Mornington Railway

The railway reports;

Way and Works

The railway has finished selective re-sleepering in the cutting up (i.e. the railway 'up') from the Horse Crossing. Parts of the railway that are in cuttings are the worst due to dampness, and this one was no exception. Over the length of about 225 meters, the gang replaced 69 sleepers, most of which were total scrap. We have now moved to the section from the down Moorooduc points to Wooralla Drive, and replaced 12 sleepers, with 15 to go to the gate. This section, also in a shallow cutting, gave us some difficulties in the form of a large root that had practically replaced one sleeper

K 163 Boiler Lifted Off

The original plan to install a replacement boiler on K163 called for the locomotive to be withdrawn from service after the last running day in February 2010 so that the boiler swap and related work could be performed. It was actually withdrawn several weeks before that. The reason for this was the state of the ash pan. The ash pan was known to be badly rusted and had the potential for hot coals to fall through gaps in the weakened steelwork and onto the track. The engineering team commenced work on removing fittings, cladding, part of the cab and the fastenings which secured the boiler to the locomotive's frame. The work was duly completed by early April. Jacks were then placed under the boiler and it was raised a small distance from its seating to ensure that it would freely separate from the frame when the cranes came to totally lift it out.

On Wednesday 31 March, with two cranes in attendance and watched by a crowd of interested onlookers, K163's boiler was finally lifted out of the locomotive frame and placed on the ground nearby. A number of other heavy lifts took place on the same day while the cranes were in the area. The restored K191 boiler was brought out from under the covered area where the rebuilding work had been carried out and it was placed in a position where it could be easily lifted into K163 when required. K163's boiler was then placed in the covered in work area where it will be rebuilt as necessary for fitting into our second steam locomotive

Following removal of K163's boiler, the engineering team focused on removal/replacement of the springs and numerous other suspension items. In addition, other components which were much more accessible while the boiler was out of the frame were inspected and remedial work carried out on them wherever necessary. It was also a good opportunity to inspect and perform any required maintenance on the main driving wheel brass and white-metal bearings.

Within the next week or so, work will commence on re-assembling the springs and suspension components with the aim of lifting the replacement boiler into the frame in late June.

Carriages

Since June last year the Carriage Department has undertaken extensive repair and repainting jobs to our fleet of vintage carriages & guard vans.

Passenger carriages 24AW, 45BE & 57BE have all been repainted and old signage has been replaced with new removable signs which will make future repair and repainting easier. It was with a great deal of satisfaction that we returned 57BE to service on Fathers Day 2009 to mark its 100th birthday. Also 98G, our party carriage, has undergone the same make over as the other carriages. The guard vans, 5CV and 604ZD although having a repaint, still require some additional repairs which will be carried out over the winter months.

Currently 27BU is in the shed to undergo a face lift, after which we will have 4 passenger carriages of a very high standard. (I have heard from some of the conductors that the passengers have remarked on how well turned out our carriages are. This feedback makes all the hard work worthwhile). Guards van 20Z is also going to have extensive repair and repainting.

Locomotives

T334 - In Service

This loco has been sharing the running day duties with T411 and when not out on the line many hours have been spent bringing the loco back up to a high standard with a lot of maintenance work being performed. This includes ongoing maintenance, cab improvements and a fair amount of work on the engine as well. There's still a lot to do but the diesel team are progressing well.

T411 - Under Cosmetic Restoration

At the time of reading this, T411 will have been removed from regular running operation and will be undergoing its cosmetic restoration. Up until now the loco has been performing well sharing the running day duties with T334 and has been doing a number of additional duties as well, this includes works trains, shunting duties and driver experience specials. The decision was made in 2009 that T411 was well due for rust repairs and body attention so we are taking the time to carry out these repairs as a part of the restoration. We intend for this to not take longer than 2 months.

Melbourne Tramcar Preservation Association

The tramway reports:

Open Day

A successful open day was held at the depot on the Sunday of the Ballarat Heritage Festival in May.

L Class tram at Haddon

Other News

A draft development plan for the Association has been submitted by the General Manager, Anthony Smith to the committee for discussion and comment. This plan contains various recommendations on all outstanding projects and how we could accommodate the proposed acquisition of a W5 Class tram. The plan will be discussed at the next Committee of Management meeting and the final proposal circulated to members for comment and feedback.

