Belgrave station, now Puffing Billy's headquarters was one of the original stations on the Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook Railway which opened in 1900.  Opened as Monbulk after the nearby creek (which still runs underneath the PBR yard) it was soon renamed Belgrave.

Here we have photos of Belgrave from the early days to today.  This page is under construction.

This photo was taken in the first decade of this century.  The Station Buildings comprising one portable building and a "Mallee Shed"  of corrugated  iron construction.  There is a large amount of Firewood  on the ground awaiting outward loading . The photo is from the "PB Rly Archives" and  is stamped on the reverse  as coming from the  ARHS collection. The  caption BELGRAVE R.S. on the photo suggests that it was from a "Postcard".

Both these photos must be from prior to 1926 as both locos have "chopper" couplings. The photo looking down the street (Railway Place?) shows a down train having just arrived at Belgrave, whilst the other photo is of the same train only a few minutes later, the photographer having shifted his camera down the track a little to capture the departing train on the Glass Plate negative. Both of these photos are from the "PB Rly Archives" and are prints from some Glass Plates.

The Caption on the back of this photo reads "NA 13 on  UP mixed train crossing NA8 on  down at Belgrave  May 1st  1948."  The photo was  taken  by the late J.L.Buckland.

Here is the train at Belgrave in pre-1958 PBPS days.  The Fireman chats with passengers while a ganger waits with his trolley to follow the train as a Fire Patrol..  January 1957. Photo: John Snell

Following closure of the narrow gauge line between Upper Ferntree Gully and Belgrave in February 1958, Society volunteers began creating a new Belgrave station beyond the road overbridge.  Here is a work party dismantling the old Belgrave station on 6 September 1958.  Building components were loaded onto flat top trolleys and rolled down through the cutting to the new station site.   Photo: Keith Kings

By late 1960, construction of the new Puffing Billy terminal at Belgrave had reached the stage shown here and more than two years were to pass before the return of the train and re-opening of the line.  On this site only the loco shed and part of the trackwork remain as part of the present 'top yard'.  Photo: PBPS Archives.

By the early 1980's, the station built in 1960 was used to capacity, and was dangerously located on a quite sharp downward grade, with a risk of runaway carriages.  This lead the ETRB to build a new, level, Belgrave station in an excavated hollow behind the old one in 1981.   The old station building was transferred to the new platform, and served (in its third location) until 1992 when a brand-new but 1920's looking building was erected.   The current station building is now the headquarters of the railway.  The photo shows the old building (which is still in place) in front of the new one.

Photo: Courtesy of RACV