New interpretative panels tell the 46 class story (Photo Andrew Tester)

Blue Mountains Division of

ANNUAL REPORT

28th Annual General Meeting

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

Date: Saturday 30 November 2019 Time: 10:00 Venue: Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum, Tusculum Road, Valley Heights NSW 2777

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 2 AGENDA FOR 28th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 1. Apologies 2. Chairman’s Address 3. Minutes 3.1 Acceptance of Minutes of the 27th Annual General Meeting held on 17 November 2018 3.2 Business Arising from Minutes 4. Managers’ Reports 2018-19 4.1 VHLDHM Chairman’s Report – Henk Luf 4.2 Treasurer’s Report – John Carter 4.3 Publicity Officer’s Report – Keith Ward 4.4 Membership Officer’s Report – Jeff Russell 4.5 Building Services Manager’s Report – Ted Dickson 4.6 Building Restoration Manager’s Report – David Grove 4.7 Grounds Maintenance Manager’s Report – Stephen Dive 4.8 Per Way Maintenance Manager’s Report – prepared by Ted Dickson 4.9 Retail Manager’s Report – Steve Corrigan 4.10 Large Exhibits Manager’s Report – Bruce Coxon 4.11 Small Exhibits Curator’s Report – Michael Pensini 4.12 Model Railway Manager’s Report – Ray Beharrell 4.13 Workshop Manager’s Report – Terry Matchett 4.14 Planning and Development Manager 4.15 Honorary Librarian’s Report – Andrew Tester Acceptance of Annual Reports 5. Elections 5.1 Election of Main Office Bearers VHLDHM Chairman Honorary Secretary Honorary Treasurer Publicity Officer Membership Officer Building Restoration Manager Building Services Manager Grounds Maintenance Manager Per Way Maintenance Manager Retail Manager Exhibits Manager Small Exhibits Curator Model Railway Manager Workshop Manager Planning and Development Manager 5.2 Election of Sub Committees (to be appointed by Manager) 5.3 Election of Honorary Positions Honorary Librarian Honorary Historian 5.4 Election of Patrons 6. Notices of Motion 7. Address by Representatives 8. General Business

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 3 3. MINUTES OF THE 27th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Held Saturday 17 November 2018

The Meeting was opened at 11:00 by MC Jeff Russell by recognising the original owners of the land, the Gundungurra and Darug language/tribal groups.

Welcome: MC Jeff Russell welcomed Rob Mason – Chairman THNSW, Alex Claassens – Director THNSW, Neil Cram – Patron, Mick Fell – Councillor Ward 3 Blue Mountains City Council, Dick Morony – Springwood Historical Society, Ian Sheppard – Chairman Illawarra Division THNSW, Patsy Moppett – President BMACHO, Craig Connelly – Chairman STARPS, and Andy McNeil – representing Andrew Moritz – CEO THNSW. Rob Mason – Chairman Transport Heritage New South Wales welcomed everyone to the AGM and thanked us for inviting him up once again. Rob told us that THNSW board had held sixteen board meetings in the last twelve months. He then went on to acknowledge Valley Heights its committee and members for all the work done in the previous year saying it is a pleasure to come here because we always get things done. Rob talked about our previous 150th railway celebrations and all the follow on ones which had occurred and will occur in the years to come. Rob also mentioned our many achievements such as finally getting use of the Civil Depot, the restitution of the forecourt and of course the completion of the fencing and Rob congratulated us all on these achievements and many more projects completed throughout the past twelve months. In closing Rob said that we really have done a lot here and we should be proud of our progress.

3.1 Apologies: Susan Templeman – Federal Member for Macquarie, Trish Doyle – State Member for the Blue Mountains, Andrew Moritz – CEO THNSW, Jan Koperberg – BMACHO, Mark Greenhill – Mayor Blue Mountains City Council, Ross Stenning, Dave Hunt, Sue Fulton, Glenn Hargrave, Sam Wyatt. MOVED: Ted Mullett SECONDED: Ray Beharrell that the Apologies be received. It was agreed

3.2 Chairman’s Address Henk Luf – Chairman Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum. Henk thanked Rob for his encouraging words, Valley Heights should be congratulated because of the way our management, volunteers and members all work together. Many things have been achieved. Bruce Coxon has really impressed with the way he has organised the restructure of the forecourt and the installation of the security fencing among other things. Valley Heights is unusual for a volunteer organisation in having four different groups on the one site, we have ourselves, we have STARPS, we have the Christian Model Railway group and we have the Springwood Historical Society and these four groups working together has created a highly successful “can do” organisation. Safety is a big concern at Valley Heights and for this we have our own safety team to address issues that may arise. We have had a couple of incidents this year and any problems identified have been dealt with. Another project begun this year is the fettlers shed and Dave Grove and his team has put a lot of effort into getting it to how it is now, we are hoping to have it completed sometime next year. The Museum’s five year plan is now complete and we should continue with ten and twenty year plans. Our focus now will be like other museums in Europe and England where they are moving to more ‘hands on’ experiences (for visitors) and this is the direction we should be heading in.

3.3 Minutes

3.3.1 Acceptance of Minutes MOVED: Roslyn Reynolds SECONDED: John Glass that the Minutes are taken as read and confirmed. Declared Carried.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 4 3.3.2 Business Arising from Minutes Nil

3.4 Annual Reports Annual Reports were received from the Chairman, Treasurer, Publicity Officer, Membership Officer, Building Restoration Manager, Building Services Manager, Grounds Maintenance Manager, Per Way Maintenance Manager, Retail Manager, Large Exhibits Manager, Small Exhibits Curator, Model Railway Manager, Workshop Manager, Safety Manager and Honorary Librarian MOVED: Dave Grove SECONDED: Dennis Brown that the reports be received and adopted. Declared Carried.

3.5 Elections

3.5.1 Election of Main Office Bearers At this point in time Jeff Russell declared all positions vacant and called upon Rob Mason to act as Returning Officer and conduct the Annual Election of Office Bearers. As there was only one nomination for most of the following positions, the nominated person was declared duly elected.

POSITION NOMINATION MOVER SECONDER Chairman Henk Luf Roslyn Reynolds Keith Ward Secretary Ross Stenning Bruce Coxon Michael Pensini Treasurer John Carter Steve Corrigan Bruce Coxon Publicity Officer Keith Ward Andrew Tester Dave Grove Membership Officer Jeff Russell Peter Kerr Bruce Allen Building Services Manager Ted Dickson Ted Mullett John Carter Building Restoration Manager David Grove Dennis Brown Bruce Allen Grounds Maintenance Manager Stephen Dive Roslyn Reynolds Dave Grove Per Way Manager Ted Dickson Steve Dive Steve Corrigan Retail Manager Andrew Tester Ray Beharrell Peter Kerr Retail Manager Keith Ward Bruce Coxon Steve Corrigan There being two nominations for Retail Manager a secret ballot was ordered. Rob Mason and Andy McNeil were appointed scrutineers and declared Andrew Tester the new Retail Manager Exhibits Manager Bruce Coxon Keith Ward Dennis Brown Small Exhibits Manager Michael Pensini Bruce Coxon Ray Beharrell Model Railway Manager Ray Beharrell Ted Mullett Barry Henry Workshop Manager Terry Matchett Ted Mullett Allen Holley At the completion of the Committee Elections Rob Mason handed the floor back to Jeff Russell for the meeting to proceed

3.5.2 Election of Sub Committees As per the previous year, managers will select their own Sub Committees.

3.5.3 Election of Honorary Positions Nominations were then called for the Election of Honorary Historian and Honorary Librarian, with the following being elected:

POSITION NOMINATION MOVER SECONDER Honorary Historian Ted Dickson Ted Mullett Bruce Coxon Honorary Librarian Andrew Tester Ted Mullett Ray Beharrell

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 5 3.5.4 Election of Patrons Nominations were then called for the Election of Patrons to the Museum. Those elected were: Trish Doyle State Member for the Blue Mountains, Susan Templeton Federal Member for Macquarie, Mark Greenhill Mayor Blue Mountains Council, Neil Cram MOVED Keith Ward SECONDED John Glass that the Patrons be elected. Declared elected

3.6. Notice of Motion: MC Jeff Russell read the motion: Creation of new Committee Position- Planning and Development Manager. The Job Specifications are:- The Planning and Development Manager will create and carry out in consultation with the Management Committee, Members and wider community, shorter, medium and long-term development plans for the museum covering 5, 10 and 20 year periods. The position will be volunteer based and focused and includes the authority to seek information from third parties where appropriate “The committee of Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum is seeking the members of said museum endorsement the creation of the above listed position”. MOVED Chairman Henk Luf. (Since moved by chairman no seconder was required) Motion carried.

3.7. Address by Representatives

3.7.1 Andy McNeil – THNSW: Andy acknowledged this as her third AGM and gave thanks for inviting her back. “As Rob Mason said previously today it is lovely to see the works achieved in the past year as Museum members are persistent and keep on keeping on, which is what a heritage transport volunteer organization should be.” She was sure Andrew (Moritz) would also confirm that it has been a pleasure working with the Valley Heights crew in the past twelve months particularly through the funding two process gaining funds to enhance this great facility. Andy in closing wished us another successful year and commented how VHLDHM had once again elected a very strong committee, that she looked forward to working with over the coming year

3.7.2 Mick Fell – Blue Mountains City Council: Mick started by acknowledging the original owner of this land the Gundungurra and Darug language/tribal groups on behalf of the Federal, State and local elected members for the mountains. Mick commented that it’s been twelve months since he had been here last and found it just amazing to see the work that has been done, most of which was just in the planning stage at the last visit. Mick said the tenor of the place is fantastic and this museum will be a premier destination on the mountains, if it is not already. Mick said that there was a tradition of engineering in his family and he understands the pride they had in the machinery they made and maintain and he sees the same pride here in the preserving and maintenance of these fine machines.

