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Blue Mountains Division of

ANNUAL REPORT

25th Annual General Meeting

Blue Mountains Division of Transport Heritage NSW(formerly NSW Rail Transport Museum)

ACN: 000 570 463 / ABN: 25 000 570 463

Date: Saturday 12th November 2016

Time: 11:00am

Venue: Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum, Tusculum Road, Valley Heights NSW 2777

Annual ReportBlue Mountains DivisionTransport Heritage NSW AGM - 2016

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AGENDA FOR 25th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ApologiesChairman’s AddressMinutes

Acceptance of Minutes of the 24th Annual General Meeting held on 14th November 2015

Business Arising from MinutesAnnual Reports

Treasurer’s Report – John Carter 1. Chairman’s Report – Bruce Coxon2. Publicity Manager’s Report – Keith Ward 3. Retail Manager’s Report – Steve Corrigan4. Membership Officer’s Report – Jeff Russell 5. Building Services Manager’s Report – Ted Dickson6. Building Restoration Manager’s Report – David Grove 7. Grounds Maintenance Manager’s Report – Stephen Dive 8. Per Way Mankeithager’s Report – John Stanley (presented by Bruce Coxon) 9. Exhibits Manager’s Report – (presented by Bruce Coxon) 10. Model Railway Manager’s Report – Ray Beharrell 11. Small Exhibits Curator’s Report – Michael Pensini12. Workshop Manager’s Report – Terry Matchett13. Honorary Librarian’s Report – Ross Stenning

Acceptance of Annual ReportsElection of Main Office Bearers

ChairmanSecretaryTreasurer Publicity ManagerMembership Officer Building Services ManagerBuilding Restoration Manager Grounds Maintenance Manager Per Way ManagerRetail ManagerExhibits Manager Small Exhibits CuratorModel Railway Manager Workshop Manager

Election of Sub Committees – (to be appointed by Manager)Election of Honorary Positions

Honorary HistorianHonorary Librarian

Election of PatronsNotices of MotionAddress by RepresentativesGeneral BusinessAnnual ReportBlue Mountains DivisionTransport Heritage NSW AGM - 2016

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MINUTES OF THE 24th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Held Saturday 14th November 2015

The Meeting was opened at 11:08am by the Chairman Bruce Coxon.

Apologies:

Trish Doyle State Member for the Blue Mountains, Phil Robinson, Dave Grove, John Stanley, Sam Wyatt, Terry Matchett, Peter Lowry, Matthew Ward, Eileen Ward, Richard Butcher, Sue Fulton, Jean Grundy, Peter Kerr

MOVED: Rod Hawkes, SECONDED: John Carter: that the Apologies be received.

Welcome:

Louise Markus Federal Member for Macquarie, Mark Greenhill Mayor Blue Mountains Council, Andrew Killingsworth CEO Transport Heritage NSW, Councillor Mick Fell Blue Mountains City Council.As Louise Markus and Mark Greenhill had other engagements following, Bruce asked if they would like to address the meeting at this time.

Louise Markus:

Louise started by pointing out that often when she comes to Valley Heights it rains but is always great to be here. Louise recalled how much she enjoyed unveiling the plaque in remembrance of the local railwaymen who served and lost their lives in the Great War. Louise also commented on how impressed she was in regards to the further improvements each time she visited the Museum and thanked Bruce and the volunteers for all that they have done. Louise also advised there was a Federal Community Grant coming out in early February and we should get our submissions in by Christmas.

Mark Greenhill:

Mayor Greenhill in opening his address paid respect to the traditional aboriginal owners of the site. Mark noted that a lot of history is preserved on this site, not just the trains but the memories as well. Mark recounted a recent visit when he was sitting in the carriage which a number of years ago travelled up and down the Blue Mountains. The green interior brought back memories of years gone by and how innocent it was in times of our school days. He thanked us for being here and our efforts preserving the memory of our youth. Mark thought that the Blue Mountains would be a severely diminished place without the Museum and its members and he thought that we were simply sensational. Mark is honoured to be a patron of our Museum and privileged to be associated with such a fine bunch of people.

Chairman's Address

Welcome:

Chairman Bruce Coxon began by welcoming all in attendance to the Museum’s 24th Annual General Meeting and thanked his management team who assisted him during the year. Bruce then highlighted a number of items in the minutes that all had received:For instance, our shop team that is the face of the Museum and sets the standard for our customers’ visit. Numerous favourable comments in our Visitor’s Book can be attributed to this team, especially our smiling Jeff Russell. Recognition was made of our Per Way people who toil away in the background with this heavy physical work, especially on the very hot days, replacing sleepers and restoring track to keep it trafficable. Bruce thanked STARPS who without their dedication in keeping their exhibits mobile the Museum would probably struggle to exist. They also have to handle the myriad of safety regulations and the impact they Annual ReportBlue Mountains DivisionTransport Heritage NSW AGM - 2016

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have on our operations. The Retirees Group was given a mention and a thank you to acknowledge their contribution to the Museum’s progress, meeting once a month for a week each time and ably led by Dave Grove. Bruce observed that by just looking around you could see the great steps forward that have been made. In the Large Exhibits area, Rod Hawkes had completed the Caves Express car and also finished the 32 Class loco which had been pulled out for photography. Also on display was the recent addition to our fleet, Diesel Tractor X206. Its acquisition was arranged by our CEO Andrew Killingsworth who had heard of its imminent disposal by UGL, knowing that it would be useful for running our trains during high fire risk days. Another highlight was the arrival of Keith Ward, a one man cyclone who has taken over the role of Publicity Manager from the long standing Andrew Tester. Keith's enthusiasm has set the place on fire and at times we thought he was going to kill us. Keith has opened up areas of publicity we have not delved in before and always with his organisational skills the events have been a great success. Bruce then went on to thank Ross Stenning for taking the Minutes, and Steve Dive and Roslyn Reynolds for their tireless works around the grounds. We continue to receive a huge amount of support and information from the Springwood Historical Society Group. The Blue Mountains Christian Model Railway Group maintains and operates our two layouts for visitor’s pleasure. We also get terrific support from BMACHO and we thank them for that.One of the last to thank is Andrew Killingsworth CEO of Transport Heritage NSW that took over from the Office of Rail Heritage. Andrew’s team has worked tirelessly for us at Valley Heights and we have created a very professional association with them.

Election of PatronsNominations were then called for the Election of Museum Patrons. Those elected were:

Mrs Louise Markus - Federal Member for MacquarieMs Trish Doyle - Member for Blue MountainsCouncillor Mark Greenhill - Mayor Blue Mountains City Council Mr Neil Cram

MOVED: Bruce Coxon that the Patrons be elected. It was agreed.

Honorary Members

Nominations for Honorary Members were called. Those nominated were: Bob Debus, Oliver Heymans, Ted Mullett, Dr Stuart Sharp, Ian Vigers, John Eassie, Craig Hill, Peter Neve, Paddy Brosnan, Roslyn Reynolds, Wendy Torr, Alex Taylor, Chris Hundt.

MOVED: Bruce Coxon, SECONDED: Keith Ward that the nominated Honorary Members be accepted. It was agreed

Notice of Motion: Amendment to Museum’s Membership Fees.

The committee of Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum is seeking the endorsement of said Museum’s members to increase the Museum’s Membership Fees.

The motion is: That the members of Valley Heights Locomotive Museum endorse the increase of membership fees from the current Adult fee of Fifteen Dollars ($15.00) per annum to Twenty Dollars ($20.00) per annum and Childs fee from Eight Dollars ($8.00) per annum to Ten Dollars ($10.00) per annum. Both increases to take effect from 1 st

January 2016

MOVED: Bruce Coxon that the notice of motion as circulated be adopted. It was agreed

Representatives Address

Trish Doyle, Member for Blue Mountains: An apology had been received from Trish and a letter submitted to be read on her behalf so the letter was so read.

“Thank you for your invitation to this weekend’s Annual General Meeting.


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Unfortunately due to various commitments tomorrow I am unable to attend and must tender my apologies.

One of the highlights for me since coming to office this year has been my association with the Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum.

Every time I visit the Museum I learn something new and am always inspired by the commitment and passion of its members. Previously I was not that familiar with the operations of the historical railway movement but I have learned quite a few things from my visits to Valley Heights.

A highlight for me this year was the Indigenous Railways Workers Exhibition. To be part of the launch with Uncle Graham Cooper was truly a touching occasion.

I have really appreciated the friendly and genuine way in which the Executive and the Board, the general members and volunteers have welcomed me.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the Board for their stewardship of the Museum for the past year. I would also like to congratulate the in-coming Board. I look forward to catching up some time soon.

On behalf of the citizens of the Blue Mountains I extend a very warm show of thanks to all that you do to preserve our railway and tramway heritage for further generations.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all involved with the Museum for their outstanding contribution to maintaining and promoting our cultural Heritage.”

Andrew Killingsworth- CEO Transport Heritage New South Wales: Andrew acknowledged the efforts of all those who have assisted the Museum, recognising that the history is in the Museum and the heart is in the people who work away to restore it. Andrew also mentioned the fine work carried out in the publication of the minutes that form a comprehensive record of the Museum‘s history.

Mick Fell- Councillor Blue Mountains City Council: Mick first up said he was going to take up the offer and come here more often. Mick also joined with Andrew and Louise in praising all for the work that has been carried out at the Museum. He said it was a privilege to be invited for the unveiling of the Honour Board. In closing Mick said as councillor he will continue to support us in any way he can.

Ray Rumble- Director Transport Heritage NSW: Bruce noted that Ray was in the audience. Ray and Bob Price had put the audio system together that can be heard at the back of the roundhouse on Open Days.

