The Association conducted a very successful seminar on the new
rail safety legislation at Hawthorn Tram Depot on the weekend
of 29-30 July 2006. A number of speakers from the Public Transport
Safety Victoria attended and provided our members with
valuable information on the New Transport Safety Act 2006 and its
Regulations and how they will affect Heritage Rail in
Victoria.
The Department of Infrastructure has
issued a new set of Accreditation Guidelines which are
required under the Rail Safety Act 2006. These have been
issued to all accredited Commercial Operators and all Heritage
Operators in Victoria. The Commercial Operators must
have their new systems in place in the next two years
but Heritage Operators including Tramways have been
given a three year period to come up to speed.
The major changes for Heritage is that
providers of rolling stock such as Steamrail are no longer
required to be accredited but may apply for status as a
private siding. All railways have been advised by the
Department of the changes.
Other changes are the need for all Heritage
Operators to make individual application to the
Department for exemption for accreditation fees. Victoria
has always had
legislation in place that provided Heritage with
freedom from fees. Previously this had been granted as a right,
but the new department management requires this additional action in
lieu of the previous bulk exemption. In the past we had the
ludicrous action of the Department charging fees for accreditation
and audits and the tourist railway then seeking and receiving
grants from Tourism for the fees and Tourism then seeking
recompense from the Department of Infrastructure.
The Association is still negotiating with the Department
for an exemption in bulk for the freedom from the
reporting provision in the Act.
In addition to the above there is
considerable activity by the Association in negotiating with
the Department on the compilation of the above system. A joint
Committee has been set up by the Association and the Department and
it is working its way through the proposed handbook that
is being developed to replace the existing system. it is
extremely comprehensive and is guidance material only and is
not mandatory. That said, members will need to ensure
that their systems match those of the new guidelines.
2006 has been a seminal year for
tramways in Victoria as 1906 saw the commencement of permanent
electrical operation of tramways in Melbourne. The first
electrically powered tramline was the experimental line at the great
exhibition in the Carlton gardens which was transferred to
Box Hill and later dismantled. The first permanent
Melbourne electric line
was the line from St Kilda to Brighton opened by the Victorian
Railways in 1906 and later on in that year, the opening of Essendon
Depot as part of the North Melbourne Electric Tramway
and Lighting Company lines.
To celebrate the events, a display of
static trams was held at Docklands by Yarra Trams on the
8 October 2006 with a VR tram and a survivor of the
NMETL fleet on display. An invitation only event took place at
Essendon tram depot a week later.
Alexandra Timber Tramway
The financial year ended 30 June 2006 saw an
increase in passengers and 3764 people rode on the trains. The
trains ran on 58 days and the best day was Easter
Day when 537 passengers travelled.
The Fowler engine continued to be available
but will be withdrawn in 2007for the boiler to be retubed. The Kelly
and Lewis diesel 4271 has run a few diesel days but Kelly and
Lewis 5957 has run most of these. Work on Cheetham No 1 has
continued and it is planned to see this engine return to
service in 2007. The small carriage was taken out of
service in May for some much needed attention. The
carriage framework is receiving extra bracing and the original
wooden carriage bolsters are being replaced in steel.
The railway now has its own official
website and this can be accessed from the ATR website.
The Market held in the station
grounds is held monthly and has a set theme for each market.
The railway has been given on long term loan a generating
plant which was used as a back up plant at Eildon Weir.
The unit is 6 cylinder Ruston diesel which was used previously
at the Nhill power station. The unit is being set up at
Alexandra and a shed is to be built to cover it.
- Australian Railway Historical Society - Victorian
Division.
Tram Car VR No 53 has been taken from the Museum to Bendigo
and has received a full overhaul and returned to running condition
by the Bendigo Trust. It took a number of
shakedown trips in Bendigo before it was returned to Melbourne
where it was stored at Preston Workshops and placed
on display at Docklands on Sunday 8 October as part of the
celebration of the centenary of electric operation of Melbourne
trams. It is understood that the tram will be placed on
display at Hawthorn.
VR Tram 53
Photo Charles Craig
At the Museum the Hitachi carriage has had the
running gear cleaned and gear replaced. The car now looks
in as-new condition. The postal motor
trolleys have been repainted and look very smart. Work is continuing
on the Torrens Carriage and woodwork is being restored and
seats recovered. Other exhibits have also received
attention and driver seats in L 1150 and Sd 308 have been
re-upholstered.
Y 137 is being prepared for repainting and will
be painted in V/Line Grey and orange colours.
