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News from the Tourist Railways Edition No 51
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30 October 2011 |
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ATHRA - Association of Tourist and Heritage Rail Australia AGM and ATHRA Awards The ATHRA AGM was held on 15 October 2011 in Melbourne at the Hawthorn tram depot.. The ATHRA awards were made at the meeting and it was noted that there were fewer applications this year than in the past. The ATHRA Tourism Award went to Redwater Creek Steam and Heritage Group for the promotion of their SteamFest held annually at RedWater Creek in Northern Tasmania. The Freight Vehicle Restoration Award went to the Collie Group for restoration of a V van 3960. Western Australia like several other States had a lot of small wooden freight vehicles built in their State's workshops and the skills used to restore this vehicle is becoming a "lost art". Two nominations were received for the ATHRA Excellence Award - one from SteamRanger South Australia and the other from ARHS Western Australia. Both were excellent awards. However, the winner was Ian Carne from Boyanup Western Australia for his almost single handed attempt to rebuild the Boyanup Museum. Another personal award submitted was for the ATHRA ARA Graeme Breydon Rail Safety Award and this was presented to Warren Doubleday for his untiring work for the T&H sector especially his current work associated with the establishment of a single rail regulator for Australia with specific focus on the interests of the T&H sector.
Recipients of the ATHR awards 2011 and the two presenters
ATHRA Alerts The National Association has set up a system of "Alerts" to immediately draw members' attention to urgent changes which are taking place in the rail industry. Alerts No 52 - 53 have been issued in 2011. For details please see the ATHRA website. Click Here International News WATTRAIN WATTRAIN has been established as an international rail heritage group with ATHRA as one of its members. They will be holding a Congress in York, England in early October 2012 with both pre and post tour program. Their web site is about to go live and will contain details of the Congress and tours associated with the Congress along with booking forms for accommodation etc. Further details will be published in a future newsletter when they become available. This congress is to occur shortly before the International Rail Safety Conference to be held in 2012 in England.
Victorian News - ATR General News General meetings of the Association continue to be held at Hawthorn Tram depot.. Those members who operate under and order in Council are having these transferred to a formal lease and this work is progressing . The ATR can be contacted by post at P.O. Box 193 Mornington Vic 3931. Officers can be contacted through the ATR Discussion group. News from our Members Australian Railway Historical Society - Victorian Division. The decision has been made to relocate the Museum from Newport Workshops to Moorooduc which is the base of the Mornington preservation society. There is a large piece of land at this location which can be used to re-establish the museum under cover and this will benefit both organisations and allow for a synergy between both bodies. The society noted that the membership in 2011 in July has fallen to 651 people. The Society made a loss of $31.000 for 2010-2011 Newsrail The July edition showed operations at Junee in NSW and provided information on the Crew headquarters at Spencer Street Station the reopening of the cross country line from Toolamba to Echuca was also covered. The August issue started with an article on the North Eastern line examined the workings of the South Dynon Maintenance depot. The colour centre spread covers the return of Vline passenger trains to Albury. The September issue continued memories of the North Eastern line and an article covered trains on the Plains line. There is also extensive coverage of Heritage rail activities in the issue. Ballarat Tramway Museum
It was already dark at about 6:30pm on Monday evening 22nd'
August when the depot staff became aware of a myriad of flashing
lights in Wendouree Parade. On investigation, it was discovered that
a car had run into one of the Museum's poles on the hill towards
Canton Street. The pole had been moved some distance in the ground
and span wires were resting on the car. Fortunately, the trolley
wire remained intact. Power to the overhead was cut immediately and the
museum's electrician, was called out to formally isolate the system
and provide the appropriate paperwork to the police and Powercor
who also arrived. Allan Snowball was also called in to light up the
tower truck. Powercor summoned a pole lifting truck to straighten
and relocate the pole and assisted in restoring the span wires. By 9:ISpm the job was finished allowing the next
day's school visit to go ahead without disruption. Our thanks to all
those who assisted and especially the Powercor linesmen. Tram No 33 For some time tram No 33 has been the only tram
which had not been repainted by the Museum. The superb lead based
paint has stood up well for almost forty-five years but eventually
started to look rather tired. The tram has now been taken out of
service and sanding down has commenced. It will remain in the final
SEC colour scheme. Tram 661 The discovery of a cracked motor support beam on
No 661 has seen it taken out of service until the tram can be lifted
and the cracking repaired. This was a common problem with W3 class
trams and lead to their withdrawal in 1969. Display The display panels in the display area have been
completed and feature changing images and sound as well as the
traditional photos. The major refit project is now almost complete. Tram No 38
40 year Anniversary Celebrations continue
The museum held a Family day in September as part
of the celebrations for the 40th anniversary. The day
concentrated on the depot area and admission
was by donation. The local press and TV
covered the event and other local clubs took
part - the day was a great success. Bellarine Railway The railway has announced the launch in service
of newly restored locomotive Pozieres which was obtained
from the Puffing Billy Railway. The railway
has also completed discussions with the ARHS
regarding the lease and relocation of the ASG
locomotive which is on display at the Museum
at Newport. It is expected that the engine
is capable of restoration. It is believed
that this engine is the is the
only ASG left in the world.