Jan Koperberg- BMACHO: Jan gave thanks for her invitation to the AGM. On behalf of BMACHO Jan reaffirmed the support they have for the Museum and congratulated the committee on their re-election.

Shane Blatchford- Chairman Broadmeadow Depot Museum: Shane thanked Andrew Killingsworth, Andy McNeil CHECK and Gary Lancefield for assisting in the completion of the SSS documents. No 2 turntable is at the moment having its second motor drive attended to by some new volunteers who have since become members. No1 turntable motor is being dismantled and looked at and is hoped to be back in service early next year. Shane hoped to have the members on site soon for the first clean-up. The Ambulance Room has been prepared for painting. Shane presented to our Museum a copy of a protest document signed by passengers when “The Fish” was upgraded from timber cars to stainless steel interurban cars.

Craig Connolly- President STARPS: Craig congratulated the new board on behalf of STARPS and reconfirmed how close the two organisations work together to make Valley Heights the success it is. Craig put in a special thanks to Bruce for all the work he put in to assist STARPS with the accreditation and training for the X200.


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General Business

Ted Mullett: Ted moved a vote of thanks for the Returning Officer and especially Chairman Bruce Coxon who stepped in when we had no chairman after last meeting and also has taken on a few extra role.

Neil Cram: Neil complimented the great progress that has been made recently at the Museum particularly for the Centenary Celebrations and now he finds it a great pleasure to bring visitors up to look around.

Keith Ward: Keith thanked Andrew Tester for all the assistance that he had received from Andrew in his first year as Publicity Manager. Thanks also went, in his absence, to Grant Robinson who is our Webmaster and helped heavily in the production of this year’s Annual Report and the Depot Diary. We plan to publish DD three monthly and suggestions, articles and photographs are all welcome for publication should room permit.

The Meeting was closed at 11.50 AM


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1. Chairman’s Annual Report 2016It is with pleasure that I say this year has been our best ever, with a record numbers of visitors (4,232) and a record number of volunteer hours with almost 20,000 logged. The previous year’s figures being 3,500 visitors and just under 18,000 hours. This has been achieved by a dramatic increase in the number of events staged from 29 in 2014/2015 to 46 in 2015/2016. This goes to show just how hard working your team has been and how the community sees the Museum as a major attraction.The words “harmonious team” are ones that continually arise when talking about Valley Heights. Our success is a direct response to just how well your management team, STARPS, the Christian Model Railway Group and the Springwood Historical Society relate to each other. My personal thanks to all these people and the many members who give their time freely in making the Museum what it is today and with a very bright future.We continue to receive support from the Board of THNSW, the new CEO Andrew Moritz and his team. A special mention must go here to Jennifer Edmonds, Collection Manager who meets with us at the Museum every month, provides a budget for our Small and Large Exhibits restoration works and is always available to provide her expert advice, thank you Jennifer!Our politicians during this period, Louise Markus MHR and Trish Doyle MLA continued to support our Museum with their attendance at functions and advice as to what grants may be available to us. We are also well supported by BMCC Mayor, Councillor Mark Greenhill and also Councillor Mick Fell.The highlight of the year was most certainly the Investiture of Honorary Life Members of Valley Heights for the first time. There was an anomaly in that some of our members were Life Members of THNSW because of their tireless work with the larger body but some members had worked for so many years for Valley Heights only and their efforts had gone unrecognised. A search of our rules revealed that your committee could award Honorary Life Membership to Valley Heights for just such hard working people. On Saturday, the 14th of May, 2016 some 9 members were so awarded and presented with badges and certificates as a way of saying a huge thank you. Badges saying “Life Member” were also presented to Life Members of THNSW who have also been very active at Valley Heights. We shall continue this tradition.The day was also an opportunity for all members to discuss any issues and hear the latest information from their management team.This year has also been a great year for “getting things done” Many projects are under way and include: Fettlers’ Shed. This project proved to be quite difficult at times with regards to what approvals were required

from Council. After approval from the Heritage Council of NSW and RailCorp was achieved it looked as though we may have to submit a Development Application to Council, quite a task with expenses attached. After much negotiation with Council Officers, it was determined that Council only need to be informed of the project with plans etc. as the building is on RailCorp land.

I am pleased to say that after this good news, a team is now well into building this shed which will allow us to store and display all of our fettler type vehicles and track work tools and equipment. The bonus being this clears a lot of space from the Roundhouse.

For a few years now, we have been trying to add the ex-RailCorp Civil Depot located adjacent to the eastern boundary of the Museum to our custody. This disused depot, if obtained, will provide excellent facilities for our use in regards to workshops, garages for our fleet of tractors, carpenter’s workshops, rail storage facilities and administration offices.

We have not as yet been able to secure this site but as usual it’s a big task. With the support of the THNSW Board of Directors, a formal application has been sent to RailCorp to acquire the depot. RailCorp have been in contact and despite one of the buildings being on the Council Road Reserve, negotiations are well down the


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track and I expect to hear some positive news this year. Final approval is of course required from THNSW as the depot will need to be added to the Master Custody Management Agreement.

THNSW provided us with a process where we could make application for funding of major projects. Although an extensive process, we have applied for funding for 2 projects under this Stream 2 funding process. Our first application was to apply for funds to restore the decayed timber work at the front of the

roundhouse from Bay 1 right around to Bay 10. This includes replacing timber trusses supporting the roof, missing timber ties, damaged fascia and replacing failed guttering.

The second application is to install Boundary Fencing around the perimeter of the site. This project is essential to prevent unauthorised access to the site from vandals and graffitists.These 2 major projects will make a huge difference to the Museum if our application to the Independent Funding Panel is successful. We should hear around September this year.

We have also been busy applying for government grants. Our first application was to the Stronger Communities Program of the Federal Government to refurbish our

meal room. The project will include such things as the floor levelled, a new kitchen installed, the room fully painted and audio visual aids installed to allow this room to be jointly used as a Training room. If successful, the work is planned to commence in August this year.

We have also applied to the Community Building Partnerships Program of the State Government. We have applied for a grant to install air conditioning in the model railway room and our shop and café area. On hot days, it was almost unbearable to work in these areas due to the pie ovens and fridges adding to the heat of the day. Again if successful, we should be able to proceed this year.

Another exciting project has been the introduction of our Intranet which is a tab located on our Web page. Grant Robinson, our Webmaster, has put together an online “filing cabinet” where we can store all our valuable intellectual documents. For many years, these items that tell the history of the Museum have been stored on member’s personal computers which provides no security and ability to find these documents if we need to refer to them. With the Intranet introduced by Grant, all current and past members with current and historical documents are now storing them on this online site. The site has a simple search facility allowing a one word search to bring up all related documents.

We are also in discussion with Sydney Trains regarding having the Corridor fence between us and the Main Western Railway line replaced also for security reasons. I hope we see some movement here this year.

Safety is of course our main priority and the state of the Roundhouse forecourt is top priority due to its uneven surface. We have taken a 2 pronged attack with the short term response being to replace damaged sections of the bitumen adjacent to the rail head with a concrete strip in order to eliminate the trip hazard.

Secondly, I have applied for Stream 1 funding to the CEO for a feasibility study by a Railway Per Way company to dig up a section of Bay 4 and then to provide a quotation to allow me next year to apply for Stream 2 funding to THNSW to have all 12 roads restored.

This is a major project and as yet I have not heard from THNSW about our application.

Further safety initiatives were taken this year including all Rail Safety Workers being put through a Shunting course nationally accredited by Southern Cross Rail Training Services. Shunting is one of the most dangerous tasks on an operational railway and so it was felt the need to complete the course was imperative.

Southern Cross also provided training and competency certificates for X206 driver qualifications within the confines of the Depot as eventually operation of the locomotive is planned.

In closing, next year would appear to be even bigger as we become more popular with our customers. For this, I again say thank you to my always supportive and expert management team that is a pleasure to work with.Rod Hawkes, our Large Exhibits Manager, has taken a break from the Museum and we wish him well and say thank you for his hard work. For now, Ted Dickson and I are looking after this position and would love to hear from anyone who would like to fill this role.I also welcome Mike Pensini to the team. Mike has kindly taken over from me as Small Exhibits Curator. Mike is also leading the team of Sue Fulton, Rudi Glajcar and others cataloguing the many small exhibits.


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I urge you all, to thoroughly read the detailed reports of each Manager as I cannot begin to tell you just how much hard work they put in.See you at the Museum soon!Regards to allBruce Coxon, Chairman

2. Publicity Manager’s Annual Report 2016Another year, another few thousand visitors! Judging by comments on our Facebook page, submissions to the growing Testimonials page on our website, and feedback via Trip Advisor (details below), we are succeeding in our objectives of not only building our client base but making sure that the Valley Heights experience is a happy and interesting one. How did we achieve that?With the support of our entire volunteer group (members and helpers included), many of the activities and exhibits enjoyed by our guests are of a high standard and in some cases, world class. Many of us have visited and will continue to enjoy museums (not only railway themed) and running days at heritage sites in many countries. We are proud to say that our package of “things to see and do” is well above average and reflects our commitment, skill and knowledge. Of course, there are many behind the scenes functions that keep the place ticking over, including (in no particular order): grounds, cataloguing, building maintenance, financial management, trackwork, catering and the workshop, to name but a few. These activities make a vital contribution to the polished and professional face that we present to the outside world. They make our role in the Publicity Department easier as we continue to promote the results of our collective hard work in the best possible light.