The Society has moved into the building at
Newport Workshops and all activities are now consolidated at
this location.
The Great Railway Swap Meet was
successful but numbers attending were down slightly on previous
attendances.
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Tram No 40 has been tested under power and is now roadworthy. The
lining out and painting of details are being carried out to
fully restore this historic maximum traction tram. The floor in the
drop ends of tram No 33 is being resurfaced and has had a
layer of marine ply laid to provide a more even surface.
Tram No 14 is the next tram to undergo work and it has been
placed in the workshop road to prepare it for lifting and the
removal of the truck. The motors have been removed and all the
various items are being sent off to various contractors
for repair.
In the depot the overhead troughing for No 7 road
has been constructed and installed and this allows trams to be
driven in and out of the depot using this road. The depot has
had a major clean up and several loads of scrap have been
dispatched.
The length of the Museum tramline is only 1.6km.
A check of recent statistics has shown that since the line
started to run in 1974 the trams have travelled
223,826km. The single truck trams have run 185,504 km. This is a
huge tally for such a short line.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
The State Government, in partnership with the local
Municipal Councils, has granted substantial funds to the railway
to undertake many and varied tasks such as the
construction of a platform at the Marine Discovery Centre,
a carriage shed at Lakers Siding, the connection of the
turntable at Drysdale to the track, and many other
works. These works will transform the railway and provide
much need additions to the fabric of the entire
railway.
Locomotive T251 has had the wheels united with its frame and
work has started on the restoration of the boiler. The
refitting of items such as springs, wiper boxes, keeper
plates brake rigging has started. It is hoped that
the boiler will be in steam by early 2007. A new tender
tank is to be fitted and work is to start on the tender frame
and bogies.
Rail Motor DP28 is under heavy repair and the work on the
body frame is almost complete and all exterior
panels refitted. All the new interior panelling has been cut and
is being varnished.
Track work has continued with 48 sleepers replaced on the
up side of Fellows Road and 66 sleepers inserted at
the site of the Big Bridge. The tamper is back in service
and has been working on the Laker's Straight
correcting cant and the cross level faults.
Gorse bushes at Drysdale have been cut to clean up
the rail stored there. A start has been made to clean up
the storage area at Mannerim. The new Queenscliff home
signal is in use.
The railway received valuable publicity in staring
on "Coxy's Big Break" TV show and has started a bicycle hiring
business based at Drysdale.
Diamond Valley Railway
Our newest member of the Association
reports that they had a very good operating year in 2005/06.
They carried 86,251 passengers and this was the second highest
number of passengers carried by a tourist railway in the
State. Their numbers were down on their previous results for
2004/05 which were 98,595 passengers. The decline of 12.51% was
attributed to the weather in the first part of 2006 and the
cost of petrol for patrons. The trains only operate
every Sunday and other selected days. Over 2.5 million
passengers have been carried since opening.
The main administrative building has received and
extension and the office extended to allow more space for
records and other office equipment. The Archives room has been
refurbished and a compactus installed. The DVR is 45 years
old this year and has an extensive archive of its history.
On the works scene, tracks are being maintained
where necessary and a new 30m radius left hand 6 kg/m point
manufactured and placed in the track. The major project
in hand is a new under cover carriage storage area
and it is hoped to have this operational by Christmas/early
new year. Once this is in operation the present carriage
storage area will be demolished and allow stage two of the
project to proceed which is the rebuilding of the
original storage facility adjacent to the Pert Workshops.
Carriage Storage Shed
Photo John Frost
The railway is building two replica E Carriages
and when complete together with other carriages these
carriages will allow the creation of a replica pre-war version of
the Albury Express.
Friends of the North Australian Railway at
Adelaide River
The Friends had a most successful excursion
to Birdum. The following is a report from Trevor Horman at
Darwin.
"On Friday we were able to witness the extensive
preparations that had been done over the past year by Barry and Ann
and crew.
This year, Birdum not only had a flush loo but
also a glass fronted fridge AND for the first time in more than
fifty years – A LIQUOR LICENCE. “Feathers” had driven a
tractor/slasher from Mataranka and had slashed the full length of
the track (8km) over one whole weekend. Lenny had prepared "OODNDATTA"
and has become quite proficient with his responsibility as driver
(like removing white ant nests that appear overnight and could
derail the fettlers trolley).
