Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation Branchline Society The Members Newsletter of the Castlemaine and Maldon Railway September 2013 Preservation Society

Steamrail’s Maldon Experience - A Taste of Excitement to Come!

Saturday 7th September was an important date, as it was not only the day the federal election was held, it was also the date of the annual Steamrail Maldon Experience. The day involved R707 and R761 travelling from Melbourne to Bendigo, with a significant number of passengers joining us for a trip to Maldon behind D3 639 and J515. There are plenty of exciting events coming up and it’d be great to get as many members as possible in attendance.

The photo above was taken by member, Alf Batchelder and shows D3 639 and J515 powering through Muckleford on their way to Castlemaine.

Steam Trains for Kids Maldon Steam Mucklefest Saturday 5th & Sunday Spectacular Sunday 27th October 6th October Saturday 26th October 2013

Our regular family event, Steam Trains for This year, instead of our bi-annual Steam on Mucklefest keeps on growing from year to Kids always draws a crowd and this weekend Show event, we’ve joining with our good year and this year is going to be even better! will be no exception. With short steam train friends at Steamrail to host the Maldon Steam With tractor pulls, vintage cars and rides, trolleys rides, jumping castle, animal Spectacular! With the chance to travel behind machinery, horses, live music and rides on the farm, model railway, sausage sizzle, horse and four different double-headed loco traditional DERM, 58RM, it’s going to be a cart rides, donkey rides and games, there is combinations, this is a day that you simply great day. Full details are available on our something for everyone! Discounted tickets can't miss! See the brochure included with website. are now available on line. this edition of Branchline for details. September 2013 Page 2

President’s Column Well the “cat is out of the bag” so to speak! by Michael Vines related to meeting all of our statutory Probably one of our biggest running events, if requirements and the like. Warren Hall from not the biggest ever, is now publicised for SRV and also a member of the VGR is the Saturday the 26th of October 2013-the now the Mechanical Manager. Steve Lumsden Maldon Spectacular! I invite members to look takes on a newly created role of SRHC at both our website and Steamrail’s for Liaison Officer which is important to maintain details. This will be the first though steam our ongoing good relationship with Seymour. train from Melbourne to Maldon since 1976. Each of these adjustments have been some It will be the first time an R-class has come time in the planning and are designed to both onto our line albeit for shunting purposes at strengthen the board and our management Castlemaine. There will be the old fashioned structure. The usual flow chart will be photo stops on the branch with double available for members to see both in hard heading of the train in various forms from form and on our website. I recommend each Melbourne to Maldon and return along with of the appointments to members and each crosses at Muckleford with J515 on a charter. are seen as critical to the ongoing It is truly an exciting event and we expect it development of our railway. to attract huge interest. The event is testament in its self to the cooperative Most of our other recent activities will be arrangement we have developed already with visible to those that have been around the Steamrail and we are confident that if it all railway of recent times. The progress on goes well it will be the first of many through track laying into the carriage shed at trains from Melbourne with Castlemaine continues. Two of the three Castlemaine/Maldon as the destination. Of roads have been laid with the third not being the various big ticket items no doubt one far away. Our first class carriage Macedon is looming really large on the day is the issue of now up and running with certain who might man the memorial Hogaphone for Recently elected board member Murray refurbishment work to be done on Tambo in the photo stops?! McPhie now takes on the role of First Class the next little while. J549 is now very close to Manager in place of Andrew Reynolds who running again (most likely by the end of this We have also made some alterations to our remains in his position as Director month) and we need to have it operational board positions and management structure responsible for marketing. Former for the big event on the 26th of October. I now that the AGM has been completed. In Police Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe, am very grateful to all who have been terms of board positions Paul McDonald has takes on the role of Director responsible for involved in this very important project and stepped down from his role of Vice-President grant projects which we believe will be an reaffirm the board’s stated position that the to be replaced by former President Jeff effective use of his knowledge and locomotive will again bear its name plates in Dorman. It was considered that Paul was connections. Civil branch manager John Shaw honour of now life member, Brian Frewin. I taking on too much work in holding both this has been appointed to the board. In regard to do apologise to members in that we were not position and his role of joint Operations other management positions Steve Norgate able to get the locomotive back by the end of Manager with Dave Crowhurst. Andrew now assumes the role of Responsible Officer July as had been planned. Certain issues cut Naylor steps into the position of Secretary. which is an extremely important position (Continued on page 4) September 2013 Page 3

Our Proud Sponsors September 2013 Page 4

(Continued from page 2) Steamrail Maldon Experience across our path including the need for photos by Alf Batchelder ongoing further maintenance to J515. I also note that our carriage department continues to be extremely active and I am very pleased with the progress in this area over the last few months.

We have now passed the winter months and spring is upon us. The countryside remains green and lush. It is a great time of year and also heralds in some of our other big annual events including Mucklefest. I look forward to seeing members around the railway as we continue to pursue our endeavours. I will be in Maldon for the 1st week of the school holidays so anyone who wants to catch up with me for a chat is welcome to do so. No sooner is spring upon us than summer approaches and I hope we won’t have to endure the harsh arid conditions of last summer but if we face this our contingency plans are there.

