Mont Park railway line

The line was opened in 1911 to serve the Mont Park Asylum complex, with the construction expense met by the government Health Department. Electrification on the line was commissioned on 14 September 1928, in contrast to the wooden posts then used on single lines of railway in Melbourne. The Railway (Mont Park Siding) Act of 1946 was passed to permit passenger trains to operate on the line, but this opportunity was never used. The line was officially closed on 30 June 1964. ==Operation==

The line was built as a single track goods only line. It was built to a 1 in 30 grade, and was unfenced. At the terminus there were three roads in 1953, with a derail block at the down (exit) end. Trains were running weekly on the line by the 1950s, run either with the "Electric Motors" (suburban carriages) from Heidelberg, In December 1958 Electric Staff safeworking on the mainline was replaced by 3 position automatic signals, and duplication was carried out from Rosanna Junction to Macleod. ==Today==

From 1966, of line was kept for the stabling of trains, remaining until the late 1970s at the earliest. Between 1977 and 1979 (possibly at the time of Macleod-Greensborough duplication, '79) a "back platform" was constructed at Macleod, the approach to which is approximately on the former Mont Park line alignment. It is a common misconception that the track into the back platform is the remaining section of the Mont Park line formerly used for stabling, but this is not the case, it does not curve in the same direction and is of a different gradient. At the same time as the back platform was constructed, three stabling sidings were built at the up end. The back platform is not used for stabling, although it is often used as a head-shunt for the yard. The path of the line, beyond its crossing of Wungan Street at its intersection with Cherry Street, extends through the bushland adjacent to the Harry Pottage Memorial Park for several hundred metres, much of which is still reasonably visible, albeit overgrown. The only remains other than the alignment are the bases of several overhead wiring poles, as well as one complete pole where the section of track retained for stabling once ended. Land formerly occupied by the Mont Park Asylum is now part of La Trobe University, and private housing developments. ==References==