Mornington railway line

Mornington railway line
Legend Stony Point line at Baxter Moorooduc Mornington Racecourse / Tanti Park Narambi Road Stopping Place 16 Mornington (tourist) Mornington (original)

For current tourist railway operations on the line, see Mornington Railway

The Mornington railway line, in Melbourne, Australia, was a rural railway branching off from the Stony Point railway line at Baxter. The line had a life of 92 years, opening in 1889, and closing in 1981.

History

Opening

A branch was opened of the Gippsland Railway from Caulfield to Mordialloc in 1881 and Frankston in 1882. This line was extended to Baxter in 1888 and branches were opened to Hastings and Mornington in 1889.

Stations

When opened, the line had two stations: the terminus of Mornington and intermediate station Moorooduc. Between 1920 and 1930 RMSP 16 was opened between Moorooduc and Mornington, closing again by 1940.^[1] Between 1930 and 1940 Mornington Racecourse station was opened, on the Melbourne side of RMSP 16 approximately half way to Moorooduc. Between 1960 and 1970 Mornington Racecourse was renamed to Tanti Park, and between 1970 and 1980 RMSP 16 was reopened.^[1]

Closure

The passenger service was closed at an unknown date, with the service being reinstated between Baxter and Mornington in September 1966.^[2] Closure between the junction at Baxter and Mornington occurred in 1981, with a short section of the line from the former Mornington terminus to RMSP 16 removed and a Supermarket built on the site of the former Mornington station in 1999.

Re-opening

The rest of the line lay idle until 1984 when the Mornington Railway Preservation Society was formed with the long term ambition of restoring a tourist railway service along the line. Tourist trains now operate on the line.^[3]

References