3.7.3 Ian Sheppard – Illawarra Division THNSW: Ian thanked us for the invitation, today being his third AGM at Valley Heights. At the time of his first visit, VHLDHM was celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary, while the Illawarra group celebrated their fiftieth anniversary this year. Ian thanked the THNSW board for holding their meeting in Wollongong prior to the members’ forum at their 50th Anniversary meeting. The Illawarra group had a reserved carriage on “The Highlander” thanks to David Bennett and his team and had their celebration dinner at the Robertson Hotel. Ian noted that VHLDHM was able to fill all committee positions, something Illawarra had previously struggled with, but did achieve a full committee this year. Ian also noticed similarities between his group and VHLDHM, and this is probably the reason both have been so

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 6 successful. Both have a dedicated volunteer base, which is thanked for coming, and well informed through newsletters.

3.7.4 Craig Connelly Chairman STARPS: Craig said it has now been twenty-one years since STARPS made the move to Valley Heights and in that time they have had a cordial relationship with the Valley Heights Museum’s chair and committee. STARPS are looking forward to the coming year and their short term target in conjunction with the VHLDHM team is to get X206 accredited and running. Craig congratulated Henk for being elected as Chairman of the museum.

3.7.5 Dick Morony Springwood Historical Society: Dick noted that there have been many smaller projects going on, one of them being the display in the ETB that the Historical Society had put together. The presentation whilst looking good did not come out as planned in that it does not flow as well as hoped, so an updated version is being prepared to eliminate any shortcomings in the original. Dick closed by congratulating Henk and the team on their successful election.

3.8. General Business Peter Kerr addressed the meeting giving a report on what projects should be considered to further enhance the museum. As these recommendations fall under the newly elected “Planning and Development Manager” it was suggested to Peter that he should contact the manager. Meeting closed by MC Jeff Russell at 12.06pm

4. Managers’ annual reports 2018-19

4.1 Chairman’s Report—Henk Luf Another year has passed and it is with some satisfaction that I am able to report that the outgoing year has been a very good one for Valley Heights with a growing number of visitors to our museum and copious hours put in by our volunteers as to achieve a result that we can all be proud of. Our volunteers completed the fettler shed, commenced the process of cleaning up the Civil Depot, carried out an enormous amount of track-work and did a great deal of work improving exhibit signage as well as cleaning up other related exhibit items. In essence, none of the achievements would have been possible without the cooperation from a well-functioning management team, our patrons, STARPS, the Christian model railway group and the Springwood Historical Society and as a combined grouping, Valley Heights made great progress that will represent the cornerstone for progress in years to come. Nothing of our success would have been possible without the support of our members, our generous donors and the community in general and I thank them for their ongoing support. As in previous years, there will be matters and issues that our management team will have to keep an eye on. Sound financial management will always be on the agenda as will safety. Once lines of communication improve between Transport Heritage NSW and Valley Heights, I have no doubt that as a volunteer-based museum a bright future is secured. The job as Chairman of our museum for the last two year has been a demanding one from time to time but overall, I have enjoyed the support of our two Vice-Chairs, the Committee and all volunteers. Sadly and reluctantly, for health reasons, I have decided not to be a candidate for the Chairman’s position on this occasion. No doubt my successor will be well capable to carry on in the position and he will have my full support. I will remain active in the model

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 7 room which now has a most comprehensive rolling stock fleet for our visitors to enjoy. As well I will remain active in other transport design, planning and operational fields. In all, the Valley Heights Rail Museum will have an ongoing bright future as one of the main tourist attractions in the Blue Mountains.

4.2 Treasurer’s Report—John Carter Income and Expenditure Statement for twelve months ended 30 June 2019 Income 2019 2018 Accrued Funds From Previous Year $0 $37,633 Bank Interest $31 $27 Donations To General Restoration Fund & GRF Special Projects $4,515 $6,382 Fund Raising $1,054 $2,688 Grant - Department Of Social Services Volunteer Grant - Outdoor Furniture & $3,555 $0 Equipment Insurance Claim Payment THNSW THNSW Members' Subscriptions $2,950 $2,985 Miscellaneous Income $4,428 $46,040 Museum Admission & Tram Ride Ticket Sales $15,892 $16,622 Museum Retail Sales $12,286 $14,196 Special Events $0 $600 STARPS - Contribution To Administrative Expenses $7,420 $7,891 THNSW Reimbursements $0 $2,307 Total Museum Income $52,131 $137,371

STARPS Admission & Tram Ride Ticket Sales $21,563 $22,946 STARPS Retail Sales $5,478 $5,542

Total STARPS Income $27,041 $28,488 Total Museum & STARPS Income $79,171 $165,859

Expenditure 2019 2018 Retail - Books, DVD, etc. Purchases $3,928 $5,198 Retail - General Expenses $50 $715 Retail - Refreshment Purchases $2,557 $2,794 Retail Costs and Expenses $6,535 $8,707

Cleaning & Pest Control $0 $604 Electricity $2,279 $2,476 Fire Protection $198 $755 Rubbish Bin Rental and Emptying $1,332 $1,101 Security $4,582 $4,364 Telephone / Internet $0 $0 Water Rates $706 $676 Services and Amenities $9,097 $9,976

Advertising $687 $1,349 Bank / Credit Card Charges $650 $2,345 Membership Expenses $0 $0 Postage, Printing & Stationery $1,010 $1,352

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 8 Reimbursements $1,053 $0 Safety & First Aid $3,474 $0 Special Events Expenses $2,940 $2,886 Training And Skills Development $1,255 $0 Administration $11,069 $7,932

Consumables $254 $1,610 Exhibits Expenditure $1,036 $2,800 Ground/Depot/Roundhouse/Building Expenditure $8,154 $13,121 Miscellaneous Equipment $2,437 $3,733 Miscellaneous General Expenses $1,857 $2,060 Per Way Expenditure $6,086 $66,809 Repairs and Maintenance $19,824 $90,133

Total Museum Expenditure $46,525 $116,748

STARPS Admission & Tram Ride Ticket Sales Payout $21,634 $23,698 STARPS Retail Sales Payout $5,561 $5,506 STARPS Utilities Share $7,978 $7,523 Total Admission & Retail Expenditure To STARPS $35,173 $36,727 Total Museum & STARPS (Admission & Retail) Expenditure $81,698 $153,475

Surplus / (-Deficit) 2019 2018 Surplus (-Deficit) Of Income Over Expenditure -$2,527 $20,623

Financial Position Balance Of Bank Account $31,992 Plus Money Held For Shop Float & Petty Cash $900 Sub Total $32,892 Less Money Held For General Restoration Fund $6,786 Less Money Held For 5711 Locomotive $1,280 Less Money Held For GRF Projects - Civil Depot $1,307 Less Money Held For GRF Projects - Fettler's Shed Closed 30/04/2019 Less Money Held For GRF Projects - Rail/Road Tractor $521 Less Money Held For GRF Projects - X206 Diesel Shunter $1,468 Less Money Held For Model Railways $927 Less Money Held For Shop Book Purchases $166 Sub Total $12,457 General Funds Available For Regular Expenditure $20,435

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 9 4.3 Publicity Officer’s Report—Keith Ward This time in 2018, I announced a good year from the publicity perspective and I’m pleased to confirm another interesting reporting period. There are plenty of statistics and comments elsewhere, but I’d like to focus on one: an approximate 10% fall in visitations compared to the previous year. Many museums, galleries and heritage institutions around the world are feeling the pinch of increased competition and reduced discretionary spending. The successful ones seem to focus on expanding the range of activities on offer. For instance, one of the highest profile organisations, the famous Bluebell Line in the UK, offered the following special events in recent times: murder mystery evenings; fish & chip supper trains; rail ale trains — sausage & mash supper with live jazz; diesel galas; Lego® weekends; collectors fairs; model railway weekends; craft & food festivals and collectors fairs, plus Fathers’ Day, Santa and Halloween (as are already on our own calendar) and more! Of course not all of these lend themselves to our operation but there is plenty of ‘food for thought’ (literally!) there. So I hope to continue developing themes and concepts that may challenge our traditional image. I am convinced that we will not survive in a modern environment, with many venues and attractions competing for the same (diminishing?) consumer dollar, by focusing solely on what are considered our ’core values’. Of course these are vitally important and without them, we would have no museum. But equally important is the capacity, initiative and drive to deliver NEW patronage, attracted by a diverse range of activities that may not necessarily be directly rail, heritage or history related. Once they are in the door, then it’s our chance to tell our story. Let the magic begin! Facebook continues to be a major tool in our armoury and helps bring many new and repeat visitors thorough our doors, while our Twitter following is trending upward. The museum continues to explore innovative and creative solutions to building visitations and hence, income. We continue to collaborate with other organisations and actively support local groups, recognising our role in the community. No progress is made without the support of colleagues and my close partnership with assistant Andrew Tester and webmaster Grant Robinson has helped bring us through another 12 months’ friendship, discussion and plenty of debate! I sincerely thank them both for their continued support.

4.3.1 Communications:

4.3.1.1 Facebook Andrew's enthusiasm in promoting our interests on Facebook is very welcome and the statistics in his summary speak for themselves: “Facebook continues to be a key channel for online promotion of museum news, events and activities. We also share items of local railway interest and heritage significance. During the 2018/19 financial year the museum’s Facebook page continued its spectacular audience growth: As at 30/06/2018 As at 30/06/2019 Growth % Page likes 2070 2483 19.95 Followers 2091 2532 21.09 Much of this progress is captured with signature events including: Father’s Day, ‘Dracular Spectacular’ (Halloween), Christmas, Trains Trams and Model Ts, and Teddy Bears Day Out. A new approach was introduced this year with a monthly post that summarises the museum’s Open Days for the coming month, followed by separate posts for each event going live in the preceding week. We plan to expand our social media exposure using Instagram which should start in 2020.”

