The original survey for the railway line between Ballarat and Maryborough bypassed Talbot in favour of Amherst. The Ballarat to Maryborough line was unexpectadly included in the 1871 Railway Act, and a new survey in 1872 included both Creswick and Talbot. The line was opened in three stages, to Creswick on 7th. July 1874, Clunes on 16th Nov. 1874, and passing through Talbot to Maryborough on 2nd. Feb. 1875.
Talbot Railway Station was constructed by Isaac Meadows, the goods shed by Shaw and Haig , for $2176 and $1692 respectively. The development of Victorian Railways and station buildings follows a similar course, reflecting financial difficulties after the earlier building of the Ballarat and Bendigo mainlines to over-engineered English standards almost bankrupt the Victorian Government.
The line through Talbot was built to the new light lines standards, single track, and featured single storied brick stations with extensive use of cast iron and polychromatic brickwork, which was the fashion of the day. Thus developed the "line style", where similar station buildings characterised the Talbot line. Now called the "Creswick Style", it included both Clunes and Talbot and Beaufort and Chiltern, all built in the same period.
The standard plan was built with a station masters residence incorporated in the building, separated from the booking office, and ladies waiting room, with internal toilet and fireplace. A central passageway led to the stationmasters yard, with underground brick rainwater tank and galvanised iron screen wall. The residence consisted of a parlor, kitchen, and two bedrooms, vacated in the thirties. At the Ballarat end of the yard, as was the practice, was lamp room and toilet block, a fire precaution.
Probably in the thirties, part of the stationmaster's residence was converted into waiting rooms, the office incorporated into the ladies waiting room and the rest left idle, indeed the floor of the kitchen was pulled out as a replacement for the Clunes station! Also at this time the large goods shed of galvanised iron and timber was replaced with a smaller one of a standard design. There was also a 5 ton swivelling crane, later rated 2 ton, which is one of very few still in existence in Victoria built in 1881. There is also a loading ramp, where bluemetal was tipped from trucks straight into the rail wagons.
Foley's Bridge on Tullaroop Creek.
At this time the principal loading was firewood to Ballarat and Geelong, an average of 5 truck loads daily, cut to size by local contractors right in the yard and loaded directly into the awaiting goods trucks for dispatch. Concrete pipes, manufactered at a site close by, clay to a Ballarat pottery, wool, hides and rabbits and general goods contributed to the rest. In an article "Railway Outposts" March 1930 V.R. magazine," Passenger traffic was fairly steady, 3,423 passengers having travelled during the previous 12 months. Unlike most of the rest of the state "motor competition is almost non-existent for both passenger and goods traffic".
The line was operated by "staff and ticket" safeworking until 29th May 1900 when electric staff was introduced between sections. Long after freight and parcel's traffic declined and there was no longer a passenger service, the station was operated for 2 shifts until 1994. In the last year of operation 2 parcel's were sent! The station was closed soon after, along with both Creswick and Clunes. The railway engineers planned to demolish the buildings, but they were saved by heritage considerations, much to the annoyance of the railways!
The Staff Instruments, associated bell code system and a dispay of railway memorabilia can be demonstrated today in the Railway Museum despite all equipment being removed when the station was closed, and later heavily vandalised. Today the railway line carries heavy wheat traffic, principally to the Port of Geelong via Ballarat, from the North of the State, and a large amount of goods to and from Mildura. As at August 2007 the line is due for extensive replacement of 300,00 timber sleepers between Gheringhap and Mildura.
The telephone pole line between Maryborough and Ballarat has recently been removed, the line in front of the station was taken out by a contractor on 21st June 2007. Until then it had been one of the few still remaining in use in Victoria, only having been decommissioned in early 2007.
