April 2013

Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation

Society Branchline The Members Newsletter of the

Castlemaine and Maldon Railway

Preservation Society

Busy Easter Times - Full Trains on the VGR Easter is our busiest weekend of the year and this year has been no exception. We started off the weekend with a charter that we ran for the

Austin Car Club. We were joined by 350 excited members of the club and they got to enjoy K190’s return to service after an easing of the fire

danger in the area after significant rain during the previous week.

K190 hauled five carriages and a guards van full to the brim of excited passengers. They joined us at Castlemaine and travelled to Maldon where

they enjoyed a meal served to them on the platform before exploring all that Maldon has to offer. They returned to Castlemaine later in the day

to continue their weekend away.

As soon as the train returned to Maldon, it was time for a crew change as the train was prepared for the annual Good Friday Wine and Cheese

Train. The train carried over 50 people and they thoroughly enjoyed the music, the company and the wine served on board.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday also saw good passenger number.

It is important to recognise the efforts of all the volunteers who prepared for the weekend by working to stock up our shops, paint and clean our

carriages, check and repair seats, clean and prepare our locomotives, hi-rails, stations (including toilets), ticketing, lighting and all the other things

that are needed to show the railway at its best on such a big weekend. There are also the un-seen tasks such as marketing, promotions, rostering,

Special Train Notices and other admin tasks, Of course, thanks also go to all those volunteers who worked over the weekend, including our

booking officers, shop staff, conductors, loco crews, guards, fire patrol crews and signalmen. Without such a fantastic effort by everyone, the

weekend wouldn’t have been as successful as it was.

We have another big weekend just around the corner, with our first Steam Trains for Kids weekend rapidly approaching and it will be thanks to

many volunteers that this weekend will be a success too!

Civil Branch News Our volunteers and staff from the Civil Branch have been busy working all around the state, as well, of course, on our own ra ilway.

A number of repairs have been made to our bridges, including the Sawmill Road bridge and the Muckleford Creek bridge. In addi tion, the

continuing process of sleeper replacement is in full swing, with over 1,000 having been replaced since we acquired the excavator last year.

Our civil branch have also been working on a number of projects for other railways, including some work for our good friends at Puffing Billy and

several private sidings around the state. The fact that our staff and volunteers are being asked to assist other railways is a reflection of the high

standards of work that they are achieving, using our specialised Takeuchi excavator.

T333 in Focus

T333 leads a transfer of K Cars that have slowly made their journey on the Standard Gauge from Parkes, to Adelaide, to Melbourne. Lionel Camilleri was on hand to photograph the cars getting hauled past Wallan in the pouring rain on the way for storage within the Seymour Railway Heritage

Centre yard for Steamrail Victoria.

Page 2 April 2013

President’s Column

In the last newsletter I indicated that we had

signed a new major sponsor. This is the

Kangaroo Hotel in Maldon. We had a formal

launch of the sponsorship at the hotel on the

13th of March 2013 and some publicity is to

appear in the local newspaper. The terms of

the sponsorship provide for us to sell a travel

and lunch ticket for passengers coming from

Castlemaine. Our courtesy bus service will

now drop off and collect passengers direct at

the hotel in addition to our drop off point at

Maldon 50 Kilometre Local (also a sponsor of

the VGR). We will have dedicated a page on

our website to our arrangement with the

Kangaroo Hotel and I encourage all members

to avail themselves of this. The sponsorship

also provides for our members to have

discounted meals at the hotel.

I want to appraise members of recent

difficulties that have been caused to us by our

lease arrangement with El Zorro for our

diesel T333. We do not have a direct

relationship in relation to the hiring of the

diesel which is handled by the Seymour

Heritage Rail Centre under a formal

management agreement. The problem that

has come about is that El Zorro have not

been paying us promptly and this has now

been going on for almost 9 months. There

was a concern that they may be in financial

trouble themselves with their major creditor

being VicTrack. The operation of our

business depends upon the El Zorro money

and our commitment to the transport of the

rail from Bandianna was reliant upon the El

Zorro funds. The lack of payment from El

Zorro has caused us cash flow difficulties in

with but on an interest free basis.

