branchline - maldon railway station · “as well as maintaining the vgr’s rail system into the...
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May 2014
Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation
Society Branchline The Members Newsletter of the
Castlemaine and Maldon Railway
Preservation Society
Thank You to the Victorian State Government
The Victorian Goldfields Railway in Maldon will upgrade its track-layer and sleeper-replacement machine with the help of $50,400 from the
Victorian Coalition Government’s $1 billion Regional Growth Fund.
Member for Northern Victoria, Damian Drum MLC, pictured above with a group of VGR volunteers, said the machine would be able to operate
on all railway gauges currently in use in Australia.
“The Victorian Goldfields Railway has identified an opportunity to create a unique work team to operate the only Takeuchi Hi -Rail track machine
in Victoria,” Mr Drum said.
“The VGR is experiencing an ageing volunteer workforce and the acquisition of specialist machinery will remove some of the burden from the
volunteers.
“As well as maintaining the VGR’s rail system into the future, the project will maintain two full-time jobs and generate income for the VGR
through contract work at various tourist railways, including the Maldon Castlemaine tourist railway and tracks like Puffing B illy, Mornington
Railway and Southern Shorthaul Railroad.
“The machine will be designed and built in Bendigo by engineering company McCullochs.”
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan said the Coalition Government funding towards the $67,200 project
to upgrade the Takeuchi Track Layer would be provided through the Regional Growth Fund to the Victorian Goldfields Railway, which will
contribute $16,800.
“The Regional Growth Fund is investing in community-led projects to strategically drive jobs, investment and innovation in rural and regional
Victoria,” Mr Ryan said. “Since it was established in early 2011, the Regional Growth Fund has invested more than $394 million to support almost
1,400 projects across regional and rural Victoria, leveraging over $1.57 billion in total investment .” Mr Ryan said.
In Mount Alexander Shire, the Regional Growth Fund has provided $2.94 million to 16 projects, leveraging $4.55 million in total investment. Those
projects include:
$822,000 towards the Walking & Cycling Strategy Implementation (Castlemaine to Newstead Trail)
$250,000 towards the $1,457,000 Newstead Multipurpose Sports and Recreation Pavilion; and
$30,000 towards the $60,000 Enhancing Community Awareness for Bushfires Project
The upgraded track layer is expected to be operating by August 2014.
The Hon. Damian Drum MP enjoys the company of VGR volunteers and staff at the announcement of the grant for the Takeuchi hi-rail gear.
Page 2 May 2014
President’s Column
It will be seen elsewhere in this newsletter
that we have achieved our goal in regard to
the excavator. We launched the appeal to
our membership to raise funds in November
of last year and I want to thank all members
that contributed which has seen a bit over
$25,000 raised to date. The balance of funds
needed to fit out the excavator has come
from a grant from Regional Development
Victoria which was announced at Maldon on
the 13th of April 2014. As previously advised
the excavator has been to McCulloch’s in
Bendigo for preliminary measurements in
readiness for the fit out which will now
proceed. It will be apparent that next to the
grant funds the amount that came in from our
membership was more than the contribution
we were required to make so the balance has
gone to meeting the ongoing lease payments
for the excavator as required. I am very
pleased that this project has moved so
speedily because it sits very squarely in the
forefront of our plans to generate extra
income for the railway as previously advised.
We are now turning our minds to the grant
funding needed for the next stage of
infrastructure projects for the railway. It has
been determined that this should be the
completion of the carriage shed at
Castlemaine and the construction of
locomotive servicing facilities there as well. I
have talked about this previously but the
reasoning behind pushing to achieve both is,
firstly, because of our stated resolve to
operate the branch line from Castlemaine
rather than Maldon. There are a number of
advantages that will flow from this but
particularly that we will be operating from a
major regional town with a mainline
economic benefit to the town.
