Victorian Goldfields Railway
Encyclopedia
Victorian broad gauge
Rail gauge in Australia displays significant variation, which has been an ongoing problem for transportation on the Australian continent, for over a hundred years.-Track gauges and route km:The most used gauges are Main gauges:...
tourist railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It operates along a formerly disused branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
between the towns of Maldon
Maldon, Victoria
Maldon is a town in Victoria, Australia, in the Shire of Mount Alexander local government area. It has been designated "Australia's first notable town" and is celebrated for its 19th-century appearance, maintained since gold-rush days...
and Castlemaine
Castlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...
.
History
The original line was opened on 16 June 1884, opening up rail access from the established station at Castlemaine to the towns of MucklefordMuckleford, Victoria
Muckleford is a small town in Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, it had a population of 1107.Muckleford has a railway station on the Victorian Goldfields Tourist Railway.Muckleford Post Office opened on 1 August 1857 and closed in 1966....
and Maldon. The area was prosperous, as Castlemaine and Maldon had both experienced gold rushes in the preceding years, and local residents had been petitioning the state government for a railway since 1874. On 2 August 1884, a contract was let for an extension to Laanecoorie
Laanecoorie, Victoria
Laanecoorie is a locality situated on the Loddon river Laanecoorie is a locality situated on the Loddon river Laanecoorie is a locality situated on the Loddon river ( in Victoria, Australia. It has a community hall, church, and caravan Park.Laanecoorie was originally part of the “Simpson Run”...
, however further construction was suspended after the line reached the small town of Shelbourne in 1891.
The line was served by twice-daily trains for the first forty years of its life, which was increased to four-times-daily trains in 1924. However, these were cut back at the end of the 1920s due to a decrease in the local population, and passenger services were eliminated altogether during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This meant that the line was only used by a weekly goods train which went through to Shelbourne. When bushfire damage caused the closure of the Shelbourne extension in 1970, the remainder of the line was rendered largely useless, and it was officially closed in December 1976.
The response to the closure from the local community was swift, and the Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation Society was founded in the same month, with the intention of reopening the line as a tourist railway. While Maldon station was intact, and was able to used as a base for their operations, they were faced with numerous problems: a line that needed substantial repairs, a lack of rolling stock, and rebuilding the demolished station at Muckleford.
Reconstruction
The project received the support of the local, state and federal governments. The necessary physical work had largely been completed by 2003, but it took another year to secure the necessary approvals and sign an agreement with freight operator Pacific National
Pacific National
Pacific National is one of Australia's largest private rail freight businesses. Originally a joint venture between Patrick Corporation and Toll Holdings; it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Asciano Limited following the restructure of Toll Holdings....
over the use of its line into Castlemaine station, which is still in regular passenger use today. The section of line finally opened on December 19, 2004, approximately a year behind schedule.
, the Society has shown no plans to restore the dismantled Shelbourne extension in the foreseeable future.
Current operations
Locomotives
K160: Operational, stand-by unit only pending maintenance. Owned by Victorian Goldfields Railway.J515: Non-Operational due to failing boiler exam, on long term loan from Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre is a railway preservation group based in Seymour, Victoria, Australia. The volunteer non-profit incorporated association was established in 1983 to restore and preserve locomotives and rolling stock as used on the railways of Victoria.The group is an accredited...
.
J541: Operational, leased from a private owner.
J549: Non-Operational due to major overhaul, owned by the Victorian Goldfields Railway.
Y133: Operational, on long term loan from Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre is a railway preservation group based in Seymour, Victoria, Australia. The volunteer non-profit incorporated association was established in 1983 to restore and preserve locomotives and rolling stock as used on the railways of Victoria.The group is an accredited...
.
F212: Limited use within Maldon yard, owned by the Victorian Goldfields Railway.
T333: On long term loan to Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre is a railway preservation group based in Seymour, Victoria, Australia. The volunteer non-profit incorporated association was established in 1983 to restore and preserve locomotives and rolling stock as used on the railways of Victoria.The group is an accredited...
, based at their Seymour depot.
