# Elphinstone railway precinct report



## luddite (Sep 14, 2020)

Here is a bridge which I drive over many times a week. The amount of times I've sat on the edge or walked up it's track is at least 100. Each time I marvel at it's size. 

Below is a copy of the historical archives (Elphinstone-railway-precinct_report_12-9-2020-pdf.19). Emphasis mine!

You can also see my friend in the tunnel pic as a way to see the sheer size of this thing. What kind of trains ran through it in the 1860's because when I watch a train run through it now ... well they look like toys. There are tons of examples along this line that make me question if 150km of rock hard earth could be cleared, dug, tracks laid, bridges built and tunnels dug with just 6000 men...



> Statement of Significance: The Elphinstone railway precinct forms part of the Murray Valley Railway (Melbourne to Echuca line). Opened in five stages from February 1859 to September 1864, the Murray Valley Railway was the largest of the Colony's first two main trunk lines. The inability of the lines original private promoters - the Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Company - to raise sufficient funds to construct the line, led to the government purchasing the company and embracing a public railway system. The Government's decision to construct the line in 1856 was accompanied by the formation of the Victorian Railways Department. The building of the line during the early 1860s reflected the strategic economic issues of the day: servicing the important goldfields of Castlemaine and Bendigo, and capturing the Murray River and Riverina trade for the Port of Melbourne. With a labour force of more than 6,000 men, the Melbourne to Echuca line was the Colony's largest capital works project of its time. The line is still used today for public transport and freight services and comprises a very large number of structures and facilities of varying ages, conditions and degrees of operational and business significance.
> 
> The Elphinstone railway precinct is of historical and scientific importance to the State of Victoria.
> 
> ...


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## Gold (Sep 14, 2020)

I'm sure they used things like those advanced tunnel boring machines that the old forum had patent images of. 
A good clue that a structure is old, I've found, not all the time but often, is the alternating brick trim on the corners of structures that we can see in your photos.


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## luddite (Sep 14, 2020)

What do you mean about the brick trim? 

So you mean this machine? SH Archive - 19th Century: Tunnel Boring Machines, Frederick Beaumont, Second Industrial Revolution


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## Gold (Sep 15, 2020)

luddite said:


> What do you mean about the brick trim?
> 
> So you mean this machine? SH Archive - 19th Century: Tunnel Boring Machines, Frederick Beaumont, Second Industrial Revolution


The alternating brick pattern in your first image is a great example.
And yeah, glad we still have that up


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## Chince (Sep 16, 2020)

> A good clue that a structure is old, I've found, not all the time but often, is the alternating brick trim on the corners of structures


i am super curious on your thinking behind this. I get what you mean, but am curious what connections you have made to get to that conclusion

like in general is it just the appearance of 'quality'? because that does make sense, we dont make shit like we used to


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## Gold (Sep 16, 2020)

Chince said:


> > A good clue that a structure is old, I've found, not all the time but often, is the alternating brick trim on the corners of structures
> 
> 
> i am super curious on your thinking behind this. I get what you mean, but am curious what connections you have made to get to that conclusion
> ...


I say that because that alternating brick pattern is extremely common on old buildings. It's a theme on many of them. I don't know why, I haven't been able to uncover if that's just an aesthetic they liked or had a practical purpose but many old old buildings have that feature. The same ones will have large arched windows in rows of 3, columns, etc. Now a single one or two of these isn't a 100% certainty a building is really old, there's the whole facelift thing where old buildings were revamped to still look old but in a totally different style with the pattern 3 of and large rounded windows being eradicated but I've noticed the trim being a theme on old buildings and old apartments that have basement windows among other things.


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## TempleUnderfoot (Sep 16, 2020)

Without touching on the question of age, the reason for alternating cornerstones is really simple from a structural point of view.

The main reason is that it’s really the only way to build a masonry corner. Even with small bricks it’s done that way. It’s still how it’s done today. It allows the corner to be locked into the wall, like a puzzle. I personally see no other way to build a structurally sound brick/stone corner. 

The reason for larger cornerstones, which is still done today, is that they’re simply stronger than same sized bricks as the wall. Makes a stronger corner. 

Sitting outside at work I’m literally looking at 3 stone houses that aren’t old enough to be mysterious and they’re built in that fashion. Large alternating cornerstone blocks locking into the smaller bricks used for the walls.


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## Gold (Sep 16, 2020)

TempleUnderfoot said:


> Without touching on the question of age, the reason for alternating cornerstones is really simple from a structural point of view.
> 
> The main reason is that it’s really the only way to build a masonry corner. Even with small bricks it’s done that way. It’s still how it’s done today. It allows the corner to be locked into the wall, like a puzzle. I personally see no other way to build a structurally sound brick/stone corner.
> 
> ...


Thanks for informing me, I wasn't sure if it was just a pretty thing they did or served a purpose


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## Broken Agate (Sep 16, 2020)

Built in 1859-1864, but I bet there are no photos of it being constructed. It was probably already there, and they just cleared away the dirt, repaired the tracks, and bragged about it afterwards. 

Also, Elphinstone is an interesting name.


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## Mike Nolan (Sep 17, 2020)

Broken Agate said:


> Also, Elphinstone is an interesting name.


The town was originally called Sawpit Gully, but was renamed Elphinstone after Baron Mountstuart Elphinstone, Lieutenant-Governor of Bombay from 1819 to 1827.

	Post automatically merged: Sep 17, 2020



Mike Nolan said:


> Broken Agate said:
> 
> 
> > Also, Elphinstone is an interesting name.
> ...


Interesting to note the old bluestone rail bridge a few kms down the road. Google Maps


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## luddite (Sep 17, 2020)

Mike Nolan said:


> Interesting to note the old bluestone rail bridge a few kms down the road. Google Maps


It is indeed interesting. The rail bridge is massive in size. It also makes no sense why they built it so high when they could have avoided it and the tunnel completely by turning at Malmsbury instead of Elphinstone.


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## Felix Noille (Sep 17, 2020)

Perhaps they were constructed to accommodate an up and a down line eventually - i.e. two tracks? It would be interesting to see a photo with a train entering in the tunnel... for comparison purposes you understand, not any kind of pervy reason ?


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## luddite (Sep 18, 2020)

Felix Noille said:


> Perhaps they were constructed to accommodate an up and a down line eventually - i.e. two tracks? It would be interesting to see a photo with a train entering in the tunnel... for comparison purposes you understand, not any kind of pervy reason ?


Why can't it be for both reasons haha. I'll take one! Will need a couple of weeks.


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