Michael Vines President.

Safeworking Update

Would all safeworking staff please ensure that when renewing any medical or qualification that a copy of their certificate be sent to:

The Operations Manager Victorian Goldfields Railway P.O. Box 51 CASTLEMAINE VIC 3450

Or addressed to the Operations Manager and left in the tray in the safeworking room at Maldon.

It is critical that our records are kept up to date as accurate records are a requirement of our accreditation to operate.

An internal audit will be carried out shortly and we must ensure that all our paperwork is in order.

Civil Branch Update

Our Civil Branch staff and volunteers have been very busy lately with over 140 sleepers having been replaced over the last month. Work on the track in to the carriage shed is progressing well with both Nos. 3 & 4 Sidings having been virtually completed and partially ballasted. Planning is under way for the installation of a turnout in the turntable Road to connect to No. 5 Siding, which is hand (and last) of the tracks to the shed.

If you are interested in volunteering at the next workday, please keep an eye on our website for details. September 2013 Page 5

Fifty Shades of Green by Roger Peake

In early autumn, the Mountains in northern have fifty shades of green and more in their northern hemisphere mix of pine and deciduous forest. Many German people head there to hike and enjoy other outdoor activities, but at present this seems to be a domestic holiday destination largely unknown to most foreign tourists. However, one category of foreign tourist is familiar with the attractions of the Harz Mountains, and that is the rail enthusiast.

The Harz are home to the Harzer Schmalspur Bahnen – the Harz Narrow- Gauge Railways. A network of 140 kilometres connects the three main towns of , where the railway has its headquarters, and Nordhausen, with a spur line running to the summit of the Brocken at a height of 1125 metres. Junctions at Drei Annen Hohne (for Brocken) and Eisfelder Talmühle (for Quedlinburg) enable A vintage Mallet (built 1897) and 0-6-0 tank rest by the loco shed in Wernigerode connections to be made with the line from Wernigerode to Nordhausen (the Trans- Harz line). All three main towns are served by the German Railways: in Wernigerode and Nordhausen the narrow-gauge station adjoins the mainline station, while in Quedlinburg the station is shared. Photo opportunities abound as the trains wind their way around tight curves and traverse the grades of the hilly terrain. Even though the railway serves its 41 stations and stops offering a transport service to the community with a mixture of single unit rail motor and steam-hauled services (mainly 2-10-2 tank locomotives, with some services hauled by 0-4-4-0 Mallets), from my observation of operations on a sunny September Saturday, tourist traffic must be a major source of income, with steam services by far the most popular.

Once, planning a trip on the railway would have been difficult, but the railway’s website (www.hsb-wr.de) has full timetable and fare information – in German only: with patience The Mallet hauling the 1106 to Quedlinburg (steam-hauled Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays one can find all the information that one from 19 May), waits time before its parallel run out of Eisfelder Talmühle with the 1016 from needs. I arrived in Wernigerode from Nordhausen to Brocken Hanover in time to take the 1455 train, changing at the two junction stations to reach Quedlinburg at 1925. Quedlinburg is a fine town with many half-timbered buildings (more, in fact, than anywhere else in Germany), a cathedral, a castle and a quaint old town with cobbled streets situated around the market square, and merits a longer stay than I was able to enjoy. Next morning I made good use of my three day ticket and rode up and down the Quedlinburg ( Valley) line, fitting in one of the short branches from it (Stiege to Hasselfelde) and passing one of Europe’s tightest balloon loops en route – you may find footage on Youtube. I then changed and continued to Nordhausen for my second night. The town of Nordhausen has little to offer the tourist, but for the rail transport enthusiast it has a A train charges up the grade to the summit of Brocken with the downhill service safely in the passing spur. September 2013 Page 6 couple of points of interest. The railway’s rail motor services depart from the tram stop at the front of the station, running along the street for 100 metres or so being joining the railway right-of-way, with the station being kept for steam services only. At the same tram stop, you can see trams similar to our D Class - Combino (3 car) trams lower their pantographs and follow the same track as the rail motor service between Nordhausen and Ilfeld, a distance of 12 kilometres, using an auxiliary motor located between the doors in the centre of the unit. My third day found me on the through service from Nordhausen to Brocken, complete with buffet car, but I changed and continued to Wernigerode, making a trip to Brocken and back later in the day when the crowds had dispersed a little.

All in all I rode the entire network apart from the three kilometre branch from to , covering a total of 334 kilometres at a cost of 0.19 euros per kilometre, a rate that compares favourably with the cost of a Maldon – Castlemaine return! The three day ticket on the Harz Railway costs 64 euros, with a five day option also available.

For me, the highlights were travelling through the mountain scenery, being shunted onto a passing spur on our descent from the Brocken and looking down on an uphill service charging up the grade, and a parallel run out of Eisfelder Talmühle on my trip back from Nordhausen with a Mallet-hauled service to Quedlinburg. Again, footage of such “doppelausfahrts” (double departures) can be found on Youtube. I am sure that any rail enthusiast fortunate enough to be able to include the Harz Mountains in an overseas itinerary will not be disappointed!