RM61(railmotor): Operational, owned by the Victorian Goldfields Railway. 15 June 2010 saw this unit transferred to The South Gippsland Railway
South Gippsland Railway
The South Gippsland Railway is a tourist railway located in south Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It controls a section of the former South Gippsland line between Nyora and Leongatha, operating services from Leongatha to Nyora via Korumburra taking around 65 minutes, trains operate on sundays,...
on a long term loan. It is rumoured that Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre is a railway preservation group based in Seymour, Victoria, Australia. The volunteer non-profit incorporated association was established in 1983 to restore and preserve locomotives and rolling stock as used on the railways of Victoria.The group is an accredited...
's DRC unit will eventually transfer to Maldon to replace RM61.
Highlights
29 March 1986: First section of railway reopened between Maldon station and the Bendigo Road crossing (approx. 1 km). The reopening train consist being K160-2BCE-42BU-16BCPL.1987: Diesel locomotives F212 and T333 acquired from VicRail. F212 was transferred from Melbourne to Maldon by road. T333 was railed from Bendigo to Maldon.
31 March 1991: Locomotive J549 makes its first move under steam and returned to service later that year.
9 October 1993: Railmotor 61RM officially handed over to the VGR. It had been held by a group of railmotor drivers at Spencer St prior to being railed to Bendigo and then trucked to Maldon.
25 September 1995: Locomotive D3 646 retrieved from a park outside Maryborough Railway Station.
8 June 1996: Line officially reopened to Muckleford. J549 was used on the official train.
11–12 July 1998: First heritage rail weekend, promoted as "Steamfreight '98". A variety of passenger, goods and mixed trains ran with K160, J549, T333, F212 and 61RM over the 2 days.
July 1999: "Steamfreight '99", the 2nd such event held. A similar program of operations to the previous one. Highlights included K160 being renumbered K157 on the Sunday. A triple headed goods also operated with "K157"-T333-F212.
May 2001: "Steamfreight 2001", the 3rd such event to be held. K160, J549, T333 and 61RM operated. 2 L type sheep wagons were transferred by road from the collection at Castlemaine and restored for this event.
June 19–20, 2007: The VGR held a Steam on Show Event using J515, K160 & diesel Y133. A variety of passenger, goods and mixed trains operated from Maldon to Castlemaine on the 19th, while regular services ran as mixed trains headed by K160 and J515 on the 20th.
July 26, 2008: The VGR ran the first double-headed J Class working in thirty years, using J515 and J541.
September 6, 2008: The VGR held the first "Picnic at Muckleford" event, combined with Steam on Show. The major highlight of this event was the first triple headed steam on the VGR (and the Castlemaine-Maldon branchline) with K160-J515-J541. A variety of passenger and mixed trains ran throughout the day.
June 14, 2009: The VGR celebrated the 125th anniversary of the Castlemaine-Maldon line with a special train from Castlemaine hauled by doubled headed J class. Steamrail Victoria
Steamrail Victoria
Steamrail Victoria is a not-for-profit volunteer group established in 1965 to the restore and operate historic locomotives and rolling stock used on the railways in Victoria, Australia. The main depot of the group is at the Newport Railway Workshops in suburban Melbourne...
operated double headed R class from Melbourne as part of the festivities.
December 19, 2010: VGR owned E cars 2BCE, 20BE, 15BE & 18AE, were transferred from Maldon to Seymour for restoration.
Maldon Station fire
During the late hours of October 20, 2009 a fire ripped through Maldon station building causing major damage and loss of equipment. Not to be brought down by the situation, The VGR ran regular services as usual on the 21st hauled by K160. At the time of this addition, the major brick work structure of the station is deemed safe to rebuild on, although the remaining damaged roof will have to be demolished, plans are underway to return the station building to its former glory as time and finances permit. Contract work on the roof through VicTrack commenced on 4th February 2011.List of stations
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External links
- Victorian Goldfields Railway Official VGR website
- Mark Parker's Victorian Goldfields Railway Photos Various photographs of the Muckleford to Castlemaine restoration, 2002–2004
- Railpix Australia (VIC) Victorian Goldfields Rwy Photographs of VGR operations from 1998