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Park Street Level Crossing

Page history last edited by Lenore Frost 1 year, 6 months ago

Time Travellers in Essendon, Flemington and the Keilor Plains

 

Related articles

Gatekeepers-at-the-Park-Street-Railway-Crossing by Marilyn Kenny

Park-Street-Moonee-Ponds-Gatekeeper's-Cottage by Rod Berry

Railways-and-Gardens by Marilyn Kenny

 

 

The Park St Level Crossing 1883-1924

 

by Marilyn Kenny

 


The Park Street Level Crossing, January 2021, courtesy of Google Street View. 

 

Bob Mckay and his sharp eyed railway researcher colleagues, including Andrew, have discovered and shared a considerable amount of new information regarding the Park St, Moonee Ponds, Level Crossing and the gatekeeper’s cottage. This information should be read in conjunction with the original article. Some gaps in our understanding remain as the Essendon Council minutes for this period have been lost and there was no Essendon Gazette at this time. We are dependent on major and other local newspaper reports, particularly of Council meetings to learn of the issues and deliberations.

 

The Crossing becomes Public

 

In 1881, with the duplication of the Essendon line, Park St was retained as an accommodation crossing. However it seems that the crossing was basically unstaffed and thus closed to vehicles. The Essendon Council lobbied the Railway Department for improvements and in November 1883 received this advice:

 

 

The Argus 22 November 1883 p8.

 

The next step in the process can be found three years later with the Railways undertaking to make inquiries.

 

 

 

  North Melbourne Advertiser  3 Sep 1886   Page 4  

 

The Essendon Council continued to discuss the issue as evidenced by this discussion in October 1886.

 

 

North Melbourne Advertiser 29 October 1886 - Page 3

 

A month later Cr Jennings at least was losing patience.

 


North Melbourne Advertiser 5 November 1886

 

 

Of the three Councillors for the Moonee Ponds Ward in late 1886 the Directory shows Cr Thomas Jennings to be in Ardmillan Road, James Boyd to be in St James St and James Robertson to be in Buckley St i.e. Aberfeldie. All were living in the vicinity of the line and crossing.

 

Two months later the Mayor, major businessman, Thomas Jennings and his Council were still waiting. A decision was made then to appeal to their Parliamentary representative. Extant is a letter written to the Hon Samuel Thomas Staughton. Staughton was one of two members representing West Bourke, the electorate for the Essendon area. He shared the electorate with the better known Alfred Deakin. It is not known whether Deakin received a similar letter. Of the two, Deakin was the busier, holding office under the Government and being preoccupied with his interests in irrigation and Federation. It may be that Straughton might have been seen to hold more pull with the Railway Commissioners. Neither representative lived locally, both resided in South Yarra.   

 

T S Staughton 1838-1901.

Staughton was a pastoralist with interests in the Melton district.

 

 

 

 

Transcription

                                                                                                           Borough of Essendon

                                                                                                      Town Hall

Moonee Ponds 10 December 1886

Sir

            I have the honor by direction of the Worshipful the Mayor to bring under your notice that several futile attempts have been made to the Railway department to have the crossing at Park Street between Holmes road and Buckley street opened to vehicular traffic, and to request that you will as representative of the district use your influence to have the said Crossing opened as desired. I may point out that a great boon would be conferred on the residents in the immediate vicinity, as the distance to be traversed to reach the western side of the railway is great, and very inconvenient .You are well aware of the necessity of such a crossing and can confidently leave the matter in your hands feeling sure you will do all in your power to obtain this concession.

I have the honor to be your obedient Servant

E Dangerfield Town Clerk

S T Staughton Esq MP

 

 

In January 1887 the Council were still lobbying.

 

North Melbourne Advertiser January 1887.

 

Unknown to the Council, however, the Railways had been considering a recommendation from one of their own.

 

Transcription

86/6187EE1 6529

 

Railway Department

Office of Existing Lines

Melbourne July 16 1886

Memo

 I think that a level crossing is very much required at Park street, Moonee Ponds.

 

Estimated Cost

Wooden gates including all ironwork painting fixed complete 4 no £5                        £  20-0-0

Gateposts blocks stops guardrails this including painting & fixing 1 set £13                   13-0-0

Wicketgates fixed 2 no £4-10                                                                                              9-0-0

Gatekeepers Cottage                                                                                                       170-0-0

                                                                                                                                                            £212-0-0

 

Total Cost £212-0-0

W H Greene Esq,                                                                                                                  J F Bragge,

Engineer Existing Lines                                                                                                        Assistant Engineer

 

 

Joseph French Bragge, the author of the letter,  was a long serving Engineer in the Existing Lines Branch. Greene, the recipient,  was also a long serving senior Engineer and later a Railway Commissioner.

 

The Railways decided, however, not to take Bragge’s advice and in February 1887 the Council finally received a response.

  

North Melbourne Advertiser 4 Feb 1887.

 

It took two years before the Railways acted on Bragge’s advice. In July 1888 the Railways advertised the tender for the erection of the cottage.

 

Victorian Government Gazette No 68 27 July 1888 P 2441.

 

In August 1888 the tender was awarded.

 

The Argus  7 August 1888.

 

And only a few weeks later the contract was completed.

 

Statement No 21 Victorian Railways Annual Report 1889.

 

It seems that there was a gatekeeper already in place prior to the cottage being completed. There is a reference in late October 1888 to a Mr Alston being involved at an accident at the Park Street level crossing. The most likely Mr Alston was a Thomas Gregory Alston who in 1888 was a 20 year old porter.  Altson was a single man and his status would suggest that he normally worked at an adjoining station and travelled into the crossing. He is known to have family in Moonee Ponds and Ascot Vale and possibly boarded with them attending the gate during set hours.

 

Cottage Plans

 

This 1888 plan show the allocation of land for the gatekeeper’s cottage, placing it partially outside the one chain rail corridor. It is on and adjacent to a C & E Millar works depot site. C & E Millar was a large firm of railway contractors responsible for building railways and infrastructure throughout the continent. It was managed by brothers Charles Gibson and Edwin Franks Millar.

 

VPRS 421/P0000 Unit No 26 File number 1888/1121.

 

The second plan, dated 1927, shows the layout of the cottage and its surrounds. This indicates that the extension to three bedrooms took place sometime between 1905 and 1927. During that time further outbuildings were also added.  

 

Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works. 1639, Town of Essendon, 1905.

 

 

PROV VPRS 421/P/000 U. 802 File 1942/15202.

 

This shows the position of the gatekeeper’s cabin. Two extensions now adjoin the house to the west, backing onto the paling fence separating the land from Sherbourne Street. One of these incorporates or replaces the square structure on the south west boundary in the 1905 plan.

 

Another long narrow structure on the North West boundary may represent a shed. A narrow structure on the north east boundary side adjoining the lavatory may represent another shed.

 

© M Kenny

 September 2022

 

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