2.1 Who are we? Meet the team:

Keith Ward

Born in London, I moved with my family in the mid-1950s to Swindon, home of Brunel’s famous GWR Works. My late father joined as a fitter & turner and later became an overhead crane driver. He was part of the team on BR’s last steam loco, 2-10-0 9F class 92220 “Evening Star”, working during the transition from steam to diesel-hydraulic locos, Cheap and free train tickets gave me the chance for travel around most of southern and western England as one of countless “trainspotters” (I still proudly own my “Ian Allan” stock books!). The family upped roots again in 1967, heading “down under” where Dad joined BHP at Port Kembla, still in heavy industry but I embarked on a path far removed from my parents’, spending all my working life in sales and marketing across several sectors, including retail, industrial packaging, hardware, chemicals and display materials. Wife Eileen, son Matthew and I moved from Sydney to Springwood in 1980, unaware of the existence of the Valley Heights Depot at the time! We live just around the corner and for many years I could see the Roundhouse from our roof. Having visited the Museum with family on several occasions, I was aware of the possibilities and on retirement had many household projects to complete. I chanced upon Ted Dickson who lent me a piece of rail to use as an anvil in forming a custom gutter profile from scrap metal! The seed was sown! Have I accidentally ended up revisiting my railway heritage? Probably, yes!After an apprenticeship with Dave Grove in the Retirees Group, I involved myself in other projects, including the final paint job on the MRC “Ice Van”. With my background I had a natural interest in the latter stages of planning the Centenary Event and assisted Andrew Tester with some aspects of that project. After a further 10 months under Andrew’s expert guidance, I readily accepted the nomination as Publicity Manager and he kindly offered to act as Assistant.


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I’m also a “Trammie”, donning my conductor’s outfit on Open Days so I can let off some steam while in disguise!Now it’s over to Andrew!

Andrew Tester – Assistant Publicity Manager (VHLDHM member 001)

I spent the first 29 years of my life in the family home at Valley Heights.My Museum activities date from 1984 when I started working with the former NSW Rail Transport Museum (now Transport Heritage NSW) at Thirlmere. When the railways announced the closure of the Loco Depot at Valley Heights in 1988, I focussed on saving the site as a museum. Our first challenges seemed insurmountable, as the government of the day was adamant that it was to be sold to developers. I was determined to build interest in our proposal and after some two years of lobbying and negotiations, including a growing band of community support, we succeeded in saving the depot. This was the beginning of a 25 year commitment for me to serve on the Museum’s Executive Committee. During this time I held the positions of Hon. Secretary, Grounds Maintenance Manager and Publicity Manager. I currently chair the Museum’s Joint Operating and Safety Committee. In 2010 I was awarded by the Office of Rail Heritage for my achievements in Community Relationship Building and was recently made a life member both of the Museum and THNSW.My greatest achievement was to lead the organising Committee to celebrate the Centenary of the Locomotive Depot in January 2014. This was a year of great activity, with a series of events including the Official Opening of the Museum by the Governor of NSW, in the presence of the State Premier and many other dignitaries, the unveiling of some new displays and restored exhibits and a series of Steam Train shuttles in conjunction with THNSW and Lachlan Valley Railway Society. Following the excitement of the Centenary Year I stood down from my executive role having identified Keith as showing interest in picking up the reins.With the events of 2014 as a stepping stone, the Museum’s community standing has grown from strength to strength under the current Publicity Manager who I support in my current capacity. And last but not least, here’s Grant!

Grant Robinson – Webmaster

I’ve recently retired following a 42 year career as a natural resource scientist with the NSW State Government. My experience analyzing and managing natural resources information, particularly forestry and water resource data began in 1981. From 2008 I worked as Information Quality Coordinator for the NSW water management agency, running a standards program on data used for irrigation, flood and quality management of the state's waterways. In this role I trained in website management, developing intranets at work and building the NSW Water Information website. These skills have since been used for my professional associations, as well as the Anglican Church in Springwood.In the last part of my career, I worked on collaborative projects with the Commonwealth and Queensland State Governments, developing water monitoring guidelines for information quality in the national water database.Interest in railways goes back to a childhood wakened in the morning by the sound of standard goods locos on the Shore Goods, involvement in the School Railway Club and regular trips by steam on the short south and north, and metropolitan services. At work, I used rail in preference to road when travelling the state, but even the latter seemed to lead me to sites of railway interest. My retirement dream is to have my long planned model railway working in my man cave.


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2.2 Depot Diary

Most events, large and small, during this financial year have been well covered in the pages of the revamped “Depot Diary”. As this appears quarterly, we are able to deliver news stories and comment to our members in a timely fashion. The use of “MailChimp” has streamlined the operation and helped reduce our distribution workload. However we still print and distribute many copies to members and hope to convert some of them over to email delivery as time goes on. We welcome stories or railway gossip that will provide a depth of entertaining content. Please send items of interest to me at [email protected] Here are some personal observations from the period. For more detail on some of these items or to catch up on something you missed, recent editions of DD can be found on our website: valleyheightsrailmuseum.info

2.3 Greater Blue Mountains Heritage Trail

The Greater Blue Mountains Heritage Trail has completed its first year. Although some of these extra (Saturday) Open Days have been quiet, there have been some bright spots. With the cooperation of STARPS we’re planning to run “Stevo” with the Valley Heights Mixed on Saturday 1st October and we hope to offer rides at all such future events. This of course would mean that our Diesel Tractor X206 would need to be fired up in January! We all know what a huge difference operating rather than static displays makes to our income so we need to overcome the hurdles that may be slowing down this project.

2.4 Joint ventures with Head Office

“I’ve Been Working On The Railway” ended its successful run at the Museum in July 2015. Well over 100 visitors viewed this fascinating travelling exhibition and a number of them had come specially to see it. Special thanks to Ann Frederick from Thirlmere, who suggested the event. The exhibition was opened by patron and local MP Trish Doyle, with Uncle Graeme Cooper representing the local indigenous community. The BM Gazette published an article including some great photos by Andrew Tester. The chilly mornings of 11/12 July saw two teams of volunteers from Valley Heights run barbecues at the Thomas Day Out at Thirlmere. Over 800 sausage rolls were served each day by Sam Wyatt, Eileen Ward, Serge Sequen, Jeff Russell, Dave Grove, Keith Ward, Bruce Coxon, Ted Dickson, Ross Allen, Sue Fulton, Allan Garbutt & Andrew Tester, who rolled up their sleeves for some useful cash.Hundreds of the Museum’s visitors and members contributed to the visual art project “Lives on The Line” in October and February. Southern Highlands based artist, Celeste Coucke, assisted by Ann Frederick from Thirlmere, encouraged everyone to be part of history by making a clay impression of an early railway artefact. 8,447 of these were created (not all at Valley Heights!) to commemorate the 8,447 railwaymen from NSW who enlisted for World War I. The fired pieces are now a permanent memorial set into the floor at Thirlmere.New THNSW CEO, Andrew Moritz, paid his first visit to the Museum in February joining committee members, patrons, life and honorary members for an informal introduction and Q & A session. Andrew spoke well and enthusiastically about his past and his impressive credentials. The CEO enjoyed a light lunch before a site tour, led by our Chairman, Bruce Coxon. This gave Andrew a first-hand experience of the successes and challenges at Valley Heights and Bruce was able to outline the major projects on our agenda.In the evening of Tuesday 26th April, the Museum hosted a meeting of the THNSW board. Several of our visitors were first-timers at Valley Heights, and allowance was made for a short tour of some of our standout exhibits. Our Chairman, Bruce Coxon, later made a passionate and well-received presentation of key elements of the Museum’s progress and future expectations.Signage – many of our guests nominate our street signs as the major factor that brings them in the door so we are keen to upgrade their look and functionality and also improve the professional image that we try to Annual ReportBlue Mountains DivisionTransport Heritage NSW AGM - 2016

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http://www.valleyheightsrailmuseum.info/

mailto:[email protected]

present. We have been working with David Bennett, Marketing Manager at HQ about the possibility of sharing funding of this project. We have also been working with David, to reinvent our 6 page trifold brochure. This task is now complete and the finished product should hit the streets during July.

2.5 Special visitors:

Although all our visitors are “special”, here are some headline makers and notable others:In November 2015 the Museum was proud to entertain Mr Sam Mullins, MD of the London Transport Museum. Sam arrived on the Steam Tram which had been specially fired for the day by our friends from STARPS, a “first time” experience for our overseas visitor. Member Eileen Ward arranged morning tea, and a cake to celebrate Sam’s birthday. His gift pack to commemorate the occasion included some Valley Heights mementos, as well as Tramway books and fly repelling head gear! After an impromptu “Q & A” session in the roundhouse, and accompanied by then CEO Andrew Killingsworth, Sam was safely returned to Valley Heights station on the Tram, to join an air-conditioned interurban train – a welcome rest from the 39 degree heat!The Museum has been the preferred venue for a fleet of car clubs in recent times. The year has seen the vehicles of no less than ten groups displayed around the forecourt, with many posed in front of the Roundhouse. Several hundred members of the Sundowner, HD/HR Holden, Oasis, Model “T” & “A” Fords, RAC NSW, Chrysler Restorers, MG Restorers, Hudson/AMC and Austin A40 clubs all thoroughly enjoyed their time on site and full advantage was taken of the colourful photo opportunities.We have been honoured to host many less able bodied guests this year: A bright September Tuesday marked the arrival of a group of 40 children with special needs from Winston Hills.

This was a most successful day. Tours were run with great enthusiasm by Rod Hawkes, Jeff Russell, Andrew Tester & Grant Robinson. The children were very well behaved and were a credit to their school.

In February we hosted a special needs boy who is "obsessed" with trains who, with his family, made a special visit from Canada to the Museum. We knew of his trip well in advance and the Museum’s volunteers were on hand to make his excursion memorable. We later heard that he hasn’t stopped talking about it since!

