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News from the Tourist Railways Edition No 39
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31 October 2008 |
ATHRA - Association of Tourist and Heritage Rail Australia Meetings The next ATHRA General Meeting will be held in Queenscliff Victoria in March 2009. The programme will be found on the ATHRA website. ATHRA Awards Cinders and Ashes This publication can be read online at the ATHRA website and you can subscribe to have it sent to your email address automatically. It contains news of National events and happenings throughout Australia on Heritage Rail. The address is www.athra.asn.au ATHRA Alerts The National Association has set up a system of "Alerts" to immediately draw to member's attention urgent changes which are taking place in the rail industry. Alerts No's 1 to 13 were issued in 2005. No's 14 - 27 were issued in 2006 and No's 28 to 36 in 2007. The Alerts issued in 2008 are Alerts No 38-40. For details please see the ATHRA website. Click Here Victorian News The Association has been in the forefront of the work required to get all our members accredited before the deadline of July 2009.
Consequently a review has shown that only two of our 22 members need additional help to meet this requirement. This year has seen a lot of work on the fire protection of our reserves and great attention has also been paid to the interface of rail and roadways. In addition a series of legal questions regarding the operation of the Transport Act 1983 with regard to heritage rail have been raised with the Department and we are awaiting the answers. Some of the matters are most complex and will take a while to sort out. ATHRA Award. An award was made to the Yarra Valley Tourist railway recently by ATHRA. This is the : ATHRA-ARTC Infrastructure Restoration Award Yarra Valley Railway – Victoria The inscription reads "In recognition of their work in the restoration of a timber trestle bridge over the Watts River." This was the only award made to a Victorian Group in 2008. A photograph of the bridge is below.
News from our Members Australian Railway Historical Society - Victorian Division. The magazine Newsrail continues to be most informative and contains a good mixture of nostalgia, current news and photographs. The August issue had a interesting article on the former Cudgewa line and the last steam hauled broad gauge train to Albury in June this year. September had an article on the diesel Y class engines and the B class diesels. October focused on the Toolamba Echuca line, the Kerrisdale Railway and J class steam engines operating on the Castlemaine Maldon railway. At the museum in Newport the model railway display has had a change of exhibits and has on display a typical goods train of the late 1950-60's. Diesel B74 is being prepared for repainting as the salt air that all the exhibits are subject to destroys all the hard work done to them in short time. Undercover shelter is overdue! The wooden IB wagon is being repaired. Ballarat Tramway Museum The Museum has had a bitumen path constructed by the City council from Wendouree Parade to the Depot. The path parallels the existing access tram track to the road. The cost of printing the occasional issue of the house magazine "Fares Please" in colour has been exercising the mind of the Board and as the cost is so great for even occasional colour, it has been decided to make copies available over the internet in colour. This can then be printed off by the recipient in colour if they so wish. All four wheel trams are serviceable except No 14 and this tram is having its controller overhauled. It is hoped to have the tram return to service as soon as possible. The motors are also being repaired. tram No 18 has a new trolley pole and No 26 has had some body repairs. Tram No 28 has had some repairs done to one of its field coils and has had the compressor changed over. Bus services to the gardens on weekdays and weekends has been improved and if you travel by V/Line, the bus fares are included in the V/Line fare. Tram no 38 has been lifted off its bogies and the body is on blocks. The bodies are being cleaned and repaired and the wheels are to be turned. The two armatures are to be baked and dipped in an attempt to extend their life. The damage to the depot caused by a motor car has been repaired and the change room is back in use. The temporary change room which was in display tram No 39 is being renovated. The track is to see some maintenance soon with work concentrating on a number of rail joints which have dropped.
Bendigo Tramways 2008 has seen the 35th anniversary of the first talking tram in Bendigo and many restoration works on the fleet. Former Melbourne Y call Y 610 has had a full repaint in the Melbourne Gold and Green colour scheme. Work has also been done for S.P.E.R. in NSW and J 675 moved under its own power for the first time for over 70 years. In addition C class 33 is also being rebuilt. This tram is to be restored as a double deck tram. In October the Tramway hosted the two monthly meeting of the ATR and this was the first time that the Association has visited Bendigo. Toastrack tram No 17 has received finishing touches and is painted on the livery of the ESCo and the Bendigo Trust. Other work carried out has been the dismantling of W2 577 for spare parts for SPER. 
Bendigo Restaurant Tram
Photo J. Frost
Friends of the North Australian Railway at Adelaide
River.