Since the last newsletter we have been in
discussion with the South Gippsland Railway
about return of our railmotor, RM61. Nearly
5 years ago the railmotor went to the SGR
on a plan that intended that we would receive
the DRC railmotor from Seymour. This never
eventuated for various reasons so in many
ways we ended up being a benefactor for
South Gippsland without getting anything in
return. As a result of recent discussions a
plan has been put in place that will see the
railmotor returned to us by the 1st of
December this year. Unfortunately the
railmotor has been inoperable at South
Gippsland for sometime so the initial steps of
the plan will be to assess the work required
to return it to an operating state. The
railmotor will then be moved to Newport for
the work to be undertaken and then it is
hoped that it will return to our railway via
the mainline. All of this I should emphasize
will happen at no cost to ourselves so I
regard this as an extremely good outcome. It
became apparent in the discussions that took
place that the rail motor was really, in many
ways, in a fairly poor state when it left our
railway about 5 years ago. It seems to me that
the outcome of this process will be to have it
back to us in very good condition and it will
be particularly useful to us in the summer
season with the capacity for it also to haul a
passenger carriage as the did on branch lines
in the past. I want to thank the Registrar of
Heritage and Tourist Railways, Adrian
Ponton, for his assistance in reaching this
outcome.
(Continued on page 3)
connection.
Secondly are our plans to operate heritage
trains from Southern Cross to Castlemaine
with our joint venture partner, Steamrail. The
tourist potential for the goldfields region for
this is clearly there and in pushing our cause
with the government this aspect will be
highlighted. I should also say that we will have
significant timetable advantages in operating
the branch line from Castlemaine which
would give passengers more time to spend at
Maldon between morning and afternoon
trains and so more time to enjoy the shops,
eateries, hotels and tourism benefits that
exist there and therefore provide a greater
by Michael Vines
The Victorian Goldfields Railway is supported by some fine businesses. If your company would
like to benefit from a sponsorship, please contact our Sponsorship Manager, Rob Fletcher via
our marketing office on (03) 5470 6658
Page 3 May 2014
Finally as I indicated in the last newsletter I
was up in Maldon over the Easter period. It
was very pleasing to see the level of
patronage on our trains and so it was
apparent that, as expected, Easter was a very
busy period for us. Again this is important for
the railway because we have moved to a new
fare structure since the April 1st and so the
revenue stream now coming in from our
passengers will be significantly greater. Again
this is part of our strategic plan to restore
the railway’s finances in the wake of the El
Zorro problems of last year. In the last
month or so there has been a significant
turnaround in our finances but we still have a
long way to go and I assure all members that
the Board is working very hard to achieve
our stated goals. As I said at a recent Board
meeting it will be very interesting to see how
the railway stands financially in about twelve
months time when all of the measures we
have put into place should have had their flow
through effect by then.
Anyway that is pretty much it in regard to
matters that I want to bring to members
attention for this newsletter and I hope it will
indicate to members that there is plenty that
is being planned at the moment and needs to
be done.
Michael Vines
President
well, helping to fire up the farm forge and
helping with the working Clydesdale horses.
John’s interest in the railways, led him to
contemplate taking up an apprenticeship at
Newport, which would have trained him to
be an Engineman. Whilst his parents
recognized his interest in the railway world,
they insisted that he complete his formal
school based education.
His continuing formal education led the young
John McEwen on a different path, but never
extinguished his other interests, which simply
lay dormant for a while until re-emerging
after several years as an art teacher in various
Victorian schools .
John attended Box Hill Technical School –
then Swinburne, where he became engrossed
(Continued on page 4)
John McEwen, a long serving volunteer for
the Victorian Goldfields Railway has put his
flags in the safeworking box, hung up his
guard’s hat and handed in his keys to the
signal box. From now on, John will enjoy
riding the rails as a passenger, after many
years of working on our railway in a variety
of voluntary roles.
John’s association with the railway world
began to evolve from an early age, when his
family took him regularly on the steam train
to visit farming friends in the Yarrawonga
district. His father also took John on a variety
of other steam train journey in his younger
days – trips which helped to firmly establish a
love of the sights and sounds of
railway travel in the genuine steam era.
The farm visits also formed the catalyst for
John’s other abiding interests in heritage
horses and blacksmithing. He remembers
A Railway Gentleman
Takeuchi Appeal As mentioned, we have now raised all the
funds required to fit the Takeuchi with Hi-Rail
gear. A number of donations have been
received after the target was met. These
donations will go towards paying off the
principal owing to the bank for the purchase
of the machine.
Sincere thanks go to the many members who
donated varying amounts. Each contributor
has been a part of making this project a
reality. Whenever you travel over our track,
or see the machine out working at another
railway, you will know that you have
contributed to this machine being able to
assist our railway to remain viable.
Page 4 May 2014
in Art Metal studies. He then completed a
Diploma in Gold Silversmithing and Sculpture
at RMIT prior to commencing a career with
the Education Department.