The first Open Day in April saw the long-awaited visit of a young mum with her son who suffers from a rare disease. Following an initiative by member Barry Grundy, contact was made with the Daily Telegraph, which ran a story on the family last year. Noting that he was a great railway fan, the Museum arranged a family pass for them and they had front row seats on the Tramcar during their visit. A great day for all!

In May our gates opened to a group of frail aged and disabled visitors from the Bathurst/Oberon region. Arranged by Accessible Living Options, a non-for–profit body that specialises in care for those less able, the group was onsite for only two hours but a busy program enabled them to enjoy many of the Museum’s exhibits and activities. Much appreciated guided tours were conducted by Bruce Coxon, Keith Ward, Andrew Tester & Grant Robinson. Morning teas were arranged by Eileen Ward, with Jeff Russell’s assistance. An experimental “smooth” path was laid (using rubber conveyor belting and carpet tiles!) on parts of the bullring to ease the our visitors progress, Although time consuming to set up, this seemed a suitable & practical temporary fix to the problem of our uneven surfaces.

2.6 Filming at Valley Heights

Film crews continued to use the Museum’s fascinating exhibits as a backdrop for their movies. The Standard Goods steam loco 5461 was in demand as well as “U-boat” ETB6039. With “murders”, blood-stained actors, a tutu clad actress and a large dead fish, Valley Heights was host to some unusual scenes! Do we ever see the finished product? Yes we do! One of the film crews that last year used our Museum as the setting for a music video, has made the end result available. The Blake Dantier Band is a local outfit (all the members are former students of Blaxland High) and put out a highly listenable modern country sound. There is a link to the clip on our website, or you can view here: Youtube

Member Sam Wyatt, with input from Andrew Tester, has creatively edited his footage for the short video being prepared for the joint promotion of the GBM Heritage Trail. Andrew has submitted the finished work


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-w_CLpiYS8

as an incentive to other groups to complete their offering. There is also a 50-second version for our use on other sites. Both versions are a credit to Sam and present the Museum in an interesting and lively way and the longer one can be viewed in this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RihdNh5TRDY Sam is now in residence in the UK after a short Scandinavian holiday and is sampling many of the heritage railways there. We all wish Sam well and thank him for his efforts on this and also on electric loco 4601 over the years.

2.7 Special Events

On Sunday 6th September 2015 we opened specially for Fathers’ Day. After many years absence from this space, the Museum offered Dads some unique treats. This was an extremely well patronised event, and a credit to all those volunteers who gave up their family day to be involved! The inaugural treat of having Dads ride on the front of the Steam Tram worked flawlessly, visitors left with good memories of a day well spent and the success has led to a repeat event in 2016. Special thanks to the shop crew of Bruce Coxon, John Carter & Eileen Ward who dealt with the special ticketing arrangements and the shortage of volunteers on the day.After our successful application for a “Centenary of Anzac” Grant, funds were received from the Federal Government. With the support of then local federal MP, Louise Markus, the RSL, local historical societies and other relevant organisations we designed and commissioned an Honour Board to commemorate 18 local railwaymen who enlisted for World War I and this was manufactured by a specialist supplier. Many of those supporters and members were present for the unveiling in October but the highlight for many was the attendance of several immediate descendants of two of the men honoured on the board, Thomas Brett & Albert Honey. The book “Remembrance - Springwood District Honour Roll 1914-1919” was signed by those present on the day and is a reminder of the part it played in inspiring the project. The Honour Board is mounted near the entrance to the Model Room and is flanked by an Australian flag and a wreath of knitted poppies by member Eileen Ward.The big day of the “Official Launch” of Stevo in its new role dawned brightly on Sunday October 25th. The LFA carriage and “S”-Truck were duly hooked up and proceeded to thrill and delight visitors to the Museum throughout the day. The “Valley Heights Mixed” steamed its way into the history books and was the subject of a good write-up in the Penrith Press.The Christmas party of the Australian Railway Historical Society (NSW) was held on Sunday December 6th with 100 guests from around the state flocking to the Museum. “Stevo” was again available to power the LFA carriage. Delegates arriving by rail boarded the ”Valley Heights Mixed” from the platform at the signal box. After morning tea, groups had guided tours of the Museum’s highlights, culminating with a close up look at 5711. Thanks to Bruce Coxon, Ted Dickson, Rod Hawkes & Andrew Tester for sharing their knowledge & experience. A tasty lunch was provided by the Ori Café in Springwood. A photo shoot under controlled conditions was available for the keen ones and some great feedback was received including a certificate of thanks.We held our popular Santa event over the weekend of 12th & 13th December. Although busy on both days, numbers were slightly down on 2014. Santa arrived on the Steam Tram, flanked by his trusty elves, to a welcoming throng of enthusiastic (and some a little overawed!) children. The range of festivities, including gift bags, ample photo opportunities with Santa, plus the jumping castle, was enjoyed by children of all ages and of course the Steam Tram was on hand for rides throughout the day. We’ve been told that Bruce Irwin, Andrew Tester and Glenn Hargrave know something about Santa’s real identity and our thanks go to them for their contribution! Our colourful elves also bore a strong likeness to Megan & Lydia Tolhurst and their help is greatly appreciated! February 14th was the opportunity for the Museum to attract additional patronage for the rare occurrence of our regular Open Day coinciding with Valentine’s Day. The Steam Tram was duly decorated with red & pink balloons and our lady visitors enjoyed free admission as well as a complimentary chocolate heart!Annual ReportBlue Mountains DivisionTransport Heritage NSW AGM - 2016

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RihdNh5TRDY

The weekend of 27/28 February brought new life to the Museum with the return of the popular “Trains, Trams & Ts” event. A wonderful line-up of activities included: a stunning 3 hour performance of sultry jazz classics by local trio, “The Blue Velvets”; and on the Sunday, another opportunity to make clay pieces for the “Lives on the Line” project as previously noted. Over both days, visitors and members were encouraged to dress up for our period costume competition. Member, Sam Wyatt was on hand to take staged shots of the entrants in front of the Tram and prizes were awarded in four categories by our visiting artist, Celeste Coucke, on Sunday. Everyone was enthralled by the display and demonstration by the Sydney Morsecodians and young children enjoyed taking part in the Old School Classroom Re-enactment, kindly conducted by the Nepean District Historical Society. Of course the event wouldn’t be complete without the visiting Model “T” Fords and some colourful old-timers from the era (cars not volunteers!) were on show on both days. Ted Dickson and I presented a 10 minute talk about our RBR “Caves Express” carriage at the Blue Mountains History Conference arranged by BMACHO (Blue Mountains Association of Cultural and History Organisations) at Mt Victoria in May. With additional input from member Rod Hawkes, we were able to vividly demonstrate RBR’s link with Mt Victoria and Jenolan Caves. An interested audience of about 40 delegates also enjoyed informative sessions presented by a variety of knowledgeable speakers, as well as tasty catering by our hosts, the Victoria & Albert Guesthouse. We ran a trade table at the conference with items from the shop kindly prepared by Steve Corrigan and returned with some extra funds as reward for our efforts. Sunday 22nd May dawned bright and clear, heralding the welcome return of our “Teddy Bears Day Out”. The running of the “Teddy Bear Express” again proved a great hit, with (most) children keen to send their favourite stuffed toy off on a secret adventure of its own! Kids also enjoyed the jumping castle and a packet of “Gummi Bears” on departure. The name boards skilfully created by Steve Dive were again put to good use on the Tram. Exposure on various websites and Facebook about the event unfortunately didn’t deliver higher numbers than last year but we enjoyed good support from other bodies like BMACHO, Glenbrook Visitor Centre & Loftus Tram Museum in promoting the day! The event is back in 2017. SUPER WEDNESDAY! 15th June was a big day for the Museum. A special mid-week running day saw three very differing groups take advantage of fine weather. In the morning, a large group of the Rail, Tram & Bus Union Retired Employees Association arrived, mostly by train and were collected from the STARPS platform at Valley Heights by the Steam Tram. They enjoyed Devonshire teas in the café before dividing into four groups for guided tours, entertainingly conducted by Bruce Coxon, Ted Dickson, Ted Mullett & Andrew Tester. Members Dave Hunt and Chris Troy were also on hand to assist. There was plenty of banter between the visiting railwayman and our guides with their many years of shared railway experiences. Fifty children from the Redeemer Baptist School at North Parramatta also joined us for a school excursion as hosted on many previous occasions. We added Glenn Hargrave to our talent pool of guides, with his wealth of knowledge entertaining one of the tour groups, which were also led by Jeff Russell, Grant Robinson and Keith Ward. Later a small group from the Kurrajong-Comleroy Historical Society arrived by bus. After site induction and a Tram Ride, a guided tour was carried out by Keith Ward with Warwick Tafe alongside. Devonshire teas in the café were enjoyed before their departure at 1650. Special thanks to the members of STARPS for agreeing to run the Tram and to Eileen Ward & Julie Tester for preparing the scones. Volunteers Ellen Anderson and Ed Manning were on hand throughout the day to assist with detailed discourses on our artwork collection and the MRC respectively.

2.8 Raffle

Tickets in our annual fund raising raffle were sold during the months prior to our 2015 Christmas event and “Santa” drew the 8 winning tickets. Thank you to all the members and supporters who helped with this important revenue earner. Of course we also appreciate the generosity of our local business houses who readily make the prizes available at no cost. We will be running the raffle again in 2016 with an increased


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prize pool and we are always on the lookout for a few ticket sellers to help make the difference! Your suggestions for prize donors would also be appreciated.

