Geelong Racecourse (also known as Breakwater) is a disused railway station on the Geelong-Warrnambool railway line, in the Geelong suburb of Breakwater, Victoria, Australia. The station was located on a loop siding off the main line and was only used for special events at the nearby Geelong Racecourse.
Geelong Racecourse | ||||||||||||||||
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General information | ||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | Geelong, Warrnambool | |||||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 | |||||||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | |||||||||||||||
Other information | ||||||||||||||||
Status | Closed | |||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||
Opened | 14 December 1910[1] | |||||||||||||||
Closed | 1 March 2011 | |||||||||||||||
Previous names | Geelong Showgrounds | |||||||||||||||
Services | ||||||||||||||||
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In 1910, the Geelong Racing Club, the Geelong Agricultural Society and the Hibernian Society together paid the Victorian Railways £1000 to have the station built. It was first used for the race meeting held on Wednesday 14 December of that year.[1] The new station replaced one on the Queenscliff railway line, which was further from the racecourse.[2] When it first opened, it was known as Geelong Showgrounds.[3] It was renamed Geelong Racecourse in March 1915.[3]
By the start of 1918, an electric staff instrument was provided. In 1942, a dead-end extension at the down end of the station was abolished,[3] and in 1956, the electric staff instrument and a switching facility was abolished.[3] In 1962, all signals at the station were abolished.[3]
By December 2001, the loop was booked out of service, and was only booked back in service once a year, for the Geelong Cup.[3] The last V/Line service to stop there was for the 2005 Geelong Cup.[4] In 2005, the points from the main line were spiked,[5][6] preventing trains from accessing the platform. In May 2007, a small timber hut, which was the only building on the platform, was demolished.[3]
In February 2011, the loop siding was disconnected from the main line, in conjunction with the re-sleepering of the main line.[4] On 1 March of that year, the loop siding was abolished, effectively closing the station.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Goodwood" (14 December 1910). "Notes ands Chat". The Argus. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ "Goodwood" (9 June 1910). "Notes and Chat". The Argus. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "General News". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. April 2011. p. 102.
- ^ a b "Rail Geelong - Locations - Geelong Racecourse Station". www.railgeelong.com. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
- ^ "Marshall signalling plan" (PDF). www.vicsig.net. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
- ^ "South Geelong 104/08". V/Line signal diagram. www.signaldiagramsandphotos.com. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
38°10′35″S 144°22′05″E / 38.1764°S 144.3681°E