The railway reports on the following works in progress at the moment Some work has commenced to tidy the place up and to make our projects accessible and to tell complete stories (i.e. all pieces of one project in one area). The restoration projects that are being shown include:- WATER COLUMN PROGRESS Our good friend Peter Soulos found time to go to the River this afternoon to start work on the water connection for the 1888 Kapunda Water Column which was used to fill steam locomotives. Using a special hydraulic tool (very expensive) Pete made two neat cuts in the 1888 cast iron 6” water pipe from the elevated tank. The cutting machine basically wrapped a very heavy chain (containing cutting heads) around the pipe and tightened it until the pipe cracked neatly along the pressure points. He then installed the 6” T-piece and measured up for the remaining piece of straight connecting pipe. During this exercise the pit that Pete was working in filled up with 100 year old water which had been in the pipe. It eventually stopped flowing but took a lot of bailing. At least it adds to confidence that the pipe is sound and continuous. STEAM STUFF Mike has been back working on Hudswell Clarke after a well deserved break interstate. A big thrill last Friday was when a Franner crane was employed to lift #928 while Mike flooded the bearings and guided the axles back in to the bearings as she landed. A mild nudge by Pete’s forklift got #928 rolling along the track and Mike reports that snorts of compressed air exhausting through the chimney sounded sensational. Mike has done some considerable work on water level gauges and pressure gauges for the cab of #928. The brass and glass is coming up beautifully. And last night Mike poked a water hose with a strong jet of water through each boiler tube. This flushed out some accumulated muck, but it also increased confidence that the boiler tubes are in good condition. Now Mike has a large scale “pipe cleaner” brush to poke through the tubes. Melbourne Tramcar Preservation Association The Museum now has four fully restored and operational trams. These are VR 41, L 103, W2 407, and W4 670. The Association has a collection of seven trams and tram No SW5 843 is now undergoing restoration. The Association has been helping Yarra Trams by supplying them with a windscreen assembly from a tram which they have acquired as a source of spare parts. In return Yarra trams provided a collection of salvaged overhead parts for use in the museum. As well as helping Yarra trams with spare parts, the Association has been helping a number of COTMA museums with specific parts from trams that they are dismantling or have removed from other bodies at Newport Workshops on their behalf. The Museum has been electrically operational for 16 years now. The new rail Safety Management System came into operation on 30 March 2008. During the year the Museum undertook a contract for the T.M.S.V to overhaul the door engines from that Museums tram Y 612. These have been completely overhauled and have now been delivered to the T.M.S.V. Mornington Railway The connection to the main line at Baxter is to be replaced with straight rail but the Department of Transport has agreed that when the tourist railway is able to return to that location, the Department will pay for the reinstatement of the points to a standard that will comply with the signalling and safe working requirements of Connex or its successor and at a location determined by the MRPS.
Puffing Billy - Emerald Tourist Railway Board The railway has taken delivery of two Walker DH diesel engines, one of which is complete and the other is minus the engine and is destined for spare parts. When the second DH is placed in service it will allow Puffing Billy to run an easier timetable on days of total fire ban. The existing timetable is constrained by the other diesel engine D21 being an 0-6-0 and much slower and with less power than the DH. A start has been made on the regauging and rebuilding the South African NGG16 garratt engine and the boiler cradle has been taken to Belgrave for work to start on it. Donations towards the work are also being sought. NGG16 engines are running in the UK on the West Highland line from Caernarfon. The railway has prepared the latest business plan. With the change in time tables the Luncheon train now runs to Gembrook each day and is a single train trip from Belgrave to Gembrook for lunch with the return by bus, and the carriages being utilised on the return trip for Devonshire tea for the passengers who go to Gembrook by bus and return to Belgrave by train. Work on 12A continues and 14A is undergoing a "D" examination. G42 has had some boiler repairs carried out and is to undergo a "D" exam in January 2009. Climax engine 1694 has had the smoke box saddle finished and bogie components are being cleaned and a new steam pipe fitted to the boiler. Buildings on the line are receiving attention and Emerald Station is to be refurbished. The railway recently suffered the loss of its Manager Way and Works, Tom Kilner. Tom will be greatly missed by all of us as he worked on the railway for 26 years.
Redcliffs Historical Steam Railway This small railway in the north of Victoria does not normally operate during the high summer from December to March. The historic steam engine that they use is in excess of 100 years of age. The railway is building a new carriage shed near the present workshop and this is to be served by a traverser. Access to the shed is by way of an extension of one of the workshop tracks. They have a number of VR lattice signal masts and these are being restored and will be located at appropriate points to control traffic movements.
Seymour Railway Heritage Centre The Centre ran a very successful trip to Tocumwal to celebrate the centenary of the opening of the railway in 1908. The trip commenced in Seymour and went across country through Shepparton Strathmerton to Tocumwal (NSW). The local people turned out in great numbers to take part in the day. A shuttle service was run from Tocumwal to Strathmerton for them. As passenger trains have not run on the line for a number of years, the Tocumwal station needed a spruce up and the Shire of Berrigan spent some $30,000 to repair the station building and platform. While the standard gauge line to the north of Tocumwal still exists that line has been abandoned for all services and road motors have taken over. The only rail service into the town now is by way of the Victorian 5'3" gauge line. The special trip ran to time.