Furthermore the bank has agreed to provide

us with a substantial grant which will be tied

to the installation of the new rail from

Bandianna on the Maldon to Muckleford

section. This grant is contingent upon us

achieving a grant for the same amount from

some other source and at the time of writing

I am confident that this will be achieved. The

combined effect of both grants will be to

restore our cash position pretty quickly and

make good the substantial outlay we had to

incur for the transport of the rail. Our

railway is particularly grateful to the bank,

along with local councillors and state

politicians, for their help. The bank has also

generously offered us the use of a business

advisor at no cost which will be of great

assistance to us as we move on. I am

informing members of what has occurred in

broad terms to reassure everyone that the

position of our railway is sound and that the

jobs of our paid employees are secure for the

immediate future. It goes without saying that

it has been a very difficult time and occurring

over Christmas and in the early New Year

when revenue is modest and our passenger

numbers are generally fairly sparse.

Finally I want to report to members that we

held a barbeque with representatives from

Steamrail at the Maldon station on Saturday

the 16th of March 2013. This was then

followed by a meeting to discuss further

aspects of the joint venture arrangement. At

our board meeting earlier in the day we

resolved that the extra

(Continued on page 3)

the last few months and a fair bit of anguish

for your board.

Having painted that gloomy picture I am

pleased to advise that we have achieved a

package of assistance via the Maldon

Community Bank. There have been many

discussions which have achieved this position

and I have been assisted by Vice-President

Paul, along with our Financial Controller Neil,

and Secretary Chris. The up shot is that the

bank has agreed to increase our overdraft

facility whilst this awkward position is dealt

by Michael Vines

running day be a Saturday and that this would commence on the 15th of June 2013 subject to reference to their Board. In negot iations we have

reached a position where there will be a pool of locomotives and rolling stock utilised for the venture between our respective organisations and

available to run both on our line and the mainline. The venture will now be heavily promoted by Steamrail to its members in the run up to the

proposed commencement date. Our website will contain a formal announcement as to the start date along with a revised timetable. We still need

more non-locomotive crew volunteers and the promotion by Steamrail to its members is designed to achieve this. As I have indicated previously

this is a very exciting project and we are determined that it should succeed.

Michael Vines (President)

(Continued from page 2)

Page 3 April 2013

Historic Locos used on the Maldon Line : Early Locomotives on the VGR No.2

(Castlemaine – Maldon - Shelbourne branch) N class 2-4-0WT (well tank) Records show that there were four locomotives in this class, all even numbers N 252 – 258 which came to the VR when the government ab-

sorbed the assets of the Hobson’s Bay United Company. They were built by Robert Stephenson between 1859 and 1866, weighed 32 tons in

roadworthy condition with a tractive effort of 7,474 lbs. This engine (N 252) was taken off the loco register on the 26 th May 1906.

The N class were modified as per the picture below with the cab extended over the bunker and down to the footplate with side plates plus a

door to give crew members access to the any carriages if checking tickets. The extra water tanks at the front added a further 3 tons 3 cwt. to the

class mostly to the front of the locomotive. Records show that by 1890 it was working on the Maldon line.

Our picture shows N 252 completely derailed in Maldon yard (No.2 road) on the 5 th July 1895. It had been hauling the ‘up’ ‘powder’ (explosives)

train. The re-railing process has begun using a jack placed on timber baulks just below the buffer beam

Features to note:

The English style ‘bullhead rail’ with its cast chairs

and wooden keys.

The doorway in the back of the loco cab – thus

very limited fuel (coke?) supplies from the bun-

kers within the cab

The water tank behind the jack and beneath the

cab – the well tank.

The additional water tank at the front of the

locomotive and the equalizing pipe linking it to its

partner out of sight on the other side of the

locomotive

The chimney cap to slow the rate of cooling by

the boiler as per J 549.

The coupling hook, large kerosene lantern and

the circular container on the right.

Joseph Jenkins who had left for Wales on the 24th

November 1895 only seven months before would

have been familiar with this locomotive which was

based in Castlemaine from 1890.

This profile is sourced from pages 168 & 169 of “Steam Locomotives of the Victorian Railways : The First Fifty Years”

Maldon Courtesy Shuttle Bus One of the little extras that makes our passengers’ day with us more special is our courtesy bus, that provides a free shuttle in to the town. We

are fortunate to have two businesses that sponsor us and to show our support and appreciation for these two businesses, our courtesy shuttle

bus will stop outside the Kangaroo Hotel and then Maldon 50K Local. These stops need to be included on every shuttle bus trip.

Notice to Train Crews It is required that the following movements be used for Locomotives and Trains arriving with the 1230hrs arrival from Castlemaine.

1. On arrival the Loco will pull the train towards the turntable until all Passengers Cars can access the platform. (This may mean that the up end

door of Tambo is only just on down end of platform)

2. Loco uncouples from train & completes E/R. water & turning etc. By now all passengers should be off the train (Conductor/Guard to check).