On Sunday 17 January as part of their "County Canter", members of the Ballarat Vintage and Classic Car Club visited the tramway. The number of cars on site exceeded 70 with all available parking areas taken. We even had cars parked on the nature strip along Sago Hill Road. It was quiet a sight to behold and it is unfortunate that we were unable to record the event on camera as only four members were in attendance to handle the crowd which exceeded 80.

Filming took place at Haddon on Saturday 20 February 2010 for a Metro Trains Melbourne Staff DVD, one of a regular series produced as a training tool. The purpose of the DVD's is to encourage safe working practices by discussing with drivers how they remain focussed and deal with the various problems they are confronted with in their day to day working environment. At the end of each of these productions they have a feature section on drivers and what they do in their time off, and for this disc the trams at Haddon were chosen for the feature. The film crew spent a number of hours filming the segment, and also provided the Association with copies of the footage and some still images that they took.

W3 663

After carrying out a thorough assessment of the roof structure with the Bendigo Tramways coachbuilders it has been confirmed that because of its poor overall condition it will be necessary to replace the entire roof boards. In order to maintain originality, plywood sheeting will be used as the replacement material, though an improved method of installation will be used. The last group of W2's and all the W3 and W4 class trams were built new with plywood roofs as an economy measure during the early 1930s.

Work has commenced on stripping the roof with the trolley pole equipment and bridges removed along with the route boxes. The vent roof plywood section has also been lifted. A quotation has also been sought from Bendigo for additional work to be performed on this tram whilst it is there, subject to available finance. Donations to assist this project are welcome, and will assist in completing more refurbishment work so that there is less to do when 663 returns to Haddon.

SW4 849

The replacement apron ex 809 has now been fitted to the No. 2 end and a refurbished headlight assembly fitted. The rewiring of the headlight and marker lights has now been completed and the light units at the No. 1 end also attended to. The driver's bulkhead glass has been removed and will be replaced with new material as the original glass was etch primed to blackout half the viewing area. Work will shortly commence on the replacement wooden drop centre seats and the interior refurbishment of the car. Progress has been a bit slower than had been hoped for due to other work commitments around the site by Anthony and Jacqui Smith, the regular workers on this project.

Storm Curtains

During the later half of 2009 we were able to raise sufficient funds to commission the machining of two sets of storm curtains for fitting to L 103 and W4 670. Through the Bendigo Tramways we were able to obtain a very competitive quote for this to be carried out by Thorpe's Canvas Products at North Bendigo. The fitting of these new drop centre storm curtains has completed the restoration work on L 103.

W4 670

In addition to the installation of the new storm curtains, additional off side bell blocks were manufactured during January and fitted to W4 670 along with two polished and lacquered bell assemblies. All passenger carrying trams in the collection now have these additional bells fitted to allow for off-side running at Haddon.

Overhead

An additional steel pole has been erected at the rear of the Car barn in the vicinity of the north-western curve to allow tensioning spans to be connected to the trolley wire anchors of the three Car barn roads. The main function of these spans is to balance the load placed on the anchors so that the tension of the contact wire and spans on the Car barn fan can be maintained.

This pole will also be utilised in the support of the redesigned network that is to be erected once the relaying of the north-western curve is completed. During March the old Pole 7 near the 5 Road points was removed and the hole filled and levelled. This pole was replaced previously by a new Pole 7 closer to the fence line to improve vehicle access.

Track work

Over one weekend in February the rail and checkrail for the north-western curve was laid out and, where needed, trimmed using the former SEC Yallourn rail saw; its first use at Haddon. Bolt holes were drilled along the length of the checkrail and the first length of the inner rail using the newly acquired rail drill. Work to complete this curve includes welding all rail joints, drilling the remaining holes in the rails, installing the tie rods and spacer blocks, and spiking the rails to the sleepers. Work can then commence on the south-western curve to complete the connection to the mainline straight track.

Puffing Billy - Emerald Tourist Railway Board

Since the 8th June this year Puffing Billy has been supported longer by the Puffing Billy Preservation Society than the Victorian Railways.

