When a Mr and Mrs Edgerton were married in 1911 their honeymoon destination was a tiny wooden work cabin in the Eltham railway yards. The groom was a brand new civil engineer fresh out of the R.M.I.T. and his first job was Engineer in charge of the Eltham/Hurstbridge rail extension. The bride soon made the work cabin into a cosy home and told their first son, who was conceived in the cabin, that it was a time she remembered all her life. The gurgling of the nearby Diamond Creek, the bird calls, the fresh bush smell and the tang of wood smoke added to the romance of her honeymoon. After the line was completed in 1912 the honeymoon cabin became Diamond Creek station’s ticket office but was burnt down in the 1920’s. The current ticket office is the same standard railway design as the work cabin. Engineer Edgerton never completed the Hurstbridge railway project as he was given the job of finishing the Otways narrow gauge railway.
Mr. Edgerton later started the Melbourne Iron & Steel Rolling Mill and in the 1930’s designed and built Australia’s first electric furnace for melting steel. He became known as “the man of steel” before Superman’s capsule dropped to earth.
The new furnace design and later models became vital to Australia’s war effort during World War 2. Mr. Edgerton was officially recognised for his contribution to the industry during wartime.
Next time at Diamond Creek station remember our honeymoon couple of 99 years ago who lived a long and fruitful life.
This article contributed by Kevin Patterson first appeared in the Diamond Creek News Winter 2011 page 3