Steamrail A number of successful charters have been run recently and a special trip ran to Seymour and to Maldon. The passengers to Maldon changed trains at Castlemaine and were hauled by doubleheader J class engines to Maldon. A successful trip to Wycheproof was run to celebrate 125 years of railways in the town. Wycheproof is unique in Victoria in having the train run down the middle of the main street. Work on A2 986 continues and all the rotating and sliding surfaces are receiving attention. Carriage 63BW is under repair and has been repainted and is now in service. BZ 269 is being modified as a dance car and the interior modifications are almost complete. Electrical work is going on and the glass and window frames have been removed and corrosion is being treated. Steamrail has been able to secure the use of S 301 from Pacific National and used this engine on the trip to Wycheproof. Their own engine S 313 is on hire to El Zorro. Discussions with Connex have shown that it is not feasible to run heritage electric rolling stock in the metropolitan area anymore unless Steamrail becomes an accredited operator in its own right. This is due to changes in OHS rules, the franchising of the network and the commercial environment since these trains last operated. It could be several years before we see these trains on a Heritage trip again! In the meantime safety film is being placed on the window glass by a contractor and has been paid for by the Department of Transport. An Electrail Risk Register is being compiled as part of the push for accreditation. At the Newport Depot all the previous material and vehicles held in the Tarp Shop area have been removed and many of the old vehicles stored in the area adjacent to the Geelong line have also been removed by contractors or cut where they are no longer required or were too far gone to be useful. The area is to be used as an electric train depot. When Steamrail was given access to West Block at Newport, part of the building was damaged by a fire in the days of the VR and the building in this area was not repaired. The present landlord, Victrack, has let a contract to do this repair work to 12 road and repair the roof which was leaking. The Victorian Goldfields Railway The President reports that 2008 has been a difficult one for the railway with the need for additional finance and the break down of key equipment. Nevertheless the railway has been able to continue on but more volunteers are needed to lessen the work load on existing members. The railway has been suffering from poor quality coal and engines have been clinkering. It is proposed to obtain supplies from another source once the present stock is consumed. Tramway Museum Society Scrubber tram 10W, which had been in the custody of the Society for a number of years, has finally been gifted by the Department of Transport to the Society. When the unit was in service on the main network under the ownership of M < Trams, it needed heavy repair to its wheels and T.M.S.V "loaned" a pair of wheels and axle sets to get it back on the road on the understanding that when it was finally withdrawn the Society would be the recipient. The unit was indeed withdrawn and arrived at Bylands in due course but with a proviso from the then Department of Infrastructure that it was a loan and a document had to be signed acknowledging this. (This included the Society's own wheel sets). This has now been changed to a gift on the anniversary of the 100 year of its life. This tram started life as a K class tram in Sydney no 763 in 1908 and was converted into a scrubber in Sydney as 138s in1952. In 1959 it was sold to Melbourne where it became No 10 and later 10w. The tram arrived at Bylands in 2002. Mainline track works continues with replacement of sleepers. Tram restoration continues with work continuing on Q 199 and X2 680. The door mechanism on Y1 612 has been overhauled by the Melbourne tramcar Preservation Society. Adelaide tram H 373 has received attention. The Society has decided, due to the expansion of the Kilmore township and the burden of extra costs involved in keeping the leased corridor clean of noxious weeds and for fire prevention purposes, to surrender the lease on this land. Due to the few volunteers that are available to regularly open the museum, commencing on the 1 January 2009 it has been decided to only open the museum on the 1st and 3rd Sundays in the month from 11.00am to 4.30pm. Yarra Valley Railway A great deal of work has been done at Healesville to prepare the railway for the running of trains again. Track work has been completed up to the tunnel with 300 new sleepers inserted to this point. The weakness of the railway is the number of bridges between Healesville and Yarra Glen and these are being attacked and rebuilt in turn. Two bridges have been completed and a third is well advanced at the 38 mile mark. The work required is the replacement piles, crossheads, bracing, deck, the insertion of a waterproof membrane and lastly sleepers. The bridge over the Watts River needed to have steel beams placed in it and the railway entered the work in the ATHRA Infrastructure awards and was the winner in this section. The skills needed to do this work has been redeveloped with the help of Puffing Billy people who pioneered this work in Victoria. The official opening of the restored Watts River Bridge was made by local MP, Ben Hardman. The Victorian State Government provided $100,000 towards the cost of restoring the bridge, vital to the railway's operations, reflecting the government's commitment to the restoration of the line. In addition the rolling stock has received attention and work is continuing on Walker Rail Car RM 22.. Locomotive No W 250 has been refurbished and repainted in VR Blue and Gold. A works train has been prepared consisting of 33,39, and 100 QN and the vehicles have been reconditioned and repainted. To complete the works train, guards van No 68 ZLP has been repainted and fully repaired and reconditioned to as new appearance. New timber was placed in the roof and other rotten timber removed from the sides and the entire unit painted. Accreditation has been received from PTSV for the railway to operate works trains and these have been running in support of the bridge building and track upgrade T 341 which is at Seymour has also been repainted in VR blue and gold and is almost ready for the mainline and hire.
Works Train Healesville Station 15 November 2008 Photo J. Frost .Updated October 2008 |
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