Castlemaine and Maldon Railway Preservation Branchline Society The Members Newsletter of the Castlemaine and Maldon Railway May 2014 Preservation Society Thank You to the Victorian State Government The Hon. Damian Drum MP enjoys the company of VGR volunteers and staff at the announcement of the grant for the Takeuchi hi-rail gear. The Victorian Goldfields Railway in Maldon will upgrade its track-layer and sleeper-replacement machine with the help of $50,400 from the Victorian Coalition Government’s $1 billion Regional Growth Fund. Member for Northern Victoria, Damian Drum MLC, pictured above with a group of VGR volunteers, said the machine would be able to operate on all railway gauges currently in use in Australia. “The Victorian Goldfields Railway has identified an opportunity to create a unique work team to operate the only Takeuchi Hi-Rail track machine in Victoria,” Mr Drum said. “The VGR is experiencing an ageing volunteer workforce and the acquisition of specialist machinery will remove some of the burden from the volunteers. “As well as maintaining the VGR’s rail system into the future, the project will maintain two full-time jobs and generate income for the VGR through contract work at various tourist railways, including the Maldon Castlemaine tourist railway and tracks like Puffing Billy, Mornington Railway and Southern Shorthaul Railroad. “The machine will be designed and built in Bendigo by engineering company McCullochs.” Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan said the Coalition Government funding towards the $67,200 project to upgrade the Takeuchi Track Layer would be provided through the Regional Growth Fund to the Victorian Goldfields Railway, which will contribute $16,800. “The Regional Growth Fund is investing in community-led projects to strategically drive jobs, investment and innovation in rural and regional Victoria,” Mr Ryan said. “Since it was established in early 2011, the Regional Growth Fund has invested more than $394 million to support almost 1,400 projects across regional and rural Victoria, leveraging over $1.57 billion in total investment.” Mr Ryan said. In Mount Alexander Shire, the Regional Growth Fund has provided $2.94 million to 16 projects, leveraging $4.55 million in total investment. Those projects include: $822,000 towards the Walking & Cycling Strategy Implementation (Castlemaine to Newstead Trail) $250,000 towards the $1,457,000 Newstead Multipurpose Sports and Recreation Pavilion; and $30,000 towards the $60,000 Enhancing Community Awareness for Bushfires Project The upgraded track layer is expected to be operating by August 2014. May 2014 Page 2 President’s Column It will be seen elsewhere in this newsletter by Michael Vines economic benefit to the town. that we have achieved our goal in regard to the excavator. We launched the appeal to Since the last newsletter we have been in our membership to raise funds in November discussion with the South Gippsland Railway of last year and I want to thank all members about return of our railmotor, RM61. Nearly that contributed which has seen a bit over 5 years ago the railmotor went to the SGR $25,000 raised to date. The balance of funds on a plan that intended that we would receive needed to fit out the excavator has come the DRC railmotor from Seymour. This never from a grant from Regional Development eventuated for various reasons so in many Victoria which was announced at Maldon on ways we ended up being a benefactor for the 13th of April 2014. As previously advised South Gippsland without getting anything in the excavator has been to McCulloch’s in return. As a result of recent discussions a Bendigo for preliminary measurements in plan has been put in place that will see the readiness for the fit out which will now railmotor returned to us by the 1st of proceed. It will be apparent that next to the December this year. Unfortunately the grant funds the amount that came in from our railmotor has been inoperable at South membership was more than the contribution Gippsland for sometime so the initial steps of we were required to make so the balance has the plan will be to assess the work required gone to meeting the ongoing lease payments to return it to an operating state. The for the excavator as required. I am very railmotor will then be moved to Newport for pleased that this project has moved so the work to be undertaken and then it is speedily because it sits very squarely in the hoped that it will return to our railway via forefront of our plans to generate extra the mainline. All of this I should emphasize income for the railway as previously advised. will happen at no cost to ourselves so I connection. regard this as an extremely good outcome. It We are now turning our minds to the grant became apparent in the discussions that took funding needed for the next stage of Secondly are our plans to operate heritage place that the rail motor was really, in many infrastructure projects for the railway. It has trains from Southern Cross to Castlemaine ways, in a fairly poor state when it left our been determined that this should be the with our joint venture partner, Steamrail. The railway about 5 years ago. It seems to me that completion of the carriage shed at tourist potential for the goldfields region for the outcome of this process will be to have it Castlemaine and the construction of this is clearly there and in pushing our cause back to us in very good condition and it will locomotive servicing facilities there as well. I with the government this aspect will be be particularly useful to us in the summer have talked about this previously but the highlighted. I should also say that we will have season with the capacity for it also to haul a reasoning behind pushing to achieve both is, significant timetable advantages in operating passenger carriage as the did on branch lines firstly, because of our stated resolve to the branch line from Castlemaine which in the past. I want to thank the Registrar of operate the branch line from Castlemaine would give passengers more time to spend at Heritage and Tourist Railways, Adrian rather than Maldon. There are a number of Maldon between morning and afternoon Ponton, for his assistance in reaching this advantages that will flow from this but trains and so more time to enjoy the shops, outcome. particularly that we will be operating from a eateries, hotels and tourism benefits that major regional town with a mainline exist there and therefore provide a greater (Continued on page 3) The Victorian Goldfields Railway is supported by some fine businesses. If your company would like to benefit from a sponsorship, please contact our Sponsorship Manager, Rob Fletcher via our marketing office on (03) 5470 6658 May 2014 Page 3 Finally as I indicated in the last newsletter I A Railway Gentleman was up in Maldon over the Easter period. It was very pleasing to see the level of patronage on our trains and so it was apparent that, as expected, Easter was a very busy period for us. Again this is important for the railway because we have moved to a new fare structure since the April 1st and so the revenue stream now coming in from our passengers will be significantly greater. Again this is part of our strategic plan to restore the railway’s finances in the wake of the El Zorro problems of last year. In the last month or so there has been a significant turnaround in our finances but we still have a long way to go and I assure all members that the Board is working very hard to achieve our stated goals. As I said at a recent Board meeting it will be very interesting to see how the railway stands financially in about twelve months time when all of the measures we have put into place should have had their flow through effect by then. Anyway that is pretty much it in regard to matters that I want to bring to members John McEwen, a long serving volunteer for well, helping to fire up the farm forge and attention for this newsletter and I hope it will the Victorian Goldfields Railway has put his helping with the working Clydesdale horses. indicate to members that there is plenty that flags in the safeworking box, hung up his is being planned at the moment and needs to guard’s hat and handed in his keys to the be done. John’s interest in the railways, led him to signal box. From now on, John will enjoy contemplate taking up an apprenticeship at riding the rails as a passenger, after many Michael Vines Newport, which would have trained him to years of working on our railway in a variety President be an Engineman. Whilst his parents of voluntary roles. recognized his interest in the railway world, they insisted that he complete his formal Takeuchi Appeal John’s association with the railway world school based education. As mentioned, we have now raised all the began to evolve from an early age, when his funds required to fit the Takeuchi with Hi-Rail family took him regularly on the steam train His continuing formal education led the young gear. A number of donations have been to visit farming friends in the Yarrawonga John McEwen on a different path, but never received after the target was met. These district. His father also took John on a variety extinguished his other interests, which simply donations will go towards paying off the of other steam train journey in his younger lay dormant for a while until re-emerging principal owing to the bank for the purchase days – trips which helped to firmly establish a after several years as an art teacher in various of the machine.