With thanks to Romsey & Lancefield Districts Historical Society. The society meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10am-2pm, at Lancefield Courthouse, in Main Rd, Lancefield.
In the photo above, from June 23, 1956, a Victorian Railways train calls at Monegeetta on its journey along the Clarkefield-Lancefield line.
The scene of a passenger checking his watch and people striding along the platform suggests nothing out of the ordinary. However, this was the final time a passenger service would run along those tracks.
The line closed for good almost two months later, its demise sealed by the increasing popularity of the motor car and the amount of money required to repair the Bolinda trestle bridge.
The Clarkefield-Lancefield line closed for good almost two months later, its demise sealed by the increasing popularity of the motor car and the amount of money required to repair the Bolinda trestle bridge.
The railway operated for 75 years. In addition to Monegeetta, stations along the route included Bolinda, North Monegeetta and Romsey.
It was extended from Lancefield to Kilmore in 1892. But this 30km section of track, built at great expense over steep terrain, was open for less than 10 years before a lack of passengers and freight brought about its closure.
Of the former stations on the Clarkefield-Lancefield line, only Lancefield remains in its original location. The station at Monegeetta was moved to a farm near Romsey, where it serves as an outbuilding.
✍️ Kylie McKay, co-author of A Pictorial Guide to the Long Lost Lancefield and Kilmore Railway
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