industry. As part of this process BHP
constructs mills to produce various downstream products. One of these is a
sheet metal mill at the Westernport fishing village of Hastings[7].
To fuel this mill BHP gains a concession in the Mt Misery coalfields, and opens
a mine. The most economical means of transport proves to be via the C+BFT
then barge across Westernport Bay to Hastings. BHP provided a fleet of modern
hoppers to handle the traffic. Faced with a massive increase in tonnage the
C&BFT cast around for additional motive power. A short term answer was
found with the purchase two Hunslet 4-6-0T War Office locomotives (numbered 11
and 12) in 1919. By 1921 more substantial motive power arrived in the form of
two Garratt locomotives from Beyer-Peacock, and a third was obtained in 1924
(numbered 13 to 15). In 1925 an articulated Sentinal steam railcar was obtained
for passenger traffic. By the autumn of 1926 the C&BFT had reached its peak
in mileage, tonnage and motive power. The system now had 93 miles (155km) of
track, with the main line from Corinella to Walkerville being 74 miles (122km),
the Cape Patterson branch 13 miles (21.5km) and the Mt Misery branch 6 miles
(10km)[8].
A description of
the line and its industries.
The C+BFT ran through rich agricultural country, firstly
the lower valley of the Bass River, then the Bass Hills and lastly open country
around the Tarwin River valley. Most stations provided agricultural traffic in
the form of livestock, milk and cream[9],
and in season[10]
potatoes and most importantly for the C&BFT, sugar beets. Inbound came the
many manufactured essentials of life.
The most westerly point of the tramway[11]
is on shores of Westernport Bay and here the company maintains a jetty now
rarely used for coastal shipping. Nearby is the BHP jetty where coal is loaded
into the BHP barges. The next stop at McKenzie has a siding to the Westernport
Brick Company[12],
which ships bricks to yards in Kongwak and Wonthaggi, and receives coal from
the Victorian Coal Company at Cape Patterson. The interchange with Victorian
Railways takes place at Glen Forbes, with extensive sidings, transfer sheds,
cranes, and stock yards. Heading south a little the tramway has a short spur
servicing the race course at Woolamai[13].
From Woolamai the tramway climbs into the Bass Hills, with
several stopping places, complete with goods sidings, before following the west
branch of Archies Creek to West Branch Junction[14].
The major industry here is the Wonthaggi Butter Factory, which receives
carloads of cream and loads of firewood for the boiler, and dispatches butter[15].
A small mill receives rough sawn timber from sawmills further up the line, and
dispatches weatherboards for Melbourne house construction[16].
The station is an interchange for loads to and from the Cape Patterson branch,
particularly bricks to Wonthaggi, and coal going the other way to the
brickworks. The arrangement of the junction is designed to allow through
traffic to and from Corinella, so the local goods that now originates in
Kongwak has to reverse direction here.
The branch[17]
heads south through the village of Archies Creek towards Wonthaggi, where there
are sidings for the brick yard, and for timber and crushed limestone for use by
the State mines. The line terminates at Cape Patterson where it serves the
mines of the Victorian Coal Company.
The main line heads west climbing back up into the Bass
Hills, passing a spur siding serving a small quarry that provides ballast for
the line. Next station is Ryanston, which is a staff station but does not have
a passing siding, only a goods siding. The small station building sees
significant passenger traffic from the nearby State agricultural college[18].
The tramway climbs a steep grade towards the settlement of
Blackwood Forest[19],
the original terminal of the tramway. The station has a passing and a goods
siding, and another spur siding to a small exchange yard with the sawmill,
adjacent to which is a spur siding for loading sugar beet. The sawmill is
served by its own tramway system, which was originally worked by horses.
However the clearing of land for agriculture has pushed the forest reserves
further away and the line has been upgraded to handle a Climax geared
locomotive to serve the logging sites. Most of the output of this sawmill is
destined for local mines, with a portion being sent to the Melbourne market.
The Climax also moves C&BFT flat cars between the exchange yard and the
sawmill, where they are loaded.
The tramway next comes to Krowera station, an open shed with
a nameboard. Sidings serve limekilns[20]
exploiting a limestone outcrop here. The lime is supplied to the beet sugar
mill, and crushed limestone to the mines to dampen the explosive coal dust.
Coal from the VCC is used as the fuel. Another siding serves a firewood cutter,
who supplies local farmers[21]
and the butter factory at West Branch Junction[22].
