>>1157004Despite their original purpose to link rural communities in Victoria at a lower expense than the state's existing 5ft3in (1600mm) railways, none of the four experimental lines ever turned a profit. Rates charged for the shipment of goods were the same for both broad and narrow gauge, and did not cover costs of running trains on the narrow gauge lines alone - despite the extra traffic generated for connecting to main line services. All of the lines - including the Crowes railway line to the south west of Melbourne, pictured - would close by the early 1960s.