4.3.1.2 Website Grant’s project to (gently!) move the museum’s website in a more streamlined direction is to be congratulated. In his words: “The Valley Heights Rail Museum website has continued to develop following its redesign in 2017-18. It contains info relevant to the whole museum as well as sections with information about both the VHLDHM organisation and STARPS, and contains the archive of Depot Diary and STARPS’ Steam Scene. However the site still

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 10 relies entirely on one person, so during the year we began discussions with THNSW to migrate it to a “content management system”. In plain English this will deliver a website which can be maintained by a team of people rather than just one. As part of the project, the THNSW team will review the site with a view to marketing our museum to a wider audience. Watch this space.” On Saturday 9 March a meeting was held at the museum with David Bennett, THNSW Marketing & Communications Manager prior to our committee session. This was to establish some starting points for future discussion on marketing cooperation with Head office. Topics covered included: links to THNSW website; events program to be circulated to HQ; our obligation and desire to increase visitations; electronic signage; revisit branding e.g. Blue Mountains Rail Museum? Webmaster Grant Robinson also visited David in the city on Monday 18 March to develop the website discussion further and these are all ongoing projects.

4.3.1.3 Twitter In addition to the great advances made by Andrew with our Facebook page (as noted above), there has been a steady upward trend in our Twitter performance and as at 30 June we had 548 followers. Whilst many of these are overseas, there has been a pleasing increase in local supporters. No matter where they live, we have been able to showcase who we are and what we do to a much wider audience than before.

4.3.1.4 Google Business We have also been actively promoting events on Google Business and the interest in such postings has been encouraging. Although we don’t know how that translates into visitor numbers, it is pleasing to see positive feedback from the majority of those that respond after their visit. Our current rating is 4.6 (out of 5). Many of our visitors are attracted by social media and website activity, but it’s not just about the three of us: all our members play a vital role in the development of our promotional message. Even a few words to a neighbour, relative, workmate or friend (especially those with children) can help spread news about the exciting year ahead.

4.3.1.5 Depot Diary and Roundhouse Despite some effort on our part, Depot Diary hasn’t been published as regularly as intended, partly due to the demands of creating new and exciting adventures for our visitors to enjoy. Options may include increasing the frequency whist reducing the content, and using eNews for higher impact. Any suggestions in that regard would be appreciated. We also encourage contributions from members, for example a personal anecdote or a travelogue of a railway holiday. We continue to contribute on a regular basis to Roundhouse magazine, distributed quarterly to THNSW members. This glossy, high standard publication is also available via newsagents and enables us to deliver museum news to a much wider and discerning audience – the Winter 2018-19 edition featured two informative and interesting articles by Bruce Coxon & Dick Morony (Springwood Historical Society) that when added to our regular news items, gave us a whopping EIGHT pages (out of 48 in total) of Blue Mountains related reading.

4.3.2 Event highlights: Over this busy year many volunteers and members have played an important part in planning, preparing and hosting our events, often donating extra time to make them memorable, enjoyable and good value. Everyone behind the scenes also provides great input to such occasions, whether with grounds/exhibit maintenance, cleaning, per way, and catering, to mention a few. Everyone involved makes a wonderful contribution and my thanks go to all of them. The Open Day on Sunday 8 July was the first day of the school holidays and proved a profitable day for the museum with well above average attendance. A guest appearance by member, Mel (‘Suzy Spindoll’) was a great hit with a Hula Hoop demonstration and free class for all, providing some extra colour! Father’s Day on 2 September saw over 200 visitors enjoy the fine weather, with many taking up our offer to bring Dad for free. Of course, this generated slightly lower takings ‘per head’ but our overall income was satisfactory. Dads also had the chance to ride ‘up front’ on the Steam Tram and this was well received by all.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 11 The museum recently became a member of the History Council of NSW, enabling us to host our first History Week function. Themed ‘Life & Death’, the event on 8-9 September was a success by most measures. About 200 visitors inspected rarely seen exhibits and attended some of the ten 30 minute presentations on a range of topics by our five invited speakers over the two days. Several historical societies and ‘Friends of Rookwood Cemetery’ boosted numbers on Sunday. A Coffin Cart was borrowed from NSW Rail Museum and a Tram Hearse was on (very) short term loan from MAAS (Powerhouse) Discovery Centre at Castle Hill and we thank those involved in the arrangements, especially Jenni Edmonds and Chris Fielder at Thirlmere and Wayne Flicker for his truck driving skills. The 80 year reunion of this unique exhibit with Steam Tram 103A and trailer 93B was a highlight and a new page in Sydney’s Transport history was written. The combination was popular with photographers and plenty of footage was shot too. If you haven’t seen it already, here is the link to our YouTube promo clip: https://youtu.be/0tOaJFJ_Hi4

Coffin Cart (left) and Tram Hearse (right)

My presentations, titled ‘Life begins – on the right track!’ involved months of research into those born on or around trains. Investigations led me to attempt to contact relatives or descendants of those mentioned in the (surprisingly) many newspaper articles on this topic, a largely fruitless task! However those sources provided inspiration for readings from some of the articles. 27-28 October heralded our first attempt at two day Halloween action—understood to be the first time we have opened to the public after 16:00, with closing time set for 20:00 on the Saturday. The ‘Spooky Express’ (aka No 2 ‘Stevo’) performed perfectly over both days and excited passengers enjoyed the ambience with spiders and bats joining the ride! The ‘Tram of Terrors’ provided extreme experiences for ‘victims’, with Adrian Duffy plus new volunteers, Roz and David Austin performing superbly in their roles. Many visitors detoured via the ‘Silver Scares’ (‘U-Boat’ interurban carriage ETB6039) and were startled by the eerie presence of Peter Banks in wizard’s attire, and Jakob Sweeney in his amazing ‘Cyberman’ outfit. Museum entry took patrons past the ‘graveyard’ — the last resting place of ‘Trainosaurus Wrecks’ (amongst others!). The popular ‘Wacky Witch Hunt’ competition encouraged patrons to spot 10 model witches hidden around the site. Our thanks go to Ann Frederick, THNSW Creative Services and Public Programs Manager for the loan of themed costumes and decorations from Thirlmere, and also to Winmalee Rural Fire Service, for the loan of their fog machine, used to add ‘atmosphere’ and Terry Matchett and Alan Holley for those arrangements. We also appreciate the handiwork of Warrimoo Senior Girl Guides who performed creative face painting over both days, and their work was greatly admired. The final outcome was that over 200 visitors, many first timers, took part in the proceedings, thus guaranteeing a repeat next year. A large pool of volunteers was on hand to help with preparation and implementation of the various activities over the two days and our thanks go to them all for their contribution.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 12

Trainosaurus Wrecks

A special running day on Saturday 1 December was chartered by the Retired Commissioned Officers Association Corrective Services NSW. The museum provided Devonshire tea, with thanks to Eileen Ward, guided tours, entertainingly run by Ted Dickson, Bruce Coxon, Jeff Russell and debutant Steve Corrigan, plus rides on the Steam Tram. This highly successful visit was originally suggested by STARPS director Bruce Irwin, a member of this association. The Santa weekend of 8-9 December delivered below par visitations, possibly due to the hot weather predicted for ‘The West’ that may have deterred travellers from heading our way? Suitably padded volunteers wore the big red suit —- Andrew Tester and I sharing the role on Saturday with Andrew and Bruce Irwin on Sunday. Megan Tolhurst drove specially from Armidale to again play her elfin role, in company with sister Lydia and our thanks go to all who volunteered, especially those who were in costume in such challenging conditions. Julie Tester and Ellen Anderson had earlier added their touch to decorating the shop, following new Retail Manager Andrew Tester’s guidelines, to deliver a great new look. A group of 22 members of the Winmalee Rural Fire Brigade and their families enjoyed a late tram ride on the Sunday to collect their very own Santa trackside before he headed to the still-warm throne! We are always pleased to host this group and are hoping they will choose our venue for their kids’ Christmas party again next year. Sunday 10 February saw the return of our annual ‘Trains, Trams & Ts’ event. It showcased many regular highlights, including the Kate Woolf Trio with their sparkling renditions of jazz and popular classics; the Sydney Morsecodians demonstrating their amazing skills at transmitting and receiving messages; Nepean District Historical Society showing their old-style school classroom, and of course the Ford Model T car club with a colourful array of vehicles. A bright and cheery group of visitors enjoyed the band’s performance on the tram while some took part in the Period Dress Competition. Many thanks to our volunteers who also dressed up in period costume and helped contribute to the atmosphere on the day.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 13

Period dress competition and singer Kate Woolf at Trains Trams and Ts

On Sunday 24 February steam loco No 2 ‘Stevo’ returned successfully to the tracks after a long layoff, heading the ‘Valley Heights Mixed’. The day was popular with many seniors, as part of the month long Seniors Festival, in conjunction with Blue Mountains City Council (BMCC) and the NSW Government. The museum offered a “One-for- One” deal, with seniors admitted free if accompanied by a paying visitor. Council distributed a large quantity of a 48 page booklet, promoting many free and low cost seniors events across the Mountains, to surgeries, hospitals, libraries, schools and neighbourhood centres. Long-term and recently retired Retail Manager Steve Corrigan received an award from BMCC on Tuesday 26 February, during a ceremony at The Hub in Springwood, attended by many of his friends and museum colleagues. Steve contributes in many ways to the community at large with hundreds of hours each year spent assisting the elderly and less able. The certificate reads, in part: ‘...in recognition of your valuable contribution to the Blue Mountains’. Having nominated Steve, I was greatly surprised and humbled to learn that I was also a recipient, with a nomination from colleague, Dave Grove. Steve and I were both proud to be honoured in this way.