3. Loco then recouples to train, pumps up brakes & pushes the train back until Loco clears Head Shunt Point. This Point is then changed to

straight ahead & Loco pulls train back to a similar position as above. Uncouples & runs around train. (Note; if coal required fill up at this

point.)

4. Loco completes run around & couples to cars at up end. Train Crew takes lunch with a nominated person watching Boiler. (Hot water, tea &

coffee & heating available in kitchen)

The advantage of this is that all shunting is done when no passengers are on board and loco & train are ready to depart on time at 1430hrs. When

arriving @ 1230 loco Driver has good vision along train for stopping purposes.

Note: If a diesel is operating, the first move can be ignored unless driver requires it turned.

Page 4 April 2013

Our Proud Sponsors

Page 5 April 2013

Memories of the Flying Scotsman 1988: To Albury

by Alf Batchelder

Alf Batchelder’s recount of the visit of this most famous steam locomotive to Australia continues. 2013 marks the 25th anniversary

of Flying Scotsman’s visit and here, Alf writes about her trips to Albury.

Kennington, Flying Scotsman covered most of

the 60 miles from Seymour to Benalla at a

constant speed of 65 mph, arriving fifteen

minutes early. However, it was here that he

noticed “we had broken the spring on the left

trailing coupled axle.” In a slight

understatement, he wrote that “it looked like

a disaster …” He managed to find some

material in a platelayers’ hut that could be

used as a makeshift spring clamp, and a local

engineer made the temporary bracket that

eventually enabled the train to depart for

Albury.

As 4472 moved north at a reduced pace, Mr.

Kennington decided that the spring would

have to be changed before the return trip to

Melbourne:

So arrangements were made by radio for the

depot engineers to prepare for our arrival.

They did a magnificent job in removing other

locomotives off the pit and preparing for a

quick shunting operation to put our spares

van adjacent to the Flying Scotsman.

(Continued on page 6)

Though Albury might not have had “the

magical appeal of Edinburgh”, the Flying

Scotsman “created enough awe and magic” to

encourage 454 patrons to fill the train to

capacity. (Steamrail carried the overflow

bookings on a broad gauge train, hauled by

R761.) When we left Spencer Street at

7.17a.m, I don’t think anyone quite anticipated

that we were starting a journey that would

become famous in railway lore.

On the run to Seymour, 4472 easily handled

the 1 in 50 grades to Beveridge and across

the Dividing Range, with the loco’s short

chimney “showing the earnest nature of the

crew’s intentions by emitting large volumes of

black smoke.” A photostop was held on the

down side of Mangalore. Initially, the engine

struggled to lift its load up the 1 in 75 grade,

but eventually its 80” driving wheels gained

traction. With all of the photographers back

on board, 4472 “stormed Avenel bank, to

thunder down the other side.”

According to chief engineer Roland

My passion for steam locomotives began in

the 1940s, when my father used to take me

to Spencer Street to see the Spirit of Progress.

In my young mind, its non-stop journeys on

the Albury mainline gave the town a special

aura, a far-off place, in another state, with a

very long platform where mighty Victorian S-

class engines stood alongside proud C38s of

the New South Wales Government Railways.

For most of my life, though, Albury had been

a destination that remained out of reach.

When the LNER 4-6-2 Flying Scotsman

travelled there during Aus Steam 88, I was

working. Consequently, the ARHS outing

behind the “Scottie” on Sunday December

11, was not to be missed. Unlike 4472’s many

runs to Seymour, this 600-kilometre round

trip was aimed squarely at railfans. For them,

the appeal of such a journey was once

explained by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry as “…

the familiar smell of smoke, and the beat of

the engine, and the feeling that you are being

pulled, not by a mechanical box on wheels,

but by something pulsing and alive.”

Flying Scotsman charges past the photo-line looking every bit the classic British thoroughbred.. Photo courtesy of James Batchelder.

The broken spring is clearly visible upon arrival at Albury. Fortunately it was able to be repaired

quickly

Page 6 April 2013

It was15 46 when we reached Albury, a little

more than nine hours after leaving Spencer

Street. Despite the late arrival, the platform

was packed, and hordes of sightseers

occupied every vantage point as the famous

loco was turned. Then it was time for the

experts to begin their work. Although driving

axle springs are “by far the most difficult to

remove”, Roland Kennington reported that

“the job was completed in 1¼ hours with

help from a number of people on the train,

including the crew and traction inspectors.”

