ATHRA - Association of Tourist and Heritage Rail Australia

The Association of Tourist and Heritage Rail Australia is now fully operational.

The Association is made up of all State Associations and the ACT with the Northern Territory being represented by Victoria. The Association is the Australian equivalent of Heritage Railways UK, Fedecrail Europe, and the Federation of Rail Organisations of New Zealand. 

The  October meeting held in Canberra discussed such subjects as the constitution of the Association, problems relating to Insurance, representation at various National railway conferences, access to Standards set by Standards Australia and the large numbers of these standards and their high cost to purchase. The ATHRA agreed to join the Australasian Railway Association. As part of the discussions at the meeting the Association set out goals where ATHRA wished to be in the short, medium and long term.

Insurance was a catalyst in setting up the National Association and ATHRA has successfully negotiated  Public Liability Insurance for all members through a broker in the London market. One of the criteria is that the insurance is affordable to Heritage rail in Australia. 

Kelly and Lewis Engine No 5957 "Paul Simpson"

 

Australian Railway Historical  Society - Victorian Division.

 

The Society had a very good "Great Railway Swap Meet" and proposes to hold the next one on Saturday 19 February 2005. 

 

The museum has been busy repainting Steam Locomotives E369 and D3 639 in the standard VR gloss black. A new diorama has been introduced using one of Frank Kelly's models of J 516 with a  train of mixed freight wagons. Work has also started on the restoration of the Market Street Melbourne signal gantry which was the largest semaphore gantry in the Melbourne area.

 

As well as the Museum, the Society has a very active book publishing section and sales section as well as other sectional activities. At the monthly meetings a photographic competition is run with the title for entries in January 2005 being "train with a loco not originally from that home state".  For February 2005 it is "Cross on parallel tracks" and March 2005 "tram wires or overhead catenary"

 

Ballarat Tramway Museum

 

The tramway was subject to the vagaries of nature and the electrical works in the depot was damaged by a lightning strike near the depot on 13 October. The strike seemed to have caused superficial damage and after the replacement of fuses, diodes etc the power was restored and trams were able to run again. However, the damage caused by the strike caused a chain of events and a small fire occurred on the morning of Tuesday 19 October in the main AC traction switchgear. 

 

Suffice to say power was disconnected  and the tramway had to have a new traction switch, two new switchboards and other equipment and rewiring to bring the installation up to current standards. This cost $6,000. Nevertheless some doubt remained as to the health of the isolating transformer and it was found on inspection to be also damaged from the lightning strike. It has since been replaced with a  new transformer at a cost of $16,500 . Power was restored on the 18th December 2004.

 

Bellarine Peninsula Railway 

A donation has been received by the railway for track ballast, and a computer and printer has been received for the rolling stock office. The Department of Primary Industries Queenscliff Facility site has been fenced and a pedestrian crib crossing installed. It is proposed to build a station platform in 2005.

The platform at Lakers Siding has been improved and the platform at Suma Park is being lengthened to take all four Blues Train carriages. 

The Queenscliff Music Festival was held in November with the service being very popular and the hot weather created an increase of sales in drinks and ice-creams. Rail Motor DP 29 which came to the Bellarine Railway from Tasmania has been restored and looks very smart. Its sister rail car is to receive similar attention in 2005. The railway has announced that they have sold Tasmanian engine V9 held in the Puffing Billy Museum Menzies Creek to the West Coast  Wilderness Railway.

Friends of the North Australia Railway at Adelaide River

 

2004 has been a good year  for the railway. 

This is an edited extract from their recent report.

• First freight train on the standard gauge track passed through the heritage precinct in January (with our Friend Tim Fischer on board)
• The first Ghan passenger train on the standard gauge track passed through the heritage precinct in February.
• We completed our Business Plan 
• We hosted Heritage Open Day in May and the Railway Picnic in August
• Our access road was formed and drained and sealed during the year.
• The grounds were tidied up and levelled and extended significantly.
• Parking was improved with new access under shade trees and parking signage.
• The Retro 1885 country dunny was commissioned (thanks to Community Benefit Fund,  PDQ Builders and Moonbeam Building Design)
• The reservoir surrounds were upgraded with garden furniture and a new inlet channel.
• The Sidney Williams hut found its legs and windows thanks to Mick Kent and Mick Perrin.
• Many new exhibits and displays were commissioned.
• Mick Kent rebuilt sections of the 1871 Overland Telegraph on the original route through the precinct.
• We rebuilt the NAR up and over the level crossing at Dorat Road.
• The National Trust recognised the heritage activities of three of our Friends in their annual awards.
• We hosted visits by Variety Bash in August and Engineers Australia in December when the 1888 railway bridge was plagued.
• We organised an expedition to Birdum, in association with Birdum Historical Society, to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the first train to Birdum in 1929.
• The major water pipes across the 1888 railway bridge disappeared,  making way to re-lay the wooden sleepers.
• We got good media coverage during the year (and a mention in Tim Fischer’s latest book).
• We won the Tourism Minister’s special award in the prestigious 2004 Brolga Tourism awards.
• We helped the NT Tourist Commission to develop the Adelaide River Action Plan which is getting into gear.
• More than 10,000 hours of volunteer effort was contributed during the year.
• We published four newsletters (thanks Robyn) and a few e-mails to try to keep our friends informed.
• We got a Christmas card from the Chief Minister (and the precinct looked a treat when she had morning tea with us on 3 December).
• We printed T-shirts for the first time.
• New brown signage appeared on Stuart Highway and Dorat Road identifying the RAIL HERITAGE PRECINCT (thanks to DIPE).
• We fostered our relationships with Birdum Historical Society , the National Trust, History Society of the NT, Darwin Railway Sports and Social Club, Bellarine Peninsula Railway and the Association of Tourist Railways.