After many years teaching, John’s earlier
interests in blacksmithing were reignited to
the point of making a life changing decision to
change careers. He enrolled in the Oklahoma
Farrier Course and completed this with
distinction. On returning to Australia, John
set up his own Farrier business, servicing a
broad area in Central Victoria.
This dramatic change in John’s working life
should not have been be all that surprising
considering his long held passion for horses
and blacksmithing so fondly embraced in
those early farm visits as a youngster.
John also revived his interest in steam
railways by joining Puffing Billy as a volunteer
and completed the Safeworking Course so
that he could participate in the operational
aspects of a steam railway.
He then realized there was an opportunity to
become involved in heritage railway work
much closer to home as he actually lived in
the area where the Victorian Goldfields
Railway was beginning to show signs of
becoming an important heritage tourist
railway – What a find !
Joining the Victorian Goldfields Railway as a
regular rostered volunteer brought great
satisfaction to John – as here, so close to his
home base, was the marvellous opportunity
to indulge in the very essence of the steam
era that he remembered so vividly from his
early years. Just a few minutes drive in his
beloved Morris Minor took John right back
into the wonderful world of steam.
(Continued from page 3) The heritage operational manoeuvres and
signals - both hand and mechanical - the
opportunity to be so closely associated with
the locos and rolling stock of yesteryear
and the many good times spent with other
volunteers of like mind will be cherished by
this great railway volunteer friend.
The Victorian Goldfields Railway, in turn, was
the beneficiary of John’s endeavours, as he
became involved in a variety of railway tasks,
including Guard, Conductor, Signalman,
Shunter, Track and Fire Patrols, and
mentoring and training three recruits in
Safeworking. John was also involved in the
operation of Special Event Days such as
Mucklefest, where he demonstrated his
blacksmithing skills in an enclosure donated
by him and which is a permanent structure at
Muckleford.
He was often rostered as Guard on our
Driver Experience Days and acted on many
occasions as Trolley Driver on our Steam
Trains For Kids weekends.
We now have a permanent legacy of John’s
metal working skills which he has donated to
the Victorian Goldfields Railway. Both his love
of railways and artistic skills are combined in
this large, striking work. When next you visit
the Castlemaine Station Refreshment Rooms,
take some time to study the wonderful
copper railway mural at the southern end of
the room. John originally crafted this work for
the Conference Room of the Bendigo Railway
Workshop.
Years later, this work was re-discovered in a
store room in Melbourne. John spent
considerable time re-instating the somewhat
neglected art work, which now hangs proudly
in our rooms. The mural depicts the
evolution of locomotive power on the
Victorian Railways, from the very first
mainline loco to the train of the future.
There are numerous words which could be
applied when attempting to encapsulate
the sort of volunteer John has been for the
Victorian Goldfields Railway. Such terms as
earnest, interested, helpful, reliable,
enthusiastic and diligent are a few that come
to mind, but one term that seems to be a
unanimous choice among the many volunteers
that know him is ‘ a gentleman’.
John has rightfully earned the highest respect
for all the years of his great volunteer work
and the Victorian Goldfields Railway extend
the very best wishes to him in his post
volunteering days. We look forward to seeing
John around the track and taking a leisurely
ride on the branchline.
Thank You John for your friendship, your advice and encouragement in your role as a volunteer over the years
Page 5 May 2014
Our Proud Sponsors
From the Loco Crew
Roster Officer April was a particularly busy month for the
Victorian Goldfields Railway. On the
footplate, there were twenty days of train
operations out of thirty in total. In total, 23
drivers and 25 firemen were required, along
with eight trainees also rostered. Longer
serving members might like to remember if
there has been a busier month of operations
in the history of the VGR?
Thank you to all the loco crews for your
efforts in this particularly busy period –
particularly those who answered the call to
cover a vacancy at short notice. It seems to
me, from the perspective of the loco crew
roster – there are a healthy number of crews
to cover future operations.
Rodney Reed
Loco Crew Roster Officer
Page 6 May 2014
A Heartfelt Plea For
Help For quite a few years now we have been
relying on the usual volunteers to work on
these particular weekends. They have all
shown up happily, but the ones that work all
weekend go home extremely tired.
If you can spare some time on these days it
would be most appreciated - even if it’s just
for one hour, so our volunteers can have a
lunchbreak or coffee break. Our next Steam
Trains for Kids weekend is on Saturday 12th
and Sunday 13th July. A valid working With
Children Check is required. However this can
be obtained at no cost to you as a volunteer
at the railway.