Keith Ward and Steve Corrigan with 2019 Seniors Week Recognition Awards

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 14 Monday 4 March was the occasion of a touring group visit from Queensland. Numbers were boosted by the tour organiser adding another group on a day trip from the Hunter Valley. This combined effort was very satisfactory and enabled us to run Steam Tram rides for both sets of railway enthusiasts. Eileen Ward and Debbie Inwood were on hand to prepare Devonshire tea followed by guided tours run by Jeff Russell, Grant Robinson and myself. Henk Luf and Ray Beharrell operated the model railway layouts and special thanks also go to Ted Dickson, Dave Hunt, and David Lewis for their work on the Tram on a hot day! The Royal Hotel in Springwood provided the roast two-course lunch, collected by Eileen & Debbie and served by the team. A private function was held onsite on Saturday 30 March the day was a great success, involving over 50 members of four different car clubs and 23 cars. Our guests enjoyed guided tours, tram rides and a sausage sizzle lunch, thanks to Serge Sequen and Ross Stenning. Our tour guides, Ted Dickson, Jeff Russell and Bruce Coxon did a great job, and mention goes to Eileen Ward and Debbie Inwood who ran the shop and served lunchtime drinks. We were pleased to see the Veteran Car Club, Hudson/AMC, RAC and Daimler clubs, making up an eclectic mix of marques, eras and designs. On Sunday 28 April the museum commemorated the 30th anniversary of the last in service duty of a 46 class electric loco at the Depot. This event was widely publicised and featured attendance by a large group of veteran railwaymen who had worked in or around the Depot, or had strong connections with it, in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. This provided a marvellous opportunity for them to catch up with former mates and also to chat to the public and our volunteers about ‘The Good Old Days’! There were many experiences and recollections of the era shared and some great tales rolled out. Class leader 4601 was cleaned during the week prior and partly pulled out on the day for cab inspections. Adrian Duffy and others had worked hard to create interpretive panels and these were displayed on heavy metal bases (as used at Thirlmere) around the loco while a large banner ‘GONE ..BUT NOT FORGOTTEN’ was suspended on one side. Our thanks go to all who worked on this great project, a wonderful example of what we could achieve if we all pull together.

Former railwaymen with 4601 and banner

Monday 13 May was the occasion of a return evening visit by Springwood Rotary Club. We again entertained them with guided tours, and a pizza dinner, washed down with a beverage of their choosing. Many thanks to Henk Luf, Jeff Russell, Steve Corrigan, Eileen Ward and Debbie Inwood who accompanied me for this rare late opening. Lights on two of our large exhibits enhanced the spectacle and our visitors were suitably impressed with the night viewing. Our popular Teddy Bears Day Out returned on Sunday 19 May. As in previous years, visitor numbers were high and great fun was had by all. We were fortunate to attract two new recruits as ‘Mama’ & ‘Papa’ Bear and they performed their duties admirably on a warm, fine day! Excited children retrieved their teddies after a short ‘Bears Only’ ride on the ‘Teddy Bear Express’ at set times. We again held a ‘Spot the Teddies Challenge’ that added an extra

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 15 activity for families on the day and also had local business ‘BUILD-A-MIND’ on site providing a Lego® and building display, with hands-on participation for the young ones. Thanks to owner, Kerry Pyle, we were able to demonstrate the special significance of our museum to S.T.E.A.M. creative learning!

Mama and Papa Bear and one of the hidden teddies

Thursday 20 June saw the visit of two primary schools. In the morning we hosted nearly 40 children and teachers from Korowal School at Hazelbrook and later a group of 60 from Mount Riverview. An excellent day was had by all and written feedback included: “Thank you for a very valuable experience today.” Our special thanks go to those who assisted with the event (in alphabetical order): Ray Beharrell, Bruce Coxon, Ted Dickson, Wayne Flicker, Debbie Inwood, Bruce Irwin, David Lewis, Grant Robinson, and member Mick Tanner in the model room.

4.3.3 Networking

4.3.3.1 Museum of Applied Arts & Science (MAAS) Friday 23 November was the occasion of the Regional Stakeholders Forum at MAAS (Powerhouse) at Ultimo. This annual get-together of volunteers and staff from many kindred organisations in the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums) sector, had over 70 attendees including a small delegation from the museum. A well informed and inspirational group of speakers revealed their activities, ideals and ambitions in their respective fields.

4.3.3.2 Blue Mountains City Council (BMCC) Gay Hendriksen, Museums Advisor to BMCC and Museums & Galleries NSW, joined us for an exchange of ideas on Tuesday 11 December. Meeting with Mike Pensini and the Collections Team, Gay was keen to share some of her thoughts and observations about museum operations and also learn how we function, especially in the areas of exhibit record management and conservation. During a museum walkabout, thanks to Mike, Gay met Ted Dickson, who was able to join us briefly, and many of our other volunteers, including Dave Hunt who gave Gay a quick viewing of the 1945 Studebaker fire truck! My thanks also to Rudi Glajcar and Ellen Anderson, who enthusiastically shared details of our record keeping process. Gay was very praiseworthy of the work that we all do here and the quality and depth of our volunteer resources. Gay also visited the museum on Tuesday 11 June. After an introductory ‘meet & greet’ with the volunteers in the Roundhouse, Gay was able to spend some valuable time with the Collections Team. Gay later convened a planning and development briefing with Henk Luf, Ted Dickson, Jeff Russell, Mike Pensini, Gay and me. The main focus was on our 2 and 5 year visions and key topics included: infrastructure, collection management, exhibitions, education and interpretation. An excellent exchange of ideas resulted in some good potential for future evaluation.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 16 We now provide a regular events package for inclusion on Council’s website to help increase museum attendance. As this is done several months in advance, by necessity details are sometimes generalised and content is not always confirmed at the time of submission.

4.3.3.3 Blue Mountains Accommodation and Tourism Association (BMATA) Membership of this group entitles us to freely display our leaflets at Glenbrook and Katoomba visitor centres. We also make regular use of their ‘What’s On’ web page to promote our events.

4.3.3.4 Blue Mountains Association of Cultural and Heritage Organisations (BMACHO) Due to a change in family arrangements, Grant has not been able to attend as often as he/we would have liked. There is an interesting opportunity for someone who is up to speed with the Museum’s plans and activities to volunteer to attend these monthly meetings on our behalf.

4.3.3.5 Stronger Families Alliance (SFA) As a member of SFA, operating under the auspices of Blue Mountains City Council, the museum has been opening to the public mid-week (usually on the Thursdays) during school holidays. These days are an opportunity for us to offer low cost activities as part of the SFA charter and, with no rides on offer, we fulfilled our obligation in that regard. Links to the SFA school holiday calendar are being featured on our website and Facebook page as part of our commitment to this worthwhile project.

4.3.3.6 Other connections The museum was represented by Andrew Tester, David Wainwright and me at Hawkesbury Regional Museum (HRM) on Saturday 25 August. After a morning seminar, we ran a trade table displaying some unusual railway exhibits, gave leaflets to visitors, (numbers reduced by wet weather), and networked with other stall holders. A positive outcome was an enquiry by the HRM Volunteer Coordinator about a group visit to Valley Heights that subsequently saw 20 volunteers arrive for a guided tour and Devonshire tea in October. One of our sponsors, Bunnings Valley Heights, ran a Father’s Day Family Night at their store on Thursday 30 August. Grant Robinson and I were on site until 20:00 to promote the museum and our own Father’s Day event. Families attending enjoyed food and beverages as well as a jumping castle, music and kids activities. Andrew Tester has been working with Jenolan Caves Trust management who have been sharing information about the museum and our events on their Facebook and website pages.

4.3.4 Conclusion So as you can see, a lot of activity, for a decline in results. From my perspective, the question remains, what would our visitor numbers have been if we hadn’t run those special events and extra days? Crystal ball anyone? Finally a warm vote of thanks from me for my Executive Committee colleagues who help keep me on track. Without fresh ideas and stimulating debate there is no progress. We can’t stand still, basing our future purely on what worked over the past 20 years or so. Although I have a clear idea of how the museum needs to grow, I do actually take note of suggestions or ideas from others. Some of our b

4.4 Membership Officer’s Report—Jeff Russell Our Membership year runs from January to December whereas our Work Hours are calculated from June to July. The computer log on system (called Volgistics) has again worked well for most of the last financial year. New volunteers are now asked to log on to THNSW1 to complete the volunteer information section. This needs to be completed before the new volunteer can use the computer to log on.

1 The website for this is https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?ap=1354399062

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 17 4.4.1 Comparison of Hours

Period Hours Period Hours 2018-2019 17,895 2018-2019 2017-2018 18,930 2017-2018 2016-2017 19,018 2016-2017 2015-2016 19,968 2015-2016 2014-2015 17,825 2014-2015 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000

4.4.2 ‘The Clubs’ 1200+ hours- Roslyn Reynolds again clocked up over 1,500 hours in the reporting period while Ted Dickson and Keith Ward both again exceeded 1,200 hours. 500+ hours – Ellen Anderson, Dennis Brown, Steve Dive, Sue Fulton, Dave Grove, Dave Hunt, Henk Luf, Terry Matchett, Ted Mullett, Jeff Russell, Tony Silvers and Ross Stenning. 200+ hours –John Carter, Steve Corrigan, Bruce Coxon, Bob Creasey, Adrian Duffy, Rudi Glajcar, Alan Holley, Debbie Inwood, Michael Jessop, Terry Manly, Richard Nicholson, Dave Pedley, Mike Pensini, Grant Robinson, Andrew Tester, Julie Tester and David Wainwright. Another fine year of giving for ALL our volunteers.