In the morning we took the opportunity to visit
two lonely graves at Pigeon Waterhole just a few km west of Larrimah
on the Birdum Creek. The oldest grave was that of John Pearson 29th
May 1899. The other was Charlie Garland from Weston Creek station
who loved this spot and by request was buried here in 1971 when he
died at age 81. In the afternoon we installed interpretive signs
around Birdum and even located the original mile posts from 311
(Larrimah) to 316 (Birdum). Richard commenced serious reconnaissance
of Birdum Airport and others mowed and weeded Birdum railway
station. Ted Mumme set a new world running record from Birdum to
Larrimah (30 minutes). As the sun set we trolleyed back to Larrimah
for the welcome dinner at Larrimah Wayside Inn where we welcomed the
Jacobsen/Main clan from the Darwin coach. Ann had prepared a
tantalizing variety of foods for this dinner (including great
desserts) and with entertainment from Colin Wain the party continued
in to the wee small hours.
Saturday was a big day. In the morning we
conducted a heritage tour which took in the BIPOD, the railway
turning triangle, the NAR houses, the 45 AGH wartime hospital and #2
bore. The whole area between Larrimah and Birdum was littered with
WW2 camps which are detailed in Peter Dermoudy’s 1987 report.
Visitors are always struck by the extent of the military presence in
the area in 1942. At #2 bore on the old stock route we inspected the
remnants of the "COMET PATTERN" windmill and tank before checking the
1871 well #3 sunk for the Overland Telegraph line in 1871 and the
grave of young Angus McDonald who committed suicide at this site in
July 1930. We then spread out and looked for any signs of the
“Larrimah War Cemetery”. We found quite a few WW2 remnants before
Bob Petersen (former policeman) discovered a grave in the long
grass.
This original track in to Birdum from the Stuart
Highway had obviously not been used at all this year. Our convoy
(including Bob Petersen’s 1949 Chevy truck) travelled very slowly
over the hard baked black soil.
On Saturday afternoon a party (including the Jacobsen/Main clan)
made its way east across Vermelha cattle station for about 50km to
find the rock hole that features in 1930 photographs as being a
picnic destination. Thankfully, Lindsay the station manager had given
good directions – we would never have found it ourselves. It was
worth the long dusty ride (90 minutes each way) and David Whitehouse
replicated the images recorded in 1930.
On Saturday evening we assembled at the Starlight Ballroom at Birdum
Hotel. Ann had prepared hot cauldrons of aussie bush stew along with
a light damper followed by plum pudding and custard. Very
traditional.!
Then “Colin and the Birdumaires” took to the stage and provided
dinner dance music which moved on up to Credance and beyond.
Interspersed with the music, various participants shared with the
populace their "BIRDUM DREAMING". This kicked off with a moving speech
drafted by Ethel Webb (nee Jacobsen) and read by her son Rod. It
ended with the memorable crocodile story from Bob Petersen. In
between we heard of dreams about steam on the NAR, aircraft landing
at the field, recreating the Birdum hotel etc. Several couples took
up the challenge of appearing in period costume, including the Mumme’s and the Petersen’s. A most memorable evening.
Sunday kicked off with a full breakfast and lots of reminiscences
about the night before. Slowly we packed and had our final rides on
the Never Never line before heading for home.
BIRDUM AIRSTRIP
Richard Luxton and Darren Featherstone discovered their mutual
interest in aviation. They have developed a plan to make the strip
operational for 2007. They will need lots of help so please let us
know of your interest.
2007 EVENT?
We pondered if this should become a two-yearly event. But interest
is still high and there are new challenges (airstrip and repairing
rails through to the actual station site). One exciting offer is
that Bob the Birdman will give a presentation on the birds of the
area and link them to aboriginal dreamtime stories that have
currency and common elements over a large area of the Territory.
Would you support a Birdum 2007 event? "
Trevor Horman can be contacted on
(0417 838 578) and by mail at P.O. Box 3504 Darwin, NT 0801.
Puffing Billy - Emerald Tourist Railway Board
The PBPS conducted a Volunteer survey and has
produced a valuable report and conclusions from the
input of many volunteers.
The railway has a ten year plan of development and this plan
has been updated to take changed priorities into account .
Major works have been happening to the old house used by
the Way and Works branch and the entire building is being
refurbished. The DR at Menzies Creek is receiving a similar
makeover. This is the only authentic DR on the railway.
At Clematis the station coping has been replaced and a general
tidy up of the area done.
Work on the Climax engine is continuing. 8A has been issued to
traffic after its overhaul and 12A is being stripped for its ten
year overhaul. Routine work on the carriage fleet is continuing at
Emerald workshops.
