We spent a little time in the historical precinct at Beechworth, including
the gaol tour. This lasted an hour and took us through all the main areas of the former gaol (although we didn't get to climb a guard tower as advertised on the web site). It was obviously an extremely tough place to be in if you were there in the 19th century, and would still have been a most unpleasant place if you were there as late as 2004 (the year in which it was closed).
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| Interior of cell - used until 2004 |
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| Solitary confinement exercise yard |
The tour included a close inspection of the gallows. The only part missing was an actual demonstration of their operation! Apart from that, little was left to the imagination.
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| Not sure if T class locos ever operated mixed trains, but does it matter? |
One of the other buildings able to be viewed was the telegraph office. In addition to a good display of telegraphic equipment, a model of the Beechworth railway station in the 1950s was on display.
From 1955 on T class were the primary locomotives that VR used for branch lines.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1950's the rail service to Beechworth was a mixed train running on Mondays Wednesday and Fridays.
My comment in relation to the T class loco heading a mixed train at Beechworth was not fully researched, but as I understand it, the last mixed train to Beechworth was on Friday 10 April 1953. I believe - but haven't confirmed - that this was the last regularly scheduled mixed train on the VR.
ReplyDeleteThe first order of T class locos did in fact start arriving in 1955 (although steam still operated on many branch lines for years after that) but actually the loco in the model was from the second order, with the raised cab roof (but not a lower nose) which started arriving in 1959.