Pozieres and the new Gang
shed in the back ground The railway has completed the transportation of 4 1/2
Kilometres of rail from the former
Fyansford branch line. In a first the line's Thomas
engine was taken by sea to docklands for the
launch of a new ferry for the Queenscliff /
Sorrento ferry service. It is anticipated that
this rail will allow much of the line between
Queenscliff and Lakers to be re-laid
with 80lb rail in due course, more rail is
being sought to relay the entire line. The railway is examining the draft
document to replace the present Order in Council
with a lease from Victrack. While on leases
the line has announced the renewal of the
Blues Train lease for a further three years. A new locomotive has been obtained from a
private owner
Queensland No 1604 from the ARHS line near
Rosewood. The engine took three days to be transported
to Victoria. An initial inspection has shown
that very little work will be required to
make it operational. This engine is more
powerful than the Tasmanian X classes
and is air braked. The railway after discussions with Victrack has
agreed to transfer all its workshop and locomotive
activities to Lakers Siding. This will require the shed to
be concreted, a raised pit built and the
construction of a machine shop store rooms amenities and
a mezzanine within the shed. Station news With the assistance of a grant a ride
on mower has been obtained to help keep
the station areas tidy and attractive. At
Lakers the new gate posts for the east end of the
platform have been installed and a new three bay gang
shed erected. At Drysdale the kiosk has been re-built
creating a much larger area which allows the seating of
24 people at tables. In addition the kiosk in
the station at Queenscliff has much
more space in it and looks more
inviting. As part of the works to
rebuild the depot the paint shop curve has been excavated,
the top of the check rail has been top dressed to
create an even surface across the yard. The Amenities Block is
almost complete. Plaster has been installed and the brickwork
has been cleaned. As part of the Depot Upgrade, a new transformer
has been installed. This required the power to be turned off all
day on Sunday May 8, which in turn allowed us to undertake some
minor overhead works while the trams couldn't run. These works
included installing new type section insulators and improving
the insulation at the Central Deborah Gold Mine. Two new Transformer/Rectifier units have been
commissioned and the trams are now operating from a healthy 620 The old wire mesh fence along Hargreaves Street
has been removed and replaced by a more historic post and rail
style. The shed extension is also taking shape. Most of
the tracks have been joined up and concreted, the old brick wall
has come down, and the garage is coming together. Tram restorations While all this is going
on restoration of trams for outside
bodies is continuing W6 891 has arrived form
Preston for restoration for "Pets in
In Perth" and tram W71036 has departed for Sydney
and the Sydney Tram Museum. Work on the city
circle tram No 957 is proceeding and has
been disassembled to the frame to determine
the full extent of the rebuild. The frame
has been dry ice blasted and grit blasted
and crack tested. Local tram No 17 has
had new motors and wheel sets installed and
received attention to the safety rails which
now operate smoothly. No 25 and No
44 have both received attention. Friends of the North Australia Railway at Adelaide River The railway reports:- "For the past 9 months a contractor has been working on the $2M section of the Rail Trail from the 13.5 mile to the 16 mile. At our strong suggestion the cuttings were not widened and the embankments were not widened. In fact they have left trees growing right up to the edge of the Trail which looks lovely but is nothing like it would have been when the original 1.5 chain wide corridor was cleared by hand. Anyway the Grand Opening date arrived on 11 September and we received an urgent request to compile some interpretive signage. This we did and it was well received and will form a valuable archive for us. We may put it up on our website ( when the webmaster returns from Bali). Gerry was the man for the moment at the opening. He turned up in full bicycle trim and obviously knew everybody in his electorate. He made a great speech, entirely off the top of his head. At the start of his speech he made extensive comment about the work of the FNAR and our contribution to both this project and to our general raising of community awareness of our cultural heritage in terms of this piece of Victorian era infrastructure. He has the nod from the government for the next section of the Trail through to Girraween Road, although it's a bit like the north-south railway promise in 1911 - there is no commitment to a start date. Well Done Gerry!!!" Trevor Horman Melbourne Tramcar Preservation Association The Tramway reports; "The last of the tie rods of the curve relaying has been done with the outer rail being spiked down to complete the relay of the north west curve. W2 407 was then given the honour of being the first tram to traverse the new curve, being