The next major town is Glen Alvie, the location of the beet
sugar mill[23],
a large brick building. The mill receives beets[24],
lime, coal for fuel, and dispatches sugar. There are also a passing siding, a goods
siding and a siding serving a Permewan Wright warehouse[25].
A substantial station building[26]
served this small town. Further along a siding serves the State Rivers and
Water Supply who are building a dam[27].
The tramway then enters Kongwak[28],
the tramways headquarters. A substantial station building serves as the main
office of the tramway, and there is a large locomotive depot and the tramway
works. Entering town from Glen Alvie passengers will pass the livestock
saleyards[29],
while the yards themselves include goods facilities, classification tracks, and
spurs serving the brick company yard and a facility for receiving motor spirit
for the Vacuum Oil Company[30].
Lastly a siding serves the West Gippsland Brewery[31],
which receive hops and dispatches its products securely locked in small box
vans.
The Mt Misery branch heads north out of Kongwak, first
station is Moyara, with a goods siding. A little way past the station is a spur
serving a timber tramway, most of the sawn timber coming off this tramway
heading to the weatherboard mill at West Branch Junction. Finally arriving at
Mt Misery the major industry is the of course the BHP mine, with trains of coal
moving out to Westernport Bay, and inbound timber and crushed limestone, as
well as other mining essentials.
The main line[32]
continues in a south-easterly direction towards Tarwin Lower and Walkerville.
Tarwin Lower is a staff station and has a goods siding, passing siding, and a
spur to a wharf on the river. Walkerville is the terminal and the location of
the Walkerville lime kilns, which dispatched a train load of lime every second
day, and received coal for fuel. Four other stops with goods sidings are
located on this section, producing the typical beet and livestock traffic. The
Company also maintains a tourist lodge near Walkerville at Waratah Bay to
encourage tourist traffic on the tramway. It is advertised as a perfect venue
for beach-combing, hiking, fishing and hunting.
Services[33]
The railway runs a passenger service twice a day between
Kongwak and Glen Forbes, allowing connections to the Victorian Railways trains
to and from Melbourne. The morning train to Glen Forbes is an articulated steam
railcar from the British firm of Sentinal.[34]
The railcar then makes a return trip in the afternoon. The morning trip from
the junction to Kongwak is the Mail, a locomotive hauled train that returns to
the junction in the afternoon. Daily mixed trains work on the Mt Misery and
Walkerville lines, meeting the Mail at Kongwak, while a railmotor works a
passenger service from Kongwak to Cape Patterson and return daily. A daily
workers train works from Glen Alvie to Mt Misery for the convenience of coal
miners.[35]
Goods service between Kongwak and Glen Forbes include a
roadside, through and fast goods.[36]
The roadside journeys down to Corinella before it’s trip to Kongwak. There is
also a roadside goods to Cape Patterson, originating in Kongwak. All goods
trains are timetabled to run “as required”, but in the autumn season there is
plenty of work about with the beet and potato harvests. In addition mineral
trains are run for the coal mine at Mt Misery and the lime kilns at
Walkerville.
Liveries
Locomotives on the Corinella and Blackwood Forest Tramway
are painted in a light green similar to that used by the Victorian Railways in
former times[37],
but without the complicated lining. In that they are similar to current
Victorian Railways locomotives. Passenger stock is in an attractive red and
custard livery, while goods stock is painted light grey. Victorian Railways
locomotives are either in the traditional Canadian red scheme, or the new all
over black scheme. Rolling stock is of course painted in the normal Victorian
Railways red. (I have changed my mind since writing this and not think I'll be painting the locos red, my personal preference)
Locomotives[38]
The locomotive fleet has grown to meet the requirements of
the tramway, and now the heavy mineral traffic is handled by the pride of the
company, a small fleet of articulated locomotives of the “Garratt” type
constructed by Beyer Peacock. However the extensive tramway works have
maintained all locomotives in excellent condition, and even the very first
locomotive obtained by the tramway is still in service.
Number
|
Type
|
Builder
|
Year
|
Tractive Effort
|
Notes
|
1
|
4-4-0
|
Baldwin
|
1885
|
4,900 lb
|
|
2, 4
|
0-6-2
|
Fowler
|
1888
|
5,776 lb
|
|
5,6,7
|
2-6-4T
|
Kitson
|
1898
|
8,993 lb
|
|
8,9
|
2-6-2
|
Baldwin
|
1909
|
10,682 lb
|
|
10
|
0-4-2T
|
Kerr Sturt
|
|||
11,12
|
4-6-0T
|
Hunslet
|
1916
|
6,162 lb
|
|
13,14,15
|
2-6-0+0-6-2
|
Beyer Peacock
|
1921
|
In addition the Victorian Railways loans the tramway three
nA class 2-6-2T locomotives, and at present numbers 3, 18, and 19 are on the
line[46].