Also a call goes out for anyone interested in
volunteering in our shops. You get to meet a
lot of the passengers and also other
volunteers working on the day.
If you are interested, l look forward to
hearing from you.
Please contact me on 0428 810 633 or via
email at [email protected]
Christine Gibb - Volunteer Co-ordinator
Brian Frewin - Gone but Never Forgotten A special train was run on Friday 11th April with Brian’s family and friends to scatter his ashes.
As mentioned earlier in the year, life member, Brian Frewin passed away after a battle with
cancer. A large number of members attended Brian’s funeral at Eaglehawk and this trip was a
chance to say a final farewell to Brian.
The whole railway family expresses its sympathies to Shirley and the rest of the Frewin family as
they remember a very special railway person who will never be forgotten.
Civil Branch News Our Civil Branch has been busy as always with a significant amount of work having been completed between Maldon and Muckleford. This work
has included:
replacing 75 sleepers in this area and re-gauging a further 180 by cross-boring;
replacing a further twelve sleepers in Maldon yard;
Completing replacement of eleven sleepers between Maldon and the Bendigo Road which had been installed some months ago but never
fastened; and
aligning the track in areas where distinct kinks had formed.
Hopefully by the time the next newsletter is published, our Civil Branch will have completed accreditation work for the Takeuchi hi-rail and it
will be operating as it has been intended, with the generous support of members and the Victorian State Government.
Page 7 May 2014
A very successful Garage Sale was held on the
Maldon Station Platform, on Saturday 29th
March. Seventy-seven houses around Maldon
were involved on the day which saw a lot of
people pass through our wonderful town and
visit our grand station.
A very big thankyou must be passed onto the
volunteers of the carriage restoration crew
and their partners, who planned and collected
for this occasion and a big thank you to the
members who kindly donated their wares,
making the day so successful. A big thank you
also goes to Deb McDonald for supplying
those ever famous cupcakes along with
sausage rolls for the guys (& gals) lunches.
The funds raised are being used to restore
80BW carriage back on the tracks.
When visiting Maldon Station next, drop in
and see the wonderful work that is being
carried out on 80BW carriage and other
works. The boys would love to show off their
hard work!
Owing to the success of this sale, we are
asking members if you could save and donate
your unwanted goods for the next sale to be
held sometime in Spring to help raise funds
for items needed for Maldon Station kitchen
to help with Catering. Members are asked to
drop off items on their day of volunteering in
the Station Masters Office at Maldon where
they will be put into storage for the big day,
so do those cupboards out now!
Victorian Goldfields Railway Garage Sale on the Maldon Platform
The Victorian based Association of Railway
Enthusiasts publishes a quarterly magazine
(Australian Railway Enthusiast) featuring
interesting railway and tramway topics. It is
probably the most interesting and diverse
railway publication in Australia. Articles cover
an extremely wide range of contemporary
and historical railway interests and often
feature more off-beat aspects to the hobby.
For instance the latest issue features railway
spirals, then and now photos of Chapel St
Melbourne, a day spent line siding in South
Africa with some splendid photos, a brief
history of a Queensland branch line, book
reviews as well as the Pullman article
reviewed below. Articles are written in a very
readable style and the magazine is profusely
illustrated in colour.
The last issue features an article about the
controversial procurement of the three
heavyweight Pullman cars (including our
Macedon) from Chicago in 1928. The then
commissioner for railways was Harold Clapp,
the most influential public servant of the day,
who was locked in a very public battle with a
tenuous coalition government. One of the
main disputes was his “illegal” purchase of the
Pullmans without government approval. To
try to curb him the government called a Royal
Commission. Soon after, the government fell
and Clapp retained his job continuing for
many years as probably the most able railway
administrator ever in Victoria. The story of
blatant government interference in the
running of the railways is one familiar to us
today. Based on newspaper articles of the day
the story is a fascinating one of government
mismanagement and finishes with the thought
that if the government had survived a little
longer and had been able to sack Clapp we
would never have seen the iconic Spirit of
Progress or the streamlined S-class locos. The
article is accompanied by some splendid
photos including one of the Pullmans being
unloaded at the docks in Adelaide and a rare
shot of two Pullmans hauled by a brand new
unstreamlined S-class taken at Seymour a few
weeks after delivery.
A great read for those interested in social as
well as railway history and a little background
to Macedon.