4.4.3 Membership Numbers At the end of June, 2019 VHLDHM had 199 financial members of whom 25 were new members (July to June). Included in this total number were 16 Life Members, 11 Honorary Life Members and 20 Honorary Members. The Museum is always in need of additional volunteers. Please contact me ([email protected]) if you are able to assist in this important work of saving railway history.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 18 4.4.4 Work Hours Report 2018-2019

Hours worked Hours worked Services 208 Grounds 1145

Fire Services 96 Per Way Crossover points 2753 Building Work General 349 Amenities 18 TOTAL 3102 Roundhouse 113 Fettlers’ Shed 1280 Retail Small Exhibits Room 6 Open Day 2294 General 309 General 148 Civil Depot 107 TOTAL 2442 Fire Shed 22 TOTAL 1855 Publicity Workshop Tour Groups 277 X206 203 General 1013 ‘Mario’ tractor 73 TOTAL 1290 General 1453 Model Railway 445 TOTAL 1729 Administration Exhibits Meetings 779 3214 9 Duty Officer 323 4601 93 General 436 Library 1162 TOTAL 1538 Cataloguing Exhibits 826 Large Exhibits 414 Safety 116 Small Exhibits 405 Guard’s Van 67 Miscellaneous 713 Ford Truck 240 TOTAL 3216 GRAND TOTAL 17895 The numbers of hours were rounded to the nearest whole number.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 19 4.5 Building Services Report—Ted Dickson This year has been a very busy year in terms of grants being approved and works carried out. Our Chairman Henk Luf has been a pillar of strength and support for me and I wish him well in his retirement from that position. As for my role in Services it has also been very busy with Per Way work, safety inspections and audits, new security fences, grounds oversight, general maintenance and any time remaining has been spent on essential repairs or additions around the Depot. I would like to thank the committee and members for their support and friendship during the year. The following is a summary of works completed during the year:

4.5.1 Electrical · One fluorescent lamp replaced in the Ladies toilet. · Fettlers' shed has been wired and connected thanks to Glen Hargrave and Bruce Coxon. · Terry Matchett and I attended a 2 day course for Test and Tag of electrical items. · We are now both qualified. · Lamp repaired in alcove at shop. · Fan installed in Library. · Some appliances tested and tagged using old method.

4.5.2 Water · Two toilets (one in Gents and one in Ladies) failed with leaks and have been repaired. · Negotiations still on going with sewer works at Civil Depot. · A new hose has been installed at the signal box. · Water cooler leak repaired in road 6.

4.5.3 Machinery · As a result of inspections by SafeWork NSW, 2 Plant Engineers were contacted to assess our tractor, front end loader and cranes. · A considerable amount of work is required to bring them up to current standards if at all. The cost of bringing them up to current standards is prohibitive and the units have been tagged out of service.

4.5.4 Mario road rail tractor · John Thorogood our Safety, Environment and Quality Manager is working with us to have Mario accredited. · The palette jack failed and parts are no longer available from Crown, so we sourced them from a hydraulic seal supplier. Still to be reassembled.

4.5.5 Safety · Safety fencing has been erected around the turntable pit. · Safety fencing has been placed around the picnic area. · Safety fencing has been erected above the ash tunnel. · Safety handrail fencing has been rebuilt on the path leading up to the top car park. · Sleepers have been relocated from the picnic area. · All items outstanding from the safety audit have been rectified except for the big clean-up. · There are still many items left but they are to be addressed by THNSW.

4.5.6 Roundhouse roof · The roof over the Workshop area has been renewed as well as the ridge capping on the roundhouse. · During the heavy winds the roundhouse roof above roads 2 and 3 have been rattling severely. I called the contract roofer who carried out the roof repairs to the rear of the building to see if he could find out what was loose.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 20 He found the pop rivets in the infill sheets between the clerestory roof and the main roof had sheared off. He carried out repairs at no cost.

4.5.7 5711 · See Large exhibits annual report.

4.5.8 Cement hopper · Awaiting oil seal replacement in 2019

4.5.9 Security · The camera facing the fettlers shed failed and has been repaired. · Zone 5 in the shop has been activating without reason and is awaiting repair.

4.5.10 Fire Equipment · All of our fire equipment has been inspected and tested. · Thanks to David Hunt for his valuable assistance. · We were fortunate to have approval for the upgrade of the Water Hydrant system within the Museum. Works will commence early in July.

4.5.11 Pressure vessel inspection · Our air receivers have had their two yearly inspections and passed.

4.6 Building Restoration Report—David Grove This year has been a busy one with mixed projects being commenced and completed. With a blitz on safety, we were required to dismantle pallet racks at the rear of the roundhouse and tidy up other items. A large Brake sign needed a heavy duty post to support it so it could be displayed and thanks to Bob Mathews for creating that. Henk acquired a model of a Steam Tram which required a display case to display it. We were able to modify a cabinet so it is now on show in the Model Room. Ted Dickson wanted to get some compressor hoses off the floor so we were approached to build a frame to support them for safety reasons. Some work in the ETB requiring repairs and painting of window sills was commenced. More will be done when time permits. While this is happening, work was moving ahead on the Fettlers Shed. It was very much a team effort consisting of Retirees, Tuesday/Wednesday group, Bruce Coxon and Glenn Hargrave on electrical and Wayne Flicker fabricating the doors. It shows what can be achieved and now the trikes have a new home. The Civil Depot came on the radar early in the year with a meeting with Michael Pepper re asbestos removal. A date was set for work to be done in early July. With Bruce Coxon’s help we started repairs to a Ford Prefect (Mercury) truck that has been scattered in different parts of the museum: an interesting project. As usual the termite traps have been checked and any activity taken care of. I would like to thank everyone for their continued support over this time.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 21 4.7 Grounds Report—Stephen Dive As in past reports, Roslyn Reynolds deserves a special mention for her tireless efforts on ground maintenance and improvements. Her dedication to collecting all manner of recyclable material that has monetary value, is often the source of good natured humour, but over time the money returned to the Museum is both consistent and considerable. Luke Tolhurst, apart from his contracted work has also volunteered a considerable amount of time to tree trimming for track clearance and in garden development. He is a dedicated arborist and a clear asset to the Museum. A high quality fence has been completed behind the fire tanker and fettlers’ sheds by our weekday volunteers. Although many people over the time helped on the project, David Pedley, Bob Creasy and David Wainwright, stand out in my mind as being the main driving force. I apologize if I have missed anyone who has contributed equal effort. A large concrete beam has been located next to the ash tunnel parapet, to ensure complete safety for vehicular traffic and David Wainwright has completed an attractive period style fence adjacent to the parapet. I have made a start to the levelling of the Civil Depot, in preparation for the arrival of containers. A large amount of fill has also been moved from the points excavation work to the site. Thanks go to STARPS member and director Wayne Flicker for borrowing his brother’s truck and transporting the fill. As this is my final report, I would like to thank all my colleagues for their friendship and support and to congratulate David Wainwright for stepping into the role. He is a thoughtful and dedicated worker and I know he will do a wonderful job.

4.8 Per Way Report—Ted Dickson · In the absence of a Per Way manager, I have taken on the role temporarily until we find a replacement. · At the request of Les Kelleher (THNSW), I carried out 90 day track inspections and forwarded them to him. · Work is continuing on the turnout from arrival to departure road. · Concrete sleepers for Fettlers’ Shed area have been purchased. · Stop sign at buffer stop at signal box was removed and re welded and cleaned of graffiti. · As per the Per Way safety inspection, a stop sign has been placed at the start of the unsecured checkrail section. · There was a series of minor issues such as signage for ‘NO SAFE PLACE’ on the coal road and clipping of points and securing rolling stock on the departure road. My inspection regime passed with Les McKellar and John Thorogood (THNSW).

Ultrasonic rail flaw detection on the crossover points Crossover under construction

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 22 4.9 Retail Report—Andrew Tester For the last 16 years, this report has been presented by a Retail Manager by the name of Stephen Corrigan. After such a lengthy term at the realm of Retail, Stephen stepped down as Retail Manager to hand the reins over to give someone else a go at last year’s Annual General Meeting. Upon calling for nomination, Keith Ward and I were nominated to the position of Retail Manager. This resulted in a rare casting of votes by the members present to decide the successful nomination. Following a count of the votes in the true democratic system that our Museum operates by, I was successfully elected to the position of Retail Manager. I have been thankful that in stepping down from this position, Stephen Corrigan agreed to provide his support and guidance as an Assistant Retail Manager, which has been invaluable to me while settling into the role. Stephen’s experience and expertise has been greatly appreciated in the behind the scenes reporting and stock ordering which I do not have much time to organize. Stephen with his fascination for numbers and graphs has also expressed a specific interest in continuing the regular reporting that goes with this role, the likes of which can be seen in this report. Another successful year can be seen in the following charts and tables. Going back over the year, the following high points and events stand out:

4.9.1 Characteristic of the Year We finished the year with a healthy profit, as can be seen in Table 1 below. Of course, one aspect of our business which greatly assists in this profitability, unlike most businesses, is the quantity of items for sale which are kindly donated. Thus we have a much lower cost base than most “normal” businesses. Our biggest event, on the basis of retail sales, was Father’s Day in September, as can be seen in Chart 1 below, with retail sales towering over every month in the year. This was driven by customers buying presents for “Dad”. Conversely our biggest month in terms of numbers through the door was April, as can be seen from Chart 2. This was driven by interest in the special event celebrating last “whistling out” by a 46 class, on which 4601 was specially opened up for the public. Curiously though, our biggest single day for retail sales, as can be seen in Chart 3 was Sunday 10 February. There were no significant special events on this day, however retail sales were particularly high due to a perfect storm of unusually high food sales, sales of a number of newly acquired novelty items (Thomas toys and model items) and the release of a particularly popular new book.

