The Argus at KellyGang 20/11/1873 (3)
The ruling gradient between Melbourne and Seymour is 1 in 50. The longest gradient of this kind occurs between Moonee Ponds and Broadmeadows, and is about a mile and three-quarters in length. The line was opened to Schoolhouse-lane, a distance of 54¼ miles, on April 18, 1872. A temporary station, or platform, was erected here, as the remainder of the section-was not opened until September 17, principally owing to the non-completion of the bridge over the Goulburn. In times of floods the rush of water in the Goulburn is tremendous, and the banks of the river are frequently overflown. It was considered safer to erect an iron bridge over it, instead of one of stone, both on account of its greater strength, and because it would offer less opposition to the free passage of the storm-water.
It is the first cylinder bridge erected in the colony. Its total length is 544ft., and it has 10 openings. The two which span the main stream are each 100ft. in width, and the other eight which form the approaches are each 40ft. wide. The whole structure is carried on cast-iron cylinders of about 1½in. in thickness, filled with concrete, and sunk 15ft below the bed of the river, until they rest upon a stratum of very hard cemented gavel. The cylinders carrying the main spans are 6ft. in diameter at the base of the column, and taper up to 4ft. above. The cylinders supporting the side spans are 5ft. in diameter at the base, and 2ft. 3in. above. The weight of the cast iron in the cylinders is 290 tons, while the girders which support the permanent way are of wrought iron, and weigh 220 tons more. The cost of the bridge is about £23,000. The ironwork was supplied and erected by the Langlands Foundry Company.
Along the Goulburn Flat there are four other bridges, varying in length from 100 to 200ft., all built on cylinders, with wrought iron girder tops. Considerable difficulty was experienced in sinking the cylinders in the bed of the river, and a diver had to make all the excavations. The rails used on this and the second section are steel flange rails, weighing 66lb to the yard. They are fastened by fang-bolts and clips to the sleepers, and thus make a very much smoother road then they would if they rested in cast-iron chairs, which are fastened to the sleepers. Dams have been constructed at Wallan Wallan and Kilmore to supply the engines with water. They are about a mile and a half from the town in each, case, and the fall is sufficient to enable them to supply the station tanks by means of gravitation. At Seymour the water-tank will hold 20,000 gallons, and has to be filled by pumping up water from the Goulburn. At Benalla the tank is filled in the same way from the Broken River , but wherever it is possible smaller tanks are used and the water supply is obtained by gravitation.
Some very pretty scenery is passed on the journey to Seymour. Around Moonie Ponds the country is undulating, and a great portion of it is under cultivation, or laid down with English grass. The village of Broadmeadows is seen prettily situated a short distance from the line. The land is sparsely timbered up to Wallan Wallan, but after that its character changes, and it becomes much more hilly and covered with boxwood. The ancient town of Kilmore is situated too far from the line to be visible. A fine view is obtained of the Tallarook Ranges; some of the gorges are said to be well worth the attention of pedestrian tourists. A great portion of the land between Essendon and Seymour is used for grazing, but some good patches of cultivation occur. The country along the Goulburn Valley is very rich, and much of it is under tillage. The low land is very liable to be flooded, but the settlors run the risk of being inundated, as one or two good seasons more than repay, the injury they suffer from a flood. All along this section, and in fact throughout the whole length of the line, the stations are very inexpensively built, and are only designed to meet temporary requirements.
The second or middle section of the line was let to Messrs Murray, Styles, and Beauchamp, on March 31, 1871, for £314,994. It extended from Seymour to Benalla, a distance of 60¼ miles. No heavy cuttings had to be made, for the line generally ran over level country. The ruling gradient was 1 in 75. The chief difficulty experienced was in providing for sufficient way for the water to escape in times of floods. No less than 104 iron bridges, varying from 20ft to 100ft, and 74 brick culverts, had to be erected for that purpose. The first work that presented any engineering difficulty was the bridge over Hughes. Creek, about 10 miles from Seymour .
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