Edited by past President and volunteer Alan
Williams, “Australian Railway Enthusiast” has
developed into a very well-produced and
informative journal. It is now being stocked in
our shops and is well worth the $7.95 cover
price. Overall the magazine is thoroughly
recommended.
Now In Stock in Our Shops
Special Presentation - “Who was Eric Harrison?”
Saturday 31st May at 7pm at Castlemaine Refreshment Rooms All Members and friends are invited to hear a most interesting talk and visual presentation about a great historical Castlemaine resident who is
often referred to as one of the early pioneers of the Royal Australian Air Force. This year celebrates the centenary of military aviation in
Australia and Eric Harrison’s role in the early years of military aviation, through his role in the Central Flying School at Point Cook is a great
story which will be presented by three expert gentlemen. Come along and enjoy the presentation and good company.
Please indicate your attendance by contacting Christine Gibb on 0428 810 633 or via email at [email protected]
In 1949, Twentieth Century Fox produced
the color film A Ticket to Tomahawk. If the
movie is remembered today, it is for the
presence of a blonde actress performing in a
small chorus line. Even though she was not
listed in the cast, her brief appearance
indicated that Marilyn Monroe had an
indefinable “star” quality. However, in an age
when few movies were made on location, the
film received considerable attention because,
as one review put it, many of its action scenes
were “played out against some of the most
gorgeous Colorado scenery ever captured on
Technicolor.”
For the struggling Denver and Rio Grande
Western Railroad, A Ticket to Tomahawk was a
timely lifeline. Though the company had
already been trying to promote tourism, the
film triggered an influx of visitors who came
to enjoy the stunning scenery of the narrow
gauge line that runs from Durango to
Silverton. Their interest was subsequently
reinforced by films like Across the Wide
Missouri, Viva Zapata! and especially the block-
buster Around the World in 80 Days, ensuring
the survival of a line that is surely one of the
great railway journeys of the world.
The line is a fragment of an ambitious but
unsuccessful project aimed at operating a 36-
inch narrow gauge railway from Denver to El
Paso, some 875 miles to the south. The
original plans were eventually amended to
include extensions throughout the booming
mining country of central and southwestern
Colorado. When the Denver and Rio Grande
Railway reached Durango in August 1881, the
town had a population of about 1000, as well
as 59 liquor outlets and one Episcopalian
church. Eleven months later, the track had
advanced 45 miles north to the boom town of
Silverton. In the decades that followed, this
branchline would carry at least $300 million in
precious metals from the mines.
Nevertheless, survival was an almost constant
struggle for the company that, after 1921, was
known as the Denver and Rio Grande
Western Railroad. It battled against annual
snowslides, several major floods and the
decline of the mining industry, as well as
insignificant passenger revenue and
competition from trucking. Consequently, it
was primarily the influx of tourists after
World War II that shielded the Silverton
route from closure. Indeed, by 1963, so many
visitors were arriving that a second daily train
to Silverton was added. Even so, as freight
traffic continued to fall, the company sought
government approval to abandon the line,
only to have the Interstate Commerce
Commission refuse the request on account of
the growing tourist patronage. As the
Silverton branch neared its centenary in 1981,
Florida citrus grower Charles Bradshaw
purchased the right-of-way and its equipment
to establish the Durango and Silverton
Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Page 8 May 2014
The D&SNG now uses two classes of former
Rio Grande 2-8-2 Mikado locomotives on its
tourist services. On both types, the chassis is
of outside-frame design with the drive wheels
placed between the main frames, and the
running gear to the outside. Weighing more
than 250,000 pounds when loaded with coal
and water, these engines are among the most
powerful narrow-gauge locomotives to be
used in the United States. Under Rio Grande
ownership, the railroad’s three K-28 engines,
built by the American Locomotive Company
in 1923, had long been familiar sights on the
run to Silverton, but the four K-36 locos,
made by Baldwin in 1925, had previously been
operated by Rio Grande only between
Durango and Antonito. (The K-37 locomotive
497 was used on the Silverton route for seven
years, but was traded to the Cumbres and
Toltec Scenic Railroad in 1991.) The Durango
and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which
is now owned by American Heritage Railways,
operates throughout the year, sometimes
making as many as five trips a day, and has
museums in Durango and Silverton.
