About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked Series...a series probably familiar to anyone that has been caching in the United Kingdom. SideTracked Caches are intended to provide quick Cache-and-dashes at Train Stations...a distraction for the weary traveller. And of course, anyone else can go and find them too. More Information can be found at the SideTracked Website
About Montague Station
Montague was a railway station, now converted to a nearby light rail stop, on the former Port Melbourne railway line in the inner Melbourne suburb of South Melbourne, Australia. The station was located to the south of the Montague Street road underpass, between Woodgate Street and Gladstone Lane, with a large goods shed located on the Melbourne side of the station. The station buildings and platforms have been demolished, and there are now a pair of low-level platforms forming a tram stop on route 109.
History
Montague station opened in 1883, a number of years after the original opening of the line through it in 1854. The station mainly served workers at nearby factories, so under a new timetable in May 1967 the station was closed on Sundays due to a lack of passengers. This was altered in June 1969 so that two late night trains would stop there, to cater for shift workers.
In 1908, plans were first made to relocate the functions of the 1870s Shipping Shed at Spencer Street station (roughly where platforms 9 and 10 are today) to a new location. A site to the north of the Port Melbourne line and on the Melbourne side of Montague station was selected, with work commencing in 1913. A southerly deviation of the Port Melbourne line was created between Clarendon and Ingles Streets to make way for two 5-ton travelling jib cranes, and Montague Street was extended northward under the tracks to compensate for the removal of the level crossing gates at Ferrars Street. Track work was underway in 1915 but was delayed by World War I, and the Shipping Shed was not completed until late 1921.
The Shipping Shed had a number of internal sidings, as well as more outside. Two goods lines ran to the north of the station, connecting the shipping shed yard with the main line near Ingles Street, where a signal box was located to control the points and signals. The signal box at Ingles Street was abolished in October 1971 and replaced by a signal panel at Graham station, down the line.
The shed operated in conjunction with the H.M. Customs Department for the handling of freight that arrived by sea at Princes Pier in Port Melbourne. That continued for five decades, until containerisation saw the end of conventional cargo handling at Port Melbourne. In later years, until the closure of the line, the shed was used to store rolls of newsprint from Australian Paper Manufacturers Maryvale Mill.
The last passenger train to call at the station ran on 10 October 1987, after it had been announced that the line would be converted to light rail. The final goods train to Montague Yard ran on 16 October 1987, powered by a single Y class diesel-electric locomotive. The replacement light rail line was officially opened on 18 December 1987.
In the early 1990s, the Melbourne Exhibition Centre (popularly known as Jeff's Shed) was built on the area once occupied by the Shipping Shed, while the construction of Southbank tram depot, and the diversion of Normanby Road towards Whiteman Street, have obliterated all traces of the Shipping Shed yard.
Locomotive L1159 at Montague Station. October 29 1986.
Montague Street Bridge
The Montague Street Bridge (Monty) is a railway bridge in South Melbourne, Australia, an inner suburb of Melbourne.
The bridge is located at 83 Montague Street, between Woodgate Street and Gladstone Lane.
The bridge has a very low height clearance of 3 metres or 9 feet 10 inches, and despite prominent signage warning tall vehicles not to approach, drivers who miscalculate the height of their vehicles frequently collide with and sometimes become wedged under the bridge. This has made the bridge a local landmark and the subject of much humorous media discussion.
Monty even has it's own website to keep track of all the trucks that collide with it.
The Cache
The final location of the cache can be determined by taking a short walk along the shared pathway between the lines. Starting from the city end, on the upper level. You will need to visit the coloured waypoints and gather the required information.
Start here:
"Silver"
S 37° 49.(p+q+r) (a+d) m' E 144° 56.(p+r) (b+c+f) (h+j)'
Checksums:
S (p+q+r+a+d+m) = 14
E (p+r+b+c+f+h+j) = 22
The cache contains a logbook, pencil and some swag.
(But you are encouraged to BYO pen.)
There is room for small Travel Bugs.
Congratulations to Donutholes and Sims_family on a joint FTF.