The Railways - Puffing Billy line.

Photograph from The story of the Dandenongs by Helen Coulson. (Published by F.W.Cheshire, 1959

In this blog we will look at the third railway line in Casey Cardinia, the famous and much loved Puffing Billy line. The railway line had been extended from Ringwood to Upper Ferntree Gully in 1889 and locals were keen to have a rail service to Gembrook. A Gembrook Railway League was established, as was a Sassafrass Railway League. This community agitation paid off with the passing of the Fern Tree Gully and Gembrook Railway Construction Act on August 15, 1898. The railway that was built was of narrow gauge (2 feet 6 inches) and opened officially on December 18, 1900. The Stations on the line at the time of the opening were Upper Ferntree Gully, Monbulk (later called Belgrave), Menzies Creek (at one stage called Aura, until it was changed back to Menzies Creek), Emerald, Devon (later called Cockatoo Creek, then Cockatoo) and Gembrook. By the 1940s the Stations were Upwey, opened 1901; Tecoma, opened 1924; Belgrave; Selby, opened 1904; Menzies Creek; Paradise, later called Clematis, opened 1902; Emerald; Nobelius Siding, opened 1904; Nobelius, opened 1927; Lakeside, opened 1944; Wright, opened 1904; Cockatoo; Fielder, opened 1929 and Gembrook.

The Little Train ,as it was affectionately known to locals, was not allowed to travel at a greater speed than 15 miles per hour (about 24 kph) and the 40 mile (about 65km) journey from Melbourne to Gembrook took four hours.

Carl Nobelius of Gembrook Nurseries at Emerald was an early supporter of the line and he had his own Siding built in 1904, beside his packing shed. By the start of the First World war the Nobelius Nurseries occupied over 80 hectares and produced 3 million trees for sale.

Nobelius Siding in 1904. Taken from Nobelius Heritage Park : an illustrated guide by Jo Jenkinson.
(Published by Emerald Museum, 2002)

The Little Train was popular with the locals though the line generally made a loss. It was recommended for closure in 1936 but a public outcry kept the line open for timber, potatoes and market garden produce. A landslide near Menzies Creek, in August 1953, blocked the the line and it was announced that it would close permanently in mid 1954, but once again the public rallied. The Puffing Billy Preservation Society (P.B.P.S) was formed on June 8 1955. The name Puffing Billy, a nick name for the various locomotives, has been in use since 1903 but became prominent in the 1950s.

The Society operated Puffing Billy trains between Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave until February 23, 1958, after which the narrow gauge rails were replaced with a broad gauge and the line was electrified. This journey is pictured at the top.

The P.B.P.S spent the next few years working to re-open the line, beyond Belgrave. The landslide was was by-passed and a new track was built . This work was undertaken as a training exercise by the Citizen Military Forces (a forerunner of the Army Reserve). The track had to be re-sleepered in parts, rolling stock looked after, stations prepared. The Puffing Billy line was officially opened to Menzies Creek in July 1962. Three years later in July 1965 Puffing Billy returned to Emerald, ten years later in 1975 to Lakeside and finally on October 18 1998 it returned to Gembrook. Puffing Billy has carried 8 million passengers since it re-opened in 1962.

That the Puffing Billy train still runs today is a testament to the dedication of the volunteers of the Puffing Billy Preservation Society. The official Puffing Billy website can be found at www.puffingbilly.com.au

A number of books have been been published on the Puffing Billy line - click here to  see what the Library holds.

Tweet

Webb Street, Narre Warren

Webb street, in Narre Warren, was named after the early settler, Sidney John Webb. Sidney Webb had arrived in Australia, from England, in 1854. He was a journalist and worked on The Age, Leader and Australian News. Sidney retired to Narre Warren in 1880 and was instrumental in the growth of the town. He was responsible for obtaining the Narre Warren Railway Station, he donated land for the school and the Mechanics' Institute. The Webb property of 445 hectares (1,100 acres) was called Holly Green, which later became Brechin. The Brechin garden can still be enjoyed, it is on Brechin Drive at Fountain Gate. Webb was a progressive farmer, he was the first in the district to use the double-furrowed plough and also the first reaper and binder. Webb's lasting monument is the avenue of oak trees, that are still thriving on the northern side of the Princes Highway at Narre Warren. The trees were planted in 1890. The seedlings came from the Nobelius Nursery in Emerald. Unfortunately the trees on the southern side were removed some years ago for road widening. Sidney and his wife, Ann (nee Hart), had 14 children of which ten survived to adulthood. The photograph above shows Sidney Webb in front of Holly Green.

Tweet

Emerald and the Nobelius Nurseries.

The Emerald Museum and Nobelius Heritage Park is at Crichton Road in Emerald. The park occupies part of the Gembrook Nurseries, operated by Carl Axel Nobelius and his sons from 1886. Carl was born in Finland in 1851 to Swedish parents and he migrated to Melbourne in 1872. By 1903 Nobelius was advertising over one million trees for sale and this had increased to 3 million trees just before the First World War. The nursery concentrated on fruit and ornamental trees and supplied trees world wide, including to South Africa to replant their orchards after the Boer War. Many of the ornamental trees planted by Nobelius can still be seen at the Nobelius Heritage Park.

The Emerald Museum has an interesting display of material representing Emerald's past including Nobelius memorabilia, the Writers of the Dandenong exhibit and a gold mining exhibit. Gold was discovered at Emerald in 1858.  Visit the website for more information  - http://www.emeraldmuseum.org.au/  An attractive and informative booklet Nobelius Heritage Park : an illustrated guide by Jo Jenkinson, is available at the Museum.

Back to Carl Axel Nobelius (1851 - 1921) - he married Emily Brightwell (1857 - 1911) in 1877. They had eleven children - Hilda (born 1877 - 1941, married name Taylor), Carl Oscar (1879 - 1958), Otto Victor (1881 - 1882), Conrad Percival (1883 - 1968), Archibald Victor (1885 - 1962), Ethel Ruby (1887 - 1965, married name Hayes), Clifford Stanley (born and died 1891), Rupert Wilfred (1891 - 1965), Clifford  Leonard (1892 - 1967), Rudolf Stanley (1895 - 1896) and Stella Irene (1897 - 1974, married name Skehan)

Tweet