2.9 Websites and Digital Technology

After 11 years in the present format, we plan to reshape our own website to include some more modern features and incorporate some design elements that will make it more accessible to the growing number of users who view it on their phone or tablet. We are already using a new address: valleyheightsrailmuseum.infoThe Museum is now listed on the “Get in Now” website as part of our membership of BMATA (Blue Mountains Accommodation & Tourism Association). This membership also entitles us to free display of our new brochures at the major Visitor Centres at Glenbrook and Katoomba.Our following on “Trip Advisor” is heading in the right direction with a rating of over 4 stars. You can read visitors’ comments at: www.tripadvisor. com .au/Attraction_Review-g3326967-d3326971

Valley Heights at the cutting edge! “GiddiGuru”, a free iPhone “app” that enhances our visitors’ experience was launched in October 2015. How does it work? On arrival on site, guests can download the software to their device. Five carefully located beacons each send a signal to the phone that generates an audible prompt to view an image and text about one of our key exhibits. Unlike other commonly used systems, the “GiddiGuru” app stays on the user’s phone for use at other sites and the content is stored for future reference, and can be sent to others. As more sites participate, there’s confidence that this will be a great boost to tourism in the region and will raise our level of interaction with visitors in a novel way, leading to the recognition of our Museum as a venue that embraces the technology of three centuries! Give it a try!

2.10 The final word

So in summary, we have a great story to tell. Andrew, Grant and I are taking our message to the world and the results are clear in the statistics and comments elsewhere. However, we all strive to improve and suggestions for promotions, events or other contributions to the cause are always welcome.This time last year I thanked all those involved (mentioned or not) for their contribution to our success and that is again greatly appreciated. Thanks especially to my colleagues on the Committee (past & present), who have aided and abetted the workings of the Publicity Department over the 12 months. I look forward to another exciting year as we unravel the many twists and turns in the track ahead.Keith Ward, Publicity Manager

3. Retail Annual Report 2016

3.1 Highlights of the Year

An extremely successful year, and can be seen in the following charts and tables. Going back over the year, the following high points and events stand out: Eftpos: We joined the digital age by acquiring a 4G mobile machine. This piece of equipment is now a vital

element of our retail operation. A small by very useful and visually appealing addition to our shop equipment has been a wooden ticket

dispenser. Thank you to member Adrian Duffy for crafting this useful and attractive piece of equipment. As can be seen to glancing over the data in the following charts and tables, special promotions and visits by

special interest groups were the main drivers of our success for the year. The greatest was Father’s Day in September, which in just one day generated more revenue than the two previous months combined. This was just one of a number of very successful promotions and group visits during the year.

The launch of our “second train”, the Stevo powered “Valley Heights Mixed” in October also generated a lot of interest, with consequent effect on gate admissions and sales revenue.


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http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g3326967-d3326971

http://www.valleyheightsrailmuseum.info/

During the year we expanded our range of sales. In the refreshment line we are now offering milk shakes, and just recently trialled a sausage sizzle. Both have proved to be very popular and will continue. In the stock items we now sell little wooden toy train kits, which have proved to be a steady seller, and have just started to trial children’s knitted woollen beanies. The surprise item though was a whistle made from railway dog spikes. This unique item has proved to be particularly popular, with thanks to Michael Jessop for producing them. Another sales success story has been a couple of children’s book titles sourced from the “Turning Page” book shop in Springwood. Thank you to Robyn Cooper for identifying these as an opportunity. We have even trialled selling copies of our own “Depot Diary”.

Triggered by a need to provide better access to our food supplies, especially on busy days, a general re-arrangement of the shop has been initiated. This not just makes accessing our resources more convenient, but will also increase counter space, and improve the general appearance of the shop. Thank you to Keith Ward for his experience based advice and Dave Grove for his assistance in modifying the counter.

3.2 Results for the Year

Looking at the financial results for the year we finish the year with a quite healthy profit, as can be seen from the figures in Table 3.1 following.

Depot Sales $11,826Depot Costs $5,391Actual Profit/Loss $6,434Budget Revenue $9,478Budget Costs $6,242Budget Profit/Loss $3,236STARPS Sales (Note 1) $5,742STARPS Costs $0STARPS Profit/Loss $5,742

Table 3.1. Retail Business Result Summary, 2015/2016

Note 1: This item includes stock items along with 50% of food sales; however it is overwhelmingly food sales.

Please note that these figures are estimated from sales sheets, final actuals should be taken from the treasurer’s report. Also revenue from food sales is split 50% between Depot Sales and STARPS Sales. At the time this report was compiled, there may have been some invoices outstanding, which would impact the over-all profit result. Please see treasurer’s report for final results. Chart 3.1 following illustrates the monthly Depot retail sales revenue and costs. The impact of a number of special event peak days (as listed in Table 3.2 following) is clearly visible.

$0

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

$1,400

$1,600

$1,800

Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16

Depot Sales Depot Costs

Chart 3.1: Depot Retail Sales Revenue and Costs by Month.


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During the year we had a number of group visits and events which effected our revenue and visitor numbers, these are listed in Table 3.2 following.

Month EventsJuly No special eventsAugust Car clubSeptember Car club, father’s day, two visits by special schoolsOctober Heritage trail, ANZAC plaque and Stevo “Valley Heights Mixed” launchNovember Festival retreat group and member guests visitDecember ARHS visit, Santa promotion on 2 days, RFS Christmas partyJanuary Heritage trail, tram not runningFebruary Valentine’s day promotion, roaring 20’sMarch Probus club visitApril Heritage trail, visits by 2 car clubsMay Retail stand at history convention, Teddy promotion, visit by historical

society, closed for Mother’s DayJune Visits by 3 car clubs, Rail Tram and Bus Union visit, Kurrajong Historical

society, school visit, launch of sausage sizzle.Table 3.2: Special Events by Month

Charts 3.2 and 3.3 illustrate the connection between heads through the door, retail sales and total revenue (including ticket sales). Chart 2 illustrates the connection between ticket sales, retail sales and total revenue on a month by month basis. The fact that most of our retail sales now are food is confirmed by the close alignment between retail sales and gate admissions. This was not the case in the days when most of our retail revenue was based on books, DVD’s etc. It is important to note that on some occasions such as during group visits admission tickets weren’t issued, resulting in the gate numbers shown in Chart 2 following being slightly low.

$-

$2,000.00

$4,000.00

$6,000.00

$8,000.00

$10,000.00

$12,000.00

Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15

Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15

Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-160

100

200

300

400

500

600

700Heads through the door Retail Sales Total Revenue

Chart 3.2: Revenue (Line) vs Gate Entries (Column) by Month

Chart 3.3, which shows the same data on a day by day basis illustrates more effectively the effect of special promotions, group visits etc., which tend to be hidden in month by month data. For example, May in Chart 2, month by month, looks like an average month, however looking at daily data in Chart 3; the effect of the Teddy promotion on May 22 is clearly visible, with very high gate admissions. This tends to be concealed in the monthly data by the fact that we were closed for Mother’s Day.


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$0.00

$1,000.00

$2,000.00

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12/07 /2015

10/08 /2015

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28/09 /2015

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10/01 /2016

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12/06 /2016

26/6/2016

0

50

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350Cash Less Float Total Retail Sales Est Total Head Count*

Chart 3.3: Revenue (Line) vs Gate Entries (Column) by Day

So how does 2015/2016 compare with previous years? Chart 3.4 following illustrates convincingly how successful the year, indeed the two previous years, have been. This chart illustrates the bottom line impact in terms of revenue and profit, and gate admissions, over the past 11 years.

$0

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2004

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0

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10001500

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2500

3000

3500

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4500Revenue Costs Profit Gate Numbers

Chart 3.4: Annual Combined (Depot and STARPS) Retail Revenue and Profit over 11 years.

Compared with the previous 9 years, the 2 years just passed have shown extraordinary growth, 15% for the year just passed, and 27% for the year before that. While luck has played a part in some respects, in that we have had two years with no lost days due to fire bans (in contrast with 2014, the centenary year, in which 4 open days were lost or severely impacted by fire bans), however there can be no doubt that the major contributing factors to this growth are the number of visits by special interest groups (car clubs, social clubs etc.), combined with the long term impact of general publicity. Anecdotally, a normal day used to be around 70 gate admissions; the new “normal” is around 130.Now for where money came from, and where it was spent. Firstly, in regard to revenue sources, these are summarized in Chart 3.5 following. Noting that the majority of STARPS sales are food related, then it becomes apparent that the majority of our revenue comes from refreshments. In fact food and Annual ReportBlue Mountains DivisionTransport Heritage NSW AGM - 2016

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refreshments now account for almost 65% more retail revenue than the combined total of all of the remaining revenue streams, up from around 50% in the previous year.

$0

$1,000

$2,000

$3,000

$4,000

$5,000

$6,000

Starps

Items

Refres

hments

Books

Toys/N

ovelt

ies

CD/DVD

Calend

ars

Clothing

Drawing

s/Prin

ts/Poste

rs

Videos

Chart 3.5: Revenue Sources

Now where the money was spent, this is summarized in Table 3.3 following. Again, as noted above, the cost for refreshments is quite low, with ice cream, drinks and shop supplies being well down on our cost base, even though refreshments make up the great majority of our revenueThe totals are summarised in Table 3.3 following. The reason for “Other Costs” (which includes postage, printer cartridges etc.) being $0 is that these items tend to be donated by members.

Item CostStock Purchases $3,356.11

Refreshment Purchases $2,035.06Other Costs $0.00Total $5,391.17

Table 3.3: Retail Expenditure Summary

It can be seen that we owe a great debt of gratitude to those who generously give of their time and resources to donate food for sale.

