Bridge #1 over Stringybark Ck. on the Lilydale to Healesville Line

First bridge of any interest after Lilydale. It consists of eleven 11 feet openings and a longitudinal deck.. It is badly infested with reeds and blackberries and not very easy to access or photograph. Sadly, rather unattractive. 

Heading from Lilydale to Healesville, via Yarra Glen, this is the first bridge of any interest on the line but situated beside a very busy road where it is not advised to stop for a photo, as there is no place to stop or park off the highway.

Bridge #2 on the Lilydale to Healesville Line

My numbering, nothing to do with the railway. This bridge is probably the most interesting one left on this railway line, and the most easily accessed and visible. 

It consists of ten 15 foot openings plus a single central 20 foot opening. I am guessing it's purpose was simply to let water through under the rail line. Apparently this bridge is known as the 'Humpback Bridge' because the middle is higher than the ends.

It is situated alongside the Melba Highway, 8.92 Kilometres from Lilydale Station. 

It is in pretty poor condition, consistent with being abandoned for many years. 

Bridge #3 on Lilydale to Healesville Line

It is not any sort of official numbering, it simply means the third interesting bridge on the line from Lilydale. It is located just at the point where the line spears off across the Yarra River flood plain towards Yarra Glen, departing from the Melba Highway. 

About the Melba Highway. The day I was there I was quite concerned about being wiped out by the incessant traffic, particularly tip trucks, that buzz along that road. It is not a good place to stop for photographs.

This is the last remaining wooden section of what was once a very long and impressive set of bridge sections that crossed the Yarra River flood plain. The trestle sections have been replaced over the years by earthern embankment, and in the accompanying video, you can see where the earth was excavated from long trenches beside the line, now filled with water.

Much of the wooden sections, including the river crossing, were wiped out by bushfires. 

The remaining bridge consists of five 11 foot openings.

Bridge over Simpsons Lane - Lilydale to Healesville Line

I should amend that title, it is not a bridge, but a concrete culvert. It would seem that if you run a 'Heritage Railway' you do not have any obligation to preserve the heritage part of it. 

There was once a quite respectable wooden trestle bridge across Simpsons Lane, but it has now been replaced by a bog ugly concrete culvert and fill on either side. When David Foulkes and I inspected the wooden bridge, just after the disastrous fires, the only damage to the bridge was a single burnt out pile. I would have thought that would have been a reasonably easy repair rto make. The bridge was lucky to have survived, because the fire burnt out all the wooden sleepers on the Healesville side of the bridge. Even at that time, Simpsons Lane bypassed the bridge, now the culvert seems to simply be there as a drainage measure. 

Anyhow, this is how it looked then.

This is the ugly scene these days. Very disappointing. 

New construction bridges on Lilydale to Healesville Line

Just to tie up loose ends, here is a photo of one bridge, close to Yarra Glen, that is typical of the approximately 11 bridges that were originally of wooden construction, but have been replaced by a steel and concrete design. The original bridges were either destroyed or damaged by fire, and were replaced in a pre-emptive strike to save them causing problems in the event of future fires. 

Bridge over Lilydale to Healesville Line at Donovans Road

This is a road-over-rail bridge that once carried Donovans Road over the Lilydale to Healesville railway line, approximately 1.8 Kilometres short of the line's destination at Healesville. It is not in use any longer, having been rendered obsolete by a small road diversion to the west of the bridge to take Donovan's Road across the tracks at grade level. 

Standing looking at the current arrangement, one is tempted to wonder why the crossing at grade was not implemented originally, as it only involves a short deviation to the road along what probably would have been railway land anyway.

The bridge is in quite surprisingly good condition, although I would not like to stroll across the deck (I have a strict rule about not strolling across bridge decks in order to prolong life). I would suspect that it has to be very carefully maintained so bits of it do not fall onto the permanent way. 

The bridge is at the top of a rise in the track level, with the track gently sloping down either side of the bridge.

The northern end of the deck.

The western approach to the bridge, looking towards Healesville, up the small grade.

South end from track level.

North end from Track level.

Underside of deck.

Eastern approach to the bridge, looking towards the new grade crossing, again down grade.