The Great Train Race was held in May and was a great success, run in cool but dry weather. The event requires a major effort by hundreds of volunteers and members of the community to organise each year as the run takes part on public roads in the Dandenong's and this means that the Municipal Council and bodies such as the police need to be in attendance and agree to the event. As well as providing the venue for the race, sponsors have to be found and the race has become one of the major events on the "runs" held in Victoria each year.

The Puffing Billy Preservation Society reports that John Thompson has stood down as President and that Jeff Goodwin has replaced him.

The new DH diesel is now operational and is painted in the traditional VR blue and gold. This gives the railway the opportunity to run trains at normal speed on days of total fire bans when steam can not be used. These trips will still only run as far as Lakeside on such days.

The railway has reported a small number of slips and falls among its workers and suggests that people be aware of this when walking on platforms and yards.

Among notable events from the past the railway mentioned that the Welshpool to Port Welshpool 2'6" gauge horse tramway started 105 years ago.

June also saw the re-opening of the railway between Belgrave and Menzies Creek which took place some 48 years ago.

Museum

The Museum reports that all the boilers on its stationary and operating 2' engines have passed their boiler tests. The Steam roller has been dismantled and the crown stays have been removed and the motion has had magnetic particle testing. It has been found that the boiler has severe cracking in the pressed plate work and side plates of the boiler

Visit of a locomotive to Walhalla

Puffing Billy agreed to a request from the Walhalla railway to allow an NA engine visit that railway for the centenary of the opening of the Walhalla line in 1910.

Climax Engine

Major Climax funding is now needed.

The Climax project has come to an important stage. The boiler work has been finished and it is now being stored ready for fitting to the frame. The next major work involves the manufacture of axles, wheels and gear carriers. A lot of this work must be done by outside companies and then the finishing machining done in the Locomotive Workshops. In order to keep the project going, the group has launched the Climax Axles and Wheels Appeal to raise $95,000 for this work.

Metalock has been contracted to repair cracks in the main engine frame castings that the cylinders are bolted on to. They will also be repairing the transverse engine frame beams. They use an ingenious method to fix cracks in cast iron that would otherwise be very difficult or impossible to repair. The cab and water tank are about to be removed and stored at Gembrook. This will enable the floor to be removed. The frame will then be inspected and repaired as needed.

Open Day

The railway is holding an open day on 3 October 2010 and will show all aspects of the railway to the public.

Steamrail

The open day in in March coincided with the worst weather to strike Melbourne for a long time but some 1200 people braved the weather to come and inspect the Newport Site. The next open day will be in 2012.

Once again the group took part in the Good Friday appeal for the Children's Hospital and a set of carriages and D3 639 were displayed at Spencer Street Station. Local suburban rail trips have proved popular this year and several are to be run later in the year.

Locomotives

The railway has reported that all locomotives are performing satisfactorily. R711 has been inspected by the RTBU and found to be satisfactory and is now in the process of being approved by V/Line. It is proposed to move R700 from Ballarat to Newport by rail. Y112 is being recertified. A² 986 is proceeding in its rebuild and it is examining the possibility of employing some part time tradesmen to speed up work. Lots of time consuming small projects have been completed but the amount of work to be done is huge and really is a complete rebuilding of the engine. The money received from the insurance of K183 is to be used to speed up the restoration of the A2.

Carriages

Work on 61BW has been done and the carriage has been repainted. The Electrail group is still working away on restoring their carriages and the bogies under 327M have been exchanged. The air-conditioned carriages, Werribee and Moorabool, have been giving trouble with the air-conditioning. Werribee had a failure of the voltage regulator and as a result the batteries boiled and ran dry causing considerable damage. Moorabool has not been pumping the cooled air through and the filter has been cleaned and the thermostat adjusted.

South Gippsland Railway

The railway has taken delivery of the DERM from Maldon and two wooden bodied carriages on loan from Steamrail. The railway has seen a surge in the number of passengers travelling and needs the additional carriages to meet demand in summer.

The Victorian Goldfields Railway

Founding member, Vance Findlay, has stood down from the Board of the railway after many years of service. The railway reports that the new shop and toilet block at Maldon is under way and is well advanced. The new block is being painted A new shed is being erected at Muckleford to accommodate a blacksmith's forge.