3.3 Credits and Tributes

There now seems to be so many people involved in the retail operation, that to list them all would inevitably risk missing some who have made a valuable contribution. So to all of those who operate the coffee machine, serve food, cook and prepare cakes, sandwiches etc., greet customers, sell tickets and stock items, provide items to sell (post cards, dog spike whistles, knitted beanies or whatever), fix and maintain equipment and fittings and so on, thank you so much to you all, your contribution is very greatly appreciated. I am especially appreciative of all the people who, during the year, have volunteered to go on to the shop roster and give of their time to serve behind the counter. I would however like to specifically thank a couple of people: the retail and publicity roles have always been closely inter-twined and mutually supportive. So a special thank you to Keith Ward, without whose enthusiasm and close cooperation this extraordinarily successful result would not have been possible. As always I owe a debt to John Carter, who, despite carrying out the responsibilities of treasurer, continues to serve in the shop, and for whose diligence and meticulous attention to detail I am indebted. Finally, I feel that I owe a special debt to our chairman, Bruce Coxon. With the number of open days increasing, and with each open day becoming


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increasingly busy and demanding on shop staff, John and I am particularly grateful to Bruce for stepping in and serving in the shop, encouraging more people to serve in the shop, and for taking on the thankless task of rostering shop staff. Thank you Bruce.Steve Corrigan, Retail Manager, July 2016

4. Membership Officer’s ReportBelow are listed a few points to explain certain aspects of the membership and work hours.Our Membership year runs from January to December whereas our Work Hours are calculated from June to July.The “Volgistics” computer log on system has worked well during the last financial year. New volunteers’ names are added to the program and they are shown how to use the system.At the Valley Heights site there are three organisations;

i) Valley Heights Locomotive Depot and Heritage Museum (VHLDHM) ii) Steam Tram and Railway Preservation (Co-Op) Society Limited (STARPS) iii) Blue Mountains & Nepean Christian Model Railway Fellowship.

With regard to the VHLDHM we have two types of Membership - Full Membership and Associate Membership. A Full Member is one who is a member of Transport Heritage NSW (THNSW). These members are entitled to

free entry at both THNSW/Trainworks Thirlmere and Valley Heights - because of our affiliation with THNSW. Full Members may also choose to purchase Associate Membership at Valley Heights for the purposes of getting the quarterly “Depot Diary”.

Full members whose work hours exceed 80 hours for the year are entitled to concession rates for THNSW membership.

Please ensure that you inform the Membership Officer if you are a member of THNSW as records of membership of THNSW are not passed onto Valley Heights.

An Associate Member is a member who joins Valley Heights ONLY. In recent times we find this is becoming popular with locals who bring their young families for repeat visits throughout the year. Associate Membership does not include free entry into THNSW/Trainworks at Thirlmere. People who purchase Associate Membership at VH provide a key source of income for the Museum through their subscription and donations. This income source enables VH to provide basic Members benefits and progress the Museum's development.

We have a few volunteers who are not members of any of the above three organisations – these volunteers have contributed many hours of work over the last year.

4.1 Comparison of HoursPeriod Hours

2011-2012 14,2362012-2013 15,0332013-2014 17,2012014-2105 17,8252015-2016 19,968

4.2 ‘The Clubs’

2000: We had one member, Roslyn Reynolds, who volunteered over 2,000 hours in the reporting period. 2000+: Another two members, Ted Dickson and Keith Ward, joined the 1,000+ club.


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500+: The following folk have accrued 500+ hours – John Carter, Bruce Coxon, Steve Dive, Sue Fulton, Rudi Glajcar, Dave Grove, Rod Hawkes, Dave Hunt, Terry Matchett, Ted Mullett, Dave Pedley, Jeff Russell, John Stanley, Ross Stenning and Chris Troy. It should also be remembered that some members work many hours at home for the Museum and often these hours are not recorded.Also, a big thank you to all who has volunteered during this period – all help is greatly appreciated.Well done everyone!

4.3 Membership Numbers

For the first six months of the Membership year (January to June, 2016) VHLDHM had 141 financial members of whom 18 were new members. In the same period for 2015 there were 149 financial members.

4.4 Work Hours Report 2015-2016Hours Hours

Services 388Fire Services 104Building Work

Amenities 54DLE 82Roundhouse 629Fire Shed 1Fettlers’ Shed 382Small Exhibits Room

341

General 881TOTAL 2370

WorkshopZ206 753‘Mario’ tractor 122General 927TOTAL 1802

ExhibitsEHO 543214 8524601 6945711 50Library 504Cataloguing Exhibits 1368Cement Hopper 64General – Large 238General – Small 269TOTAL 4093

Grounds 2541Per Way

Crossover points 855General 1100TOTAL 1955


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Hours HoursRetail

Open Day 1795General 43TOTAL 1838

PublicityTour Groups 430General 729TOTAL 1159

Model Railway 233Administration

Meetings 688Duty Officer 254General 836TOTAL 1778

Miscellaneous 1707GRAND TOTAL 19,968

Hours worked: The numbers of hours were rounded to the nearest whole number.

Jeff Russell, Membership Officer.

5. Annual Report Building Services 2016This year has again been very busy with Arrival Road Per Way work and general maintenance and any time remaining has been spent on essential repairs or additions around the Depot.I would like to thank the committee and members for their support and friendship during the year.Thanks also go to Ross Allen for his assistance during the year.The following is a summary of works completed over the year:

5.1 Electrical The lamp in the “Station Master’s office has been remounted after hanging from the ceiling. On 16th December we had a direct lightning hit on the roundhouse. Circuit breakers tripped in the shop and the

power surge protection board for alarm and phone was destroyed. Batteries were replaced in the main switchboard emergency light. A new fluorescent lamp was installed in the storeroom following roof repairs. One of the lamps in the Library failed. The pedestal grinder and angle bender donated by Oberon & Tarana Heritage Railway were tested and found to

be ok. They have been cleaned and painted by Michael Jessop. Angle bender rewired and new reverser switch fitted. 4 short extension leads made up. The lobby light in the shop exit alcove has been repaired. Light switch in Ladies toilet replaced Power point on No 4 road replaced

5.2 Security The lightning surge on the roundhouse caused a malfunction in the internal low battery alarm sensors. A security duress alarm has been installed in the shop. On Monday 7th March at approx. 2045 hrs. I received a call from On Watch Security to say that we had a smoke

alarm activation in the shop. This turned out to be a faulty Ice Cream fridge much to my relief! On Monday 11th April at approx. 0010 hrs. The security officer noticed smoke and flame coming from the S truck

stabled in front of the cement hopper .Luckily it was not arson but from cinders lodged in the truck from the previous steam running day. Damage was not significant


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On Monday 9th May, it was found that a section of fence had been untied from the gate leading to the Per Way Maintenance compound. The incident was reported to SPS security.

5.3 Water On the Sunday of the Santa weekend the cistern in the disabled toilet cracked, becoming unserviceable and the

room was locked. The sewer mains blockage at the toilet end was rodded out with our new electric eel The main drain from the turntable has been cleared at the side of our driveway outside the meal room. Chris

Troy volunteered to build a sump with cover to prevent vehicles driving into it .He has carried out a very professional job.

Two reaming heads were purchased for the electric eel. We used our new electric eel to clear out the drains leading from Nos 1, 2 & 3 pits. Also the sump from the gutter down pipe outside Nos 1 & 2 roads was cleared. The complete new sewer works were completed on Friday 26th February Leaking toilet in Men’s toilet repaired. Leaking tap on Hydro boil repaired.

5.4 Machinery The underground air pipe between the roundhouse and the turntable was energized only to find a major leak

underground below no 2 road. This is not possible to repair without major excavation below this road. The pipe line is required to drive the coal conveyor and save running out air hoses. The Wacker Packer that we purchased at the RailCorp actions was faulty and a new coil was required. This has

been repaired Our pin pullers have had a clean-up and a coat of paint. Both the Man lift and Scoop required new batteries The failed Tractor Alternator has been replaced and is working well Our pressure vessels are now approved for another two years.

5.5 Mario We had new tyres fitted to Mario (Thanks to THNSW) Terry Matchett has modified the wire rope lead in on Mario to reduce the possibility of rope run off A reversing camera has now been fitted.

5.6 Coal Conveyor The coal conveyor has been modified following trials to load Stevo and Tram. The current modification is No 4,

there may be more yet following more trials.

5.7 The Library and Small Exhibits Work continues. Thank you team leader Sue Fulton, Rudy Glajcar, Richard Nicholson, Ellen Anderson, Ed Manning and Julie

Tester. When Sue is not recording, she thoroughly cleans our toilets in preparation for the next running day. A good all

round effort. Work is continuing on cataloguing and general clean up in the room. Silverfish have been discovered in the Small Exhibits storeroom with notable attacks. This is being treated with a special treatment.

5.8 Safety Extra wire was placed in level crossing gate and the chain shortened in the gate to the Picnic area to prevent

unauthorised passage.

5.9 Fire Equipment A fire equipment familiarisation instruction was given by our Fire Officer Dave Hunt on Tuesday 8/12/15Annual ReportBlue Mountains DivisionTransport Heritage NSW AGM - 2016

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All of our Fire equipment has been inspected and tested.

5.10 Recent Arrivals: Cement Hopper We received a donation from Boral Industries of a Cement Hopper. This arrived on Saturday 15/08/15. The

Museum covered the cost of delivery by low loader from Greystanes.

Ted Dickson, Building Services Manager.

6. Building Restoration Manager’s ReportAnother year has passed in which a lot of work has been completed and others are ongoing.One of the jobs completed was the overhaul of the Small Exhibits Storeroom involving lining the walls and ceiling, painting, erecting shelving for exhibits and replacing damaged carpet tiles. A new door was installed to the ladder room replacing a motley old one and painted. The iron roof of the DLE’s Building was rubbed back and given a new paint job which will see it last a long time. A sheet of polycarbonate was installed, replacing a dicey one on the roof of the meal room. A shelf was mounted on the mantel piece of the fire place in the library to allow for files to be displayed and

accessible. During a year with a lot of rain there were leaks galore over the office and workshop area, resulting in the

replacement of several iron sheets. “Touch wood” we have got it right this time. Also the ceiling in the room behind the office was repaired with Ted Dickson replacing a faulty light.