The nine-hour round trip between the two
(Continued on page 9)
A Ticket to Silverton by Alf Batchelder
K-28 476 prepares to leave Durango with a mighty column of steam and smoke
towns attracts about 200,000 patrons
annually. Return fares range from $85 to $189
for travel in the Presidential Class luxury of
Cinco Animas, where “the Victorian splendor
of a bygone era awaits you onboard one of
the most legendary and historic private cars
to ever grace the narrow gauge rails.” The
Tuscan red carriage, built in 1883 as a very
basic immigrant sleeper, allows passengers “to
relax in built-in Pullman berth seating, or
enjoy the views out the rear from the
Observation Parlor Room.” In addition, “a
large outdoor viewing platform is exclusively
available to those who choose this car.” For
the really big spenders, a 3½-hour one-way
cabride is available for $1000.
Since Durango is 6512 feet above sea level,
the railroad offers the following advice to
intending travellers:
To help thwart altitude sickness (headache
and nausea) guests are encouraged to get
plenty of rest, drink lots of water and avoid
alcohol and caffeine. Whenever possible, try to
acclimate to the altitude by arriving a day
early.
The station is located at the southern end of
town, just a few blocks from the residential
area. As a result of complaints from the locals
about the large amounts of smoke produced
by the coal-fired locomotives, the D&SNG
uses wood pellets for overnight fuel and relies
on diesels to move rolling stock. With the
line crossing several of Durango’s main
thoroughfares, traffic police are on duty near
the station when trains are departing and
returning.
On June 3, 1991, my train left at 8.30 sharp,
hauled by K-36 engine 481. Like all of the
locos that I saw in Durango, 481 produced an
incredible display of smoke and steam as it
moved through the town and out into a wide
valley, where high mountains with rich rust-
coloured strata rose in the east. For the first
ten or twelve miles, there was nothing
remarkable about the trip, but, after about
forty minutes, that started to change as the
train approached Hermosa, which was once
the site of a construction camp described in
the April 1882 issue of Harpers Magazine:
Presently we came upon one of Mr.
Wigglesworth’s construction camps – long, low
buildings of logs with dirt roofs, where grasses
and sunflowers and purple asters make haste
to sprout, are grouped without order …
Beside the larger houses, inhabited by the
engineers, foremen, etc., you will see numbers
of little huts about three logs high, roofed flatly
with poles, brush and mud, and having only a
window-like hole to creep in and out through;
or into a sidehill will be pushed small caves
with a front wall of stones or mud and a bit of
canvas for a door – in these kennels the
laboring men find shelter.
Between Hermosa and Rockwood Cut, 481
started to work harder – and ever harder.
For half an hour, the loco battled a 1:40 grade
(Continued from page 8)
Page 9 May 2014
as it moved through increasingly spectacular
scenery, where, in some places, the engine
and its yellow carriages snaked around
frequent 24-degree curves. The most
memorable moment came as the train wound
its way on to “The Highline”, where the most
unforgettable scene in Around the World in 80
Days was filmed: 400 feet above the Rio de las
Animas de Perdidas, “the River of Lost Souls”,
the narrow track has near-vertical red granite
walls on its left – and a very precipitous drop
on the right. When the line was built,
workers were paid $2.25 a day to dangle on
ropes down the thousand-foot rock face to
drill, blast and chip out a shelf for the track.
The project was so risky that the Denver and
Rio Grande president, General William
Palmer, constructed the route in secret,
fearing that his fellow directors would veto
the plan before he could safely complete it.
The general was probably also nervous about
the finances involved – construction of the
Highline is reputed to have cost about
$100,000 per mile. This precarious ledge was
widened when heavier rails and new sleepers
were installed to accommodate the K-36 class
after 1981. Looking down at the river far
below, I fervently hoped that there would not
be a derailment. (About two miles to the
north, where the track is much lower, a
double-headed mixed, bound for Durango,
left the tracks in 1919, killing fireman John
Conner. Incredibly, the two locos were
repaired and returned to service.)
For the remainder of the journey, the Animas
River was our trackside companion, no longer
a distant sight, but close alongside, and always
fast-flowing and white. The surrounding
mountains, sparsely covered with pine trees,
towered above the line, with Mt. Garfield and
other peaks reaching more than 13,000 feet
as they rose steeply from the river’s banks. It
is in this area that snowfalls prevent trains
from reaching Silverton – in 1993, at Elk Park
Siding, 120 feet of snow covered the track. (In
the winter months, the D&SNG travels only
as far as Cascade Canyon, 26 miles from
Durango.)