 

 

Puffing Billy - Emerald Tourist Railway Board 

The new workshop extension at Belgrave has been opened by the Hon J. Pandazopolous Minster for Tourism in November. The extension has ensured that working conditions for engine maintenance and repair are much improved and meet current standards. The next project to be planned for improvements at Belgrave is the construction of a Refreshment  Room and an architect has been appointed to develop concept plans.

 

2005  is the 50th anniversary of the Puffing Billy Preservation Society which is the first of all heritage railways in Australia. Considerable planning is underway to ensure that the Jubilee is properly celebrated.

 

 Steamrail

 

With the resumption of mainline trips, a very successful tour was held to Warrnambool and a trip of the "Santa Special Picnic Train" to Geelong. K153 was used on the 150th celebration trips and K190 was used on shuttle trips  between Caulfield and Mordialloc.

 

 R711 is to be returned to service and will be repainted in a new heritage blue colour. Work is going ahead on the replacement of the damaged superheater along with other work and it is expected that the engine will be operational in 2005. 

 

B72 is receiving lots of work and all of the exterior bodywork  has been needle gunned and primed. Air-conditioning to both cabs is being fitted and the sound insulation at the No2 end is being improved. Work is also necessary on at the No 2 end headlight area and this is being replaced.

 

700BK is almost complete but was found to have a leaking water tank when the job was thought to be finished.  68BW is the next carriage to be shopped for roof repair. This summer the turntable at Newport is to be repainted and it was last repainted in 1943.

 

Victorian Goldfields Railway 

The highlight of the year was the reopening of the railway from Muckleford to Castlemaine on Sunday 19 December 2004 with the first public train. While the physical restoration of the line to Castlemaine was completed in 2003 the line was not able to reopen due to problems with gaining access to traverse the section of track from Castlemaine Station to the junction with the line to Maldon. This has now been overcome with the lessees of the mainline track, Pacific Australia, instigating a limited "Closure" of the section Castlemaine to Moolort  which allows the tourist railway to access Castlemaine Station under "Tourist Railway Operating Rules". The line will be officially opened in 2005.

Photo VGR Website.

Steam engine J549 has been lifted from its wheels in May. The tyres have been removed from the wheels and the wheels have been sent to the Puffing Billy Railway at Belgrave for the fitting of new tyres. T333 has been transferred to  the mainline on hire to Pacific National. As well several ballast hoppers have been hired to John Holland for the fast train project. It is understood that the track layout at Castlemaine will be altered due to this new fast train passenger service and this will result in the tourist railway tracks being shifted.

 As part of the reopening to Castlemaine, the signal box on the platform is again in use and the frame has been altered to accommodate the changes and to interlock with the Pacific National signal panel on platform 1.

Yarra Valley Railway 

The railway has recently been loaned on long term lease Walker railmotor RM 22 from the ARHS Museum. The railmotor will be housed under shelter and requires very little work to become operational.  Work is progressing on DERM No 62 RM and all window steel work is now restored and work is progressing on the restoration of the roof frame.

T 341 has gone to Seymour and is expected to be repainted in VR blue and to be used on plant and associated trains. Work is continuing on W 250 and the batteries are being recharged. Once this is completed the engine will be started for the first time in over a decade.

Trolley PMT16 broke an axle and this was repaired at Belgrave by Puffing Billy. The hut near the turntable at Healesville has been undercoated and cleaned up and the entire area has had attention which has improved the appearance. In addition the Healesville station shelter shed and the rear wall of the booking hall have been completed by the builders.

During the recent flooding of the Yarra and the Watts rivers the line was above flood level with no damage. Work at Yarra Glen Station has continued and more of the roof has been completed in steel roofing.