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Maryborough Railway Weighbridge

Other Name

Maryborough Truck Weighbridge

Location

South of Railway Yards,, MARYBOROUGH VIC 3465 - Property No B7053

File Number

B7053

Level

State

Statement of Significance

The Maryborough railway weighbridge is historically and scientifically significant at the state level as the oldest railway weighbridge and most intact example of a single track weighbridge owned and operated by the Victorian Railways to survive today.
It is historically significant because in 1906 it was among the first three 35 ton capacity rail weighbridges to be installed by the Victorian Railways, and remained in service at its original location for over 80 years. Of the 46 rail weighbridges owned by the Victorian Railways in 1931, 20 were single track and 26 were double track weighbridges. Today the Maryborough weighbridge is one of only three single track weighbridges to survive, and the only one that was gravity fed and is still in its original location
It is scientifically significant because it demonstrates a type 503 weighbridge purchased in 1906 from the famous British weighbridge manufacturer Henery Pooley & Son Ltd. and the standard modifications made to these machines over the years by the Victorian Railways. The capacity of the weighbridge was upgraded by replacing the 35 ton Pooley head with a 40 ton head manufactured by the Victorian Railways. Although the VR head was manufactured a little later than the rest of the weighbridge, it demonstrates steelyard technology that was 'state of the art' in the first decade of the twentieth century and features a non-loose weight steelyard with a protection bar and an automatic ticket printing carriage poise. The steelyard was converted to metric units in 1974 by modifying the sliding poises in the steelyard carriage.
Classified: 05/06/2000

Group

Transport - Rail