Rail Geelong

• Marshall the First
• Rebirth
• Events
• Diagrams
• Photos
• Other Locations
• Sources

Marshall today is a busy commuter station, with a single platform on steel stilts on the east side of the main line, with a run around loop opposite. A cement sheeting clad station building is provided, with a booking office window and toilets for passengers, but no waiting room.

Marshall the First

Marshall Station first opened in 1879 as 'Connewarra' on the up side of the Marshalltown Road level crossing. The year previous had seen the opening of the Geelong Racecourse branch, which left the main line a few hundred metres further down the line. The branch to the racecourse was two miles in length and was only opened for special race trains.

A siding was installed between December 1885 and April 1886 to service the tanneries and other industries then existing along the Barwon River. A carriage dock had also been provided some time after 1887, with it removed in June 1897. The last use of the racecourse branch was in 1906, the line being lifted in 1908, and closed in 1909. The station was renamed Marshall in 1907.

In 1912 more changes came to the station, with a pipemaking factory opening in the station yard. Operated by Stone and Siddeley Co, they had won the contract to build Geelong's outfall sewer to Black Rock (near Barwon Heads). They built a light tramway to assist in the construction process, hauling pipes from the factory, along the alignment of the now-closed racecourse line, to the route of the sewer a kilometre or so away. At Marshall Station itself the remains of the branch line was converted into a loop siding off the main line. By late 1915 the sewer was complete, and the tramway and pipemaking factory removed.

The loop siding itself was left behind, forming a goods yard where a small shed and stock race was erected. By 1953 Marshall as worked under no-one-in-charge conditions, and by 1957 was open to goods in wagon loads only. The passenger platform was removed in 1958, and Marshall was closed to all traffic in 1964.

• Geelong Racecourse branch
• Stone and Siddeley sewer tramway

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Rebirth

The site of Marshall laid empty until the early 2000s where the government of the day made an election promise to provide a 'Grovedale' station to serve the growing southern suburbs of Geelong with commuter trains. After a number of surveys and consultations, it was decided that the new station would be built at Marshalltown Road on the site of the former Marshall goods yard. A competition was held to decide the name of the new station, with 'Marshall' being declared the winner. The new station cost $5 million, with $500,000 spent in the 2003-04 financial year.

Construction commenced in 2003, with a station building, six car platform, 100 space carpark, bus terminus, run around loop, and associated signalling being provided. The new station opened to passengers on April 26th 2004. It was initially only served by trains running to and from Warrnambool, until July 2005 when the run around loop and signalling was commissioned, allowing trains to terminate at Marshall. September 2005 saw a limited number of South Geelong trains extended to Marshall, and September 2006 saw even more again.

In September / November 2008 the platform was extended in order to fit 7 car VLocity trains. About 5 metres were added at the down end, and 2 metres was added at the up end, the latter being narrower than the rest of the platform.

In March 2010 work started on expansion of the carpark, adding 300 spaces on land acquired from the adjacent egg farm to the south-east of the station. A new secure cage for 30 bikes was also added, as well as a second platform entrance at the down end to provide easier access from the new carpark. Completed by July 2010, it was not until August 2011 that Myki equipment was provided at the new entrance.

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Events

Line Opened

Safeworking

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Diagrams

NOTE: Diagrams are not to scale.

• Opening
• 1914
• 1924
• 1958
• 1964
• 1982
• 2004
• 2005

Opening

Back to Year Listing

1914

Back to Year Listing

1924

Back to Year Listing

1958

Back to Year Listing

1964

Back to Year Listing

1982

Back to Year Listing

2004

Back to Year Listing

2005

Back to Year Listing

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Photos

9 of 50 images found displayed. Click them to enlarge.

Platform extension at the up end	Signal 6 for the loop and post 5 for the main line, with a low level co-acting signal	Amazing! The Department of Transport has permitted a second entry to a railway station platform! (but they forget the Myki equipment...)
Additional disabled parking spaces provided in the original carpark as part of the 2010 upgrade	Train radio base station in the middle of the bus loop	Additional disabled parking spaces provided in the original carpark as part of the 2010 upgrade
Sign spruiking the carpark extension	Looking over from the station building to the bus interchange and extended carpark	Down end platform extension, the lights at platform level are due to the overhead transmission lines?

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Other Locations

• Marshall Signal Box

Sources

• ARHS Tour Notes - 'South Western Steam Supreme' 1997
• http://www.vrhistory.com/ - Andrew Waugh
• Light Railways Magazine
• Marshall Station car park open for business - Marshall Station car park open for business (Friday, 16 July 2010)
• Marshall Station boosted with 300 new car parks - Marshall Station boosted with 300 new car parks (Monday, 15 March 2010)
• State Government of Victoria - Public Sector Asset Investment Program 2004-05 - Budget Information Paper No. 1