A stile on a tall single leaf timber ladder was replaced due to it being unsafe. STARPS approached us about making up a display in the shape of a tram front to hold a destination board. Bruce

Irwin supplied a large picture of a driver in a cab. Ross Allen came up with a light and the end result is quite impressive.

Repairs and painting was done to some railway seats, including one that was donated in a dilapidated state. Some time was spent setting up profiles and positions for post holes in regards to the Fettlers Shed. With other

jobs cropping up any actual work is slow at the moment. Due to a Safety Committee Meeting we have had to make up some double sided signs to be placed around the

bullring on open days to warn the public of hazards. The retirees are at present repairing an old timber ‘phone box that has been in the roundhouse and was badly

damaged by wood borers. When finished it will be displayed outside the DLE’s building. Phil Robinson once again has been looking after the termite traps and finding a little activity which was dealt

with. I take this opportunity to thank all the retirees for their dedication and support for without them we wouldn’t be

able to achieve this result. We look to an interesting year ahead.

David Grove, Building Restoration Manager

7. Grounds Maintenance Manager’s ReportAs with past reports, Roslyn Reynolds deserves acknowledgment for the huge effort she puts into the Museum. She not only takes care of virtually all mowing and weeding, but is always a willing helper with Per Way and any other tasks that need doing.Luke Tolhurst also deserves special acknowledgment for his efforts in managing the trees and shrubs in and around our gardens. With his dedication, expertise and specialist equipment, he has saved the Museum thousands of dollars in the necessary removal of certain trees.Many thanks also to the Tester family, who have undertaken the maintenance of the Arthur Tester memorial fish pond garden. My part is somewhat dwarfed by the efforts of those already mentioned, but apart from helping out when necessary, I try to keep the coal road embankment in a presentable state and before open days ensure Annual ReportBlue Mountains DivisionTransport Heritage NSW AGM - 2016

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that the entrance driveway is clean. It has also been my job to undertake the major weed spraying operation, but Roslyn is keen to take that on as well.I would like to finish by thanking my colleagues for their friendship and good company.Stephen Dive, Chairman of Grounds

8. Per Way Manager’s Report

8.1 2015-6 annual report

Only slow progress has been made on Per Way projects during the past year mainly due to various members of the Per Way group having to be diverted onto other work around the Museum such as readying X206 for driver accreditation training and assessment and preparation of groundworks and rail post cutting for the fettlers shed.The year commenced with the construction of a temporary track beside No2 Ash Road to enable the offloading of the 4-wheel cement hopper and X206 from the “train movers” low loader. This track was purely for offloading from a road vehicle and was not connected to any other track. It was originally intended to slew this track to connect to the partially completed points in No2 ash road but this plan was later abandoned in favour of hiring a crane to lift both vehicles across.Offloading of both vehicles was accomplished without any major problems as was the subsequent lifting of the vehicles from the temporary track to No2 ash road.

Photo 8.1 X206 being winched off the trailer onto the temporary track

Photo 8.2 X206 on the temporary track


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Following this, the second slew was carried out on the arrival road approaching the new crossover along with further ballasting and packing, allowing the track to be re-opened for general use.Concrete slabs originally in the departure road were removed and cut to form the base for a new and widened pathway beside the fire shed. These were placed and subsequently covered with ash to form the pathway. Part of the original bitumen path was removed at the same time to provide a more even edge to the bitumen.In association with this work that part of the departure road where the crossover will be installed has been removed and the area was cleared to provide a work area to cut and drill the rail uprights for the fettlers shed. Approximately twelve life expired timbers were replaced in the arrival road (no3) points and the timbers and sleepers which require replacement in the departure road (no2) points and the coal stage siding were identified and marked. Around 70 timbers/sleepers require replacement in stage 1 of this work.Stage 1 does not include the top 40 metres or so of this track where virtually all sleepers and possibly some of the rails need to be replaced.Periodic track and turnout inspections are now carried out by Les Kelleher, Transport Heritage Track and Corridor Maintenance Manager who holds the necessary accreditation to satisfy the Safety Regulator for these inspections.

8.2 The year ahead

Replacement of the coal stage road sleepers is to commence early in the 16/17 year with the aim of having this work completed by the end of the year. In addition, it is hoped to make some progress on the completion of the crossover between the arrival and departure roads.It is also proposed to renew most if not all of the sleepers in the arrival road in front of the new fettlers shed as this should provide for a life of at least 10 years without significant maintenance for this section of track.A major problem over the next 12 months and beyond will be the supply of sleepers. Sources of second hand sleepers have all but dried up which will lead to having to purchase new sleepers at significant cost.While we have sufficient sleepers on hand for immediate needs, our supply will be largely exhausted by the first stage of the renewal in the Coal Stage Road and the work in front of the fettlers shed and it may be necessary to further reduce the length of the coal stage Road in the short term unless we can find or purchase around 100 sleepers. John Stanley, Per Way Manager, August 2016

9. Large Exhibits Manager’s Report Work this year has concentrated on 3 major items, being 4601, 3214 and 5711. Rod Hawkes our Large Exhibits Manager has moved on after some excellent work restoring the RBR. Ted Dickson and I are filling the gap until we can find a permanent replacement. In the meantime, work continues unabated on many exhibits!

9.1 Electric Locomotive, class leader 4601

Steve Corrigan is working on the Electrical and Control Systems of the locomotive with the exciting development of producing an interactive Train Simulator, while Ross Allen has worked on Lighting:

9.1.1 4601 Technical Restoration Annual 2015-2016

NOTE: This report only covers activities relating to work conducted on electrical/control systems.


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Drivers Controls

In the No. 2 end drivers controls, the audible wheel slip alarm was missing and the accelerating handle thumb switch used to operate the weak field notches was broken and non-working. The audible alarm was replaced with a commercially available “sonar alert”, while the weak field mechanism was repaired and is now working.

No.1 end H.T. compartment:

The No. 1 end High Tension (H.T.) compartment is in very poor condition, with a considerable quantity of equipment missing, and a tangle of loose and severed wiring. A start was made in tidying up the loose wiring by, where possible, re-connecting wires to the relevant equipment and re-installing missing items and re-connecting them. To this end six “interlock” units have been re-covered from spare and damaged units and installed (see picture). Remaining loose wiring has been secured. Much work remains to be done in this task.

Photo 9.1 Installed and Re-Connected “Interlock” Units Installed in the No. 1 End H.T. Room

No2 End H.T. Compartment

Field Shunt Cables: The cables connecting to the field shunt resisters and their attachment panels were secured and the area given a general clean up. Wheel Slip Detection Resisters: The network of balanced resistors whose purpose is to detect wheel slip was missing. This was replaced from an equivalent unit found among our stock of spares.Compressed Air Reticulation Lines (“Piggy Back” Pipes): These pipes which circulate compressed air between the air operated contactors are all missing from 4601 (see picture taken from 4638). As source of the “banjo” connectors which connect and secure these items has been found, and work has commenced on manufacturing replacement parts.


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Photo 9.2 “Piggy Back” Compressed Air Reticulation Pipes

Other work in the No. 2 end H.T. compartment relates to the development of demonstration and simulator interfaces (see following)

Fan Compartments

When it was found that, in our stock of spares, we had a complete and relatively new set of the resistor banks that control the air compressors and the auxiliary generator, the opportunity was taken to install, and connect them. The picture shows the installation of the compressor control resister banks in the No. 1 end fan compartment. The auxiliary generator control resister bank was similarly installed in the No. 2 end fan compartment.

Photo 9.3 Installation of Compressor Control Resister Banks in No. 1 End Fan Compartment

Steve Corrigan, July 2016


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9.1.2 4601 Demonstrations and Train Simulator

When, as a result of missing and damaged wiring and missing compressed air lines, it was deemed not feasible to get the locomotive control system actually working, it was instead decided to implement a “demonstration” of the operation of the power control contactors using coloured lights. To this end coloured lights were attached to the magnet valves controlling the motor resistance contactors, reverser and weak field contactors in the No. 2 end H.T. compartment. To power these, a small low voltage regulator was installed behind the circuit breaker/regulator panel in the No. 2 end driver’s cab. Thus it is possible to operate the accelerating handle and see the sequence of operation of the various contactors in the H.T. compartment as the controller is advanced through the notches. The success of the coloured light demonstration led to the idea of implementing a computer based train simulator operated from the 46 class’s actual driver’s controls. Work has commenced on this project, and is presently at the “proof of concept” stage, however it looks promising. An initial test using a prototype interface circuit board, modified computer keyboard and a train simulator running on a small laptop computer has shown that it is feasible to use the 46’s accelerating handle to “notch up” the train simulator (see picture).

Photo 9.4 Trains Simulator “Proof of Concept” Testing.