It was a remarkable effort. Nevertheless, our

departure was three hours and five minutes

late. Officially, Flying Scotsman was restricted

to 50 mph for the run to Benalla, but Mr.

Kennington wrote that 4472 travelled

“without incident at speeds in the 65 to 70

mph range.” At Benalla, under a magnificent

golden sunset, the engine took on water. For

the chief engineer, though, the outlook was

not quite as tranquil, because another critical

situation confronted him. The train’s late

running meant that, on the single standard

gauge track, with its intermittent passing

loops, he risked losing his path to the Sydney

Express, which had left Melbourne at 8pm.

Thus, “if we didn’t make the loop at Seymour

before the express, we would be stopped 30

miles further back and have to sit and wait.”

What followed was incredible, an

unforgettable ride as the Flying Scotsman

unleashed the power for which she had been

famous in her LNER days. From start to stop,

she roared over the 60 miles to Seymour in

only 60 minutes. As legendary railwayman

Norm De Pomeroy observed, the passengers

“knew that the train was travelling fast due to

the rattles in the carriages”. (To say nothing

of the vibration!) Roland Kennington later

admitted that 4472 had consistently touched

“the mid 70s with a couple of spells around

85 mph – reputedly a new Australian

record!”

However, Mr. De Pomeroy claimed that “an

unofficial 88 miles per hour was seen on the

speed in the cab.” When 4472 reached

Seymour loop four minutes ahead of the

express, Mr. Kennington was “absolutely

thrilled with the locomotive’s performance”,

later describing it as “one of the major

achievements of this tour.” (The English

magazine Steam Railway later wrote that, on

five subsequent occasions, Flying Scotsman hit

speeds between 82 and 84 miles an hour.)

After the dash to Seymour, the trip to

Melbourne was a slight anticlimax.

Flying Scotsman sit at Albury platform after having arrived and been turned and serviced.

Right, Flying Scotsman, having arrived in

Albury, is mobbed by enthusiasts keen to see the famous A3 thousands of miles from

home, but in a city full of railway history.

Steamrail ran an “overflow” train, hauled by R766 and here we see her paralleling Flying Scots-

man. R766 has since been converted to standard gauge.

Page 7 April 2013

Somewhere near Broadford, certificates

commemorating the day’s journey were

distributed. Since Flying Scotsman had just

added to the mystique of Albury mainline

with one of the greatest runs in the history of

Australian steam, they were truly a memento

to treasure.

This remarkable day ended on a bizarre note.

As the train moved at 15 mph through the

Dynon Yards, only an hour and forty minutes

late, a car “came across from the driver’s

blind side” and hit the buffer beam “with

sufficient force to spin the car around 180°.”

Roland Kennington believed that the driver

was on “some illicit business because he

immediately reversed out of the situation and

drove off at high speed”, never to be seen

again.

On July 30, 1989, Flying Scotsman hauled

another ARHS trip to Albury. Without any

mechanical problems, the engine was at its

best, providing some of the most spectacular

photoruns of the tour. In different ways, the

great locomotive had shown on its two

Albury runs that it was not simply “a

mechanical box on wheels”, but indeed

“something pulsing and alive.”

Sources:

Personal scrapbook and recollections.

Foote, Peter: “Flying Scotsman to Albury II”,

Newsrail, February 1989, pp.260sqq.

Kennington, Roland: “Up and Over Down

Under”, Steam Railway, May 1989, p.46.

Next month, Alf travels behind Flying

Scotsman to Sydney and back

Flying Scotsman’s “spin” on the turntable at Albury is watched by hundreds of railfans

Board, Management and Staff A number of changes have occurred recently and the board, management team and staff are listed below:

Board of Directors

President: Michael Vines Vice-President: Paul McDonald

Secretary: Christine Gibb Treasurer: Neil Burgin

Board Members: Andrew Naylor Andrew Reynolds David Bail Philip Ryan

Shirley Frewin Stephen Lumsden Will Maylor Kieran Walshe

Management Positions Responsible Officer: Paul McDonald Mechanical Manager: Stephen Lumsden

Acting Civil Manager: John Shaw Operations Managers: Brian Frewin & David Crowhurst

Carriage Manager David Bail Special Projects Manager: Art Lynch

Marketing Manager: Andrew Reynolds Membership Officer: David Watkins

Volunteer Co-ordinator: Christine Gibb First Class Manager: Andrew Reynolds

Webmaster: Will Maylor Newsletter Editor: Philip Ryan

Operations Roster Officer: Jeremy Lavery Services Roster Officer: Shirley Frewin (Acting)

