Like any history this is not quite accurate, for it is not complete. Any growing railway will change, and Puffing Billy is no exception. The diagrams below represent snapshots. There are many changes in between that were incorporated into later work, and these are not shown separately. Likewise some temporary arrangements are not covered.
The original "new Belgrave yard was built on an embankment with a falling 1 in 40 grade towards Menzies Creek. Hindsight was to show that the yard was too crowded. A cynic said that the Victorian railways designed the yard for a railway they thought would never run. Loco maintenance was done from the depot at Dynon some 35 km away. Due to the placement of the loco shed 1 and 3 roads were running roads, 2 road was the siding.
By the mid 1970s the ETRB had been formed to run the railway. This meant that the locomotives had to be maintained from an ETRB depot. Hence the new building which was designed as a running shed rather than a maintenance shed. Another addition was a shed to house the VIP car (NBL 1).
The purchase of adjoining land enabled the ETRB to undertake extensive regrading of Belgrave Yard. The old 1 rd. (the original main line) was removed, along with the embankment underneath it. The new 1 & 2 roads were built on an almost level (falling 1 in 200 grade towards the middle of the platform). A new siding was provided alongside the old main line. A wayward suburban electric train destroyed the transfer ramp one frosty morning.
A new loco running shed was built, along with a gang shed. Due to the restricted site, locomotives have to zig zag from 1 rd. to it. There is no coal stage in the new arrangement. Locomotives are coaled by a front end loader from coal stored on a concrete pad at ground level. The old loco area at the top of the hill is being covered to house the "Lunch Train" NBLs and their power vans.
In 2003 Puff commenced a multi-million dollar upgrade which included the doubling in size of the locomotive workshop. As a result the yard in front of the workshop had to be re-built. The photo of the working plans (with highlights) shows what was done in May & June. The blue line at the top of the plan indicates the location of the track in that area. The trolley shed with its 3-way stub points will be demolished and replaced by lunch/change rooms for the workers. The trolleys will be housed in the ex-NBL/Climax shed.
The new section required special points for 20m radius curves.
Return to the Belgrave page.