Work will now commence on developing a “Phase 1” production system, which will incorporate basic control (notching up the accelerating handle and braking), with additional features (forward/reverse, series/parallel transition, horn and lights) to come later.Steve Corrigan, July 2016

9.1.3 4601 Lighting system

Member Ross Allen has also been working hard, with great results, to restore the lighting system of the locomotive back to service, his report appears below:To date the following lights are now working: Headlights (both ends), marker lights red and white (both ends), all corridor lights, instrumentation lights (speedo, air gauges etc.) and driver's cab lights. Low energy LED bulbs have been used in all the corridor, instrument and cab lights. The headlights are still standard incandescent bulbs. Low energy bulbs have been used to reduce power consumption noting that the system is supplied from a 12 volt battery. All lighting is supplied via the main circuit breaker panel, with the original ammeter indicating power consumption.In order to achieve all this, it was necessary for me to trace all relevant wiring for connectivity by powering the system from a transformer and looking for voltages at relevant locations using a multimeter. Note that, Annual ReportBlue Mountains DivisionTransport Heritage NSW AGM - 2016

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for reasons of safety, taking into account the condition of the wiring in the locomotive, the decision was made not to energise the system at the original voltage of 120 volts, and instead use a 12 volt battery. The next step was to examine all the sockets, switches, circuit breakers etc. for integrity and operation, and where necessary, repair and/or replace faulty units. The system was then powered up and checked for complete operation and safety. The final step was to install appropriate bulbs and test for full operation.Remaining work includes getting running gear lights working, noting that these are not in good repair necessitating further work.

Photo 9.5 4601 Showing Headlight and Marker Lights Working

The contribution of Rod Hawkes is greatly appreciated for providing guidance and assisting in acquiring requisite documentation (diagrams etc.), and also Tim Ball for organising the procurement of the LED globes used in the project.Ross Allen, July 2016

9.2 3214

The P class is in its final stages of restoration. The painting of 3214 continues, the loco looks really great! We now have the details of the lining of the locomotive including the NSWR logo for the sandboxes. Ted Dickson is getting a quote to make a transfer of this logo as it would be expensive to sign write and once we have transfers we can use them in many locations.Quotes will be sought from our sign writer to finish the lining and a coat of clear will be given to the entire loco once all work is completed in order to protect it.Ross Allen has done a terrific job in rewiring and getting all the lights to work again.


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Photo 9.6 3214 as it nears completion

9.3 5711

During the year, progress on the tender has been very slow due to other more urgent works at the Museum. The axle box horn stays have been re-shimmed and new grease nipples fitted to the second bogie. Oil seals and retainers have been manufactured. Steel has been purchased for the tender axle box shims and the tender bracing. Timber has been purchased for the tender body supports. Quotes have been obtained for the manufacture of 3 new tender frame gusset plates. The existing plates have severe cracking and erosion and have to be drilled and riveted in situ. With these frame repairs complete, the body can be reassembled onto the frame. Paint has been purchased for the loco to further preserve the boiler and cab from tree sap.

In February, a funding proposal was submitted to the Board for the refurbishment of the loco to operational status. This did not produce any response from the Board. In April, I submitted an IFAP (Independent Financial Advisory Panel) application to the Board.Again no response has been received.Ted Dickson, 5711 Project Manager.

9.4 Other exhibits

A number of other exhibits still remain for restoration. A number are wooden wagons such as the HG guards van, the 4 wheel cattle wagon and the BL bogie passenger car. If you feel you have the skills to restore these vehicles please get in touch.Thank you to those members who have or continue to make great improvements to our range of exhibits.Bruce Coxon and Ted Dickson, Act/Large Exhibits Manager, 27 July 2016

10. Model Railway Manager’s ReportThe model of Valley Heights circa 1950 has drawn much interest over the year especially from specific groups who visited the Museum and had conducted tours. Plans for the future are to build a discreet loop


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round the back of the layout so trains can be run in a circuit instead of having to be reversed as is the case now.As for the old layout regular again repairs to rolling stock had to be made and I would ask that all persons using the layout do so with the utmost care for the rolling stock as repairs take up precious time which could be spent on development. The locomotive fleet slowly became unusable due to various reasons but a special day of repairs has remedied this and all loco are working well. The points which were causing us some problems have been replaced and passage over these is now ok.My thanks go to all those who have helped to plan and improve the layouts in such a dedicated way especially the Christian Model Group who come regularly to either work on or run on the layout. I hope to have your assistance in the future as we work together to improve the layout in general. I would also like to thank those on the roster who run the layout regularly on open daysContinuing jobs still planned for the future still are :OLD LAYOUT

Continue to add new trees to the hills at the rear of the layout Restore the hill next to the mine with new flock, bushes and grasses Refurbish the farm with new flock, bushes and grasses Restore the mine to working order Install some semaphore signals Complete the electrification of the points in the yard

NEW LAYOUT Continue with the suggested changes as time allows Build loop round the back wall

Now there are two layouts to look after it will be more difficult to plan for cover each open day but the roster has helped this situation for those who are willing to help. If you would like to help please contact me.Ray Beharrell, Model Railway Manager, Phone 4733 1312

11. Small Exhibits Curator’s ReportIt’s been good year for our small exhibits collection. We have also been very fortunate to receive funding and guidance from Jennifer Edmonds, Collections Manager for Transport Heritage NSW. Jennifer has been most gracious with her time and regularly visits Valley Heights. The Small Exhibits Store and Exhibit Restoration room that is located in the rear of the roundhouse behind the room that displays the Fish, Chips and Heron exhibit has been completed. Light and wind proofing work has been done in the storeroom. Cataloguing work in this room will take months as there are hundreds and hundreds of items in here.Our team of Sue Fulton, Rudi Glajcar, Ellen Anderson, Julie Tester and Richard Nicholson do a fantastic job for us in documenting and photographing each and every small exhibit and then adding each record into our computer database. We have been able to purchase an A3 scanner that will be used in the Cataloguing and Digitising project. A laptop for cataloguing has been supplied by THNSW Thirlmere. It is now fully working and connecting to the WiFi. Brittle plans, maps and drawings are being carefully photographed by Rudi. The plans will be added to our electronic catalogue. We very much appreciate the team’s hard work and their expert knowledge in this area.Serge Sequen’s team and the retirees group have begun restoring the damage to the 46 class maintenance board. They have started to glue the cracked section of the board together, cleaned the board and started to re chalk the entries. Once finished, the board will be mounted on the rear of the roundhouse behind 4601. Steve Corrigan has started on an exciting interactive audio visual display in the cab of 4601. There is Annual ReportBlue Mountains DivisionTransport Heritage NSW AGM - 2016

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a long way to go but the idea is to setup a visual driver simulator in the cab, connected to the real drivers' handles to simulate driving this loco down the mountain.The 4 new small exhibit display cabinets have been assembled and are gradually being filled up. The cabinet in the Fish and Chips room displays the collection of Railway Refreshment Room (RRR) glassware. This provides a safe and secure display as the cabinets are lockable. An old station seat was donated to the Museum that Jeff Russell as part of the retirees group has done a great job of restoring.A clear display case has been constructed and installed for the 86 model in the shop. Data and images for The Callboy display in the DLE are being collected and will be sent to a designer at THNSW for layout.Our Theatrette is in the single deck interurban car and is used every open day by The Springwood Historical Society for videos on such things as the Lapstone Zig Zag. A larger video screen is about to be installed in the carriage. Thank you very much to all that have assisted me this year, especially Dave Grove who heads up the Retirees Group and Bruce Coxon. I really appreciate all the help. Michael Pensini, Small Exhibits Curator

12. Workshop Manager’s Annual ReportThis year has been very challenging, but in some ways disappointing with the failure of equipment beyond the workshop’s control. The X206 Shunter hydraulic controls have been the main setback. July 2015 Mario’s telescopic hydraulic cylinder was replated and ground by Adept Plating for a very minimal cost.

August 2015 Modification to Mario’s hoist sheave was needed to prevent the hoist wire jamming when a side load was

applied.

September/October 2015 A busy month. The removal from Boral and delivery to Valley Heights of the Cement Hopper. The arrival of the X206 Diesel Shunter. Mario had the telescopic hydraulic cylinder refitted along with the fitting of an air compressor and air receiver to

be used when shunting wagons with air brakes.

January 2016 A towing bar was made up to move the Tram Motor with Mario.

February 2016 With the constant failure of the X206 Shunter’s air compressor drive belts, an idler shaft and pulley arrangement

was manufactured and fitted. This arrangement proved reliable.

March 2016 A visit to OTHR at Oberon where a deal was done to swap five display cases for a large lathe, a bar bender and

pedestal heavy grinder. X206 hydraulic controls and brake system occupied workshop personnel

April 2016 X206 air brake receivers were high pressure cleaned, scale removed and rust converter applied. Diesel Fork Lift battery charging system failed.

May 2016 Diesel Fork Lift Alternator replaced along with a steering arm ball joint replaced and steering control arm

repaired. Mario out of service due to diesel fuel contamination in the engine sump.


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June 2016 Mario’s fuel injection pump and injectors overhauled. X206 hydraulic controls failed badly prior to the shunting course. Replacement mechanical arrangement is under

consideration with components being manufactured in preparation for approval.

Terence Matchett, Workshop Manager, 18/08/2016.

13. Honorary Librarian’s ReportWork in the library this year has been sporadic mainly due to time being spent assisting in various other Museum projects. Over twenty five years of the Museum’s existence a mountain of magazines has been amassed: books, reference manuals, and documents of many forms. Thanks to Rudi Glajcar and his team this collection has been sorted and catalogued.As noted in previous years reports the library had reached saturation point. With much debate the committee had decided to refine the Museum’s collection so that it retains what would be of greatest suitability. Bearing in mind that there are various other reference libraries which would cover rail transport more thoroughly we have decided that we will specialize on the railways of New South Wales. Failing this we would not be able to take any more donations due to lack of space. I am now in the process of removing non NSW and duplicates of various NSW publications. These magazines will find new homes thanks to Keith our Publicity Manager who will arrange for them to be given to children visiting Santa in December.In closing I would request that our generous members who wish to donate their prized collections to the Museum please contact me prior (Mobile 0410 514 638). Keeping this in mind it means we will be able to continue adding to the collection for the foreseeable future. Remember yesterday is history so the collection will never be complete.Thank you for your generosityRoss Stenning, Honorary Librarian


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