Staff Workshop Supervisor Michael Compagnoni Workshop Assistant: Paul Hubber

Ganger Brad Cooper Labourer: Harley Cheyne

Marketing Officer Garry Aitchison

Victorian Goldfields Railway

General Office and

Marketing P.O. Box 51, CASTLEMAINE VIC 3450

Phone: (03) 5470 6658

Facsimile: (03) 5470 6272

Email: marketing@vgr.com.au for bookings,

Train Times & Fares information or

cmr@vgr.com.au 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

www.driveatrain.com.au

www.driveasteamtrain.com.au

If you would like to contribute an article, a

photo or a letter to the Members Newsletter, you can send it to

newsletter@vgr.com.au

Page 8 April 2013

Occupational Health

and Safety The safety of our volunteers, staff and

passengers will always be our No. 1 priority

and board has recently determined to focus

on the health and safety of volunteers and

staff away from train running activities.

As part of this focus, the board is requesting

all department managers to include a report

on the OH&S of all volunteers and staff in

their departments. This will include details of

any incidents or near-misses and any

identified hazards that have not been

adequately addressed.

Of course any incidents or hazards should be

reported via an IDR as soon as they are

detected.

Can You Work As A

Booking Officer? The railway is in desperate need of some

additional volunteers to undertake the role of

booking officer - at both Maldon and

Castlemaine.

Booking officers are the first people that our

passengers meet when they arrive at the

railway and hence, we’re looking for people

who are friendly and are great with people.

Some of the tasks that a booking officer

undertakes includes:

Answering the phone and answering

questions from the public

Selling tickets on board our regular

services

Issuing cab-passes

Welcoming Red Balloon passengers

Making welcoming and safety

announcements

Assisting passengers to safely board and

alight from our trains

Taking payments of cash / EFTPOS /

Credit Cards / Gift Vouchers

Completing daily paperwork.

A number of booking officers at Castlemaine

travel to their shift as a Booking Officer by

V/Line. If you could assist as a booking officer,

even if it is only every second month, please

contact Christine Gibb via

volunteers@vgr.com.au or on 0428 810 633

DERM to Maldon Our good friends at the Diesel Electric Rail

Motor Preservation Association of Victoria

(DERMPAV) will be conducting a history

making trip on Sunday 12th May when 58RM

will venture from Southern Cross to Maldon

for the day! The trip will be the first

scheduled passenger trip travelling the whole

line with passengers in almost 40 years.

The DERM will be driven by a DERMPAV

crew who are regular V/Line drivers and also

members of the CMRPS who are qualified on

our line, so it will be one crew all the way!

The trip will also involve a cross with our

own timetabled service at Muckleford in both

directions and a BBQ lunch on Castlemaine

platform.

This trip is sure to sell out very quickly, so if

you’d like to enjoy this trip, please check out

the DERMPAV website at

http://dermpav.net.au/

If you’d like to travel behind the DERM from

Castlemaine to Maldon and return, in carriage

43BPL, please see our website for tickets.

Mechanical Branch

News Our Mechanical Branch has been busy looking

after all the rolling stock and equipment used

on our railway.

Recently J515 has had its annual boiler

inspection and passed. J515 is available for

traffic when required.

K190 is hauling most services at present and

is continuing to perform solidly. We

anticipate her returning to Steamrail for

mainline use in early June.

J549 has had a decent amount of work

completed recently with the smokebox

having been completed. The smoke deflector

still remains to be fitted. The boiler was

inspected recently and some work to replace

some boiler tubes will be carried out shortly.

The superheater elements will have been

fitted by the time this newsletter is

distributed.

We need more volunteers to assist with

preparing the loco for painting. If you can

assist with a wire brush or sanding, please

contact our workshop supervisor, Michael

Compagnoni on (03) 5475 1451 during

business hours.

T333 Leads Qube Container Train

T333 leads 2 GL class locos hauling a large container train towards Melbourne. Lionel Camilleri

Family Matters On a recent Sunday we had possibly an

unusual occurrence in that we had 3 "pairs"

of volunteers! On the loco, we had Don and

Andrew Marshall (Father & Son). We also had

Doug Pearse as Conductor and Dianne

Pearse in the Maldon shop (Husband and

Wife). Finally as Guard we had Paul

McDonald (Vice President) training new

volunteer Paul McDonald - and they're not

related!! Vice President Paul (or, Paul

McDonald Senior) is from Maldon and trainee

Paul McDonald to be known as Paul

McDonald Junior, (yes, they're spelt the same

way, too) hails from Kialla in the Goulburn

Valley.