8A at Menzies Creek
Photo Bob Wilson
The railway is encouraging young volunteers and special work days
are held to interest young people in the work of
the railway. The jobs which they tackle are varied
ranging from the planting of shrubs and bushes,
washing the train, unloading wood for the engines, providing a
trolley service towards Menzies Creek to pick up wood but finding
adequate supplies just past Selby station, then returned. Then wood
splitting and stacking.
The Funeral Train for the railway's former Chairman,
Graeme Breydon, was quickly organised by the Workshops Branch
and Graeme's coffin was carried on a hearse car behind G42 to the
service at Gembrook Station. The coal carried on G42 was
painted white. The service was most tasteful and many tributes
were paid to Graeme and the work that he did for the
community.
Steamrail
Three tours run to Echuca, Glen Waverly shuttles
and Geelong have had very good number of passengers, helped by
a revised marketing strategy and publicity on radio stations.
Most of Steamrail's diesel engines have been on
hire to Pacific National. With the current drought and the
imminent failure of the Victorian grain crops, usage of
these engines could be low in the future.
The steam engines have been busy
but their use will be curtailed as the summer fire season is
to be proclaimed a month earlier than usual due to the major drought
that Victoria is experiencing.
R711 has had its first steam test
since 2004 and was found satisfactory. The boiler has
since been emptied and the next work started which is
the boring and re-sleeving of the valve liners. Valves and
pistons and other parts can then be reassembled in the cylinders and
other items repaired to operational condition. R761 has had
mechanical problems to the connecting rod and a damaged
combination link forced the train that it was
pulling to require assistance. This was provided by
Steamrail's T356 from Bacchus Marsh which assisted the train back to
Newport
R766 which is being converted to standard gauge
has had its drivers side cylinder refitted.
A2 986 is progressing steadily and the
superheater has been lifted into the smoke box and is being
fitted. Other works on this engine are also
proceeding.
Carriages have been receiving attention and
60BW has been repainted and 17BE has had its roof
repainted. Werribee also has had its roof repainted and
repairs done to the air conditioning hatch. 3ABE has had one side
of the car repainted.
Electrail's Hitachi cars were used for the
filming of a documentary.
With the new Rail Safety Act coming into
operation the depot is no longer accredited but the SMS will still
be required to remain in place.
Tramway Museum Society of Victoria
The arrival of the Adelaide tram H 373 caused a
certain amount of juggling of tram cars at Bylands to
allow trams to be stored under cover. This tram was the first of the
historic operational Adelaide trams to leave South Australia and,
on arrival at Bylands, the Adelaide pantograph was removed and a standard H car trolley pole fitted. The tram
moved under its own power for a short distance to test
it. It is in excellent condition. Work is going ahead to convert
the tram back to pole operation and help has been
received from the Melbourne Tramcar Preservation Society at
Haddon.
While the tramway is operationally closed the
opportunity has been taken to undertake some remedial works to
the Museum's infrastructure. The traction overhead has been
receiving attention and some track work was also needed. An order
was placed for 100 new sleepers and an excavation contractor was
digging a trench for a new earth return cable from the
mainline to the substation via all the tram shed tracks. The earth
bonding on the mainline is to be upgraded. Some work has been
going on the Exhibition shed track and fan and has
concentrated on D road.
Yarra Valley Tourist Railway
The railway is making giants steps in getting ready for
operating mainline rolling stock again and both the new
rail motor RM 22 and W 250 have been in operation in the
station yard at Healesville, shunting stock into the various
sheds and ensuring that the motive power is fully functional.
Some wiring problems with RM 22 were found and rectified.
The railway has been the recipient of a large donation
of equipment which was given by a business man
leaving to live overseas. The railway has been
able to make its facilities available to Pacific
National to allow them to test a High Rail.
The railway did a tally of the number of volunteer hours spent
working on various projects and found that the hours
worked came to 13,336 hours an increase of 48% on the last
financial year. This is the equivalent of 7.5 people
working full time on a five day week on the railway.
The railway reports that the second track into the
carriage shed has been laid and carriages 62BW and 32BW have been
placed in the shed with room for the trolley fleet.
RM22 has received new batteries and the motors body work has
received attention. The roof has been repaired
W250 has had its radiator core replaced and this no longer
leaks. The engine is being repainted in VR Blue
and gold.
Healesville Station
Photo John Frost
Sleeper replacements have been carried out on the 38 mile
curve and all bridges treated for termites. The number of bridges is
being investigated to see if it is possible to replace some
bridges with culverts. Other trackwork has occurred in the
Healesville yard.
