The Outer Circle railway was first advocated in 1867, by a group known as the Upper Yarra Railway League, who suggested that the Gippsland Railway could be brought into Melbourne via the outer suburbs. However, the term itself was coined in 1873 by Engineer-in-Chief of the Victorian Railways, Thomas Higinbotham, who suggested an "outer circle route".[1][2][3][4]
Construction of the Gippsland line was authorised in 1873, but the line, which was to be operated by the Victorian Railways, could not be brought into Melbourne by the direct route used today because the privately owned Melbourne and Hobson's Bay United Railway Company (M&HBUR) controlled the line from Flinders Street to South Yarra, and there was no connection between the privately run Flinders Street station and the Victorian Railways station at Spencer Street.[5] That problem was solved when the M&HBUR was purchased by the government in 1878, and the direct rail line from South Yarra to Oakleigh was opened the next year.[6]
Agitation for the Outer Circle line was then taken over by politicians and land speculators.[7] It was included in the 1882 Railway Construction Act, and was authorised by the 1884 Railway Construction Act, passed on 12 December 1884.[8] The act also authorised the construction of a viaduct connecting Flinders Street and Spencer Street stations. By 1885, two of the parliamentarians who had helped gain approval for the line, F.E. Beaver and James Munro, had purchased half the land adjoining the new railway.[9][10]
When opened the line was 10.3 miles (16.6 km) in length, and had 11 stations, all provided with twin platforms and crossing loops. Provision was made for double track, and heavier-duty 75 pounds (34 kg) per yard rails were used.[11] Despite that, the line never carried Gippsland traffic, and the severe economic depression of the early 1890s meant that suburban development along the line ceased.[12]
Diagram showing Melbourne's rail network, including former and planned lines
The first section of the Outer Circle opened was on 24 March 1890, from Oakleigh to Waverley Road, and on to Burnley. It was followed by the line from Waverley Road to Camberwell on 24 March 1890, and the Riversdale to Fairfield Park section on 24 March 1891.[13] From this time the line was operated as three different passenger services:[14]
Oakleigh to Burnley, change at Waverley Road for,
Waverly Road to Camberwell, change at Riversdale for,
Riversdale to Fairfield Park.
Lack of passengers led to service cuts, and the Riversdale to Fairfield Park section was closed completely from 12 April 1893, being replaced by a horse bus service.[15] The Oakleigh to Ashburton and Darling section closed on 9 December 1895,[15][16] and the last section, from Camberwell to Ashburton, closed on 1 May 1897.[17] Camberwell to Ashburton was reopened 4 July 1898[13] as the Ashburton line.
Today, the southern section of the line from Camberwell to Alamein is part of the Melbourne suburban railway network as the Alamein line. The northern section of the line, starting at East Camberwell, has been converted into the Outer Circle Trail, a walking and bicycle path.[19] All of the closed stations have since been demolished, as has the railway infrastructure of the line, but some road overbridges and underbridges remain. The rail bridge over the Yarra River was converted into a road bridge as part of the Chandler Highway sometime after 1919.[20] The track between Fairfield station and the northern bank of the Yarra River came into use from 1919 as the APM Siding,[20] serving a paper mill built on the site.
Proposals for re-opening the line are regularly canvassed online.[21]
MediaEdit
In 2014, a documentary, Melbourne's Forgotten Railway – The Outer Circle,[22] was produced by a Melbourne-based media production team, led by Ron Killeen and Andrew McColm. It documented the line and included "historians, an urban planning expert, as well as people who actually remember seeing and riding on the train".[23] A discussion on the development of the documentary, including information about some inaccuracies, is also available.[24]
Outer Circle Railway formation south of Alamein station in 1990. Note stanchions for overhead catenary, erected in 1948 to connect Alamein to the Glen Waverley LineOuter Circle Railway formation south of Alamein station in 2011.
^"THE OUTER-CIRCLE RAILWAY". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 8, 530. Victoria, Australia. 14 October 1873. p. 6. Retrieved 22 June 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"THE OUTER CIRCLE RAILWAY". Weekly Times. No. 217. Victoria, Australia. 1 November 1873. p. 7. Retrieved 22 June 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"THE PROPOSED NEW SUBURBAN LINES". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 11, 952. Victoria, Australia. 11 October 1884. p. 5. Retrieved 22 June 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"THE OUTER CIRCLE RAILWAY. CONTRACT FOR ITS CONSTRUCTION". The Age. No. 10314. Victoria, Australia. 13 March 1888. p. 5. Retrieved 22 June 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Victorian Railways. An unremuerative line closed". Evening News. No. 8062. New South Wales, Australia. 4 April 1893. p. 6. Retrieved 22 June 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Outer Circle Rail Trail – Trail Description". railtrails.org.au. Retrieved 12 March 2008.