4.9.2 Stand Out Items 1. During school holidays we started opening on a couple of weekdays (sometimes Monday and/or Fridays, other times the Thursdays) While visitor numbers and sales were modest, compared with a normal open day, they did nevertheless generate useable revenue. 2. We started selling a number of unique models provided by Mike Jessop on a consignment basis. These include a single fettler’s shed, a model of the shed on Hazelbrook station and a number of unique tank engine kits. In a similar vein, in selling products from our own members, we started selling a new title by our own Bruce Irwin, “Linseed and Penny a Section” about the Parramatta Ferries steam tram operation. 3. During the year, on some special event days, we trialled on line booking as an alternative to over the counter admission payment and ticketing. This seems to have been reasonably successful, but can lead to a slight anomaly in the admission sales revenue reporting, in that very high cash value relative to admission head count is caused by on line pre-booked revenue for both Saturday and Sunday being included in Sunday only, as opposed to being distributed over both days. This is because we receive the payment from the booking agency for both days, without knowing which customers visited on Saturday or Sunday 4. In addition to our regularly scheduled special days (such as Father’s Day, the Santa day in December and the Teddy Bears Day Out) we had a special event day for the anniversary of the last 46 class leaving the depot, and as such, 4601 was put on special display for all our visitors. This generated very high admission numbers, indeed gate numbers and total revenue (including admission payments) were the highest for any day this year, also making April the biggest month this year.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 23 4.9.3 Results for the Year Looking at the financial results for the year we finished the year with a quite healthy profit, as can be seen from the figures in Table 1 following. As mentioned, our profitability is greatly assisted by an unusually low cost base, afforded by the number of donated items.

Table 1. Retail Business Result Summary, 2018/2019

Depot Sales $11,786 Depot Costs $5,821 Actual Profit/Loss $5,965 Budget Revenue $13,090 Budget Costs $8,915 Budget Profit/Loss $4,175 STARPS Sales(Note 1) $5,265 STARPS Costs $0 STARPS Profit/Loss $5,265 Note 1: This item includes stock items along with 50% of food sales; however it is overwhelmingly food sales. Please note that these figures are estimated from sales sheets, final actuals should be taken from the Treasurer’s Annual Report. Also revenue from food sales is split 50% between Depot Sales and STARPS Sales. At the time this report was compiled, there may have been some invoices outstanding, which would impact the over-all profit result. Please see the Treasurer’s Annual Report for final results. Chart 1 following illustrates the monthly Depot retail sales revenue and costs. The impact of a number of special event peak days (as listed in Table 2 following) is clearly visible.

$2,500 Depot Sales Depot Costs

$2,000

$1,500

$1,000

$500

$0

Chart 1: Depot Retail Sales Revenue and Costs by Month.

During the year we had a number of group visits and events which effected our revenue and visitor numbers, these are listed in Table 2 following. Major events are highlighted in bold.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 24 Table 2: Special Events by Month

Month Events July Open two week days during school holidays (non running) August No significant events September Father’s day, open one Saturday for special event, open for birthday party group October Halloween, open two week days for school holidays, group visit November Special service remembrance day December Santa promotion and open for Rural Fire Service party January Tram out of service for maintenance February Seniors day March A tour group visit and two car club visits April Bus tour and car club visit, open a Monday and Friday for school holidays, 46 class special day May Open week days for two tour group visits, Teddy Bear promotion June 2 school groups and seniors group visits

Charts 2 and 3 illustrate the connection between heads through the door, retail sales and total revenue (including ticket sales). Chart 2 illustrates the connection between ticket sales, retail sales and total revenue on a month by month basis. It is important to note that on some occasions such as during group visits admission tickets weren’t issued, resulting in the gate numbers shown in Chart 2 following being slightly low. Also, non-paying children under 5 are not included.

Heads through the door Retail Sales Total Revenue

$8,000.00 500 $7,000.00 450 400 $6,000.00 350 $5,000.00 300 $4,000.00 250 $3,000.00 200 150 $2,000.00 100 $1,000.00 50 $- 0 Jul-18 Aug- Sep- Oct-18 Nov- Dec- Jan-19 Feb- Mar- Apr-19 May- Jun-19 18 18 18 18 19 19 19

Chart 2: Revenue (Line) vs. Gate Entries (Column) by Month

Chart 3, which shows the same data on a day by day basis, illustrates more effectively the effect of special promotions, group visits etc., which tend to be hidden in month by month data.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 25 Est Total Head Count* Cash Less Float Total Retail Sales

$4,500.00 300 $4,000.00 250 $3,500.00 $3,000.00 200 $2,500.00 150 $2,000.00 $1,500.00 100 $1,000.00 50 $500.00 $0.00 0

Chart 3: Revenue (Line) vs. Gate Entries (Column) by Day

So how does 2018/2019 compare with previous years? Chart 4 following illustrates the bottom line impact in terms of revenue and profit, and gate admissions, over the past 14 years.

Revenue Costs Profit Gate Numbers $25,000 4500 4000 $20,000 3500 3000 $15,000 2500 2000 $10,000 1500

$5,000 1000 500 $0 0

Chart 4: Annual Combined (Depot and STARPS) Retail Revenue and Profit over 14 years.

Compared with the previous years, our revenue, despite being down a little compared with the previous year, is still higher than earlier years. This is despite a slight drop off in gate numbers. Despite the drop in revenue, profit increased thanks to a greater reduction in costs.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 26 Admissions 2018-19 Admissions 2017/18 600

500

400

300

200

100

0 J ul-18 Aug- S ep- O c t- Nov- Dec- Jan- F eb- Mar- A pr- May- Jun- 18 18 18 18 18 19 19 19 19 19 19

Chart 5: Month by Month Comparison with Previous Year

While looking at the year just passed with previous years, Chart 5 shows 2018/19 compared with 2017/18 on a month by month basis. Interestingly, some of our usual major events (Santa in December and the Teddy Bears’ Day Out in May) attracted fewer visitors than the previous year; however Father’s Day in September and the 46 class open day in April attracted particularly large numbers of visitors. Looking now at where the money came from, in regard to revenue sources, these are summarized in Chart 5 following. Noting that the majority of STARPS sales are food related, again it can be seen that refreshment sales still make up the majority of our revenue, being around 3 times the next highest item, books. DVD and calendar sales continue to decline. Competition from cheaper products from the newsagent is impacting calendar sales, while video streaming is hitting DVD sales. Indeed, at least one former DVD supplier has now moved entirely to offering its product via You-Tube subscription in place of physical DVD.

$6,000 $5,000 $4,000 $3,000 $2,000 $1,000 $0

Chart 5: Revenue Sources

Now where the money was spent, this is summarized in Table 3. “Other Costs” includes equipment maintenance and replacement.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 27 Table 3: Retail Expenditure Summary

Item Cost Stock Purchases $4,687 Refreshment Purchases $1,133 Other Costs $0 Total $5,821

4.9.4 The Future As the new Retail Manager I have a vision towards presenting the shop with a new look as we move into the future. At the beginning of this year I called a meeting of my retail Team Members to capture some collective input aimed at developing this new look. This meeting gave everybody an opportunity to table their ideas, as they are the ones working in the shop. Some very constructive feedback was collected from this meeting. Of course implementing some of the changes discussed isn’t going to happen overnight and in fact will be reliant on available funding to successfully progress the ideas towards fruition. Some of the key big ticket ideas tabled include: separating the admission ticket sales from the food sales, new display and book stands, replacement of cash registers. A review of food pricing has been completed and introduced. We are also trialling a new Kids Lunch Deal as a menu option at events that focused towards attracting kids and families.

4.9.5 Credits and Tributes In closing on my first year as Retail Manager I would like to thank the members of my retail team for their dedication and commitment to supporting me and (for supporting Stephen) in the shop with its operations. To all of those who operate the coffee machine, serve food, cook and prepare cakes, sandwiches etc., greet customers, sell tickets and stock items, provide items to sell (DVDs, model kits, knitted items or whatever), fix and maintain the shop and equipment, provide and pick up the money, etc. Thank you so much to you all, your contribution is very greatly appreciated. I am particularly indebted to all those who have made themselves available to serve in the shop; it can be a challenging task sometimes. Thanks also to STARPS for their contribution with continuing to supply food options available for customers to purchase. Finally to Stephen Corrigan for his support to me in my first year. I am sure he must feel as though he has not left role sometimes.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 28 4.10 Large Exhibits Report—Bruce Coxon How quickly the year passes and again I sit down to review the year! Most of our large exhibits have been restored but work on some others is slow due to a need for specific trades including carriage builders. We have two, 4-wheel wooden wagons that would be the perfect project for someone with carpentry skills to restore while I provide access to funding, equipment and management plans. As you will see below, we are still making progress in many areas and in particular, the work done by Steve Corrigan in developing a driver simulator in the 46 class is very exciting. The fact that you can use the actual loco controls including blowing the horn using the pull cord makes it very realistic. Later this year the simulator will be open to the public. Meanwhile other works continue including:

4.10.1 X206 Once again we have continued to make this loco serviceable. Our Workshop Manager Terry Matchett has begun replacing windows and removing rust. In anticipation of having the loco accredited we again renewed our driver’s tickets but unfortunately, accreditation has hit a wall with the Safety Regulator and is now waiting on further paperwork including our Interface Agreement with Sydney Trains to be updated. Many people are working tirelessly to get this document approved and as soon as it is, we will have the loco in revenue service.

