1959: Shellgrit for Melbourne glass works re-opens Bellarine rail line

On November 16 1959, the Geelong – Queenscliff line re-opened, heralding a new chapter in the glass-related history of the Bellarine Peninsula.
 
The re-opened line (which branched off at South Geelong) connected the Laker family's shell grit plant near Queenscliff with the Australian Glass Manufacturers (AGM) plant at Spotswood.

At what was known as Laker's siding, just west of point Lonsdale, a concrete platform and elevated loading bins were provided. From there, up to 1,000 tons of shellgrit was despatched each week to AGM's plant at Spotswood, for use in glassmaking. A train ran weekly to Laker's Siding until 1973, when AGM changed suppliers. In 1976, Lakers siding closed.

How did AGM use Bellarine shellgrit?
Shellgrit consists mostly of seashells, which are made of Calcium Carbonate (also known as ‘lime’, ‘quicklime’, ‘limestone’, ‘calcite). When mixed with an acid, Calcium Carbonate becomes Calcium Oxide, giving off Carbon Dioxide; and Calcium Oxide is used in making glass, steel and paper.
 

The basic ingredient of glass is Silica (sand) and glass-makers generally add Calcium Carbonate and Sodium Carbonate to Silica to lower its melting point and to make it more malleable and easy to work with. (Pure Silica can produce excellent glass, but it takes very high temperatures to melt [1,723 degrees Centigrade, or 3,133 degrees  Fahrenheit] and, when molten, is so viscous that it is difficult to handle.)
 

Prior history of the Geelong - Queenscliff line
The Geelong – Queenscliff line (branching off at South Geelong) had opened in 1879 carrying passengers and freight. Passenger services ceased in 1931, mainly due to bus competition. However, freight trains operated twice weekly on the line between 1931 and 1934, reduced to weekly in 1934.

Laker's siding (1960?)

Laker's siding 2011

After the war, the weekly goods run was reduced to fortnightly; and after further declines in traffic, the line closed on May 13 1959 - only to re-open six months later.

Laker's siding revived!

The 'new' Laker's station

In 1979, the Bellarine Railway re-opened the siding and in 2003 the company built a passenger station, using an original VR Portable building and the Marshalltown post office hut. In 2007, the Bellarine Railway started the “Lakers Project”, which will upgrade the platform, enable steam trains to take on water and create a 150 metre long rolling stock shed. Later on, workshops will be built, creating Lakers as the Bellarine Railway’s maintenance base.

Sources:
http://www.railgeelong.com/lineguide/queenscliff
http://bellarinerailway.com.au/lakers-siding/attachment/8
http://highriser.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/easter-2.html

How exciting is the 2015 Festival of Glass going to be? We have not approached the workshops scenario in the past as we have this year, and we are very pleased to have Mark Eliott from Sydney in attendance at the Festival, and also to conduct 2 different workshops in the days following. Already we have 4 people confirmed as attending his 3 day session, so we are very pleased about this as well.

A brief Glass History timeline

The Glass Trail

About

The Glass Trail links twelve glass artists, craftspeople and businesses in the Geelong area of Australia via a brochure for locals and visitors to follow.

People who follow The Glass Trail will see a wide variety of glass goods, including jewellery, sculpture and household items, most of them hand-made locally. They can learn something about how these items are made and may see demonstrations of glass workers’ various intricate techniques.

The Glass Trail is an initiative of the Festival of Glass. Promoting the twelve participants in The Glass Trail - and encouraging them to promote each other - furthers the Festival's aim of promoting the Geelong area as a centre of glass activity.