driven at very low speed by Tony Smith and stopping every few metres while Kym Smith monitored the interaction of the wheels and rails. No faults were detected and 407 was then given a second run around with Kym Smith at the controls to confirm the work. Backfilling of the curve will now be undertaken using the fill that will be removed to allow work to commence on relaying the south west curve. W3 663 The painting of 663 is now finished and only the numbers and monograms need to be applied to complete the exterior restoration. Inside the car, the lighting circuits have been terminated along with the wiring for the compressor. A minor fault with the headlight changeover circuit was identified during testing and this has now been rectified. All the straphanger brackets and rods have been fitted and work is now progressing on refitting the bell cord eyelets, saloon door handles and interior hand rails. This will basically complete the interior with the exception of the seats. As reported in the March issue of Grand Union we were unable to commit to restoration of these seats until the outcome of our special fund raising appeal is known. In the meantime we have raised sufficient funding from the sale of surplus parts to enable us to authorise the restoration and fitting of one complete set of saloon seats. During May, these seats were completed and refitted to the No.l end saloon. The finished result is most impressive and vindicates the decision to remove the upholstery in the first place." Mornington Railway The railway has been concentrating on trimming trees on the right of way and at Moorooduc Locomotive T334 has had a full brake overhaul. Following low patronage, the Ride and Dine train has been removed from the timetable. The work on the building of the Peninsula Link freeway is under way with the Abigroup building a huge bridge over the line between the Frankston Flinders Road and Eramosa Road. The road is a new approach as it will not be a toll road but is a different type of Public Private Partnership project. It is called an availability PPP project. The space between walls allows for the railway line to be duplicated in the future if the line to Mornington is electrified in the future. It is at this location that the shared users path (SUP) leaves the freeway and joins the rail reserve. To allow this work to be done a 300 m section of track was removed by the road contractors and this will be reinstated with new sleepers once the bridge is completed. The SUP is new and is part of the around the bay bike trail. It is expected that the bike path will cross Moorooduc Highway at the present level crossing and this means that a set of traffic signals will need to be installed there, something which the railway has not been able to get the authorities to approve. All this work has revitalised the need to restore the line back to Baxter station and the right of way is being cleared of undergrowth back to Baxter. Approval is being sought to run a rail tractor on the section to help in the work Guards Van 604 Z D has is having a full restoration which is being carried out. The railway is running a New Years Eve train. Puffing Billy Financial year 2010- 21011 resulted in the line carrying approximately 269,000 passengers .an all time record. The same report showed that rising costs especially for coal is biting into the funds. The railway is seeking extra capital funding. The railway held a further working make over at Belgrave to improve the appearance of the station. Locomotive and Workshop News locomotives 7A has had a D examination carried out and the boiler is being retubed. 8A had a C examination done 12A has had its driving and coupled wheel sets work completed and these are ready to fit back in the frame.1694 the "climax" has had the work on the main frame completed the cab and water tank fitted and work on the crank shaft underway. Little engine 86 has had 26 boiler tubes replaced and the other little engine 986 needs a new boiler and design work for a new all welded boiler have been prepared. Garratt no NGG 16 129 has had its engine units brought to Belgrave to have the wheel sets removed and for the cranks and wheel centres to be removed from the axles to enable 2'6" gauge axles to be fitted to the wheel sets and cranks. Carriages 4 NAL has had a complete lift and rebuild and new seats and curtains have been fitted and other work done as well as a complete paint. Other carriages have had lifts. 29 NQR is being rebuilt BOOK Sale the PBPS held a giant book sale at Gembrook station of secondhand books that they have been given over the years Steamrail Locomotives R 711 is again operational with a number of trips proving the repairs that have been made to the unit. The group is working with other heritage groups to find the best place to get Fire bricks made and locomotive grates manufactured. At least the grate patterns have been saved from the previous manufacturer unlike the brick patterns which were thrown out upon the works closure. This is an unfortunate commentary on the closure of manufacturing in Australia. Routine maintenance on carriages and locomotives continues.