4.10.2 HG 4-wheel guards van I am still working on the Conservation Management Plan, Budget and detailed Works Plan so that we have a correctly restored heritage wagon. As I said previously, we could really do with the assistance of someone experienced in wooden carriage restoration!

4.10.3 Electric Loco 4601

4.10.3.1 30th anniversary A special open day was held to mark the 30th anniversary of the last time a 46 class loco worked a train out of Valley Heights. As will be described in further detail in other reports, the day was a great opportunity to exhibit this loco. In preparation for the event, the loco was washed down and dressed with special signage placed around the loco to commemorate the day. Special thanks to Small Exhibits Manager Mike Pensini and his team for this display. The event was highly successful, with large numbers of visitors, including a number of former drivers, electricians and fitters (from whom a significant amount of information about the operation of the 46 class was acquired).

4.10.3.2 Development of a Driver Simulator by Steve Corrigan Work in electric loco 4601 during the year has focused on two streams: Working towards opening the 46 class to the public, and development of the simulator. These two activities are of course inter-related in that the simulator is anticipated to be a significant public attraction, while having the loco in an acceptable state is a precursor to opening the locomotive up to the public to experience the simulator. In regard to opening up 4601, during the year a number of cautious steps were carried out with a view to achieving this objective. Firstly, a plan was developed specifying how the locomotive might be presented to the public, and identifying the tasks to be carried out to get there. Essentially, the proposal is: 1. No 1 End cab (presently facing turntable) to be open at all times on open days, for un-supervised inspection. All controls to be locked, High Tension (H.T) compartment to be closed and access to machinery compartment locked. This reflects current procedure. 2. No 2 end open for inspection/simulator demonstration on a scheduled/escorted basis. 3. Inspection of H.T. and machinery compartment to be from No. 2 end during escorted inspection, viewed through protective Perspex door. Public will not be allowed to enter H.T. or machinery compartment due to safety reasons.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 29 4. Simulator in No 2 end cab to be operated as a demonstration by suitably qualified personal during escorted inspections. 5. Tour guide to give introduction talk from ground level prior to entering locomotive, including safety warning about potential hazards. Some work has been carried out with a view to tidying up and removing hazards from public accessible areas, improving electrical safety and generally making the 46 more presentable. Taking advantage of an anticipated fairly quiet open day on Sunday 27 January, it was decided to trial taking the public through the 46 class, including demonstrating the simulator. On the whole it went well, the simulator itself performed without fault, and there were no problems escorting small numbers of people through the locomotive. Some lessons were learnt, including the need for public accessible stairs at both ends of the 46, as well as some minor adjustments to the simulator, such as having shorter demonstration sessions. Appropriate stairs have now been sourced. In regard to the driver simulator, work can be divided into streams: modifications carried out to wiring or equipment in the 46 class with a view to adding features to the simulator, or improving its operation, and work on the simulator computer system itself, along with its associated interface unit. In regard to modifications to the 46 itself, the following work has been carried out (note that all modifications were carried out in a manner that is fully reversible, i.e. no original wires were cut): · Noting the power supply which converts 240 volt mains power into 12 volt DC for the lighting and 5 volt DC for the simulator interface was found to become hot on hot days, a cooling fan was installed. · Modifications were made to both the 46 class wiring and the simulator interface so as enable the pantographs in the computer simulation to be raised/lowered using the panto control buttons on the drivers’ control desk · The original “Line Switch” and “Fan Motor” lamps in the driver’s control desk were replaced with light emitting diode lamps with suitable current limiting resistors. Having these lights working adds to the realism of the “driving” experience. In regard to the simulator computer system and associated interface, a disproportionate amount of time and effort went into tracking down a particularly elusive intermittent problem. The symptom of the problem is that, when the accelerating handle is moved from a power notch to the “Stop” position, the computer would remain in the power notch, i.e. it would not return to “Idle” as it should. This problem first appeared in June 2017, and has randomly re- appeared ever since, only to disappear whenever a concerted effort is made to locate and eliminate it. Indeed it has been the un-certainty of this issue that has led to reluctance to expose the simulator to public demonstration. Acting on a suggestion that the problem might be a “dry” solder joint, the power control circuit board in the interface unit was removed, and all solder joints related to operation of the accelerating handle were re-soldered. This was done in February, and to date the problem has not re-occurred. In regard to the computer system itself, member Leigh Stokes has made some great progress in developing Australian scenery, with NSW style overhead catenaries, as well as locomotive 4601 itself, as per the following screen shot.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 30

Trainz screen shot showing NSW overhead and 4601

Leigh has gone on to develop a number of “sessions” addressing three target audiences: A short duration session demonstrating the 46 class controls for the purposes of demonstration to the public on open days, a low challenge session for the purpose of training novice drivers, and a longer challenging session, involving precision stopping, shunting, crossing other trains etc., for the purpose of challenging experienced drivers. In order to run the later version of the “Trainz” software, as well as taking advantage of the work that Leigh has done, Leigh has also kindly offered to donate a much more powerful machine to replace the somewhat dated computer that we are presently using. With this in mind, two larger screens have been purchased, one of which has been installed on the fireman’s side (see picture below):

New monitor on Fireman’s side of cab

The immediate tasks to continue the work in the 46, with the objective of opening up the locomotive, along with the driver simulator, to the public are: · Continue reliability testing, to ensure that the “return to idle” problem is fixed · Install the more powerful computer, along with later version software and the 46 class simulation and sessions that Leigh has developed, and larger screen on the drivers’ side. · Install stairs to facilitate public access to the number 2 end drivers’ cab.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 31 4.10.4 5711 Ted Dickson, who is working to restore 5711, reports that specialist work required to rivet the tender frame has held up progress restoring the loco. The company that will carry out this work for us has been somewhat busy making a new boiler for 3801 which has now been completed. Hopefully this means the riveting on 5711’s tender can be finished in August this year. Once this is done, it is hoped the tender frame can be reunited with the bogies and the water tank.

4.10.5 The Ford Prefect (Mercury) Truck When I was Small Exhibits Manager, work started restoring a small exhibit called the Mercury Truck, it was used as a general runabout to carry items around the Depot. With the assistance of the Retirees group, they have now nearly completed refurbishment of the timber work of this exhibit and we are now looking at restoring the mechanicals of this quaint little vehicle.

Mercury Truck

4.10.6 Other Exhibits All other exhibits including the ETB, 3214 and the RBR are regularly cleaned and maintained. The small exhibits team has produced data panels for each exhibit that explain its history and main details. This really provides the full picture to our visitors of just exactly what the exhibit was used for and where it came from. My thanks go to the team for the many hours of research put into creating these panels! Thank you to those members who have or continue to make great improvements to our range of exhibits and a special thanks to the committee members for their continued friendship, this is what makes it fun for me to be part of the museum.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 32 4.11 Small Exhibits Report—Michael Pensini It has been another challenging and successful year for our small exhibits collection. We were able to see many successful projects completed. A big thank you to Jennifer Edmonds for her time, guidance and assistance. One of the big improvements this year has been the designing, researching and building of interpretive signs for the large exhibits. The bases are heavy and durable. A very big thank you to Sue Fulton, Adrian Duffy and Ray Love at Thirlmere who kindly checked the info for accuracy and the other seven proof readers who also cheerfully undertook the task of checking the sign text. The changeover to the new database is quite a challenge and coming to grips with it has become a top priority for the Collections Team. A full day's training in the use of EMu was conducted on site by the Registrar from Thirlmere and he has offered follow up training as we find it necessary. The extensive old catalogue will be uploaded to the new system as soon as possible. Due to the increased workload, general cataloguing and cleaning of the collection has been a low priority this year. Cataloguing of the lantern collection is 50% complete, thanks to Jennifer Troy's valuable assistance. The bottle collection has been accessioned and cleaned by new volunteer Debbie Inwood. The objects in this collection will be the first to be catalogued using EMu The Small Exhibits Storeroom has been prepared to safely provide long term storage for the collection and is regularly maintained. All shelves have now been wrapped to provide a safe surface. Additional storage equipment for the bottle collection has arrived and installed in the small exhibits storeroom and our collection is being rearranged. Many of the exhibits on the back wall have been rearranged. A small rack for three model trains has been constructed. The acrylic covers and interpretative signage have been installed. Six of the refurbished display cabinets have been painted and sealed to museum standard. They are installed on the back wall for small collections. Many of the team have attended excellent MAAS2 workshops and have been to locally based workshops dealing with museum issues organised by BMACHO and by the BMCC Museums Advisor. A useful spinoff has been improved communication between heritage organisations in the Blue Mountains at the working level. Rudi Glajcar has been busily photographing our site and contents for our permanent records. Our photo collection has started to be digitally stored. Any old photos of Blue Mountains railways would be appreciated. The internet connection in the Library has been a welcome tool for the administrative needs and research requirements of the Collections Team. Sue and Adrian are to be congratulated for the 46 class information panels and banner for the 46 class promotion and celebration. A big thank you to all who helped make the day such a success. Research into the 46 class maintenance sign and water pipes continues. Signage for the Fettlers’ Shed is being developed. General signage has been improved across the museum. Two signs have been installed near the shop and model rooms. Photo spots are being designed. Future projects include the cataloguing of the lantern collection and our bottle collection. Three original Valley Heights Station signs have been collected; placement to be decided later. Disaster recovery resources and new safety equipment have been purchased Information is NEEDED. There are many exhibits for which we need extra historical information. This information will form the basis of the interpretive signs for display. The team of Sue Fulton, Rudi Glajcar, Ellen Anderson, Julie Tester, Debbie Inwood and Andrew Tester, does a fantastic job in many roles around the museum. Thank you very much to all that have assisted our team this year. Your help is very much appreciated.

