Rail

The Victorian Goldfields Railway (VGR) has welcomed a new depot in Castlemaine for the historic trains that run between Castlemaine and Maldon … The many benefits of the new depot buildings include greater space and more comfortable indoor environs for VGR volunteer workers to maintain locomotives and prepare them for service.

The Albury to Illabo (A2I) section of Inland Rail will enter the construction phase after the project received NSW Government planning approval on Friday. The approval from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure is a significant milestone, and opens the way for construction to begin in 2025.

The Australian and Queensland governments will be progressing further planning work to protect the future rail corridor between Salisbury and Beaudesert. The Salisbury to Beaudesert Passenger Rail study explored the long-term passenger and freight needs in the corridor and has recommended heavy rail as the best way to address forecast passenger demand.

The over one hundred year old Taggerty Buffet Car has been a familiar inclusion of the collection at Donald’s Train Park for many years, having been purchased by Donald Lions Club for $2,000 around twenty years ago.  Once having held royalty, it is now being somewhat treated like royalty, with the erection of a steel shed cover to protect the historical carriage from the elements.

Metronet has released maps showing the preferred access to the three stations on the Yanchep rail line. A Metronet spokeswoman said preferred access to Yanchep station was along Marmion Ave and then via a new road called Botanical Blvd leading to parking facilities.

Lachlan Valley Railway is bringing a 1960s vintage train to Casino next month. LVR is a rail preservation society in Cowra that was established in 1974. The society aims to preserve and operate former NSW Government Railways locomotives and rolling stock.

I hear a train a coming, its rolling round the bend” sang the late great Johnny Cash, and might have been a song that came to mind as the Vinelander rolled into Donald on Friday, June 6, on its way to Mildura as part of the Slow Rail Journey put together by 707 operations based out of the Newport Rail yards in Hobsons’ Bay.

Wayne Hawthorne. “Out of sight, out of mind” it is said, yet this idiom can be transformed to “seeing is believing” when visiting museums ... Naracoorte Men’s Probus Club members recently visited two lesser-known gems of the South East. The Nangwarry Forestry Museum and the Kalangadoo Railway Station Museum.

Narrandera Shire Council will discuss with the Federal Member for Farrer Sussan Ley MP and the Federal Government the possibility to reinstate the Narrandera to Tocumwal Rail Line as a supplementary line to the planned Wagga Inland Rail Route. Cr Jenny Clarke said a previous Council had lobbied vigorously for the Narrandera to Tocumwal line to be reinstated, but unfortunately all the progress achieved had been basically forgotten by the current Council.

It’s full steam ahead for Tallowood Ventures Limited (TVL) after the not-for-profit organisation announced their 2023 proposal to develop a 35km section of the currently inactive Glenreagh to Dorrigo Branch Line and transform it into a rail trail is one step closer following recent community efforts to clear vegetation along large areas of the rail corridor.

Serena Kirby. The Denmark Historical Society is in the process of erecting information signage along the Denmark - Nornalup Rail Trail. The 38 signs provide historical background about the origins, significance and role that the old Elleker-Denmark-Nornalup railway line played in opening up the surrounding areas for grazing and settlement.

As they stood in the shadow of the heritage 1960s 621/721 class rail motor at Grafton City Station, volunteers from the Rail Motor Society reflected with heartfelt pride and passion on the unequivocal diligence and resoluteness of their ongoing work which enabled local railway enthusiasts to experience the sensation of travelling in historic style over the weekend.

Remember the protracted battle regarding the plans to build broiler farms on the Moolort Plains, west of Baringhup, in the Shire of Mount Alexander? After court hearings and the extraordinary step of building two houses out near the proposed site for the proposed broiler sheds, that battle was won by local residents.

After many years of planning by DownsSteam, the engine "Pride of Toowoomba" made its first official trip to and from Wyreema on Saturday morning. After waiting for many years, steam train fans were not going to miss out on the chance to ride the rails aboard carriages hauled by the refurbished "Pride of Toowoomba" ...

The excitement was getting a little too much at times. Not only for the team at Victorian Goldfields Railway (VGR) but also for locomotive J549 (J) ... And last Saturday at 12.30pm, an excited driver Paul McDonald brought J home to Maldon, with around 90 passengers equally excited to be part of the ‘chuff-chuff, woo-wooo’ journey.

Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams was in Geelong today, to mark one year of  making regional public transport more affordable by capping the daily regional fare at the same price as the daily metropolitan fare.  Passengers have been showing their enthusiasm for cheaper regional travel, with more than 22 million trips taken since the fare cap commenced.

Regional communities continue to pay the price of Labor’s mismanagement as key rail upgrades for lines across regional Victoria remain undelivered. Train lines in Shepparton, Warrnambool, and Gippsland were promised upgrades by the end of 2023, but the Allan Labor Government’s mismanagement of Victoria’s infrastructure pipeline has seen all three projects suffer delays and result in cost blowouts.

It’s been 10 years in the making – the rail trail is complete and you can ride, walk, take a trishaw, take the dog or run the Casino to Bentley Rail Trail. It is more than 13 km tracking through farmland with cows grazing against a backdrop of soft, green hills.

Campaspe Shire Council and Heritage Victoria have been working on the new Rail Trail project in Rushworth. After detailed historical and site investigations, Heritage Victoria have placed the former Rushworth Railway Station on the Victorian Heritage Inventory (number H7924-0100).

John Williams. "Hang on, we are going to crash, look out", was the dramatic warning given to the driver of the second engine of the Adelaide-bound Express a few seconds before one of the biggest railway smashes in the history of Victoria. On the foggy night of September 7th 1951, Kaniva and Nhill fire brigades rushed to a reported train wreck involving two Expresses at Serviceton, just near the South Australian border.

Today many in the Euroa community are celebrating a win for all who value the heritage and the broader history of their town.  Just as importantly the Euroa Community has again proven the strength of a strong community voice in dealing with a large uncaring corporation.  

The ability of the Australian grains industry to compete internationally is being seriously hampered by supply chain inefficiencies, with recent record harvests highlighting a need for more capacity in the current network, a GrainGrowers commissioned report has found.  The ‘Connecting the Dots: Improving Australian Grain Supply Chain Efficiency’ report was compiled by independent global strategy consultancy LEK.