The Saturday rail motor from Eisfelder Talmühle sits at the tramstop outside the station at Nordhausen before returning empty to the railway yard

Top: A no. 1 tram (Krankenhaus rather than South Melbourne Beach!) departs Nordhausen Bahnhofplatz while the no. 10 lowers the pantograph and changes to an alternative form of locomotion (behind the grille between the doors) for its 12 km run to Ilfeld Neanderklinik. September 2013 Page 7

Railway Mugs On-line Shop News A new delivery of Victorian Goldfield Railway mugs has arrived. These stylish white mugs 2011 provided much steam action on an interesting feature of this production. feature the Victorian Goldfields Railway logo miniature and broader gauges and all this For the VGR fan it features: printed in the traditional brown colours. action is covered on 2011 The Victorian Year  Steam On Show with double K class In Steam. The Diamond Valley Railway Normally, these mugs sell for $14, however if  Cabrides on K 160, J 541 & K 190 you show your current membership card, you celebrated 50 years of operations by day and  Maldon Station re-opening can get a mug for $10 each at either Maldon night as well as carrying its 3 millionth or Castlemaine passenger. Double headed R class ran to  K 190 transfer Bendigo for the annual Maldon experience. Y  K 160, J 541 and K 190 on regular 112 joined D³ 639 on country shuttles at services. New Volunteers and Ballarat. Mainline loco K 190  The Maldon Experience day including the We would like to welcome the following visited the Victorian Goldfields Railway which Muckleford mixed and parallel departure volunteers who have recently started at the ran double-headed K class for a Steam On of both specials from Castlemaine. railway: Show day. Steamrail also ran double headed

Ks to Swan Hill and Echuca. Two locos were  Joe Kellett—Carriage team This magnificent DVD is now available from back in steam as restoration work on Poziéres  Len Dingfelder—Carriage team the Victorian Goldfields Railway on-line shop was completed at the Bellarine Railway and R and as always, items purchased from our shop  Dianne Anderson—Shop 711 returned to the mainline as a standard include free postage!  Alan Anderson—Mechanical Branch loco. Cabrides on no less than nine locos are  Charles Spiteri—Conductor  Patrick Minehan—First Class Steward  Keith Richardson–Bookings  Robert Lee—Bookings

Railway Books We have recently received new stock of some very popular books, being:  Steam Locomotives of Victoria Vol 1  Enginemen of the  Enginemen of the Victorian Railways Vol. II These books are available from Maldon and Castlemaine shops.

Later in the year, we will be stocking a brand new book from Nick Anchen, titled, A Railway to Cudgewa. This is sure to be a very popular book with plenty of photos of this spectacular line and with anecdotes from crews who took trains up in to the Victorian high country. We anticipate that this publication will be available for sale in November.

Christmas Members Picnic Our annual Christmas celebration will be held on Saturday 30th November 5pm at Muckleford. Full details will be provided in the October edition of Branchline.

Working With Children A current Working With Children check is required for all volunteers working with children. Because we often carry children on our trains, this means, in effect, we all have to have a Working With Children check.

If you have not yet applied for your Working With Children check, please do as soon as possible. It is free to apply for the check and you can apply at any post office. Once you have applied for the check and declared that you are a volunteer at the VGR, the railway will be automatically notified that you are in possession of a current Working With Children check. www.vgr.com.au/shop.php September 2013 Page 8

Management Team Volunteer Board of Directors Responsible Officer Steve Norgate President Michael Vines Vice President Jeff Dorman Operations Managers Paul McDonald & Dave Crowhurst Secretary Andrew Naylor Treasurer Neil Burgin Civil Manager John Shaw (Acting) Board Members Andrew Reynolds David Baile John Shaw Mechanical Manager Warren Hall Kieran Walshe Murray McPhie Philip Ryan Sales & Catering Manager Christine Gibb & Debbie McDonald Will Maylor Volunteer Co-ordinator Christine Gibb Big Events Around The Corner Carriage Manager David Baile We are approaching a busy time of the year with Steam Trains for Kids and First Class Manager Murray McPhie Mucklefest rapidly approaching. Both these events are fantastic show-pieces for our railway and are very much “feel good” events that attract visitors Marketing Manager Andrew Reynolds from near and far. These events are also a great opportunity for members who can’t commit to a regular position on the roster to be part of the SRHC Liaison Steven Lumsden volunteer workforce putting on a special event for the public. With all these Webmaster Will Maylor events, a safety briefing is conducted and you’ll have the assistance and company of regular volunteers to work with. If you feel you can assist, please Newsletter Editor Philip Ryan contact our Volunteer Co-ordinator, Christine Gibb via Training Manager Will Maylor [email protected] J549 Update Rapid progress on J549 is being made with the locomotive now in the process of being re-assembled. The boiler barrel cladding is fitted. The piston rods and connecting rods are the only motion left to be fitted.

A fire has been lit in the loco to test the boiler and it should be ready to undertake a full test run within the next few weeks.

J549 has been rostered to be one of the locos hauling the train on the Maldon Steam Spectacular on Saturday 26th October - a date not be missed!

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 www.driveatrain.com.au www.driveasteamtrain.com.au

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