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The Redcliffs area in north-western Victoria was developed under a soldier settlement scheme. A preliminary report on an area adjacent to Mildura was made in 1918 by Mr. A.S. Kenyon, an engineer employed by the Victorian government instrumentality, the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission (SR&WSC). The Commission accepted Kenyon's recommended site as suitable for an irrigation settlement scheme. A follow up investigation was made of the area, which was part of the initial Mildura Settlement Concession Area that had been made available to the Chaffey Brothers in 1886. With ministerial permission, negotiations were made to purchase 15,000 acres. However the SR&WSC was forced to acquire the whole 33,000 acres.
By January 1920, with the agreement sealed, surveying had commenced with a township being laid out beside the main railway line from Melbourne. Kenyon's suggestion that the settler's should do all the land preparation, surveying and channel building was taken up. Consequently some 1,000 men, mostly returned soldiers, were involved and the area soon began to look like a large military establishment.
Clearing of the first area, between the railway and the Murray River, began in April 1920. By 1921 a great percentage of the area had been allocated and the main and distributory channels were ready to accept water from a turbine pump with a capacity of 50 cusecs, which was commissioned in October that year. By October 1922, most of the 15,000 acres had been cleared and all blocks had been allocated by 1923. In addition the main pumping plant was almost complete.
An item in "Sunraysia Daily" in July 1924, reported that the construction and installation of a coal-burning system at the Redcliffs pumping station had "long been deemed as necessary on account of the difficulty in obtaining good wood and the uncertainty of supply". When it is remembered that something like 140,000 tons of wood was consumed annually between the Mildura Irrigation Trust's pumping stations, the Merbein pumps and Redcliffs pumps, and with no re-afforestation taking place, the day of coal burning had to come. The SR&WSC took steps to relieve the dependence on wood as a fuel and early in 1924, a Kerr Stuart steam locomotive was purchased by the Commission (from the South Australian government Irrigation Commission). "Sunraysia Daily" noted that a "small locomotive had been imported from South Australia per boat and some 40 trucks capable of carrying three-quarters of a ton of coal each had been purchased". The skips, constructed by C.F. Sewell of Cross Street, West Footscray, were of one yard capacity and had side tipping hoppers.
Preparations had been made for the receipt of the locomotive and skips with the planned construction of some three and a half miles of narrow gauge (2 foot) railway from the main railway line at Redcliffs to the pumps at what later became known as Cliffside. The route for the narrow gauge railway had been a subject for discussion and "Sunraysia Daily" indicated that, contrary to the belief of Redcliffs settlers that an arbitrary decision had been made, three separate routes had been surveyed by SR&WSC and that the best had been recommended for adoption. It continued "The final decision....will depend on cost.....the amount of labour,..... and nature of the gradients on the various routes". The Chief Mechanical Engineer for the SR&WSC, Mr. L.B. Barwick, visited Redcliffs on 18-3-1924, in connection with the proposed `tramway' to connect Redcliffs railway line with the pumping station. He advised that work on the line would begin within a week and that the railway authorities would provide the railway siding for the interchange with the tramway. Work on tramway construction had commenced by 11-6-1924.
At the pumping station end, important changes had been made. These included the construction of a trestle type structure on which six overhead coal bins were mounted above the boilers and the provision of an automatic weighbridge. "Sunraysia Daily" continued: "From the weighbridge the coal is dumped into a receiver and is crushed to small cobble-size, and is conveyed to the bins at the boilers by an elevator belt. The six self-feeding `coal stokers' have been made ready for use, and are Australian made...... The self-feeding stokers.....will consume about 50 tons of coal a day when the pumps are running. The present supply comes from the State (Coal) mine at Wonthaggi. The saving in fuel compared with wood will be approximately 20% and at the same time three boilers heated by coal will do the work of five heated by wood".
The installation of the coal-fired steam pumping plant and the acquisition of the locomotive were all done in the interests of economy.
The first load of coal was taken from the railway siding to the pumping station on 28-7-1924. The skips were loaded at the Victorian Railways siding at Redcliffs. As the locomotive for the line was not yet available, the first train was drawn along the track by horses to the end of the completed section, then a short distance from the pumping station. The Kerr Stuart steam locomotive hauled its first load over the new line on 30-7-1924.
Kerr Stuart at Redcliffs. Note original boiler, indicating that photo taken some time before the early 1940's. Photo: Bruce McLean Collection
The first driver of the Kerr Stuart was Mr. Jack Gill who allowed children attending the Redcliffs East State School to ride on the engine footplate or small coal trucks until an order was brought out by the SR&WSC preventing this.
A side-on view of Kerr Stuart B/No.743/1901 in service with the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, Redcliffs. Note the builder's plate on the cab side. Photo: Bruce McLean Collection
Rake of coal skips at Redcliffs pumping station. Note Malcolm Moore diesel in background. Photo: Ian Barkla Collection
The Kerr Stuart locomotive continued to haul coal (or brown coal briquettes when they were introduced) in a regular service. Some 140 tons of fuel were needed at the boilers each day. To meet the demand required a daily average of six or seven round trips with 20-22 loaded skips. The terrain through which the line passed was relatively flat. Empty trains on the return trip had to cope with a 1 in 40 grade and braking was rudimentary being simply the engine steam brake and a hand brake with additional wood-drag beams on some wagons.
The usual loading arrangement was for the tramway skips to be filled directly from the main-line wagons by a mechanical grab. In September 1924, storage bins were constructed at the Redcliffs siding for coal storage when no skips were available. The bins were erected on a platform high enough to allow the skips to run beneath so they could be emptied directly into the hoppers.
In 1953 the Kerr Stuart locomotive, which had toiled some 25 years, was withdrawn from service. It was replaced by two Malcolm Moore diesel locomotives. The Kerr Stuart remained on standby and brought out of retirement from its storage shed at the pumping station on more than one occasion when, for one reason or another, the diesels could not operate. A Malcolm Moore "Fordson" 4wPM locomotive was also acquired.
One of the Malcolm Moore diesel engines introduced by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission to run the coal line from Redcliffs railway station to the pumping station. Skip No. 168 is attached. Date unknown. Photo: Bruce McLean Collection
In June 1954 it was announced that road transport would deliver the required briquettes and from 1-7-1954 the State Electricity Commission (S.E.C.) assumed control of the railway siding and briquette haulage. Although the pumping station had been converted from steam to electric operation, fuel was still needed for the power station. Mechanical loaders were installed at the Redcliffs siding and a contract let to a road transport operator for briquette transport. The narrow gauge line, 106 serviceable and 88 unserviceable skips, and three Malcolm Moore locomotives were advertised for sale by the SR&WSC in May 1955. The two diesel locomotives were advertised again in January 1957 while the narrow gauge line was dismantled and the rails sold.
The former State Rivers & Water Supply Commission (later State Electricity Commission) sidings at Redcliffs being dismantled. 6-10-1979. Photo: Bruce McLean
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