Tramway Museum Society of Victoria The Museum reports "A dedicated group of members has been having regular working days on Wednesdays. The Exhibition Goods Shed is looking good, thanks in large part to the donation of glass display cabinets, and a pleasant sitting area in the front of the shed. A new outdoor sitting area has also been set up at the front, and a staff table and chairs out the back, allowing volunteers to relax over a cup of coffee or soft-drink and enjoy the stunning views of the Great Dividing Range. The restoration of North Melbourne Electric Tramway and Lighting Co No. 4 has also been restarted. The exterior is starting to look much better, with painting almost complete and work has started on reassembling the interior and fitting out the cabs. The decision has been made to restore it back to mid 1920's M.&M.T.B. condition as U class 205, chocolate and cream paintwork and the retention of the M.&M.T.B. cabs and destination boxes. The goal of full conversion back to NMETL 4 condition will be some time down the track, which involves repainting of the chocolate to burgundy and significant alteration to the cabs, removing the windows and destination boxes." The Victorian Goldfields Railway The station building at Maldon has re-opened after restoration from the fire which destroyed it in 2009 The restoration has resulted in a building that resembles the station as it would have been in the 19th century. The restoration work was funded by Victrack.
Restored station Maldon Photo VGR website The railway advises that it is fortunate that it is able to offer to a group from the Tarrengower Women's Prison some activities every Monday at both Maldon and Muckleford stations. They do lawn mowing and tidying up at both stations and give the carriage fleet a thorough cleaning. K Mart has helped the railway with the donation of a portable building, work shop equipment, a complete set of light fittings for the new carriage shed, a large quantity of office equipment including quality chairs for the waiting rooms and Muckleford and first aid materials and equipment all surplus to the company.
The railway has taken ownership of D3 619 which is at Bendigo. It is hoped to move the engine to Maldon to meet up with D3 646. It is planned to restore one of these engine out of the two crocks. Diesel engine t333 on hire to El Zorro is now on the standard gauge. The railway has introduced a multi participant drivers' experience where up to four people can become the driver, fireman, guard and conductor for the day. The railway now has first class service available on all trains. The new shed at Castlemaine is now finished with the exception of hanging the doors The railway had a great day when the line was visited by a special steam train run by Steamrail, the Seymour Rail Heritage Centre and Operation 707.and they connected with a special branch line train to Maldon. The line also ran a mixed goods train to Muckleford.
New shed Castlemaine Photo VGR Web site. Yarra Valley Railway The railway ran a
heritage weekend in September attracting record crowds with
steam rollers in attendance and other
displays. Like most railways the lineside
clearance has received a lot of
attention and this has been done on the
upside of the tunnel. The restoration of
Carriage BW1 is proceeding as fast as it
can. It looks now as though it has
just been newly manufactured at Newport
Work shops. Works at the Melba Highway
level crossing are nearing completion. The
railway is running a Ghost train
on Halloween.
Near Donavan's Road
photo Yarra Valley railway. All photograph by John Frost
unless otherwise attributed Updated December 2011 |
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