Just before noon, the country became more
open, and we were in a wide valley, with
Silverton visible in the distance. Located 9288
feet above sea level, with high mountains all
around, the town seems to have changed little
from the days in the late nineteenth century
when a miner reputedly coined its name,
saying “We may not have any gold, but we
have silver by the ton.” Literally miles from
anywhere, parts of Silverton resemble the set
of a western movie, and it didn’t take much
imagination to envisage the sheriff and a posse
riding down the street. Places like the Shady
Lady Saloon (a former brothel) and the Bent
Elbow Restaurant (once a bordello with
fourteen beds upstairs) add to that
atmosphere. Since 1963, the train has not
stopped at the “dee-po”, as the locals call the
station, but travels on to East 12th Street, so
that passengers don’t lose time walking into
town. While visitors enjoy the sights, the rail
yards become a hive of activity, as there can
be three trains waiting to be turned on the
wye.
Despite the chilly weather, the return journey
to Durango was as enjoyable and spectacular
as the morning’s ride, but I couldn’t help
thinking that it was quite amazing that the line
was even operating. On the morning of
February 10, 1989, a spectacular fire had
destroyed the Durango roundhouse, with
temperatures near the roof reaching 2500° to
3000°C. Since all six of the D&SNG’s
serviceable engines were inside at the time,
the future had looked incredibly bleak but,
working largely in the open, the roundhouse
crew were able to have locomotives ready to
start the summer season in May. In February
1990, a new roundhouse was brought into
service, at a cost of more than $2,000,000. It
(Continued on page 10)
The Animas River is a 204 kilometer long river which is part of the Colorado River system.
Page 10 May 2014
was another extraordinary achievement in the
history of this remarkable railway.
References:
Personal Diary
Osterwald, Doris B.: Cinders and Smoke,
Lakewood, Colorado, 1990 edition.
(Continued from page 9)
Queens Birthday
Long Weekend We’ll be operating on Sunday 8th June as well
as Monday 9th June. Long weekends are
always popular times to visit the railway, so
why not bring your family, bring your friends
and enjoy a relaxing trip between Maldon and
Castlemaine.
A new steel gate has been erected on the Maryborough line, just to the west of Maldon Junction,
Here, Tony “Ashcat” Marsden captures a picture of the gate from the cab of K190. Several level crossings on the line between Maldon Junction and Maryborough have also been removed, to
prevent further road damage.
Booking Officers - Your Help is Important! We are working hard to promote Driver Experience packages and your assistance in getting the message out there is invaluable.
Why? Driver Experience packages are one of the most profitable products that we offer. They’re also one of the packages we can offer with only 3
volunteers—A Driver, Fireman and Guard—so they aren’t as taxing on our volunteers as a regular running day.
How we’re promoting Driver Experience packages? Over the past two years, we’ve used a number of methods to promote these packages, including:
A radio campaign on 1116 SEN in Melbourne
Three Facebook advertising campaigns, directed at motoring enthusiasts, women around Valentines Day as a gift for their partner and
around Christmas as a gift idea.
Setting up two new websites being:
www.driveatrain.com.au
www.driveasteamtrain.com.au
Designing, producing and distributing promotional postcards and business cards
Having a staffed stand at the Steamrail Open Day
How you can help? We’re hoping that every
person who purchases a
ticket leaves with one of our
business cards (as shown,
right). The thought is that
they will put it in their purse
or wallet with their credit
card and then find it later
on—probably when they’re
at home. Hopefully they’ll
then remember the
enjoyable trip they had with
us and be curious enough to
jump on the website where
all the details are located..
Our target We know that if one in
every thousand passengers were to book a Driver Experience package, that would be an extra
17 packages per year and hence a really significant source of revenue that can be allocated
towards restoration and refurbishment of our equipment, rolling stock and infrastructure. We
have just received over 7,500 business cards, so there is no shortage of them and no restriction
on who we give them to.
Thanks for your assistance as ambassadors of the railway!
Victorian Goldfields Railway General Office and Marketing
P.O. Box 51, CASTLEMAINE VIC 3450
Phone: (03) 5470 6658
Facsimile: (03) 5470 6272
Email: [email protected] for bookings,
Train Times & Fares information or
[email protected] for all other enquiries
Castlemaine Railway Station
Kennedy Street, Castlemaine
Phone: (03) 5470 6658
Facsimile: (03) 5470 6272
Maldon Railway Station
Hornsby Street, Maldon
Telephone: (03) 5475 1451
www.vgr.com.au