The four E class carriages will be transferred to Seymour for under cover storage and restoration. K160 is to go to the EDI workshops at Newport to have its wheels turned on the lathe. DERM RM 61 has been transported by road to Korumburra for that railway to use while their own rail motor is being overhauled. As part of the deal, DRC 43 which is based at Seymour is to go to Maldon for the C&MR use. Flat top T 333 has been at Seymour for a number of years and has had sound proofing fitted in the cab, up to date vigilance control fitted, and refurbished wheel sets. Mainline tests are about to be trailed and it is hoped that it can again be used to earn some revenue on the mainline.

The railway reports that they had a small financial loss in 2009/10 of $2,755. This was due to the global downturn and it is expected that the next financial year will be in the black. No 3 road at Muckleford has now been completed with ballast.

Walhalla Goldfields Railway

The railway celebrated the centenary of the opening of the railway in 2010. The line was officially opened by the then Premier of Victoria , Mr John Murray, on the 3rd May, 1910. In place of the Premier in 2010 the Minister for Tourism and Major Events was present at the centenary ceremony.

7A crossing the Thomson River

A number of events were held to celebrate the centenary and the most notable one was the arrival of 7A from the Puffing Billy railway to run 6 public trips only. The trains were a great success and the trips ran in what can be described as "Narrow Gauge" weather, lots of drizzle and rain. The sound of an NA engine's whistle re-echoing around the hills from Thomson to Walhalla had to be heard. The train was driven by Puffing Billy personnel. 7A hauled the very last train on the Walhalla line in 1954 when G42 failed.

It was necessary to inspect the track and a few minor modifications were carried out as the railway, while following the old alignment when it was rebuilt, is not exactly in the same place as the original line and needed to be checked for clearance.

7A renumbered as 9A at Walhalla. (9A hauled the very first train into Walhalla in 1910)

Yarra Valley Railway

RM 22 is about to go into traffic having completed its trials and being accepted by the PTSV. The line has received a large number of second hand wooden sleepers made redundant by the concrete sleeper project in the metropolitan railways.

The railways' T class diesel T 341 is operational and ran to Melbourne with classmate T320 on test and to assess the engine.

The regular Saturday and Wednesday evening track work days are still going flat out, with sleeper replacement having reached Watts River, and around the 38mile curve towards Bridge 28. The first load of ballast was dropped in this section in mid February, with more to follow as it becomes available. The track is now sitting several inches above the road bed for the first time in many years, so protecting the sleepers from rotting.

The Yarra Glen station area has received a lot of attention over the past few of months. In the fires of Black Saturday last year, the many large pine trees around the station were either killed or so severely damaged that they had become dangerous and required removal, a huge job which was finally started in December and completed in mid February. Talks in regards to the Yarra Glen bypass, in particular about the Melba Highway crossing upgrade, are currently progressing with government bodies.

The Nissan Patrol high rail has received a much needed tone up, including conversion to broad gauge. The paperwork is currently with PTSV and we look forward to seeing the Patrol and Canter out on the rails soon. David Ingram, the Lineside Co-ordinator has not been idle since our last report either. In line with Management's do it once, do it right' approach, the whole lineside between Watts River and Tunnel Cutting has had the undergrowth cleared away, the edge of the track scarified, ready for re-sleepering and ballasting and the drainage re-instated.

In particular Devil's Bend has had decades of tea tree growth removed, opening up views of the Yarra Valley not seen for years. The importance of this work in relation to the long term well being of the railway cannot be overstated. One thing that all the civil engineers who have inspected our line agree on is the necessity of upgrading and maintaining our lineside drainage. The next area to see major work will be the section between Lubra Bend and Steels Creek, when, as well as drainage work, the huge job of removing blackberry, gorse bush and other non-indigenous plants is to be tackled. We hope to have this completed by the end of May.

The area around Tarrawarra has not been forgotten, with the clean up and removal of dead bush fire affected trees along the straight between Lubra Bend and Tarrawarra ongoing when time and labour is available. Several members have recently paid for the line side slashing of both sides of the entire railway between Stables Crossing and Steels Creek, a fantastic gesture that is much appreciated.

Carriage 1 BW is steadily being rebuilt and has been turned to allow work to continue on the corridor side. W 250 has had an ABC exam and is in use on ballast trains.

All photograph by John Frost unless otherwise attributed

Updated July 2010