[1]
The tramway existed between 1880 and 1890, as best I can tell. It does not
appear on an 1880 map, but is marked on an 1890 map as a “former tramway”. It passed
through our former family hobby farm at Glen Forbes South and the earthworks
were still clearly visible in the 1980’s.
[2]
There were a number of sawmills in the well-forested Bass Hills in this period,
but agriculture soon took over, clear felling the bulk of the forests. However
sawmilling continued on a reduced scale until the 1950’s, mostly supplying the
mines at Wonthaggi with timber.
[3] This
was the same “deal” given to the Powelltown Tramway, which allowed that line to
operate profitably for most of its life.
[4]
The Victorian Coal Company and Nathanial Levi had been trying to establish the
coal mines at Cape Patterson since 1866. Levi did travel to the UK to raise
capital at the end of the 19th century, and succeeded. However he
had expected to use the Westernport Coal Co tramway from Kilcunda to San Remo,
only finding out on his return in 1899 that this tramway had been lifted.
Efforts to open these mines continued until 1909, two years after Levi’s death.
[5]
There were several attempts to establish a beet sugar industry in Victoria, the
only successful one being at Maffra, which operated till after World War 2. Beet
sugar mills are more reliant on common carrier railways than cane sugar mills,
and the local climate and soils are ideal for beet production.
[6]
The Walkerville lime kilns were major suppliers to the Melbourne market, but relied
on a dangerous and difficult boat landing to export its products and, after
exhausting local firewood, import fuel. The costs of this form of transport
caused the kilns to close in 1926.
[7]
BHP did indeed construct this mill, but in the 1970’s, and used natural gas to
fuel it rather than coal.
[8] In
“designing” the C&BFT I wanted a railway that approached 100 miles in
length to justify the level of traffic and variety of locomotives and rolling
stock I was interested in. I also wanted a “system”, with junctions and
branches, to provide a “texture” to operations.
[9]
Whole milk is perishable, and farmers needed to be close to a railway so it
could be rushed to the Melbourne markets. Cream could last two or three days
without refrigeration, and was used to make butter, primarily for export. The
skim milk was then fed by farmers to pigs, and most dairy farmers were also pig
farmers.
[10]
The season for both these root crops was autumn and early winter, the reason
the layout is set in autumn.
[11]
The western section of the tramway is represented by staging tracks.
[12]
While no brickworks existed here, the area has good deposits of clay suitable
for brick making. One of the first industries to be established at Wonthaggi
when the mines started there were brickworks.
[13]
The racecourse is a picnic course, but will on the C&BFT result in the
occasional race special, complete with horse box.
[14]
West Branch Junction is the first station on the modelled section of the line.
[15]
The butter factory was further south at Archies Creek, but I am not modelling
that section so moved it north a bit, and used horse-drawn carts to pick up the
cream. The presence of the C&BFT will allow a more efficient collection
method.
[16]
This industry replicates operationally a similar mill that existed at
Gellibrand on the Beech Forest line.
[17]
The branch is represented by staging tracks.
[18]
Land was reserved for an agricultural college in this area for over 60 years,
farmers leasing the land for that time. Eventually it was recognised that no
college would be built and the land was sold to the leaseholders.
[19] Station
layout based on Erica.
[20]
Lime kilns were frequently associated with narrow gauge railways, I can
identify at least three associated with the VR narrow gauge. One provided lime
for the CSR sugar refinery in Melbourne.
[21]
On the Beech Forest line, many farmers would order a narrow-gauge truck load of
firewood each autumn.
[22]
There were three butter factories served by the VR narrow gauge, at least one
and I suspect all received firewood for fuel.
[23]
The mill sidings layout is based on that at Maffra. The mill itself will be a
flat against the layout backdrop.
[24]
Beets are not perishable, and a rotating crop. Therefore they are grown by
farmers who mix their cultivation with dairying and other activities. They
could be sent from farms a considerable distance away or quite close. For instance
the closest loading point on the railway to the Maffra mill was only 3 miles
away, while in other parts of the world beets are transported hundreds of
miles. Thus every station on the tramway is a potential despatch point for
beets.