^ abS Cauchi (November 1994). "Closure of the Australian Paper Ltd siding at Fairfield". Newsrail. Vol. 22, no. 11. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). pp. 328–331.
^"Hypothetical: The Outer Circle rebuilt?". Railpage. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
^Shack West (14 December 2014). Melbourne's Forgotten Railway – The Outer Circle (Motion Picture). Retrieved 21 October 2019 – via Vimeo.
^Killeen, Ron (4 December 2014). "Melbourne's Forgotten Railway – documentary out now!" (PDF) (Press release). Melbourne, Victoria: Shack West. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
^"Outer Circle Railway documentary and website". Railpage. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
SourcesEdit
Beardsell, David; Herbert, Bruce (1979). The Outer Circle: A history of the Oakleigh to Fairfield Park Railway. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). ISBN0-85849-024-2.
October 20, 2023
outer, circle, railway, line, another, railway, outer, circle, london, outer, circle, railway, opened, stages, 1890, 1891, steam, suburban, railway, line, melbourne, australia, traversed, much, modern, city, boroondara, including, suburbs, from, north, south, . For another railway see Outer Circle London The Outer Circle Railway was opened in stages in 1890 and 1891 as a steam era suburban railway line in Melbourne Australia It traversed much of the modern City of Boroondara including the suburbs of from north to south Kew East Camberwell Burwood Ashburton and Malvern East At its longest it ran from Fairfield station on what is today the Hurstbridge line to Oakleigh station on the current Pakenham and Cranbourne lines Outer CircleOverviewStatusClosed line Outer Circle Anniversary Trail operational with passenger services from Riversdale to AlameinOwnerVictorian Railways VR 1890 1974 VR as VicRail 1974 1983 MTA The Met 1983 1989 PTC The Met 1989 1997 VicTrack 1997 Current LocaleMelbourne Victoria AustraliaTerminiFairfieldOakleighContinues fromHurstbridgeContinues asBairnsdale Traralgon Cranbourne amp PakenhamConnecting linesAlamein Bairnsdale Traralgon Belgrave Cranbourne Glen Waverley Hurstbridge Lilydale amp Pakenham linesStations9 current stations6 former stationsServiceServicesAlameinHistoryCommenced24 March 1890 1890 03 24 OpenedDarling to Oakleigh on 24 March 1890 1890 03 24 Camberwell to Waverley Road on 30 May 1890 1890 05 30 Fairfield to Riversdale on 24 March 1891 1891 03 24 Shenley to Canterbury on 15 March 1892 1892 03 15 Completed15 March 1892 1892 03 15 ReopenSee Alamein lineClosedFairfield to Riversdale on 12 April 1893 1893 04 12 Shenley to Canterbury on 12 April 1893 1893 04 12 Ashburton to Oakleigh on 9 December 1895 1895 12 09 Darling to Waverley Road on 9 December 1895 1895 12 09 Camberwell to Ashburton on 1 May 1897 1897 05 01 TechnicalLine length25 275 km 15 705 mi Number of tracksSingle trackTrack gauge1 600 mm 5 ft 3 in Route mapLegendkmHurstbridge lineto Flinders Street0 0 FairfieldHurstbridge lineto HurstbridgeFulham GrangeHeidelberg RoadAPM Siding not original Yarra River now used as Chandler Highway WillsmereHigh StreetEast KewBurke RoadDeepdeneWhitehorse Road Maroondah Highway Roystead not original ShenleyCanterbury RoadBelgrave amp Lilydale linesto CanterburyEast Camberwell not original Belgrave amp Lilydale linesAlamein lineto CamberwellRiversdale Riversdale RoadWillison not original Hartwell not original Toorak Road Burwood Highway Burwood AshburtonHigh StreetAlamein not original Gardiners Creek Kooyongkoot Creek Monash FreewayGlen Waverley lineGlen Waverley lineto DarlingWaverley Road closed Dandenong Road Princes Highway Bairnsdale Traralgon Cranbourne amp Pakenham linesto Flinders StreetHughesdale not original Rosstown Railwayto Elsternwick dismantled Warrigal Road25 3 OakleighBairnsdale Traralgon Cranbourne amp Pakenham linesto DandenongkmThis diagram viewtalkedit Contents 1 History 2 Services 2 1 Station histories 3 Today 4 Media 5 See also 6 References 7 SourcesHistory EditThe Outer Circle railway was first advocated in 1867 by a group known as the Upper Yarra Railway League who suggested that the Gippsland Railway