Everything on model trains, model railroads, model railways, locomotives, model train layouts, scenery, wiring, DCC and more. Enjoy the world's best hobby... model railroading!
World’s Unluckiest Railroad
If railways are considered lucky or unlucky, maybe this example would fit the description of the unluckiest. In the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, there was a gold mining town called Walhalla. Around the 1890’s the citizens were lobbying for a branch line from the mainline some 40 miles away so their town could continue to be prosperous.
The gold mines were going well, and many in the town beleived a railroad connection might guarantee prosperity for the town. The lobbying for a railroad went on for quite a few years, and eventually the railroad was built, the first train arriving in March, 1910.
A week or so before the railroad was officially opened one of the major gold mines in the town closed down, and this was followed by many others. Because there weren’t any other prospects for employment in the town because of it’s isolation, many people left town, and ironically they left town on the train! The very thing that many thought would keep people in the town actually carried them and their houses away!
The town slowly died away, but the railroad soldiered on for about another 40 years, and was eventually closed around the mid 1950’s. According to a number of books on the subject, the railroad had very few years where it actually made a profit. Published courtesy of http://www.stanfordnorth.com
SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION
Download Your Free Catalog
Use Tiny Railroad Micro Controllers
Model Train Help Ebook
Leave a Reply