[25]
Permewan Wright warehouses were common in railway yards throughout Victoria,
the company’s slogan being “We sell everything the farmer sows, we buy
everything the farmer grows”.
[26] I
plan to model it on the original station building at Walhalla.
[27]
This dam was under construction at this time.
[28] I
envisage Kongwak has taken some of the regional functions in real life held by
Wonthaggi and Korumburra.
[29]
These, like the station layout in general, are based on Korumburra.
[30]
This will give me the option of running a tank wagon, which were beginning to
appear on the Victorian Railways at this time.
[31]
Small breweries were common throughout Victoria in the 19th Century,
but were gradually swallowed up by the octopus that was the Carlton &
United Company. The last independent brewery was at Sale, and it closed in the
late 1930’s.
[32]
Represented by staging
[33]
Services are based on the 1926 service on the Beech Forest, which was two mixed
trains daily between Beech Forest and Colac and one goods, and a mixed on the
Crowes branch. I’ve split the mixed into passenger and goods trains, creating
five trains where there were three, for the same overall level of service. The
Cape Patterson trains have also been “split”, and run ex Kongwak, creating two
additional services each way on the modelled section. Add the coal and lime
trains and the workers train and there is plenty of action on the modelled
section of railway, but I believe still “feasible”.
[34]
Sentinal manufactured a successful range of steam railcars, examples of which
were sold to the Tasmanian, North Australian and West Australian railways. The
prototype I intend modelling was built in 1925 for a 2’6” gauge line in India.
[35]
VR ran workmens trains around regional centres.
[36]
By giving each goods train a separate role, they each have a different set of
operating rules, introducing variety for operators.
[37]
Sadly enquires to the locomotive foreman indicate that the exact shade of green
used depends on whatever the suppliers have in stock, so we are no closer to
determining the original shade of green used by the VR.
[38]
The challenge in designing a locomotive fleet is choosing locomotives that look
“feasible” from models that are either commercially available or promised. The
fleet may change again if other options become available. Locomotive numbers
are to be their call up numbers for the DCC control system.
[39] I’ll
be using the Bachmann inside framed 4-4-0, which is based on a 2’ gauge loco,
but is very similar to “Montezuma”, the first locomotive on the EFOM, a
Brazilian 2’6” gauge railway, which was started about this time. Similar locos
also went to the Queensland Railways where they were classed as A10.
[40] These
locos will use the RJ Models B9.5 kits, but will need a new cab, sand domes
replaced by boxes and several other modifications to look like a 1880’s loco.
We will also have to pretend the valve gear is Joys gear.
[41] A
definite nod to Calthrop with these locomotives, using the Slaters kit for the
L&MVR locomotives. They will be a tad larger in 1:48 scale, but similar in
size to the VR nA locos, so not out of scale. May need the cab reduced in
height.
[42]
This will be the Victors kit for the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes #19. A
typical Baldwin product similar to the nA but a tender locomotive.
[43]
Another nod to Calthrop in that a Skylark was used to construct the L&MVR,
but Skylarks were also used in Australia. Wrightlines have a kit.
[44]
The British War Office had Hunslet build these locomotives for service in
France during WWI. After the war Hunslet re-purchased many of them, rebuilding
them into 6 different gauges, and sold them around the world. Australian
examples were all 2’ gauge, but 2’6” gauge examples were exported to India and
South America. A logical choice for a railway looking for a quick and cheap
boost to motive power.
[45]
The Garratt quandary. The only suitable model that looks like being produced is
the VR G class. It certainly could be written into the story, but at 23,000lb
TE is a very large and powerful locomotive. The SAR NGG16 is available as a kit
and is certainly the right size, but is very distinctive, and would look out of
place to me, as would four-coupled Garratts. The Sierra Leone 2-6-2+2-6-2 and
the SAR NGG11 2-6-0+0-6-2 would be perfect in terms of size at about 16,000lb TE
each, but while they have been talked about by manufacturers at various times,
I doubt they will ever be produced as kits. I did consider converting an OO
scale LMS 2-6-0+0-6-2 kit and while some dimensions are right it would result
in a very long and narrow locomotive, difficult to make it look right. Still it
is some years before I have to make a decision.
[46]
The location of all nA class locomotives throughout their career is generally
well documented. The exception is number 3 during the middle years of the
1920’s, when it disappears, obviously for its service on the C&BFT.
Victorian Railways started to build numbers 18 and 19 in 1919 but stopped
construction, using parts as spares for other locomotives.
