Rail Geelong

• Facilities
• History
• Events
• Photos
• Aerial Photos
• Related Locations
• Sources

South Kensington was once an important freight centre and junction. Today it it a minor suburban station, junction to the broad gauge freight lines, and a run around location for V/Line services from the Eastern line.

Facilities

The station has four tracks going through it, with the platforms located on the southern pair. Crossovers between the track pairs are located at each end of the platforms. A subway links the platform at the up end, with a signal box on the down platform, and a disused station building at street level beside the subway entrance to the north.

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History

Private sidings around South Kensington included the Four and Twenty Pies factory to the north east (now demolished and an industrial park), a warehouse and silos the the east as Sidings 'B' (now with rail service), and two sidings to the north: Kensington Abattoirs and Kenstore (the first in the process of demolition, the second now residential).

According to the 1953 General Appendix the Abattoirs line terminated 1340 feet on the down side of Footscray Road (now known as Kensington Road) level crossing, with sidings for the Commonwealth Government provided at the terminus. The line ran parallel to the main line at least as far as the level crossing. It was known as Siding 'C' and used a Train Staff lettered for 'South Kensington - Abattoirs Line' with shunting not permitted beyond dwarf signal 13 without it. This signal was for up trains from the siding, and was located behind the up platform.

Freight lines went off the the east towards Weighbridge Junction and Melbourne Yard, while to the west was the line to Sims Street Junction, the Bunbury Street Tunnel, and South Dynon. The North Dynon sidings were located to the south of the station platforms and goods lines, and remain in use today.

Until quadruplication of the lines to Footscray, it was also where the suburban and country lines from the city merged. With the track upgrade the station was rebuilt, with the up platform (number 1) rebuilt on stilts, the other platform left as is. It is also believed that the subway and station building were provided at this time. The station building is to the south-west of the subway entrance, and is of brick construction and tucked up against the retaining wall.

A local signal box once existed at the up end of the down platform, but could switch out with the telephone connected to North Melbourne Junction box. In 1993 control of the area passed to Metrol, along with the rest of the inner suburban area.

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Events

Line Opened

Track Amplified

Safeworking

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Photos

Nine of 24 images found displayed. Click them to enlarge.

Bus shelter at South Kensington platform 2 is looking crappy as ever September 3, 2022	'SKN' sign for down trains approaching South Kensington February 1, 2022	Mural at South Kensington painted over in plain beige A mural by Mike Maka used to cover this wall, funded by the Regional Rail Link -- City to Maribyrnong River project team. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUEngzDqReE June 6, 2020
Ramp down to the subway from platform 1 July 20, 2019	Signals SKN769 and SKN659 for down trains approaching South Kensington January 20, 2019	Crossovers connect the RRL tracks to the Werribee line tracks January 20, 2019
Looking up, goods line branches to right January 25, 2009	Looking down, goods line branches to left January 25, 2009	Looking up, goods line branches to right January 25, 2009

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Aerial Photos

1945 photo map of Melbourne, produced by the Victorian Department of Lands and Survey, now accessable via the University of Melbourne:

Related Locations

• South Kensington (junction to suburban and goods lines)

Sources

• ARHS Tour Notes - 'South Western Steam Supreme' 1997
• http://www.vrhistory.com/ - Andrew Waugh
• VR General Appendix 1953