could be brought into Melbourne via the outer suburbs However the term itself was coined in 1873 by Engineer in Chief of the Victorian Railways Thomas Higinbotham who suggested an outer circle route 1 2 3 4 Construction of the Gippsland line was authorised in 1873 but the line which was to be operated by the Victorian Railways could not be brought into Melbourne by the direct route used today because the privately owned Melbourne and Hobson s Bay United Railway Company M amp HBUR controlled the line from Flinders Street to South Yarra and there was no connection between the privately run Flinders Street station and the Victorian Railways station at Spencer Street 5 That problem was solved when the M amp HBUR was purchased by the government in 1878 and the direct rail line from South Yarra to Oakleigh was opened the next year 6 Agitation for the Outer Circle line was then taken over by politicians and land speculators 7 It was included in the 1882 Railway Construction Act and was authorised by the 1884 Railway Construction Act passed on 12 December 1884 8 The act also authorised the construction of a viaduct connecting Flinders Street and Spencer Street stations By 1885 two of the parliamentarians who had helped gain approval for the line F E Beaver and James Munro had purchased half the land adjoining the new railway 9 10 Construction commenced in 1888 and was completed in 1891 The Outer Circle connected Camberwell station on the modern Belgrave and Lilydale lines with Oakleigh station to the south via Riversdale on what is now the Alamein line The northern section ran from Riversdale to Fairfield station then called Fairfield Park There was also a branch line from the closed Waverley Road station near the modern East Malvern station to Darling and Burnley That was the first section of what later became the Glen Waverley line and was opened a few weeks before the Outer Circle When opened the line was 10 3 miles 16 6 km in length and had 11 stations all provided with twin platforms and crossing loops Provision was made for double track and heavier duty 75 pounds 34 kg per yard rails were used 11 Despite that the line never carried Gippsland traffic and the severe economic depression of the early 1890s meant that suburban development along the line ceased 12 Services EditFor operation post reopening on 4 July 1898 see Alamein railway line nbsp Diagram showing Melbourne s rail network including former and planned linesThe first section of the Outer Circle opened was on 24 March 1890 from Oakleigh to Waverley Road and on to Burnley It was followed by the line from Waverley Road to Camberwell on 24 March 1890 and the Riversdale to Fairfield Park section on 24 March 1891 13 From this time the line was operated as three different passenger services 14 Oakleigh to Burnley change at Waverley Road for Waverly Road to Camberwell change at Riversdale for Riversdale to Fairfield Park Lack of passengers led to service cuts and the Riversdale to Fairfield Park section was closed completely from 12 April 1893 being replaced by a horse bus service 15 The Oakleigh to Ashburton and Darling section closed on 9 December 1895 15 16 and the last section from Camberwell to Ashburton closed on 1 May 1897 17 Camberwell to Ashburton was reopened 4 July 1898 13 as the Ashburton line Station histories Edit Station Opened 18 Closed 18 Age Notes 18 Fairfield 8 May 1888 135 years Formerly Fairfield ParkFulham Grange 24 March 1891 12 April 1893 24 monthsWillsmere 24 March 1891 12 April 1893 24 monthsEast Kew 24 March 1891 12 April 1893 24 months Reopened as part of Alamein lineDeepdene 24 March 1891 12 April 1893 24 months Reopened as part of Alamein lineShenley 24 March 1891 12 April 1893 24 months Reopened as part of Alamein lineCamberwell 3 April 1882 141 yearsCanterbury 1 December 1882 140 yearsRiversdale 30 May 1890 1 May 1897 6 years Reopened as part of Alamein lineBurwood 30 May 1890 1 May 1897 6 years Formerly Hartwell Reopened as part of Alamein lineAshburton 30 May 1890 1 May 1897 6 years Formerly Norwood Reopened as part of Alamein lineDarling 24 March 1890 133 yearsWaverley Road 24 March 1890 9 December 1895 