2 NSW Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 33 4.12 Model Railway Report—Ray Beharrell The model of Valley Heights circa 1950 has continued to draw much interest over the past year especially from specific groups who visited the museum and have had conducted tours. It is much easier for us to display the running of the models due to the new loop which was created some time ago. The “Y” has now been wired to correct the polarity and is used to turn locomotives, using points and a polarity switch, to return to the depot if required. A scenic background to the layout is still to be planned. Henk Luf has continued to work with the DC layout and has done a magnificent job presenting the “Railways of the World” to our visitors. Member Liam Curley has been of great help on the DC layout and his expertise with the wiring has been most helpful as he tries to consolidate some of the very complicated original wiring underneath this layout. My thanks go to all those who have helped to plan and improve both layouts in such a dedicated way especially the Blue Mountains and Nepean Christian Model Railway group who come regularly to either work on or run both layouts. I hope to have your assistance in the future as we work together to improve the layouts in general. I would also like to thank all those on the roster who run the DCC layout regularly on open days, your willingness to come up is very much appreciated by me and the museum committee. Continuing jobs still planned for the future are:

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

4.12.2 Valley Heights 1950s DCC layout · Continue with the suggested changes as time allows. · Make the turntable operable · Plan a suitable background to the model With Henk being available most open days we only need volunteers who know DCC on the Valley Depot DCC layout on open days. If you would like to help please contact me (Phone 02 4733 1312, Mob. 0421 932 009).

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 34 4.13 Workshop Report—Terry Matchett 4.13.1 General · General maintenance was carried out throughout the year on various projects. · A large steel rack was re-assembled and transported to the Civil Depot for storage of steel bar and pipes. · Two gates were made up and fitted to the fence around the Ash Pit Tunnel. · The museum’s lifting gear was inspected for safe working condition. However, two thirds failed. We do not have the funds at present to replace some items. · Pit covers were purchased and placed in the pits under exhibits to prevent access. However, the two covers in Road One become deformed due to access to “Stevo “ during repairs. These two pit covers have been repaired and strengthened to support pedestrian use. · The Turntable pit wall was causing the turntable to jam when temperatures were in excess of 40°C. The repairs to the pit wall were made during the replacement of the Roundhouse Forecourt. The wall was machined back to give the required clearance.

4.13.2 X206 Diesel Shunter Fixed and sliding windows were removed and the area around the windows was needle-gunned and primed. · Replacement pane was fitted to the driver’s sliding window. · New rubber surrounds was purchased for the fixed windows. · However, while refitting the fireman’s side fixed window, the pane fractured and required replacement.

4.13.3 Mario · The handbrake was removed from the front end loader and fitted to Mario giving the vehicle a standing brake. · Emergency Shut–Downs were fitted to the right and left hand sides of the vehicle adjacent to the driver’s seat. · This arrangement gives the shunter assisting the driver, the ability to shut down the vehicle in an emergency situation. · The hoist hydraulic cylinder was removed and the shaft seal replaced, then re-assembled. · There was fuel leaking into the diesel engine crankcase. The fuel line from the fuel tank was re-routed to by-pass the engine driven lift pump. So far, this appears to resolve the problem.

4.14 Planning and Development Report—Henk Luf Since our museum commenced this Committee function voted upon at last year’s AGM, there has been initial short term progress in what is a progressive long term planning and development function covering a number of our museum’s functions and activities. This year we have identified and acted upon what we felt were the first foundations upon which longer term museum development can be based. The first committee-approved instalment and objectives of what we deemed to be important within the Museum’s 5 year, 10 year and 20 year planning and development structure are as listed keeping in mind that some the listed objectives have already been acted upon and have since been completed

4.14.1 Infrastructure. · Reorganise and clean elements in the Roundhouse. · Move excess equipment to Civil Depot for storage. · Complete the Fettlers Shed and develop plans for its viewing. · Re-lay track and maintain the ash pit. · Move static display wagons to new places. · Develop more seating and facilities for visitors. · Install up to date fire-fighting equipment and water supply.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 35 · Remodel the Civil Depot to allow full usage by the Museum. · Rebuild and restore the signal box to its original size.

4.14.2 Collection. · Revise current collection management policies. · Develop disaster plans and acquire resources needed. · Develop a regular cleaning and stocktaking of the collection. · Change our current catalogue to the new EMu system. · Continue the digitizing process for all paper based items. · Continue photographing all items in the collection. · Develop the new quarantine area in the civil depot.

4.14.3 Exhibits and Interpretation · Develop and install sturdy interpretive signs for Large Exhibits. · Write and install more Interpretive signs for collection items on display. · Develop various visitor trails around the Museum. · Use research done by Ted Dickson’s son on Museum signage for new signs. · Use new social media for greater penetration into community

4.14.4 Education · Continue to develop Teacher Resources to encourage more school visits. · Develop a teachers’ network for information interchange. · Develop more take home materials. Having identified the shorter-term objectives, we can now proceed to looking at the longer-term ones. Interesting times ahead

4.15 Honorary Librarian’s Report—Andrew Tester The Library team have been involved in a range of diverse activities during the financial year. These activities have centred on the Library and assisting the Small Exhibits Manager. The team also gets valuable support from Transport Heritage NSW. Jennifer Edmonds (Heritage and Collections Manager) and Chris Fielder (Collections Officer) are invaluable resources for advice in the Collection Management space. Chris Fielder has introduced us to EMu (Electronic Museums - Collection Management System). The system is currently in use by THNSW to catalogue their collection at Thirlmere and items in storage at other locations. This system has been offered to us and although the team has only just been introduced it is expected that a start will be made to catalogue our collection onto EMu in the coming year.

4.15.1 Library As reported last year, an audit of the Museum’s collection of magazines and books has started and this year has seen the audit continue. Auditing of the magazine collection is mostly complete with the start on the book collection well advanced. This audit has been beneficial in freeing up shelf space and identifying multiple copies of publications which exceed the limit of 2 copies as stipulated in the Museum’s Library Collection Policy. All technical reference material – operating and maintenance manuals and railway publications are still being audited. Publications identified as being surplus have been removed from the shelves for reuse / recycling as give a ways in Santa show bags or offered for sale at future book sales.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 36 MagIndex – the Electronic Index for Railway Digest, ARHS Bulletin / Australian Railway History magazines has been installed onto the Library’s main computer and is current with all the updates issued by the database administrators for these publications, up to the end of the 2019 financial year. Richard Nicholson, one of our original Library team members was progressing on the cataloguing of the drawing collection and was tracking well towards completion until just before Christmas, when unfortunately Richard’s health took an unexpected turn. While Richard has stabilised he has been unable to return to Museum activities. Members of the team stay in contact with Richard and visit him from time to time. This year we welcomed Debbie Inwood to the team. Debbie came to us from Norman Lindsay Gallery and since joining us in October 2018, Debbie has spread her wings and become involved in other Museum activities outside the Library and Small Exhibits. Welcome Debbie. The Library is a resource for the Museum’s volunteers and members to access but you just can’t go and help yourself. As the books and magazines have been designated a specific storage location (and that has been noted in our database) it is important that you speak with a member of the Library team to arrange access to the collection. The audit the team have been working on for the last couple of years has achieved a great result on sorting and giving the publications specific locations for ease of access. Unrestricted access could result in publications being misfiled and not matching our database records or even going missing.

4.15.2 Small Exhibits A start was made on cataloguing the Museum’s collection of railway lamps and bottle collections. This work involves sorting, cleaning, photographing, labelling and documenting each individual item. Once catalogued the item is given a unique number and is labelled accordingly. At this point the item can be either be displayed or placed into long term storage. Irrespective of the item’s status the location of the item is noted so that we know where to find it at any time in the future. It is important for the membership and volunteers to note that if they need to access a small exhibit item for whatever reason, they need to speak with the team looking after the small exhibits. Just like the Library, once the small exhibits have been catalogued and labelled they are given a designated location, which is where they are to stay unless a small exhibits team member(s) have been consulted and arrangements made to relocate an item. It is at the point the Museum’s records of the item need to be updated, so that the exhibit can be located. Collection management is a very time consuming process and can consume tremendous resources to complete a job thoroughly. While what has been reported does not seem like much there is a lot of time that gets spent managing the people and supervising the work, particularly when there are multiple projects running concurrently. As a result of this the cataloguing process of our exhibit items has been slower than expected.

4.15.3 Interpretation Sue Fulton and Adrian Duffy have also been working on improving visitor interpretation through display and exhibit signage around the Museum. The first successful achievement in this new development for the Museum was a series of interpretation panels developed to tell the story of the life of the 46 class in both text and pictures. This was for the very successful event that was held in April 2019 to commemorate the 30th Anniversary since the last 46 class locomotive left the Valley Heights depot and assisted a train the Katoomba. Following on from this, a start has been made to improve the Interpretative signage for our key exhibits which should be completed next financial year. In closing, I would like to thank Sue Fulton, Adrian Duffy, Rudiger (Rudy) Glajcar, Ellen Anderson, Julie Tester, Debbie Inwood, Jenni Troy and Mike Pensini for all their efforts throughout the year. Collectively they work as a team in both the Library and Small Exhibits spaces and are being referred to as the Collections Team. So if you hear the term Collections Team being used you know who they are. To Jennifer Edmonds and Chris Fielder from THNSW thank you for your expertise and support given to the Valley Heights team over the last twelve months.

Annual Report – AGM 2019 (amended Saturday, 2 November 2019) Blue Mountains Division, Transport Heritage NSW 37 Finally I can’t close this year’s report without acknowledging Richard Nicholson’s contribution to the team over many years. Richard your dedication and thoroughness to sorting and cataloguing the collection of drawings is greatly appreciated. You came in sat at your desk and the computer and quietly went about your duties, achieving a lot. You are missed and are in our thoughts. We wish you the best of health.

A thank you to our contributing photographers

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