Mornington railway line

A branch was opened of the Gippsland Railway from Caulfield to Mordialloc in 1881 and Frankston in 1882. This line was extended to Baxter in 1888 and branches were opened to Hastings and Mornington in 1889.The line from Baxter to Mornington was officially opened on 10 September, 1889.

When opened, the line had two stations: the terminus of Mornington and intermediate station Moorooduc. Between 1920 and 1930 railmotor stopping place (RMSP) 16 was opened at Nepean Highway (then Point Nepean Road) in Mornington, closing again by 1940.[1] Between 1930 and 1940 Mornington Racecourse station was opened, on the Melbourne side of RMSP 16 approximately half way to Moorooduc. Between 1960 and 1970 Mornington Racecourse was renamed to Tanti Park, and between 1970 and 1980 RMSP 16 was reopened.[1] RMSP 16 had 2 small passenger platform, one on each side of Nepean Highway. The Nepean Highway level crossing was fitted with flashing light signals in 1939 which replaced a Wig Wag signal at the location.

The original passenger service was removed during World War 2, with the service being reinstated between Baxter and Mornington in September 1966.[2] The passenger service was attempted to be pulled multiple times in the late 1970s, In late 1978 people protested while repairs on the line were carried out and a replacement bus service was put in for commuters. The regular DERM used on the line was replaced with Walker Railmotor RM22 in November of that year. On 10 December, 1978, RM22 left Mornington at 7:20pm and went back to Melbourne. A replacement bus service was added the next day. People protested against the bus service as it couldn’t take the load of parcels needed and often missed train connections at Frankston. On 29 February 1979, a special race train went on the line hauled by T388. This was meant to be the last special train allowed on the line by VicRail. 300 protesters prevented the train from departing Mornington. The train stayed overnight and didn’t depart until 1pm the next day, 1 March 1979. The transport minister acceded to local demand and a rail service was reinstated on 9 April. RM55 ran the service which arrived in Mornington on the 8/4/79. The service was greeted by a large crowd and brass band. It then made a special run to and from Baxter. RM55 ran the regular passenger service for over 2 years. In the wake of the Lonnie report in early 1981, VicRail prepared to abandoned many passenger services and close many stations which the Mornington line was included in. 19 April 1981 was the date of the last summer Sunday service to Mornington. On Saturday 16 March 1981, ARE ran a steam tour to Mornington and Stony Point hauled by K190. This was the last steam train to run to the original Mornington railway station site. The last day with rail services to Mornington was 20 May 1981. RM55 was used and was driven by Brian Higgins. The last scheduled service departed from Mornington at 1:23 pm that day with engine issues. A replacement bus service followed the train, attempting to stick to the rail schedule. RM55 went to Melbourne after arriving at Frankston on the last service. On 6 June 1981, a railway enthusiast association ran a special from Crib Point to HMAS Cerberus, Mornington and Stony Point using RM59. On Friday 12 June 1981, a Hastings Primary school train ran a special train from Hastings to Mornington and return. The consist for this train was T356-C17-BW80-BE46-AW9-AW8-C27. This was the last train to run between Baxter and the original Mornington station site. On 15 June 1981, the Mornington line was officially booked out of service and a new bus timetable applied from that date. The line lay idle until 1989 when the termite infested Mornington station building was demolished with no warning in the early hours of the morning. The line between Nepean Highway and Mornington was ripped up in 1991 and later in the decade the Mornington yards were demolished and a shopping centre was built on the land and opened in 1999.

The rest of the line lay idle until 1984 when the Mornington Railway Preservation Society was formed with the long-term ambition of restoring a tourist railway service along the line. They restored a K class Steam Locomotive and in 1991 got the lease of the line between Baxter and Nepean Highway. In 1997 there rolling stock was transferred to there current base at Moorooduc and Tourist trains now operate on the line between Moorooduc and Mornington .[3]