5 years Formerly WaverleyOakleigh 8 October 1877 146 yearsToday Edit nbsp Remains of Fulham Grange station in 2007Today the southern section of the line from Camberwell to Alamein is part of the Melbourne suburban railway network as the Alamein line The northern section of the line starting at East Camberwell has been converted into the Outer Circle Trail a walking and bicycle path 19 All of the closed stations have since been demolished as has the railway infrastructure of the line but some road overbridges and underbridges remain The rail bridge over the Yarra River was converted into a road bridge as part of the Chandler Highway sometime after 1919 20 The track between Fairfield station and the northern bank of the Yarra River came into use from 1919 as the APM Siding 20 serving a paper mill built on the site Proposals for re opening the line are regularly canvassed online 21 Media EditIn 2014 a documentary Melbourne s Forgotten Railway The Outer Circle 22 was produced by a Melbourne based media production team led by Ron Killeen and Andrew McColm It documented the line and included historians an urban planning expert as well as people who actually remember seeing and riding on the train 23 A discussion on the development of the documentary including information about some inaccuracies is also available 24 nbsp Outer Circle Railway formation south of Alamein station in 1990 Note stanchions for overhead catenary erected in 1948 to connect Alamein to the Glen Waverley Line nbsp Outer Circle Railway formation south of Alamein station in 2011 See also EditInner Circle railway line Outer Circle Bicycle Path Melbourne s Forgotten Railway Discussion The Outer Circle Line documentary in production References Edit Beardsell amp Herbert 1979 p 1 THE OUTER CIRCLE RAILWAY The Argus Melbourne No 8 530 Victoria Australia 14 October 1873 p 6 Retrieved 22 June 2017 via National Library of Australia THE OUTER CIRCLE RAILWAY Weekly Times No 217 Victoria Australia 1 November 1873 p 7 Retrieved 22 June 2017 via National Library of Australia THE PROPOSED NEW SUBURBAN LINES The Argus Melbourne No 11 952 Victoria Australia 11 October 1884 p 5 Retrieved 22 June 2017 via National Library of Australia Beardsell amp Herbert 1979 p 6 Beardsell amp Herbert 1979 p 19 Beardsell amp Herbert 1979 p 4 Beardsell amp Herbert 1979 p 26 Beardsell amp Herbert 1979 p 27 THE OUTER CIRCLE RAILWAY CONTRACT FOR ITS CONSTRUCTION The Age No 10314 Victoria Australia 13 March 1888 p 5 Retrieved 22 June 2017 via National Library of Australia Beardsell amp Herbert 1979 p 55 Beardsell amp Herbert 1979 p 56 a b S E Dornan and R G Henderson 1979 Electric Railways of Victoria Australian Electric Traction Society p 84 ISBN 0 909459 06 1 Beardsell amp Herbert 1979 p 50 a b Beardsell amp Herbert 1979 p 59 Victorian Railways An unremuerative line closed Evening News No 8062 New South Wales Australia 4 April 1893 p 6 Retrieved 22 June 2017 via National Library of Australia Beardsell amp Herbert 1979 p 60 a b c Anderson Rick 2010 Stopping All Stations Clunes Victoria Full Parallel Productions ISBN 978 0646543635 OCLC 671303814 Outer Circle Rail Trail Trail Description railtrails org au Retrieved 12 March 2008 a b S Cauchi November 1994 Closure of the Australian Paper Ltd siding at Fairfield Newsrail Vol 22 no 11 Australian Railway Historical Society Victorian Division pp 328 331 Hypothetical The Outer Circle rebuilt Railpage Retrieved 25 November 2021 Shack West 14 December 2014 Melbourne s Forgotten Railway The Outer Circle Motion Picture Retrieved 21 October 2019 via Vimeo Killeen Ron 4 December 2014 Melbourne s Forgotten Railway documentary out now PDF Press release Melbourne Victoria Shack West Retrieved 20 October 2019 Outer Circle Railway documentary and website Railpage Retrieved 25 November 2021 Sources EditBeardsell David Herbert Bruce 1979 The Outer Circle A history of the Oakleigh to Fairfield Park Railway Australian Railway Historical Society Victorian Division ISBN 0 85849 024 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Outer Circle railway line amp oldid 1172493818, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
