Cudgewa railway line

Cudgewa railway line, Victoria
Line details
Opened 10 September 1889
Completed 5 May 1921
Closed 22 January 1995
Fate Rail trail
Stations 8
Rail transport in Victoria
Melbourne-Cudgewa rail ticket 1978

The Cudgewa Line is a closed railway line in the north-east of Victoria, Australia. Branching off the main North East railway at Wodonga it ran east to a final terminus at Cudgewa. Most of the line is now the High Country Rail Trail.

History

Cudgewa line remnant to Bandiana, looking east from the former turning triangle at Wodonga

The line was progressively opened between 1889 and 1921. In 1919, the line was used to carry materials for the construction of Hume Weir, and three years later a spur line connecting Ebden to the weir was opened.[1]

Part of the line was converted to dual gauge in 1944 to serve freight depots around Bandiana. In the early 1950s, the volume of Hume Reservoir was increased, with the railway around Tallangatta relocated to avoid the rising waters. Later in the 1960s, Cudgewa became the railhead of materials for the Snowy Mountains Scheme.[1] The line had 1 in 30 grades, with 'flat top' T class T413 becoming the regular diesel locomotive on the line after purchase in 1967, as it was the only locomotive of the class with dynamic brakes.[2]

The last passenger service from Wodonga to Tallangatta ran on 30 September 1961 with a 102hp Walker railmotor.[3] On 21 April 1978, the last regular goods train ran,[1] with closure of the line in 1981, except for the short section to Bandiana. Since 1995, it has been standard gauge track only.[4] The Wodonga-Bandiana section closed on 1 September 2009 as part of the Wodonga Rail Bypass project.[4] The line has now been partly converted into the High Country Rail Trail.

Stations

Cudgewa Railway Station

Wabba Railway Station

Beetomba Railway Station

Shelley Railway Station

Koetong

Darbyshire

Bullioh

Tallangatta

Tatonga

Bolga

Huon

Ebden

Bonegilla

Bandiana

Wodonga: CBD Station

station guide
Terminus: Wodonga CBD Station
Junction: Albury-Wodonga Line
Bandiana Station
Bonegilla Station
Ebden Station
Huon Station
Lake Hume
Bolga Station
Tatonga Station
(New) Tallangatta Station
Huon Station
Bullioh Station
Darbyshire Station
Koetong Station
Shelly Station
Beetoomba Station
Wabba Station
Cudgewa Station
Unstaffed / minor station

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Heritage Of The High Country Rail Trail". www.highcountryrailtrail.org.au. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  2. ↑ Leon Oberg (August 2007). Locomotives of Australia: 1850s - 2007. books.google.com.au. p. page 297. ISBN 1-877058-54-8. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  3. ↑ Chris Banger (March 1997). "Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): pages 77–82.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "VICSIG - Infrastructure - Line Data Cudgewa line". www.vicsig.net. Retrieved 2009-01-04.

External links